Been getting a lot of nice press blurbs and radio play on the record, and sincere thanks to these journalists and radio presenters out there, folks doing it for the love of it, keeping the independent arts flame burning. . Just recently, we had three really nice, long interviews come out, which is cool, because it allows us to go into depth regarding both The Day Deserved (record) and Ten Seconds In-Between, (book) from
The Netherlands – Kultuurffabriek
(from Harry DeJong, we did this one over Zoom and it’s in Dutch, so put on google translator “…with his whispering voice he sings ten extremely poetic songs with downright literary texts, beautifully framed by Dave Coleman’s twangy guitar playing. This is music you should listen to with the lyrics at your fingertips, because Hoekstra is a poet and a singer.” This also includes a picture of me in Marrum, the town my grandfather emigrated from, taken on a tour from the past.)
(from John Clarkson in Edinburgh, as we discuss the record, current events, my son Jude (of course) and all the great folks who contributed to the making of the new album The Day Deserved (musicians, artists, videographers). As the man says about the album “Its ten songs are all lengthy, few coming in at less than five minutes and several stretching out to over seven minutes, and, embracing components of jazz, pop, folk and country, none of them finishing at the same point upon which they started. Lyrically they reveal the humanitarian Hoekstra’s political and social concerns.” I met John on my first-ever gig to Edinburgh, many years ago, at Virgin instore on Princes Street in the shadow of the Castle, and it’s been great to stay in touch and catch up as our lives unfold. Pennyblack has been around for years and it’s a testament to his hard work and talent.
(from Ana Lee at WMOT 89.5 Liner Notes. Ana picked up on the new record right away and has been playing it on her show. Really great questions from her on this and of course, I/we love this line: “The Day Deserved is the kind of record that draws you back again and again, and with each listen comes a new discovery in the stories he sings. Songs like, “Gandy Dancer”, “Seaside Town” and “Higher Ground” could each be a Netflix or Hulu series.”
