Doug Hoekstra

"A lot of people write songs, Hoekstra writes five-minute worlds" (Wired Magazine). Doug Hoekstra’s instantly recognizable musical persona and deep talent for songcraft have garnered years of praise from critics, djs, and fans throughout the United States and Europe. Raised in Chicago and living in Nashville, he has earned a well-deserved reputation as a man with an ear for a phrase and an eye for detail, a man known as a “songwriter’s songwriter” (CMJ Music Monthly). Hoekstra's gentle baritone anchors his music, setting sympathetic narratives against a backdrop of memorable melodies, wry rhythms, and subtle but unexpected arrangement touches. The sum total of the parts? "Americana's answer to Oscar Wilde...mesmerizing both musically and lyrically" (Americana-UK). ----- In addition to live discs, eps, and other oddities, Hoekstra has released six full-length works on labels in the U.S. and Europe (When the Tubes Begin to Glow, Rickety Stairs, Make Me Believe, Around the Margins, Waiting, and Blooming Roses), earning him Nashville Music Award, Independent Music Award, and NARAS nominations. Hoekstra’s newest CD, Blooming Roses, features all the Hoekstra hallmarks – honest vocals, narrative lyrics, emotive chord changes and impeccable musicianship. From the soul vibe of the title track to the atmospheric groove of the closer (Everywhere is Somewhere), the music is infused with mood and purpose, creating a unified and rich musical landscape that stands as Hoekstra’s strongest work to date. Blooming Roses was recorded primarily at David Henry’s True Tone Recording studios in Nashville, with a bevy of Nashville’s finest helping achieve its dreamlike cohesion (see band members listing to left). The album’s closing track was cut in Stavanger, Norway, on a beautiful day at the beautfil Out of Tunes Recording complex, with Eirik Lye and Oyvind Berekvam at the board. ---------- Hoekstra has toured both sides of the pond extensively, performing at bookstores, coffeehouses, clubs, libraries, pubs, festivals, radio stations, and castles, solo and with band in tow. Throughout this musical journey, Hoekstra has been participant and observer, finding time to write a boatload of prose about these and other experiences. His short fiction and non-fiction has appeared in numerous literary journals, and he was nominated for the Pushcart Prize for his tale “The Blarney Stone” (2006). Hoekstra's first-full length collection of prose, Bothering the Coffee Drinkers, was published in 2006 to rave reviews and earned a Bronze Medal for Best Short Fiction in the 2007 Independent Publisher Awards (IPPYs). As Paste Magazine noted, “Music runs like a liquid vein through these 80-proof experiences. Hoekstra pours it out with a Dylan-esque fervor, giving us a sputtering catalog of beauties and terrors…” www.doughoekstra.com