Doug Hoekstra
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Doug Hoekstra

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"Blooming Roses Advance Praise"

“The lyrical, folk-y route usually limits a songwriter, but it’s always given Doug Hoekstra an incredible amount of space to roam. The title track of his forthcoming album, Blooming Roses, begins with the line “I was walking through public housing, flyers in my hand.” Hoekstra uses such seemingly trivial details to build engrossing stories that strike out from the folk idiom into a surreal, distinctly modern world. Like previous efforts, Roses is sonically diverse but clutter-free, trying everything from acoustic performances to tastefully applied pianos, strings, clarinet, and harmonies….” (Scott Gordon, The Onion, Madison WI)

“…profundity seeps into every significant detail and one comes away from Hoekstra ennobled by a sense of humanity…wisdom, calm and articulacy.” (Mike Butler, Glasgow Metro)

“…coffee-shop penned everyman remembrances of wherever life recently pitched him up…fleshed out primarily on acoustic guitar with guest appearances from almost any instrument you care to mention…cosily inviting worlds indeed.” (Julian Owen, Venue Critics Pick, Bristol)

“A gifted, diverse songwriter and a true entertainer.” (Sue Atkinson, Nottingham Evening Post)
- Various


"Bothering The Coffee Drinkers, the Book"

Bothering The Coffee Drinkers by Doug Hoekstra - The IPPY Award Bronze Medalist Book (2006-7 review bits)

“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…” (Paste Magazine)

“Bothering The Coffee Drinkers establishes Doug Hoekstra as an outstanding writer and essayist, someone just as skilled in penning stories and essays as songs.” (Nashville City Paper)

“Music, it seems, carries with it a kind of hopes-and-dreams collective unconsciousness, and Hoekstra, with Bothering the Coffee Drinkers, taps gleefully into that astral plane.” (Harp Magazine)

“A grounded, informative, extraordinary piece of work.” (Pop Matters.Com)

“The characters of Bothering the Coffee Drinkers are portrayed throughout with dignity, empathy and compassion….enthralling fiction and what should prove to be one of the best fictional debuts of this year.” (Pennyblack Music UK).

“Bothering the Coffee Drinkers is a collection of essays and fiction that are engaging enough to keep the most nonmusical person interested, but every now and then his rock and roll heart takes over. When the backbeat stops, Hoekstra’s words still find a way to jump off the page.” (Time Out Chicago)

Doug Hoekstra has earned kudos for his songwriting (deservedly so) and on this his first book shows that he has a knack for the long form as well…Hoekstra has an ear for the way people talk- and why. Unique characters abound in these tales, but they exist as real people, not props. The conflict between the act of creation and the tiresome drudge of commerce fuels much of this book, and as a performer Hoekstra has seen both. His storytelling skills are only glimpsed here, and one wishes for a novel perhaps, but for now, Bothering The Coffee Drinkers will have to do. And by the way, anyone who has played their heart out while yapping goofs slurp lattes or Jack Daniels know what a perfect title this book has!” (James Mann, The Big Takeover)

Bothering the Coffee Drinkers is a delicious collection of story essays by Nashville-based singer and songwriter Doug Hoekstra that could be set to music as songs, or perhaps vice versa. Hoekstra is a talented independent performer and gifted songwriter, so it comes as no surprise that he can also write creative fiction... Hoekstra's writes in a style that could safely be called eclectic, but that doesn't do his either his music or his literary genius true justice. He is like a quirky art collector, putting together odd bits and ends, and then making them into something with an effect so much more than the mere sum of their collective oddities. Hoekstra sandwiches his story essays with a biographical beginning and end piece that is also very effective. It grounds the reading with an even more pronounced flavor of the author's presence and outlook. Bothering the Coffee Drinkers is very readable, very enjoyable, and very highly recommended to consumers of good music and well crafted literature.” (Midwest Book Review)
- Various


"Six Songs, the EP"

"Big songwriting talent…extraordinary lyrics...one of our most fascinating talents." ( Music Row Magazine)

“*** ½ … equally enchanting is the latest EP from Nashville’s prolific Doug Hoekstra. Six Songs manages to marry Britpop with Southern soul (“The Bottomless Pit”), and blues (“Have it All”) with Highland folk (“Picture of the Soul”) without exposing the join.” (Rob Hughes Americana, Uncut Magazine)

