DOUG HOEKSTRA @ THE WITCHWOOD - ****

"US Songwriter Doug Hoekstra finds pleasure in the simple things of life" by Phil Mather

Living amid the Nashville skyline of Rhinestone shmaltz and cut-throat commercialism, US singer-songwriter Doug Hoekstra is something of an anomaly. All Venerable Bede haircut and European literary sensibility, this godfather of alternative, narrative folk raws on influences as varied as the paintings of Edward Hopper and the writings of William Faulkner, to better challenge both the audience and himself.

Yet his songs are no displays of empty learning. Instead, they fuse both head and heart.

"Someone like Bob Dylan is a huge hero because he musically bridged the gap between high art and pop culture," drawls Hoekstra. "That’s why I covered his song ‘Isis’ on my new record. Though I wouldn’t necessarily want to have coffee with him – I hear he’s not the easiest guy in the world."

"But relationships form the fundamental core of our lives. Despite mass communication, the world is increasingly disconnected. So lots of my songs are about striving to make a connection. "

And connect he certainly does with his fourth album, "Around the Margins." An imaginative beldn of traditional acoustic, ethnic Midwestern and techno-friendly stylings, it has roots in Hoekstra’s upbringing in Chicago’s suburbs.

Mining memories of discovering his brother’s record collection, chance meetings while riding the train to the city and simple acts of kindness, his songs find humanity in the every day task of living. Capturing a lifetime in three minutes, Hoekstra also focuses on the underclass living on society’s fringe, the antithesis of today’s celebrity culture.

"Those people are the real heroes," he shrugs. "We all share in their common struggles."

Although his strum ‘n’ jangle is offset by loops and samples, Hoekstra has inevitably been lumped in with the New Acoustic Movement.

"Things expand and contract," he theorises softly. "There’s been a move away from technology back to song. But it’s still underground in the USA and hasn’t gone mainstream yet."

If "Around the Margins" is anything to go by, Hoekstra’s future will be anything but marginal.

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