Derek Hoke - Electric Mountain
Derek Hoke has seen the light—or at least, as of late, he’s written about it. “The last record I made was kind of dark and moody,” jokes the Nashville-based singer-songwriter of 2017’s Bring the Flood. On his latest effort, Electric Mountain, Hoke consciously leaves that weight behind.“In a lot of ways,” he says, “this record's like coming back into the light.”
Hoke has spent the better part of the last two-plus decades making a home for himself in Nashville, whether he’s hosting $2 Tuesday at iconic venue the Five Spot or spending a quiet night alone fiddling with Eurorack synthesizers. But his musical success has been hard-fought every step of the way. Raised in Florence, South Carolina, Hoke taught himself to play and write music by ear, mimicking the sounds he’d heard on records and through airwaves. Despite not having a musical family or a local community of players, Hoke found new influences (think '90s staples such as Ben Folds, Wilco, and Drivin N Cryin) through his job at the town record shop. Making his own way wasn't easy, but Hoke’s bumpy path to Nashville fostered an independent spirit that allows him to maintain a fresh musical perspective—and on the new ten-song album Electric Mountain, Hoke has crafted a collection of songs that put his versatility on full display.
Produced by longtime collaborator and childhood friend Dex Greene, Electric Mountain draws on influences that range from Appalachian folk music to Peter Gabriel classics to Bruce Springsteen demos, with plenty of futuristic instrumentals in between. Album opener “Wild and Free,” an immediate standout, builds on a laid-back tempo and acoustic foundation with synthesizers, echoing vocals, and lyrics that hint at a brighter future. But Hoke doesn’t leave his penchant for darker tracks behind completely. “Say You Will,” the first song Hoke wrote for Electric Mountain, takes on a Southern Gothic vibe, blending Appalachian folk influences with electric sensibilities in a number he describes as “a mountain ballad for a new age.”
“We were just trying to make these records wider and bigger,” he says, “just trying to keep it more upbeat, more amative and poetic." That new perspective is clear on “If You Need My Love,” an ethereal reflection on intimacy that just might be Hoke’s first honest-to-God love song. But his poetic wit shines through on more playful tracks, too. “Hush Your Mouth,” for example, pokes fun at the unearned swagger of new Music City transplants, with rocked-out guitar licks and wordplay aplenty. In some ways, the song was informed by Hoke’s own move to Nashville in the late ‘90s, when he packed up from the South Carolina town where he grew up and never looked back.
Born in Brunswick, Georgia, and raised in Florence, South Carolina, Hoke started playing music by ear, picking out familiar tunes and eventually playing cover songs at bars and restaurants in the area. “Growing up playing sports bars and rooms full of people where no one's listening, you create a lot of bad habits,” he says. “I had a lot to unlearn.” So he moved to Nashville and soaked it in however he could. When he got a gig selling merch on tour with Ricky Skaggs, Hoke says the bluegrass legend’s showmanship helped him reimagine what might be possible in his own career. He began making friends with other musicians at local bars, galvanizing open mic nights and creating new spaces for other singers, too. When the time would come to record his own music, plenty of these friends would pop into the studio as guests: Hoke’s previous records have featured such talents as Robyn Hitchcock, Jason Isbell, Luther Dickinson, Elizabeth Cook, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and more. On Electric Mountain, he keeps the local love going: Prudent listeners will recognize vocals from Thayer Serrano and fiddle from Lillie Mae.
“In a weird sense, the biggest thing I ever did was make that decision to come here with my car and a mattress; to figure it out and to write some songs that I was proud of,” he says. In many ways, it’s hard not to feel like his Music City story is still being written. “When I look back on my own little world of records,” he says, “I hope that there's a journey being taken.” In that way, Electric Mountain is both a celebration of how far he’s come and an invitation to keep moving forward—to leave the dark behind and step further and further into the light. -Dacey Sivewright
Derek Hoke is the founder/curator/and weekly host of $2 TUESDAYS at The 5 Spot.