“….Doug Hoekstra’s aptly titled Six Songs EP reminds us of indie rock before it became such an irritant: whispering vocals, whimsical lyrics and a band that sounds edgy even though it’s playing a ballad…” (Time Out Chicago)

“Six Songs is just what its title implies: six fully realized tunes packed with strong hooks and Hoekstra’s keen eye for detail.” (Flagpole Magazine, Athens GA)
“We’re so far under the radar,” Hoekstra whispers in the opening track of his new EP, Six Songs. Yet his prolific career, which has included a record of compelling new material each year for the last decade, proves that the returns can be worth the effort for an under-the-media-radar artist this persistent and talented. New tunes like “Bottomless Pit” are as gripping and well-crafted as the best of his previous work, which remains remarkably consistent. Like a Midwestern Lou Reed, Hoekstra writes hip, diaristic tunes while perennially toying with enlivening his barebacked, rock-influenced sound.” (Michael McCall, Nashville Scene)
“Six Songs and Su Casa, Mi Casa successfully intertwine and pull together the several different strands and layers of Doug Hoekstra’s multi-faceted musical personality-the concerned social commentator and feisty political agitator, the tender-hearted autobiographer, the stand-up comic and the gritty craftsman….some of his most captivating material yet.” (Pennyblack Music UK)

“Not one, but two fine releases from underrated Chicago songwriter Doug Hoekstra….Su Casa Mi Casa is an absolutely captivating set of live recordings that reads more like Should’ve Been Greatest Hits. Hoekstra’ disarming manner, brief inter-song stories, and pithy observations all contribute to the record’s intimate atmosphere, as if the concert is taking place in your living room, while the songs are smart, literate compositions that are instantly recognizable as bits of real life……. Six Songs is perhaps even more impressive, an ecletic EP with backing band, with a lead song, “Diminishing Returns,” that needed to be written in this trifling times. In fact, the underlying political concerns here are spot-on. All in all, worthy additions to Hoekstra’s fine canon.” (Pop Culture Press)

- Various


"Su Casa Mi Casa, the Live CD"

“…..Chicago export Doug Hoekstra is now based in Nashville, but he spends a great deal of time on the road, sharing narrative images and engaging songs with devoted audiences at home and abroad. Hoekstra’s combination of gravity and levity is perfectly captured on the recent Su Casa Mi Casa….fans of the acoustic sides of Robyn Hitchcock, the Go-Betweens, and Donovan should take note….” (The Onion AV Club Madison Wisconsin)

"...an artist who’s kept his hunger and musical strength throughout his entire career, who’s becoming, if possible, only better with age." (Mute Magazine, Norway)
“Hoekstra says of his songwriting tastes, "I like lyrics that make you feel like you're there, that give you some sense of place -- the wind on your skin, maybe, the way things smell -- almost like cinematic scenes, really." That's the perfect description of his most effective songs: they truly take you places…. And we feel comforted, like a home has been built for us within a song. Maybe that's an apt way to describe the skills of a traveling musician, as building small homes all over he world, and welcoming strangers inside. That's a skill that transcends genre that immediately erases the preconceived notions some of us bring to certain types of music or music audiences. When he's carefully constructing places out of words, and notes, and sounds, Doug Hoekstra stumbles onto something magical, a genuine secret power music can have.” (Dave Heaton, Pop Matters)
“ Guitarist and songwriter, Doug Hoekstra compiles his first album of live gigs in this acoustic little delight. He’s a storyteller from start to finish with a gentle voice (soft, yet clinging to an undertone of amusement as he grins with a secret only he knows) with a genuine lust for literate stories played throughout his songs. His songs are a narrative short saga, and filled with sadness underneath the initial humor….Doug’s glee abounds with sardonic wit as it’s nice to hear a personal live album, because we can see another side. However, he includes some interview pieces and blips revealing a look into a very imaginative and creative side. The way he talks resounds in authenticity making him sound philosophical, intelligent, captivating, and real.” (Corey Graham, CD Review)
- Various


"The Live Show"

Hoekstra continually takes his music to the people, touring throughout the U.S. and Europe, solo, duo, trio or with Combo in hand, supporting folks as diverse as the Barenaked Ladies and Jewel; doing time at laminate conferences from A2A to CMJ to SXSW. He’s strummed, sung, and talked up a storm live on “high-value” radio programs such as Acoustic Café, All Songs Considered, Live on World Café, WPLN’s Songwriter Sessions (Nashville), The Arts Show (BBC Edinburgh), Celtic Connections (BBC Glasgow), and BBC London’s Drive-Time Live. Here are some clips…

