JOEL HOEKSTRA ~ WHITESNAKE Simply put, Joel Hoekstra possesses the epitome of a professional rock guitarist’s resume. From 1989-90 he studied at the world renowned Musicians’ Institute in Hollywood, CA, honing his craft under the tutelage and mentorship of some of the world’s top players. After graduating from MI Hoekstra kept busy, first as a tech at famed Cherokee Recording Studios in Hollywood then with studio and stage work with such artists as Dee Snider, Jim Peterik, The Turtles, Big Brother & the Holding Company, and many more, including the recently deceased Jimi Jamison (Survivor). A complete list may be found in the bio section at Hoekstra’s website joelhoekstra. Hoekstra has released three solo albums to date, including the critically acclaimed “Undefined”. No stranger to hard work, he performs on the hit Broadway show Rock of Ages and plays for perennial winter holiday favorites Trans-Siberian Orchestra, schedule permitting. Hoekstra’s latest credit is as the guitarist on the soundtrack for Mark Jacksons film War Story released August 25, 2014 titled “Aftermath”, performed by Amy Lee (Evanescence) and featuring Dave Eggar. As if Joel Hoekstra’s list of musical achievements wasn’t already long enough to make even the most temperate personality envious, on August 21, 2014 he was named by powerhouse vocalist David Coverdale (ex-Deep Purple) as one of the two guitarists for the band Whitesnake, purveyors of such 1980’s hits as “Still of the Night”, “Here I Go Again”, and “Is This Love”. Having already replaced a blonde Les Paul aficionado in Night Ranger, Hoekstra now occupies the guitar chair left vacant by the departing Doug Aldrich (ex-Lion). During the bands’ 2011 tour with Journey while performing as a member of Night Ranger, Hoekstra was asked to fill in for Mick Jones of Foreigner, thus playing two sets a night. Hoekstra initially got the job with Night Ranger in 2008 when he replaced Reb Beach (ex-Winger) as their touring guitarist, who had filled the open position left by ousted original player Jeff Watson. Ironically, in yet another of Hoekstra’s games of melodic rock musical chairs, the other half of Whitesnake’s guitar team just happens to be the aforementioned Reb Beach. Joel Hoekstra Coverdale made the following announcement on the band’s FaceBook page: Ladies & Gentlemen...Boys & Girls...Your Attention, Please... One of the first, if not the first, guitarists to put his name forward after hearing that Doug Aldrich had left the band, was an exceptionally talented musician whom we had met briefly last year when his band opened for Whitesnake in Arizona. Everyone was very impressed by him, not only for his ability to play amazing guitar, but, also, his very agreeable personality & he was definitely foremost in our minds when we began to search for Doug’s replacement in Whitesnake. We jammed together & were mutually impressed enough to ask him to join Whitesnake on the spot. This was May 30th, 2014. We sincerely thank you all for your patience & understanding...& so, without further ado, we ask you to welcome, as we have done, our exceptionally gifted new Snake Brother... JOEL HOEKSTRA...Guitarist Extraordinaire If history is any indication, Joel Hoekstra’s contributions to Whitesnake both on stage and in the studio will be exciting, inspiring guitarists everywhere for years to come. The addition of Hoekstra’s killer tone, terrific stage presence, and prodigious playing ability make Whitesnake THE premier melodic rock act of 2014 and beyond. Upon first hearing the news of Hoekstra’s latest placement, we here at GuitarHD could only nod at the consensus: “Of COURSE!” The growing buzz on the Web says guitarists everywhere agree and are eager to hear the results of this amazing partnership, including and perhaps especially the intrepid author of this article. I’d wish Mr. Hoekstra “Good luck!” but given the trajectory of his career thus far he doesn’t need one iota of magic other than that he already has in his heart, head, and hands.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:28:01 +0000
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