Joanne's Gear

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Joanne Hogg: Vocals / Piano / Keyboard

Joanne Hogg took some time away to answer a few questions...

Q. As well as being 'the voice of Iona' you also play piano, keyboard, acoustic guitar and occasionally some percussion. What was the first instrument you learned to play?

My first instrument was piano.

Q. When you're writing songs, such as some of the ones on the new album 'Another Realm', what instrument gives you the most inspiration?

For song writing piano is usually the instrument I find most inspiring. I rarely have my keyboard at home but maybe it would be inspiring too. When I'm at Dave's working on recording I love just improvising and playing on the keyboard set up with all it's incredible sounds and sometimes come up with new song ideas. I've started to play acoustic guitar more and during the summer I wrote a couple of new songs on guitar.

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New Weighted Keyboard

Jo's new 88 note weighted Yamaha S90XS keyboard, bought at the beginning of 2010.

Dave: "Jo especially wanted a weighted keyboard which felt much more like a piano to play than a synth and we needed to find a keyboard which had a great piano sound as several of the new songs are piano based. The S90XS has both of those attributes and is a great performance keyboard - easy to layer and mix sounds together and it's not too complicated to use live so Jo can get on with playing and singing without getting distracted."

First Iona Keyboard

Jo with her first Iona keyboard - a Korg M1 - Greenbelt Festival 1991 - photo by Paul Heffer

Dave: "Jo got this keyboard around 1990 specifically to play live with the band. At the time it was quite innovative and had a great range of sounds - especially some good strings and ethereal voice type sounds, but the piano sound was never very great. Jo used this up until it was super-ceded by the Roland XP80 in 1996."

Q. Which are some of the most well know Iona songs that you've written or co-written on acoustic guitar? And on piano? And on a synthesizer keyboard?

I don't honestly think I've written or co-written any Iona songs on acoustic guitar. I've ended up playing guitar on some of the better known songs like 'Treasure' and 'Dancing on the Wall' but I think i wrote them on piano. Its so long ago I'm not 100% sure!

Q. How do you present songs to the band, ie full demo or simple piano or guitar plus vocal?

I've always presented new songs to the band as very simple demo's with piano and vocal... the recording quality of these has usually been very poor! I think Dave prefers to hear a song pretty well stripped down anyway without any attempts to arrange it... a bit more of a blank canvas to work on.

Q. When collaborating on songwriting with Dave, Frank, etc, do you work in a different way? For example, are you inspired by different synthesizer sounds & drum rhythms?

Song writing with the band is quite different for me from the way I write on my own. I will usually improvise vocally to some inspiring keyboard sounds and chord progressions and also love to work with interesting rhythms. It's often been the case that a great rhythm inspires vocal improvisation.

Dave's take:

Quite often when we're together for a writing session, Jo will just start improvising on piano or on a keyboard. I always try to record whatever she is playing on whatever recording gear is at hand as sometimes she'll come up with some inspired, never to be repeated ideas. I'll sometimes say - "Jo that was great - what was it?" And she'll just say - "Och - I was just messing around!" Then she'll have forgotten what she played! For example, 'Kells Theme' came about like that as did 'Fragments of a Fiery Sun' (from The Circling Hour) and the melody from the track 'Journey into the Morn'. I learned very early on the importance of recording everything!!

New Martin Guitar

Jo with her new smaller Martin guitar - Holland April 2011 - photo by Monica Duffels

First Lowden Guitar

Jo with her first big bodied Lowden guitar

Q. You've had a few different acoustic guitars. Can you tell us about these?

My very first guitar was a 12 string that my dad bought me one Christmas. I did play it but always found the 12 strings quite difficult. Probably not the best guitar to start with! Then my brother lent me a nylon strung classical guitar which I had some guitar lessons on until I fell out with my teacher after just a few months! While I was a student at uni I had a pretty nasty epiphone guitar but my first real good one was a big-bodied lowden which I played in Iona for over 10 years until it met with a nasty accident courtesy of American Airlines. My insurance assessed it as a technical write off so I got a brand new guitar, the same model. Lowden managed to do a grand job of repairing my old guitar and I sent it to a new home with a church worship leader in the south of Ireland who was praying for a new guitar. Just last year I replaced it with a little Martin cut away model which I love. Its so much easier to get my arm around and a lot lighter to carry about when on tour. For such a little body it has a big sound and I have to say I don't really miss my Lowden. It has found a new home with another worship leader closer to home.
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'Raphael's Journey' Sessions, 2006

Jo at her Yamaha C7 grand piano working on songs with Frank that would eventually become the 'Raphael's Journey' album.

