{"id":96000,"date":"2026-06-13T06:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T05:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=96000"},"modified":"2026-06-13T06:13:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T05:13:13","slug":"greg-hoy-talks-to-us-about-the-wheel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2026\/06\/greg-hoy-talks-to-us-about-the-wheel\/","title":{"rendered":"Greg Hoy Talks To Us About ‘The Wheel’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We recently spoke to Greg Hoy<\/a> about his latest single, ‘The Wheel<\/a>‘, and asked him about his inspirations and influences.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The lyrics touch on how people react in tough moments. What were you trying to say with it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for noticing that. Resilience is a word that has been creeping into my soul since the 2020 lockdowns. There\u2019s something around having a do-it-yourself spirit that I\u2019m fortunate to have cultivated as an artist that\u2019s also spilled over into every aspect of living. Couple that with self-awareness and the acceptance of things, and that\u2019s distilled in my lyrics for \u2018The Wheel\u2019. It\u2019s both self-referential and accusatory to the powers that be, so to speak. Lyrics that can be interpreted multiple ways always please me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The track has a loose, organic feel. How did you build that sound?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for that! During the lockdowns when half of this one was recorded, I\u2019d pushed some of my anxiety into consumerism – didn\u2019t we all? I\u2019d purchased my then-2-year-old daughter the Questlove Pearl Pocket drum kit. It was set up in my makeshift studio. Another thing that seemed abundant, besides the anxiety of 2020\/21, was time. So I set about changing out the drum heads on the Questlove kit, and upgrading the cymbals a bit. One day I was futzing with playing a disco beat over a fake kick drum (yeah, that kick drum is a drum machine!) and that messing around started the whole song. It was my bizarre version of Nine Inch Nails\u2019 \u2018Only\u2019. Then the acoustic guitar helped keep it sounding grounded even as the layers of electrics started to cascade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your interest in Buddhist teachings comes through here. How did that shape the message?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, this was a time period for me of deep contemplation, like many. Becoming a first time father and being \u2018not allowed\u2019 to do many of the things we generally take for granted (sonograms, having to be snuck in after ours to meet with the delivery doctor) can be met with a few reactions: things like fear, anger, disbelief, awe, revenge, hope. Having these all at once, recognizing them, letting them float away – it\u2019s all key to my sanity in these interesting times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You handled the video yourself. What was the idea behind it? The color choices really stand out. What do they mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a lot of jingoism happening with the ol\u2019 red, white, and blue, coupled with this worldwide race for domination, and a full court to keep people thinking everything is black and white. It makes it a whole lot easier to sell ya stuff. It\u2019s all just professional wrestling. You always got a \u2018heel\u2019 – a villain. The role of a heel is to be the antagonist to the heroic \u2018face\u2019 generating crowd disapproval (called \u2018heat\u2019), breaking rules, cheating, and behaving arrogantly. It\u2019s pretty easy to see that most of the world\u2019s leadership are becoming heels or faces. In fact, one well-known world leader actually worked in professional wrestling for decades! So which side are you on? With \u2018The Wheel\u2019 video, Greg Hoy & The Boys are simply saying \u2018We rule, and so do you – don\u2019t believe all those scripts and heels.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a mix of serious themes and fun moments. How do you strike that balance?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My parents raised me on a steady diet of late night comedy: primarily David Letterman, Robin Williams, Benny Hill. We GenXers also tend to lean hard on cynicism. I mean, Trent Reznor’s music publishing company is called ‘Leaving Hope’. One of the first LP records I ever bought was Weird Al Yankovic in 3D. Comedy shows us the way through, and teaches us not to take everything so seriously. And who doesn\u2019t love to laugh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has \u201cThe Wheel\u201d been feeling in a live setting?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We played it in Seattle and San Francisco so far and it went over great. You can\u2019t go wrong with a disco beat. Plus live, we add the horns to it. We’ll see how it fairs on the east coast this week!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve got music, touring, and a book in the works. How do you juggle it all?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AND I gave up caffeine! I\u2019m an adamant list-maker. My 15 years helping out tech companies really whipped my time management skills into shape. Applying that to how you design your life works wonders!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you hope people take from this song and video, and anything else you\u2019d like to share before we wrap up?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one of my former bosses used to say ‘Fear less’. There’s a war for your mind. It’s real. It’s happening from the moment you awake and deep into the night. Doing it yourself brings joy, calm, and satisfaction. The answers truly are within – except math. I still use a calculator for that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018The Wheel\u2019 is out now, and you can watch the video below. Find out more about Greg Hoy and his music online on his official website<\/a>, Bandsintown<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, and Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Greg