“ *** … Hoekstra looks more like an alternative music godfather than your middle-of-the-road folkster…in keeping with his appearance, then, the music also strays far beyond the plaintive staples of the genre…his voice is suitably cultured, his guitar playing loaded with the requisite twang, and a passing reference to The Who leads us to understand that he’s drawing on a rich vein of influences. Hoekstra’s songs are carefully sculpted, eminently gentle, but with a steely resonance.” (David Pollock, Edinburgh Evening News Live at Village, 1/29/04)

“…Hoekstra's quietly perceived reflections on life and society at large belie the fact that he's actually a rather fine showman, seamlessly weaving together stories and observations on current affairs in between songs and making that vital connection with the audience in the here and now… Hoekstra's songs live are genuinely moving, but he's at his best when he touches on very American themes and applies them universally - "Birmingham Jail" and "Sam Cooke Sang the Gospel" are particularly strong in this sense and really do create a whole picture in the mind of the listener that you can become wrapped in for four minutes at a time.” (Americana-uk. Liverpool, 2/16/04)
The Live Show (Reviews 2001-4)

"This gifted, diverse songwriter is quite an entertainer…proves the unwritten law that a song is best when it stands in a stripped down version" (Marcel Haerkens, OOR Review, Doug Hoekstra at Theater Lexor, Netherlands, 3/03)
“Doug Hoekstra’s another of those fine contemporary singer-songwriters hovering very much "around the margins" of consumer awareness….his defiantly alternative world-view would seem to stem as much from his Chicago/Illinois upbringing as from an empathy with such diverse flavours of quirky yet evocative Americana narratives as could range from Laurie Anderson to Bruce Springsteen to Lucinda Williams to Leonard Cohen even. See what I mean? - you're none the wiser, so you just gotta hear this guy! And that's why I drove nearly 60 miles of bad road (a notoriously difficult stretch of the beautiful north-west-coast road) in near-darkness in storm-soaked rain that was torrential even by Scottish standards. Worth all the effort? - you bet! ”(Dave Kidman, Netrhythms UK, Live at the Old Inn, Gairloch, 5/24/02)
“…Extremely personable and charming he set the scene for each song with intelligence and no little humour….you couldn't help but warm to his laid-back style. The content of the songs supplied the strength of the performance. There are no theatrics, the well of passion came from within, musically the tracks are deceptively simple and he alternated between a softer 'speaking' style and the more dramatic. As you would expect they dovetailed neatly with the song's message. (Berwick Advertiser Live at Barrels’ Ale House Review, 10/30/01)

“Doug Hoekstra doesn’t fit easily into an expected genre mold. His songs mix sociopolitical underpinnings into a stew of romantic misadventure…On his albums, Hoekstra allows reasonable and often inventive flourishes to add a layer of drama, mystery and good old-fashioned pop to the very core of his songs. Hearing him live, it was remarkable to hear how organic such touches are to the very core of the songs.” (David Greenberger, Metroland, Live at Valentine’s Review, Albany NY, 4/5/01)

- Various


"Waiting CD"

“Doug Hoekstra is one of the true originals…sometimes the label 'original' denotes weird or difficult, Doug Hoekstra is neither. Waiting is the product of an artist who has looked over the fence and describes pretty accurately what is going on in all our lives.” (Michael Mee, Maverick Magazine UK, 3/04)

“…Hoekstra’s stories mark a high point of literacy and plumb psychological depths unknown to most pop. Waiting, the new album, is the most pure statement of Hoekstra’s aesthetic yet….the intimacy and the songs linger in the mind. Hoekstra is a master. (Manchester Metro UK, 1/26/04)

“…Waiting, Hoekstra's fifth solo effort, defies any easy comparisons, as always, Hoekstra opts for the unexpected… elusive and yet somehow irresistible.” (Amplifier Magazine, November/December 2003).

