The general public tend to underestimate the years of learning and commitment that go into mastering a musical instrument. Take the guitar, for example: while many out there may be able to perform a few chords or a simple acoustic song on it, just a very select few have the capability of going deeper, truly expressing themselves through the instrument.
Joe Hodgson is one such individual; hailing from Ireland, the talented guitarist and composer has risen to an incredible level of musicianship, effectively treating his electric guitar as an extension of his thoughts and brain. ‘The Grass is Greener’ and ‘Shapeshifting’ are his latest efforts, eclectic original pieces wrapped in a double single release. Exploring blues, rock, jazz and Indian-flavoured melodic formulas, Joe’s work is of the utmost brilliance, witty and technical yet also relatable and cathartic.
The record marks Hodgson’s return on the international scene after a four-year hiatus, a period in which he did not rest on his laurels, instead focusing on travelling and experiencing the beauty around us. It will all then filter through in future releases.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with the Irish creative to learn more about his artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hi Joe, I am writing this while listening to ‘The Grass is Greener’, and it’s pretty obvious to me how talented and technically proficient you are. I’ll open this with a rather philosophical question: What does the guitar represent for you, and what motivated you to start playing it?
For me, it’s the purest form of expression. It doesn’t matter how you’re feeling: happy, sad, angry, sober, drunk, whatever it is, you can express it on the guitar. So, every time I play, it’s like a snapshot of how I am in that moment. I was first motivated to pick up the guitar after hearing Rory Gallagher play. I was totally mesmerised by what he did, and being Irish as well, I really resonated with how he played. His playing was so brilliant, and he was a real working-class hero, a total inspiration to us all during some troubled times.
You must have a list of guitar heroes you swear by… can you share some names? I myself am fond of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Oz Noy, among others!
Yes, I’m a real fan of Stevie Ray myself. But my biggest heroes were Rory Gallagher and Gary Moore. Gary was undoubtedly my biggest influence, and I was lucky enough to see him play many times. He was truly brilliant and my absolute favourite player. I also love the old English guys like Page, Beck and Clapton, and many of the Americans like Randy Rhoads and Van Halen.
‘The Grass is Greener’ and ‘Shapeshifting’ are part of your latest double single release. What’s the ethos behind the two pieces? Why did you choose them and package them into a double release?
The Grass Is Greener is a very reflective piece, and it’s about the search for inner peace and having the courage to go for it. Too many of us settle for second-best in life, and I guess this is an antidote to that. Shapeshifting explores the idea that there’s a chameleon in all of us, and this is reflected in the juxtaposition of styles throughout the tune. It has quite a few twists and turns, and it was great fun to play. The reason for packaging them together was that they sound well back to back, and they give a good idea of the variety of music people can expect from the forthcoming “Fields Of Redemption” album without giving away everything.
Do you feel more confident writing music alone or within a team?
I don’t know about being confident one way or the other, but the best approach depends on what I’m writing. If I’m writing instrumental music, like nearly all my stuff is these days, then writing on my own is definitely the way to go. But when I write regular songs, I always like to work closely with a singer. There’s one vocal track on the new album, “Since You Had A Hold On Me”, and I wrote this with two singers, Lady T and Glen Harkin. It’s a blues track, and it was great to collaborate on. Glen sang on this song, and he’s quite something. Keep an ear out for it.
You have mentioned that “words can lie, but my guitar can’t”. Is music a personal affair for you? Are your solos reflective of a certain mood?
Very much so, and it’s a definite yes to both of those questions. The guitar is such an expressive instrument, and it can convey any emotion you want it to. Playing the guitar can be a very cathartic experience, too, and your troubles just seem to magically disappear when you pick up the instrument. But it can also be a source of great frustration because it will never let you master it. There’s nothing quite like it.
Artistically speaking, what challenges have the last two years presented you with?
Well, I’ve been writing and recording for the last two years, and the biggest challenge was making sure I didn’t repeat what I’d done in the past. I was so determined to do that that I ended up scrapping an album’s worth of material in 2022 and starting from scratch. I’m glad I did because it forced me to really experiment and veer into musical areas I hadn’t been to before. I ended up recording two entirely acoustic tracks, which was something new for me. I also employed horns, a string quartet, an All-Ireland champion bodhrán player, a Latin percussionist, and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. So it was quite a journey, and playing with such a variety of fantastic musicians was a challenge in itself. It certainly kept me on my toes.
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
Well, I have another single coming out in early May, and then the album itself drops on June 20th. I’m also in the process of making a video for each of the 15 tracks on the album. The plan is to present them in the form of a short film, which will be premiered at the album launch in Northern Ireland in June. It’s a pretty ambitious and very time-consuming project, but I think it’s gonna be worth it. So there’s a pretty busy but exciting few months ahead.
