Indie Rock Giant Greg Hoy Says Yay For Effort on Solitary New LP

The new LP by eclectic and versatile rocker Greg Hoy, “Yay For Effort”, is now available on Bandcamp, Spotify and all the major services with a planned first single/video “Comfort Vendetta” coming to YouTube soon.

Piano and acoustic themes abound under lyrical reflections about the rapid-fire loss of several close people in his life: his father, a college bandmate, and his career mentor. Quieter, piano pop motifs are supplemented by the occasional drum loop, 80’s sample, or a familiar distorted melodic guitar of past work - yet still reflective of the energy of his live shows. Make no mistake: there's still plenty of both power and pop, even as it's delivered in a more quiet, introspective way.

The closing of San Francisco’s famed indie Tiny Telephone studio - where Hoy first recorded after moving west over a decade ago - allowed his purchase of the studio’s coveted 1970’s Eventide Harmonizer effects unit used on albums by John Vanderslice, Spoon, Sleater-Kinney, John Doe, and countless others. This helped shape an album as varied as the FM-radio comfort food music of his youth which he revisited often over the past years including Eno-era David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, T-Rex, Elvis Costello, and early solo Peter Gabriel.

Greg meticulously wrote, played, recorded, mixed, and mastered the 10 song LP by himself holed up in his California mountain house. The result is all the more impressive considering it was recorded in sessions between floods, fires, pandemics, and while becoming a parent for the first time. The album is also the first to be released under Hoy’s new publishing company Earhopper Songs.



Yay for Effort Summer Tour dates:

6/24 Pacifica CA Winters Tavern

7/08 San Francisco CA Hotel Utah

7/14 Rockville MD Hank Dietle's

7/15 Pittsburgh PA Club Cafe

7/16 Youngstown Westside Bowl

7/18 Brooklyn NY (live recording) Leesta Vall

7/19 New Haven CT Three Sheets

7/20 NYC Arlene’s Grocery

7/21 Philadelphia PA The Fire

7/22 Mechanicsburg PA Metropolis

8/12 Alameda CA The Fireside


East Bay, CA-based songwriter Greg Hoy - who's recorded with Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies), Sylvia Massy (Johnny Cash, Tom Petty), and John Vanderslice (Spoon, Nada Surf) - toured 25 dates across the US in the fall of 2021 supporting his latest vinyl LP release 'Cacophony'. Comparisons to Jack White, Tom Petty, and Brittany Howard aside, the veteran songwriter has been a long time critical favorite. Hip-hop icon Ice-T appeared in his recent music video for 'Can You Take It?' which was nominated for a California Music Video Award. Picked to take part in the 2021 Durango Songwriters Showcase for Film & TV, his songs have been heard on networks such as the CW, HBO, and MTV, as well as in commercials for Pinterest, Adobe, and American Express. Time Out NY says 'Hoy's music is fueled by straight up melodicism.' Red Red Wine on a Sunday says 'Greg's records are deep - like peeling layers off an onion - each song is a revelation!' Broken 8 says his work 'shines with a focused punk rock swagger.'

Ryan Chernin Packs Brilliant Indie-Rock, Alt-Focused Tunes in Latest “You Know Who You Are” LP

Following the release of the single and video “Ash Tray Kisses”, Singer/Songwriter Ryan Chernin recently dropped his Debut LP “You Know Who You Are” via Inhuman Records. Packed with “mature songs, personal lyrics, and intricate instrumentals” its being called “more like an exploration of self than a combination of songs”. And for the NY based Chernin, it seems likely only more positive feedback is headed his way!

Singer/songwriter Ryan Chernin showed an inclination for music at an astoundingly young age.

“My mom has this one story – my grandmother swore by it too – that at three or four months old they were talking to me in my crib and I apparently gave them their exact intonation back,” Chernin recalls, laughing. “According to my mom, that was my introduction to music.” He insists that his real introduction was the Yellow Submarine tape she’d play for him in the car, and the piano lessons he begged his parents to sign him up for as a child.

Over the years Chernin’s parents continued to encourage his love for music and his passion for performing, knowing even back then that it was more than just a phase.




In college Chernin studied film, and as an accomplished actor, spent much of his time in and around theaters. However the spotlight is something the soft-spoken artist has never been entirely comfortable with. The reason, according to him, is simple: “Every time I got on stage and did musical theater, I was always a character. I was very much about throwing myself into those characters.” That disconnect is something Chernin struggled to overcome as he began working on his latest LP, “You Know Who You Are”. “It’s me up there. It’s my pain, my happiness. It’s all out there and it’s very vulnerable.”

You Know Who You Are is the culmination of a year’s worth of work in and out of the studio, a sultry collection of songs about life, love, and loss. “What was most important to us was to take our time with it and really make sure it was perfect every step of the way,” Chernin explains. “It was about selecting the right people.” That list of people includes producer John Eugenio, mixer Chris Davies, and SNL guitarist Jared Scharff. The result is a maturity and depth that takes most artists years to capture, with Chernin’s quick wit and caustic sense of humor complimenting his raw indie rock sound.

For More Information on Ryan, VISIT:

www.RyanChernin.com