YORKTON – The JP Hoe Trio is scheduled to perform at St. Andrews United Church in Yorkton on Jan. 19.
This will be the trio’s first performance in Yorkton and Hoe’s first outing in about a year due to health issues.
Hoe, who had to put touring on hold last year due to the health issues, released his sixth studio album, Botanicals, in 2022.
“It’s a version made up of a cello, a violin and myself on guitar,” said Hoe in an interview with Yorkton This Week of the of the perfomance to expect Jan. 19, adding, "we’re nearly done with that and we’re hoping maybe it will be available by the time we get to Yorkton.”
Hoe is eager to return to the stage and is looking forward to the Yorkton performance.
“This is an opportunity to jump back into the pool,” he said, “that’s kind of our plan this year — dip our toes and get the live version of this record down.”
Hoe told Yorkton This Week his music career began in 2003, with his early years spent touring the states and learning the ins and outs of the music industry. Despite the challenges of the past year, Hoe is optimistic about the future.
“So now — 2024 — I’m eager but in this business you’re always trying to plan six to 12 months ahead."
On playing in Yorkton, Hoe expressed his excitement about the small-town atmosphere.
“In a lot of ways getting to play in a small town is really great for artists because you feel like you can catch your breath for a second and enjoy the moment and kind of be in the moment."
Hoe is also looking forward to performing at St. Andrews United Church given the venue's notoriety for acoustics.
“These venues were built to make chamber music sound good and so this version of the record that we’re doing … if we could play just these venues it would be great,” said Hoe, “have natural reverb — have natural ambience and space and be able to play with the space vocally — it’s a treat.”
Describing his music as “as close to a singer-songwriter as you can get,” Hoe’s songs have become more personal as he’s grown older and balanced family life with being a touring musician. His influences include bands and musicians like Fleet Foxes, The Beatles, Aimee Mann, and British pop rock like Radiohead and The Verve.
Hoe is also encouraging the audience to sing along during the performance.
“I hope folks that come … I’m going to try and prompt them to sing along with us,” said Hoe.
This comes after an experience in Winnipeg where he had contracted laryngitis as a result of COVID. Despite his nervousness, Hoe asked the audience to sing along, leading to an experience of joy for both the performers and the audience.
“Even though we haven’t been to Yorkton and we’re going to be new for a lot of the people ... there are a lot of songs — especially in this format of cello, violin and guitar — where if we can handhold some people and bring their voices into the fold it’s going to make for a really nice experience and a really nice night,” said Hoe.
Regardless of the size of the audience, Hoe is just happy to get to play.
“Whether it’s five or 500 we are just happy to get to play."
For tickets to the JP Hoe Trio performance in Yorkton, visit YorktonArts.TicketPro.ca.
