Magic Bag Presents: Gary Hoey

Shows Are Standing Room OnlyWorld renowned rock guitarist, Gary Hoey, has released 22 albums. His latest, Neon Highway Blues, entered Billboard at #2. Hoey has toured with Jeff Beck, Brian May, Joe Satriani s renowned Berklee College of Music making friends and offering to pay for lessons. To devote more of his time to music, the prodigy would cut high school classes so that he could hone his guitar playing skills all the while playing Bostons local clubs and teaching guitar to avoid a day job and keep the guitar in his hands. Hoeys first break came in 1987 when Ozzy Osbourne showed up in Boston looking for a guitarist. Osborne liked Hoeys tape enough to fly him to LA for an audition. Ozzy said youre a great player you should move to LA. and with $17,000 he saved from teaching Hoey loaded the U-Haul and drove across country to LA. In 1992 Warner/Reprise released the epic rock album Heavy Bones album with Frankie Banali on drums. After grunge ended the bands career, in 1993 Hoey went on to release his second instrumental album, Animal Instinct, on Warner/Reprise which included a cover of the Focus hit, Hocus Pocus. During the midst of the grunge era, Hocus Pocus rocketed into the Billboard Top 5, outpacing all other singles as the most frequently played rock song of the year, and the album went on to reach classic rock notoriety. 1994 Hoey scored soundtrack to the cult film Endless Summer II and had another radio hit with Wars Low Rider. In 1995 Hoey released Ho Ho Hoey, the first of what would become a collection of three instrumental rock remakes of Christmas Classics that are now a staple at Rock Radio nationwide. Other film clients have included Walt Disney films, ESPN, New Line Cinema, scoring the music to California Screaming (Disneyland Roller Coaster), Space Mountain (Japan), Office Space, Deck the Halls (Danny Devito), and Beethoven III. Hoey produced and co-wrote The Queen Of Metal Lita Fords album Living Like Runaway. He has been involved with Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp for over 10 years working with artists like Joe Perry to Roger Daltrey, Yes, Johnny Winter, Leslie West. Gary Hoey is listed as one of the top 100 guitarists of all time. Whether hes playing scorching originals or classic rock covers, his solos are thrilling and reminiscent of Clapton or Stevie Ray in their fiery youth. One thing that remains consistent is Hoeys impassioned command of the guitar. He can attack his instrument with feral intensity and then play something very soft and achingly beautiful. This ability to mix feeling, phrasing, technique and tone is the true mark of a master guitarist