{"id":66136,"date":"2020-11-19T08:17:13","date_gmt":"2020-11-19T08:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=66136"},"modified":"2020-11-19T08:44:06","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T08:44:06","slug":"greg-hoy-can-you-take-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2020\/11\/greg-hoy-can-you-take-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Greg Hoy – ‘Can You Take It?’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Congratulations! 2020 is nearly over and if you’re reading this now then you’ve managed to get through all the challenges that have beset you. And not only that, you’re a stronger, wiser, more empowered person than you were this time last year. Well done!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Pop-rock artist Greg Hoy, whose work we discovered at the beginning of this year<\/a>, has been for us a breath of fresh air in a year full of smog. But he too knows what it’s been like, and has also needed encouragement from his friends. In the music video for his latest single, ‘Can You Take It?’, Greg gets a pep talk – via teleconference – from the legendary rapper, hard rocker, and actor, Ice-T, who lets him know that he’s got what it’s gonna take for him to make it through the day. Ice-T asks, “CAN. YOU. TAKE. IT” and there’s only one answer to that – “YES. I. CAN.”<\/p>\n

Sure, it’s presented as a dream sequence – he’s fallen asleep listening to Ice-T through his headphones (we wonder if he’d considered asking Phil Collins to take part, as a cassette of ‘No Jacket Required’ is also visible), but the reassurance is as real as anything else and with that affirmation under his belt, Hoy is able to handle the rest, and opens fire with his energetic guitar rock, and singalong choruses. It’s Elvis Costello meets Status Quo – wit and wisdom, with incredible musical talent that doesn’t take itself too seriously.<\/p>\n

Hoy, from San Francisco, credits himself in the liner notes for his recently-released EP, ‘Cacophony’, for the “vox, guitars, keys, and coffee”, but he’s contributed so much more than that: in just over 4 minutes of a music video we’ve gone from sleepy stupor to wide awake, full of energy, ready to take on the day. Hoy is a generous shot of espresso pumped directly into our veins.<\/p>\n

‘Can You Take It?’ is the follow up to his single, ‘Messed Up World’, also from ‘Cacophony’, which we wrote about in October<\/a>. The clip for that song was all about our reliance on technology, and asked if we were fully in control of our reliance on social networking, or were we rather, digital captives. The video for ‘Can You Take It?’ likewise sees Greg indoors, this time in a bedroom that’s basically big enough for a bed and not much else – he’s weighed down by the pressures of modern living and slumped on the mattress. But following Ice-T’s affirmation, he’s up and outta there. He knows he can take it, and he knows we all can too.<\/p>\n

Watch the music video for ‘Can You Take It?’ below. You can find out more about Greg Hoy and his music online on his official website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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