J.P. Hoe In Concert
Thanks to his songs' open-hearted sensibility, wry wit, and buoyant melodies, J.P. Hoe has won fans wherever he and his music have traveled. As Ottawa Life magazine described the work of the Winnipeg singer-songwriter, his music boasts a "genuine homespun feel, filled with catchy hooks and melodies – genuine, uncontrived, and confessional." CBC Radio's Tom Power added to that mountain of praise when he called Hoe "the next Gordon Lightfoot."
A six-time Western Canadian Music Award nominee, Hoe has been a fixture of Winnipeg's independent scene ever since he began trying out original songs before hometown crowds in the early 2000s. Drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan and Neil Young as well as contemporary singer-songwriters like David Gray, Aimee Mann, and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Hoe soon developed his own blend of folk, alt-country, and indie rock.
His early releases — 2003's Here in Review EP and 2006's The Live Beta Project — showcased a songwriter of huge promise. Made with such Winnipeg friends as the Wailin' Jennys' Ruth Moody and Rusty Matyas of The Waking Eyes, Hoe's 18-song debut album The Dear John Letters (2008) was a confident statement of purpose. An opening set for the Kinks' Ray Davies at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and supporting slots on Jann Arden's Canadian tour confirmed that Hoe could be just as comfortable on stage as he was in the studio.
Hoe's ambitions and abilities continued to widen on his second album, Mannequin (2012). An enthralling collection of often ornately orchestrated folk-pop songs, it earned Western Canadian Music Award nominations for Independent Album of the Year and Pop Recording of the Year.
In 2015, he followed up with Hideaway, his first album for MapleMusic. One of four songs co-written by Hoe and Andy Stochansky (Ani DiFranco, Goo Goo Dolls), the single "Beautifully Crazy" is a vivid demonstration of Hoe's pop craftsmanship. He supported the album's release by touring widely inside and outside Canada, adding more names to a long list of venues he's played, which includes Ottawa's National Arts Centre, the Shrewsbury Folk Festival, and South by Southwest.
No matter his schedule, Hoe is always home in time for a holiday show that's become a local tradition. In December of 2018, the Burton Cummings Theatre hosted a sold-out crowd and the city's finest musicians for the 10th annual J.P. Hoe Hoe Hoe Holiday Show. As he always does, Hoe made sure there was plenty of good cheer in the room.
