We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joseph Valle Hoag. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joseph below.
Joseph, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
My first single, Covered Ground, was truly a turning point or me because it represented a shift in my career from live performance to recording artist. It was the middle of the pandemic, and when I started it felt like the only thing I could do with my music, but by the time I finished, I knew it was something I wanted to explore further. The subject matter was very personal despite the otherwise happy-go-lucky lyrics. When I released it on bandcamp, I included this message:
I produced this track entirely by myself. I’m too poor to hire audio engineers, rent a studio, or hire other musicians, and that’s ok. It’s 100% mine and it might not be amazing, but I’m proud of my work. Every sound in the song was created by yours truly.
I wrote this song when I was sixteen, and a I’ve been playing it ever since, so it was the obvious choice to begin my work with, even if it’s not entirely representative of my songwriting sound as it stands in 2021.
Covered Ground is a song about discovering oneself through adversity. It’s a song about reaching the light at the end of the tunnel and knowing that the tunnel needed to be there for you to be where you are now. It’s not about putting the past behind you; it’s about taking everything you learned in hardship with you into the next part of your journey.
Joseph, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’ve been singing since I was a kid in the children’s choir at church, and that was my start into the music industry. My love of sacred music was traveled with me all this time and I still take many jobs singing classical and sacred music for churches all over NYC. In high school, I discovered that I could play guitar and began writing and performing rock music. I performed locally with a handful of bands, but I stopped gigging when I got to college and focused mainly on theater and opera, which is not something I regret, but I have since refocused on live music. I am involved with several ensembles in the city as well as my own band, Joseph Valle and The End of The Day.
As an artist, I bring a multidisciplinary ear to the room. I’m capable of learning music in a variety of genres and styles very quickly, and the music I write is unique in it’s sound as a result of my multidisciplinary study. I am as capable of running an ensemble, as I do with the Yuletide Carolers NYC and Vox Clamantis, the later I co-founded with my brother, as I am jumping in with a single rehearsal to replace an absent band member.
Mainly I’d like potential clients to know that I perform music with my whole heart, and if you like what you hear, I promise I will work hard deliver more for you.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I want to make audiences feel the way I feel when I see a spectacular performance myself. If I can make even one person in the back of the room lose themselves in the moment and feel like a part of something larger than themselves, then I’ve done a good job. My work is focused on connecting with those who listen to it in a way that’s personal and meaningful to them. I try to write music and lyrics to do just that, and I try to perform others’ work with as much conviction as I need to make an impact. That’s what gets me out and making music every day.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I was working for a realtor in the city as a side job, and it was getting really rough. Policy changes were giving me less flexibility, less income, and fewer opportunities to make money, I had to choose between doubling down on my non-music work and likely making a decent living, and doubling down on my art and struggling for success. I chose the later, and I’m not sorry, Overnight, I had to look for more performances to be a part of and other jobs I could do during the day to pay my rent. It’s a never ending task for people like me but I know I’ll come out ok.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joevallehoag.com
- Instagram: jvallehoag
- Facebook: JosephValleHoag
- Twitter: @jvallehoag
- Youtube: Joe Valle Hoag @joevallehoag7760
- Other: https://josephvallehoag.bandcamp.com/ https://www.theyuletidecarolers.com/
Image Credits
Zach Bokhour Matthew Krob Daveed Buzaglo