You haven't heard the last from Hedley
Jacob Hoggard is currently touring with his band Hedley. For complete tour dates, go to http://hedleyonline.com.
Jacob Hoggard auditioned for Canadian Idol four years ago, as a bet with his band, Hedley. He got to third place before he was eliminated, but the enthusiastic 23-year-old is glad those days are behind him.
"Yeah. That was out of control," he says. (He peppers his conversation with the F-word, excised here to protect the innocent.) "But at that point, I knew what I wanted to get out of it. I'm glad I didn't win, because when you do they have these things lined up for you. I like this much better. I like playing in a band."
Not that the pace has slowed down much. Post-Idol, Hedley released two albums (self-titled and Famous Last Words, just last October), signed to major labels in Canada and the United States, earned Juno nominations, won a MuchMusic Video Award for best pop video and toured with Bon Jovi. How things change.
"Drastically and constantly!" agrees Hoggard.
One of the biggest changes was a complete lineup overhaul for his backing musicians. "Better ones!" he laughs.
"The first guys were garage musicians, buddies of mine and more of a jam band. The old drummer is my best buddy. On New Year's Eve we played Guitar Heroes together. The other guys I don't really talk to, but the important relationships are steadfast."
The learning curve for How to Be A Rock Star has been steep; don't be fooled. It's a lot of work, he says.
"I got really lazy over winter, so I have to crack the whip, but writing the last record was intense. All-consuming. All I did was write lyrics, but I found I couldn't sit down and only work on one thing. I needed to let my mind wander and come up with silly stuff too. But I think writing a song is like building a house: you gotta do it one step at a time, busting your balls, but the more you do it, it gets easier."
His top priority now is the current tour, 21 days in less than a month, from Victoria to Halifax, promoting Famous Last Words.
"It's hard to write on the road, with all the sex and drugs . . . (laughs) no, we get pretty tired, so I want all my energy for the show. But once in a while. Right now I have two or three piano tracks on the go. When I started, I wanted a crazy rock band, take no prisoners. I like to think that's where our mind is, but I love the fact that we don't limit ourselves."
While no longer crazy -- their sound has plenty of polish to it -- the energy that he has for his chosen vocation is still very genuine. Though a graduate of the Idol school, there is not much that is prefabricated or calculated about Hoggard's love for playing.
"This empire has been all about faking it. The trick is to be ambitious and keep pushing it, but I still don't know what I'm doing. I've been taking it one step at a time, because this all can disappear tomorrow. But everything is fresh and new and exciting all the time."
What's the most exciting for a budding young rock star from Abbotsford, B.C.?
"Free stuff! Like food and clothes. I grew up living on my own, so I know how much underwear costs, and I appreciate that."
source: http://www.canada.com/cityguides/edmonton/story.html?id=5e55d93f-9187-49f7-8b42-1a2c0e495bc8
Jacob Hoggard auditioned for Canadian Idol four years ago, as a bet with his band, Hedley. He got to third place before he was eliminated, but the enthusiastic 23-year-old is glad those days are behind him.
"Yeah. That was out of control," he says. (He peppers his conversation with the F-word, excised here to protect the innocent.) "But at that point, I knew what I wanted to get out of it. I'm glad I didn't win, because when you do they have these things lined up for you. I like this much better. I like playing in a band."
Not that the pace has slowed down much. Post-Idol, Hedley released two albums (self-titled and Famous Last Words, just last October), signed to major labels in Canada and the United States, earned Juno nominations, won a MuchMusic Video Award for best pop video and toured with Bon Jovi. How things change.
"Drastically and constantly!" agrees Hoggard.
One of the biggest changes was a complete lineup overhaul for his backing musicians. "Better ones!" he laughs.
"The first guys were garage musicians, buddies of mine and more of a jam band. The old drummer is my best buddy. On New Year's Eve we played Guitar Heroes together. The other guys I don't really talk to, but the important relationships are steadfast."
The learning curve for How to Be A Rock Star has been steep; don't be fooled. It's a lot of work, he says.
"I got really lazy over winter, so I have to crack the whip, but writing the last record was intense. All-consuming. All I did was write lyrics, but I found I couldn't sit down and only work on one thing. I needed to let my mind wander and come up with silly stuff too. But I think writing a song is like building a house: you gotta do it one step at a time, busting your balls, but the more you do it, it gets easier."
His top priority now is the current tour, 21 days in less than a month, from Victoria to Halifax, promoting Famous Last Words.
"It's hard to write on the road, with all the sex and drugs . . . (laughs) no, we get pretty tired, so I want all my energy for the show. But once in a while. Right now I have two or three piano tracks on the go. When I started, I wanted a crazy rock band, take no prisoners. I like to think that's where our mind is, but I love the fact that we don't limit ourselves."
While no longer crazy -- their sound has plenty of polish to it -- the energy that he has for his chosen vocation is still very genuine. Though a graduate of the Idol school, there is not much that is prefabricated or calculated about Hoggard's love for playing.
"This empire has been all about faking it. The trick is to be ambitious and keep pushing it, but I still don't know what I'm doing. I've been taking it one step at a time, because this all can disappear tomorrow. But everything is fresh and new and exciting all the time."
What's the most exciting for a budding young rock star from Abbotsford, B.C.?
"Free stuff! Like food and clothes. I grew up living on my own, so I know how much underwear costs, and I appreciate that."
source: http://www.canada.com/cityguides/edmonton/story.html?id=5e55d93f-9187-49f7-8b42-1a2c0e495bc8
Comments
Post a Comment