“Like a musical Eden, the underground's become a hothouse for singer/songwriters, a true embarrassment of riches…Doug Hoekstra has blossomed into an artist to be mentioned alongside Kristin Hersh, Vic Chestnut, Joe Henry, and others that bestow their beauty on this peculiarly personal corner of the musical landscape….Hoekstra has a soft-spoken singing style that rises just above an importuning whisper, shared like a secret above the burbling of his folk-inflected arrangements. Not that you should get the impression his musical constructs are in any way vanilla or simplistic, just gentle and understated in many cases, like the hum of 60s pop hauntingly audible from a distant room….suffused with a reflective softness, a slow, considerate pacing that takes its time surveying its surroundings.” (Big Takeover feature piece, Autumn 2003)

“….Hoekstra continues to weave intricate stories that united the minutae of the day to day with wider themes and social commentary….subtlety is the order of the day and few do it better…. we’ve come to expect such pitch-perfect musings from Hoekstra, Waiting is a wholly satisfying, literate listen. (Matt Dornan, Comes With a Smile UK, Autumn 2003)

"The songs on Waiting belie a deep intimacy, warm personality and also a laid-back tension, as if Hoekstra can be heard palpably awaiting the birth of his child. It is what gives the album its depth and clarity… Hoekstra is a wonderfully developed songwriter. He fleshes out his acoustic guitar-based compositions with clever, inventive instrumentation that incorporates sitar, keyboards, electronic and acoustic percussion, vintage organ sounds and more. The songs that result are living, breathing entities that reveal Hoekstra's profound melodicism, nascent melancholy and concise lyricism…for comparisons, one would instantly reference the melancholy, late-night musings of Elliott Smith and Nick Drake, although without the depression or self-indulgence of either. Hoekstra's voice instantly brings to mind Lou Reed's, albeit less cynical, and at times approaches James Taylor's mastery of phrasing. The songs, with their emotional clarity and intelligence, have already put Hoekstra on a pedestal with those artists." (David Coonce, Bloomington Herald-Times, 10/23/03)

" Just like always, one of the best albums of the year comes quietly and without fanfare. Stripped down to the bare essentials, Doug Hoekstra's new disc cuts right to the essence of the songs. Deep, sometimes dark thoughts are softened with hazy, dreamy melodies and are balanced with an unfettered romanticism. Somehow, Hoekstra finds a way to softly and insistently discuss love, survival and belief without ever coming across as sappy or unrealistic….this is what makes the album so real, so bittersweet and so relatable. This is one man's universal heart in all its fragile, imperfect glory captured on disc." (Chris McKay, Flagpole, 10/8/03)

" *** 1/2 - The somewhat different folk songs from Doug Hoekstra creep up quietly, at first glance about as volatile as the spark of reality vainly sought by the protagonist of Blow Beautiful Dreams. But their affect lingers longer. On his fifth album, the Nashville based avant-garde practitioner of Americana embeds his lightly swinging melodies in the form of a minimalist, happily detailed home recording…" (Rolling Stone Germany, 10/03)

" *** …. just as vital is the fifth solo outing from avant-folkateer, Ohio-born Doug Hoekstra.. The self-produced Waiting is another highly literate affair, less flamboyant than previous, string-laden albums, but still pulling off the enviable feat of sounding lean and intimate while employing church bells, sitar, mellotron and keyboard loops. In particular, the spare "In The Middle Of The Night" and "Sunday Blues" are exceptional…” (Uncut Magazine, 10/03)

"Doug Hoekstra, the crown prince of contemporary Brit-leaning pastoral folk-pop, has made his most intimate and attentive album to date…Hoekstra remains a truly original voice among today's singer-songwriters, one of folk music's most vibrant and imaginative artists…" (Stein Haukland, Ink 19, 9/19/03)

"Waiting is state-of-the-art Hoekstra. T - Various


"The Past is Never Past (Odds and Sods CD)"

"Hoekstra's odds and sods, this album hangs together so well that it's as vital as his regular releases -- which themselves place him among the best unheralded songwriters." (Big Takeover, 12/02)

"The Past is Never Past is an airy, minimalist, reflective album that has a clean summery feel, and because Hoekstra is such a ‘one of,’ the songs fall easy on the ear without being in any way ‘easy listening’. The Past is Never Past’ comes across as even more interesting than the very well received Around the Margins." (Get Rhythm, UK, 8/02)

“ Hoekstra issued the excellent Around the Margins last year; this import-only collection represents that album's leftovers plus songwriting demos and odds 'n' sods. Yet far from being throwaway material, it's comparable to Steve Earle's recent Sidetracks: stylistically diverse, at times quirky, but still essential for fans. The singer-songwriter's burnished whisper remains a recognizable calling card in any context…. Hoekstra's newly revealed chameleonic side is an unruly, inelegant and altogether charming affair.” ( Spectator Magazine, NC, 7/10/02)

