Entertainer of the Month
Justin Hogg
As with most artists, Justin Hogg remembers that music was always around the house. It may not have been the driving force behind his future path, but at age ten, it was certainly one piece of the puzzle. On his tenth birthday, the last piece appeared in the form of a guitar. Going the traditional route of taking lessons was the next obvious move. However, after a couple of years the lessons stopped and Hogg became self taught from there on. As we fast forward to today, he is a multi instrumentalist, able to play or do a fair impression of most stringed pieces. Growing up in Morinville, Alberta, Hogg has never strayed much from home. As a matter of fact, he has lived his entire life in the small community just north of Edmonton.
The guitar, the lessons and the exposure to music led Hogg to join some friends at school in forming a band. As with a lot of country artists, the music at the beginning was rock, the sound of his peers. The band played at school events and had a few shows around town, but the writing must have been on the wall. The members didn’t even pick a name which may have been an indication that things were about to change in a big way. After they disbanded, Hogg went back to his roots as it goes. He started playing and falling in love with the country music he had grown up hearing. It’s obvious to all that Keith Urban is a big influence. As a matter of fact, Hogg has no problem telling you that at each show. He picked up right where the band left off, playing small events and shows around town. A lot of artists have an “ah ha” moment in their life and though Hogg can’t tell you for sure what that was, one performance does stand out. As his name became more and more known around town, Canadian country legend Charlie Major was coming to the local arts center and the board wanted Justin to open for him. They considered it a perfect fit. With a legend and a local on the stage, it was obviously a sell out and Justin Hogg’s path to country music as a dream h ad become a reality.
The young man is driven. He made three solo trios to Nashville, Tennessee, the home of country music on his own before being part of a group that would learn the inner workings. Local music competition, Global Country, hosts an event each year that gives country artists of all ages, in distinct categories a chance to show their talent in Music City. This past year, Hogg won the 18-29 category and had that opportunity presented to him. Though the trip is hosted and set up, winners are responsible for their own expenses. Having had a taste on three previous occasions, money was not going to stand in Hogg’s way of heading down once south once again. He played the shows and worked the overtime at his day job as a glazier to ensure that the trip would be happening. The trip, ten days long, is split into the business end and the performance end. Participants have the chance to learn the business of music, taking in workshops, studio tours and gaining the knowledge of what to expect. Hogg says that this could be life changing for the artists who make the trip. Some have had that business experience before, but for those in the group that are just starting out, it is an eye-opening event. The second part of this trip is the performances and subsequent awards. A few hours from Nashville is Pigeon Forge, where Hogg and the rest head off to the NACMAI, the North American Country Music Associations International. It is a place filled with hope and dreams where Hogg estimates there may be as many as a thousand performers, but admits he didn’t count them. After days of shows and guitars, Hogg comes away with five awards himself and shares in two more.
All through these years, Hogg has been writing songs. Not like the eight to four job that so many writers in Nashville and other places do, but on the road, or in the coffee shop, wherever and whenever the mood or idea hits him. He says that he doesn’t like to force his creativity but quickly adds that there are those that are very good at being disciplined to do so. He worked tirelessly on writing and then recording what was supposed to be his debut EP. Working at Smith Music in Morinville, Hogg would record most tracks on his own, add vocals and come away with something he could be proud of. There are those of us that have heard some of these tracks and even thought we knew what his first radio release would be. For Hogg, once complete, there was still something missing. He didn’t see his debut EP in the project and not even his debut single. The project, with a working title of Smoke Signals was shelved, never to see the light of day. At least not yet. The title Smoke Signals was not a track on the project but rather a note that there was a message in each song recorded. Though the EP was never released, Hogg kept the title in the back of his head.
Looking for that perfect song to be his first release took a long time. He wrote, co wrote and had songs pitched to him. Then at the end of January 2017, he was writing with local songwriter, Lynn Tessari. After saying how much he liked Smoke Signals as a title, the two began the path to what would be Hogg’s first radio single. As Justin says, things happened quick. Next thing you know the song is done and he is in the studio. Working with acclaimed producer Johnny Gasperic at the award winning MCC Recording Studio in Calgary, Hogg enlisted the help of some of Canada’s best players, doing only the vocals on his newest work. A short four and a half months later, his debut single, Smoke Signals was released for sale and more importantly to radio. On it’s first day, Hogg saw Smoke Signals chart as high as Number 62 on ITunes. Now as a couple of weeks has passed, the song has been picked up by fourteen stations across the country and things are looking bright for his future. It takes a lot of people and a lot of support to get even this far in the music business. It’s a business that you do for love, not for money. For Justin Hogg, it’s no different and though the list is long, he wants his Mom and Dad, Leah and Dave to know, without their support, he could not be doing this today.
Do yourself and Justin a favor, head over to your favorite download site and get a copy of the song. Then check out Hogg’s website and find a show near you.
On a personal note and a shameless plug for a friend, Justin’s logo was created by Buck Draws and he can be found on Facebook.
- Jazz Matthews -