Toronto Star
May 10, 2001
from What's On section

A breath of unaffected rootsy songcraft
by Vit Wagner

In these do-it-yourself times, musicians can cut and package professional recordings with an ease that would have astounded their vinyl-era counterparts. Getting anyone to pay attention, however, is as hard - if not harder - than ever.

Take Greg Hobbs, a talented Toronto singer/songwriter with three CDs, a Web site and a day job as a researcher at the CBC.

"I used to think that if I sent my record to someone and I didn't hear back from them, that it must be terrible," says Hobbs, 27, who plays a showcase tonight at Rancho Relaxo (300 College St.).

"But I've moved beyond that. I realize that reviewers get a ton of stuff, and there's no way they have time to listen to everything. At this point I'm really happy with the new record, so if people don't like it, that's their problem. I guess I'm starting to develop a bit of an ego, which maybe is a good thing."

Certainly, Hobbs need make no apologies for his latest CD, Drake Motel, a winning package of unaffected, rootsy songcraft that easily surpasses a lot of the industry-sanctioned fare flooding the market. Hobbs' songs, including tunes about barroom misbehaviour and failed relationships, are strong enough to warrant serious attention -although there are no guarantees that that's how things will shake down.

"I get discouraged, but the key is to keep playing and not get discouraged," concedes Hobbs, a Hamilton native with a degree in journalism from Carleton and a fondness for the music of Neil Young and Bob Dylan. "I've got a long way to go.

"I'm not sure what the whole point is, but writing songs and playing them is just something I have to do. And when you get to a point, you might as well record what you've written and hope that some people will hear it and eventually more people will hear it."

Support and encouragement has come in various forms. John Switzer, who has turned the dials for Jane Siberry and the Waltons, produced Hobbs' previous CD, Confused And Bleeding, which was recorded with the help of public funds. Radio stations in Alberta are devoting air-time to his latest disc, which is being distributed - at a cost to Hobbs of a dollar per unit - by Indie Pool.

"Starting from scratch, it's hard even to get a gig. Then you have to get people to come out to your gig. In this city, there are tons of bands you can see every night. At least people are coming out to my shows, which is good. "Normally, I'm a guy who doesn't like drawing attention to himself. But I just love being on a stage and playing. After a good show, I can't even remember having played certain songs. And it's always over too soon."