"…infuses his melodic, vaguely off-kilter songs with evocative, near-filmic narratives along with a strong sense of character, place and humour. Hoekstra’ music is considered spontaneous, literate, but never ostentatious – the kind of artist who steamcleans the sullied crown of the singer/songwriter. (Paul Whitelaw, Glasgow Metro, 5/28/02)

" **** this Nashville singer-songwriter might just prove to be the musical discovery of the week. Hoekstra mines memories of his upbringing in Chicago’s suburbs – vignettes about discovering his brother’s record collection, chance meetings while riding the train to the city and simple acts of kindness, all capturing a lifetime in three minutes." (Phil Mather, Big Issue in the North UK Picks, 5/18/02)

Alt-country artistes may sing of the desert and prairie, literally and metaphorically, but the genre is a crowded field. It’s a treat, then, when someone genuinely original comes along. Hoekstra’s just such a maverick…his poetic, poignant but far from po-faced lyrics, knock his competitors into a Stetson hat. A legend waiting to happen." (Joe Cushley, What’s On London, 5/15/02)

“Doug Hoekstra is a harmonica-wielding Nashville man whose music vacillates between folkie stuff and more left-field sound experiments…he clearly sings with his mind.” (Time Out New York Critics Pick, 5/2/02)

" ***1/2 (out of 4) - Ever versatile, his arrangement skills present traditional Twang in a new way...colleagues have drawn comparisons from Beck to Leonard Cohen. My proposal: Forget comparisons, listen to this record." (Joerg Feyer, German Rolling Stone review of The Past is Never Past, 4/02)

“Singer-songwriter Hoekstra’s acute story-songs and witheringly detailed character sketches made up not one but two of last year’s strongest releases, Around the Margins and the rarities compilation The Past is Never Past.” (Jim Ridley, Nashville Scene Picks, 1/31/02)

“It should be pointed out if you’ve not come across Doug Hoekstra at all yet that not only have you missed out on a genius for years, but that you may not realise you have. Surprisingly, despite the creativity that goes into his studio outings, it’s live where he clicks. Still, if you needed a contemporary introduction to his material, you wouldn’t expect a collection of tracks and out-takes that didn’t quite make it on to a full album to be a good place to start. "The Past is Never Past" is exactly such a collection but works so well that it comes across as almost a complete concept album in itself…a remarkable album given its diverse origins - thoroughly recommended. (Americana-UK, 11/3/01)

- Various


"Around the Margins CD"

"Around the Margins – The Independent Music Award Nominated CD"

"Hoekstra's near whisper of a voice rides above a musical carpet in which a diverse set of styles are mixed together to form the 'Hoekstra-Sound'…a consistently impressive palette." (Michel Kleff, Folker! Germany, 11/02)

“Hoekstra stands out as a voice unafraid to push the boat into sparkling new waters.” (Claire Allfree, London Metro Critics Picks, 10/30/01)

“This Nashville-based singer/songwriter writes in an elegant and emotional fashion on life’s rich pageant. His touching music develops gently, while avoiding cliché country motifs, enhanced by wispy, understated vocals and a dry style.” (Stephen Mitchell, London Evening Standard Critics Picks, 10/30/01)

“Superb Nashville-based but Chicago-born singer-songwriter with a tasty line in slow-burning melody and subtly affecting songcraft…warm and worldly, dirty, real and poignant fare.” (Time Out London Critics Pick, 10/24/01)

“Hoekstra is a remarkably eclectic and fluent performer, able to turn his hand to the blues, country, pop, rock, folk and gospel, and to flow seemingly effortlessly, sometimes several times in the same song, from one of these genres to another.” (John Clarkson, Pennyblackmusic UK, 10/24/01)

“Around the Margins is a subtly beautiful collection of hushed story-songs…Hoekstra never takes the singer/songwriter path most traveled.” (Jim Walsh, St. Pioneer-Press MN, 8/29/01)

“ ***1/2 (out of 4) - Hoekstra, who has recorded three other albums of smart, quirky modern folk music, has this time made a musical statement that ranks with the year’s best…occasionally you find yourself admiring Hoekstra more than actually enjoying him, but respect will do when the material is this joyfully new and challenging.” (Mark Jordan, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 8/18/01)

“We had to wait two years for the follow-up to Make Me Believe, the record that made us call him the godfather of narrative alternative folk….now Around the Margins appears, a headstrong, experimental, but not less worthwhile product…it slowly gives away its pleasures and secrets….” (Bruno DeY, Roots Town Belgium, 8/01)

