JOEL HOEKSTRA: 'If You're Getting Into Music To Make Money, You Have A Hole In Your Head'

In a new interview with Guitar World, acclaimed guitarist Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, NIGHT RANGER) was asked what piece of advice he would give to his younger self if he could travel back in time. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We were poor, quite frankly. We had no money. We grew up in a blue-collar area, the suburbs of Chicago, where none of this was supposed to happen for me, like literally none. So, for me to get to the point where, through hard work and, I guess, a bit of luck, you find yourself able to do some great things… And then, in a way, I'm playing with house money, but in a way, I wanna see how far it can all go. So I just keep pushing and hope for the best. But that being said, I know my limitations as a guitar player and I know my fortes, I suppose. I just try to work at music every day and see where it all takes me."

Joel continued: "I've never really had any grand plan beyond being a professional guitar player. As funny as that sounds, for the guy that ended up on stage with WHITESNAKE throwing shapes with the long hair and everything like that, the most important thing for me was to make a living with my guitar. That's what I set out to do as a kid. And I committed to poverty for that. I went, like, 'Okay, I'm probably gonna be poor the rest of my life.' But you have to have that ability, I think, to get into music. If you're getting into music to make money, man, you have a hole in your head, man, 'cause you could like get any other job and work much, much easier hours and have a nice, clear path to do so, where music is like the Wild West, I think. It's, like, anything can happen at any point in time. So just that it's possible through hard work. And I think that should definitely ring true for any younger players out there now. Especially with the Internet, the world has shrunk. You can get your music out to anybody, and home recording has gotten to the point where you can make a professional record right there where you are. So I don't care where you are — if you're located in a more rural area, if you still have the ambition to reach out to name players and try to expand your name, and obviously things being in the digital domain like they are, you never know where that can take you."

Joel will release the fourth album of his solo project JOEL HOEKSTRA'S 13, "From The Fade", on February 27 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Once again, guitarist and composer Hoekstra is joined by an elite cast of rock veterans: powerhouse drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO),legendary bassist Tony Franklin (THE FIRM, BLUE MURDER),virtuoso keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, SONS OF APOLLO) and rising vocal sensation Girish Pradhan (GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES, THE NAIL).

New York-based Hoekstra is also well known for his fill-in work with FOREIGNER, ACCEPT, his annual sets on the Monsters Of Rock cruise, recording projects like REVOLUTION SAINTS, ICONIC, viral collaboration videos with the likes of Dino Jelusick, Arnel Pineda, Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan and his acoustic shows with Brandon Gibbs.

Exhibiting a knack for music education, he has also been a frequent columnist for Guitar World magazine, taught at Musician's Institute, Rockstars Of Tomorrow, Guitar Workshop Plus, and has often been a counselor at Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp.

Over the years, Joel has released three instrumental solo albums and three critically acclaimed albums with JOEL HOEKSTRA's 13. Most recently, he was the guest guitarist on "Dancing With The Stars" ("hair metal" episode) and played with Cher at her Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction and the "SNL 50" homecoming concert.

Photo credit: Mike Polito