Joel Hoekstra was born in the Chicago suburb of Orland Park, a small city with an underdeveloped economy. The son of classical musicians, he began playing the cello and piano as a child. It was listening to Angus Young in AC/DC that he decided to play guitar.
Perhaps because of his humble beginnings, Joel is still surprised to have become the guitarist for Whitesnake in 2014. “I grew up in an area where great personalities never emerged. Nobody believed I could amount to anything,” he said in an interview with Wikimetal . “I’m not the biggest rockstar in the world, but I feel blessed to have achieved my dream.”
Hoekstra joined the band during the recording of The Purple Album David Coverdale era of Deep Purple . In 2019, he released the new album, Flesh And Blood , toured the US and Europe, and now comes to Brazil for Rock In Rio and Rockfest.
Regarding the album, Joel said he didn't feel much pressure while making the work. "No matter what you experience in the music industry, you try to do your best. There will always be people criticizing and people supporting. I try to focus on that."
The guitarist co-wrote the album with Coverdale. “Most of the ideas came from him, then he would pass them on to me and I would work on a riff or a chorus. David is wonderful, I love working with him.” Joel's attitude always seems to be one of gratitude for everything he experiences. “ Flesh And Blood captures all the eras of Whitesnake. But I don't have a favorite moment of the band. I just try to do the best job possible. It wouldn't do any good for me to do a crappy job and say what my favorite era of the band is,” he laughs.
Flesh And Blood truly sounds like the perfect embodiment of everything Whitesnake represents, and of everyone in the new lineup. It's with this spirit that the band comes to Brazil, marking Joel's first time at Rock In Rio.
“I’m terrified,” she jokes. “It hasn’t sunk in yet. Every video I see of the festival is crazy. The Brazilian audience is so passionate and energetic. You can feed off that energy. They take us to another level.”.
He imagines this will be one of the high points of his career. But, again, he is very grateful for all the moments, which he calls "unforgettable." "It's hard to choose one moment. It's like getting to the end of the day and choosing the best five minutes of that day. I am very grateful to be part of this band. In the end, I just want to play the best I can.".