"Around The Margins, stays true to its title…it stretches the imagination through arrangements that race from fragile and genteel to barely controlled chaos…it is in every way a magical and commanding listening experience, a telling of well-crafted stories that makes equal use of the freedom of imagination and the more earthbound tenets of a well-schooled intellect." ( Ed Bumgardner, Winston- Salem-Journal, 7/13/01)

*** - “a listening experience that is constantly unsettling, yet rewarding…he is writing songs that don't sound like anyone else's, and he has produced an album that illuminates his strengths as a gifted lyrical craftsman and a sonic frontiersman.” (Peter Cooper, Tennessean, Nashville, 6/4/01)

“…indefinably rare…reaches an artistic level that probably surprises Hoekstra himself…by seeking out eclectic territories that aren't hewn in by your typical singer-songwriter barbed wire while maintaining a solid narrative focus and melodic sensibility -- Hoekstra defies the common wisdom that says practitioners of his chosen genre will forever be destined for the coffee-house and bookstore circuit…a role model for the next generation of up-and-comers.” (Fred Mills, Phoenix New Times, 5/10/01)

“ **** - every song leaves me at the edge of my seat…masterpiece.” (Leo Kramer, Heaven, Netherlands, 5/01)

“A neo-classic troubadour, bard for a new century.” (Allison King, ESP, Greensboro NC, 3/28/01)

“Nashville-based, roots-oriented rocker Doug Hoekstra reaffirms his place as one of the most quirkily innovative tunesmiths in that city of songwriters with his newest offering, Around the Margins…clear that his talent is anything but marginal.” (Drew Wheeler, CDNow Featured Review, 5/01)

“Around the Margins is a blend of acoustic instruments and electronic smarts that yields a sound that’s strictly Hoekstra…his musical persona is firmly in place.” (Billboard Full Page Feature 3/10/01)

"He's not the next Dylan, he's the first Doug Hoekstra, and that should be enough, if history is just" (Jason Nickey, Bloomington Herald-Times)

"In an ideal world Hoekstra would be listened to by folk enthusiasts, middle American mainstreamers, retro-heads, and indie-land purists...fifteen years ago, he'd have been heralded the next Dylan or Springsteen." (All Music Guide)
- Various


Discography

Hoekstra CD Releases:

- Blooming Roses (WingDing Records, U.S/Europe, February 2008)
- Su Casa Mi Casa The Official Live Bootleg
(Headroom UK & US, June, 2005)
- Waiting
(Paste US, June 2003/Headroom UK, Feb. 2004)
- The Past is Never Past
(Inbetweens Europe, October 2001)
- Around the Margins
(Inbetweens Europe & US, March 2001)
- Make Me Believe
(Round Tower UK, 2000)
- Rickety Stairs (Back Porch, 1996)
- When the Tubes Begin to Glow (Back Porch, 1995)

Hoekstra Books, EPs, Compilations:

- Bothering the Coffee Drinkers
(Canopic Publishing IPPY Award Winning Book, June 2006)
- Six Songs
(Wing Ding Records EP, June 2005)
- Sound Asleep/Hit the Hay
(“Camden Town,” Sweden 2005)
- Americana-UK Collection
(“The Bottomless Pit,” UK, 2005)
- Comes With a Smile
(“Because She Loves Him,” UK, 2003)
- Acuarela Songs
(“Watercolor Rose,” Spain, 2001)
- Doug Hoekstra Combo Live at Sal’s
(Hinah, France, 2001)
- Comes With a Smile
("If the World Was Blind," UK, 2001)
- Songwriter: a contemporary collection
(“Cottonwood Tree” /“Slipping Through the Cracks,” XIII Bis Records, France, 1997)

Photos

Bio

"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, earning him Nashville Music Award, Independent Music Award, and NARAS nominations. Hoekstra’s latest project, 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. The CD was recorded primarily at True Tone Recording studios in Nashville, with David Henry producing (David Mead, Josh Rouse, Rod Picott) and a bevy of Nashville’s finest helping achieve its dreamlike cohesion. The album’s closing track was cut in Stavanger, Norway at Out of Tunes Recording with members of Thomas Dybdahl’s band (Oyvind Berekvam, Eirik Lye) at the helm.

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 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). His 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…”

For more on Doug's many moods, go to www.doughoekstra.com or www.myspace.com/doughoekstra