Q. You've said that you aren't really a technical sort of person as regards gear! Do you ever get involved in programming sounds or recording yourself?

I am definitely a technophobe! I really don't like technical stuff though sometimes I wish I could be more creative and it's limiting to have as little technical ability as I have but I feel a bit ovewhelmed with that kind of stuff and I just end up keeping things simple... it's less stressful. Anyway, Dave has enough gear... no point me adding to it. The short answer to this question would be... no!

Dave's take:

Jo works best when she is able to concentrate completely on the song and getting across the essence and emotion of it. So the fewer (technical) barriers that are in the way at the writing stage, the better. She's a great pianist and can really pack lots of arrangement ideas into her piano parts. Then of course later she often has very definite ideas about how we can play the song as a band. In the late 90's, rather than buying a lot of recording gear, Jo wisely invested in a really nice Yamaha C7 grand piano and its sound has inspired many great songs. We've used that piano on all the Iona albums since then and that's the piano you can hear on Jo's solo albums 'Celtic Hymns - Looking into Light' and 'Raphael's Journey' and I played it on my solo album 'Veil of Gossamer'.

'Another Realm' Sessions, 2010

Jo recording vocals during the 'Another Realm' sessions at Dave's studio with AMS Soundfield mic (left) and AT4033 mic (right)

Q. Do you have a favourite microphone that suits your voice in the studio?

No real favourites when it comes to microphones. Probably too technical a question for me! I really like the Soundfield mic and think I got some good recordings with that. I'm not really sure which other ones I've used. You'd have to ask Dave that!

Dave's take:

In about 1999 in consultation with our friend, engineer Nigel Palmer, Jo bought an AMS Soundfield stereo microphone. It really seemed to suit Jo's voice so that's been the main microphone we've used to record her since then. It's such a versatile microphone and it's also great for recording Jo's piano. Frank and I both have one ourselves and I use mine to record almost everything from vocals, acoustic instruments, percussion, violin, woodwind etc. On 'Another Realm' I also used an Audio Technica AT4033 mic when were were recording the vocal layers and loops for a bit of tonal variation. In the past we've also used an AKG C414 - that was the mic used on the 'Journey into the Morn' album, plus others which I can't remember now!

Q. You seemed to be more involved in the recording of the new album than on previous ones, for example being present during more of the mixing. How would you describe your role?

My role in the recording process...a fresh pair of ears! occasionally I come up with a novel idea and sometimes there are moments of creative genius... mostly from Dave but now and then I have an idea which works. I think producing and recording can be a bit of a lonely experience so my role in it was sometimes just a supportive encouraging one. I certainly wasn't any use on the technical side.

Dave's take:

It was great having Jo around more during the mixing but she always brings these naughty chocolate chip cookies which are very difficult to resist - not good for the waistline!

Q. What is your favourite track from the new album?

As with all other Iona albums, I can't pick a favourite track, Sorry! They are all favourites for some reason or another.
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Steinway piano, BBC TV, Aug 2006

Q. People have commented on how amazing your voice is sounding at the moment, both on 'Another Realm' and at recent gigs, yet only a few years ago you had a serious operation which threatened to damage your voice. How would you explain this?

I've heard some women say that their voice improved after having children. I'm not sure if that's been a factor or not. I put any improvement in my vocal delivery down to experiencing a greater sense of freedom... overcoming fears and insecurities... a deeper awareness of my spiritual identity... kinda hard to verbalise really. It's certainly not due to anything practical or technical I'm doing. There is more joy and inspiration now and I'm truly thankful to God for it.

Q. If you had to choose a 'desert island' instrument which one would you take with you?

Desert island instrument... definitely a concert Steinway grand piano! If I got fed up playing it maybe I could turn it into a raft!

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