Go Hoge-Wild
by Kevin on 3/24/23Gramercy Theatre - New YorkYou'll bear witness to a great evening of Alt-Country and Americana with the double bill of Will Hoge and The Wild Feathers. Hoge comes from the Dylan/Van Morrison rocking side of confessional tunes and both he and his band deliver when it comes to dynamics. The songs at Tuesday's Grammercy Theatre performance ranged from introspective ballads to full-blown rockers and provided a welcome introduction to his overall sound and approach. Expect raspy Springsteen-esque vocals, clever wordplay and music that invites closer listening as well as foot-tapping and fist-pumping. Hoge opens on this tour for the Wild Feathers, easily the most under-appreciated band working in the country today. These guys are a melody machine, and their songs run the gamut, from romantic adventure to the endless horizons of road travel. Their harmonies echo those of all the bands they admire, from The Band to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Since they're comprised of three singer songwriters — Ricky Young, Joel King and Taylor Burns — their range is expansive. I'm particularly fond of the first and third studio records ("The Wild Feathers" and "Greetings from the Neon Frontier"), but each one of their albums (including the new "Alvarado") boast tracks that will have you coming back again and again. Live, these guys flex a collective instrumental muscle that you wouldn't expect, given the nuanced music that graces the LPs. They're charismatic and ferocious onstage (check them out live on YouTube), and they seem to genuinely love playing together. Oh, and those harmonies? Sweet as a southern summer morning. See them once, and you'll be wanting to bask in all they provide again and again. The records are great. Live is another level entirely. Go, Go, Go.