Coy

“A few years ago, it seemed like every Chattanooga band was either heavy metal or country,” says Jason Hill, guitarist and songwriter for local quintet Coy whose clean, collegiate sound offers an alternative to this two-party dynamic. With melodic, piano-driven pop songs like “How Does it Feel” and “So Here I Am,” Coy wears unlucky-in-love sensitivity on their oxford sleeves in a fashion that brings to mind the unabashed nerd-pop of Ben Folds Five.

With a full-length album slated for a summer release and tentative dates for a regional tour, Coy looks to be spreading their musical wings in the next couple of months. They’re also working to gain some national exposure for their songs using film as a springboard—the route out-of-nowhere acts like the Shins have taken full advantage of in the recent past.

Hill speaks about the burgeoning Chattanooga music scene and the local arts community with fondness and insight, citing how the Lyndhurst Foundation’s efforts for artistic revitalization on the Southside contribute to the “evolving character” of our city’s aesthetic culture, an evolution that now includes a niche for bands like his.

As far as aspirations go, Hill says, “I’ve always wanted to be a one-hit wonder.” I figure he’s probably just being...well, you know, Coy.

-Kevin Trumpeter - Chattanooga Pulse

by Ted Reynolds

November 29, 2006

What makes a good radio single? Quite simply, it�s the ability to get people to keep listening to the song.

Think about it in terms of listening while driving: How long can you keep the audience from pushing the button for another station? For me, there�s a lot of material out there that I simply can�t stand to hear. Stuff that will cause me to lunge for the station button even if I really should be paying attention to something else, like speeding up to merge with traffic, turning left on red, or digging my license and insurance info out for the cop who stopped me (and usually in that order).

After all, the station is playing music to get you to listen to their ads (which can be pretty obnoxious, too, although unfortunately they�re usually among the most effective). They wouldn�t be doing their job if every other song caused half their audience to flee. Advertisers are notoriously shy about spending money to promote products to an audience pushed to the brink of suicide, or at least distraction, by lousy programming.

So how do you keep people listening to your music? For starters (literally) keep the introduction short and to the point. Nothing makes the tip of my station-button-pushing finger itchier than 45 seconds of repetitively strummed guitar before the song actually starts. Keep it to 15 seconds, or less, or, better still, just start the song. It�s amazing how fast an audience can get in the mood for your masterpiece, if there�s some way to enjoy it...

Which brings me to hooks. A hook is a musical idea, a passage or phrase, that is catchy, fun to listen to, and a kind of aural reward; it is meant to catch the ear of the listener and, well, �hook �em.� If you already understand hooks, or think you do, then put them up front, near the beginning, to keep people listening. Don�t bury your hooks in the chorus, you may no longer have an audience. A great example of a hook-filled local tune is Coy�s �How Does It Feel� in which the intro is actually a hook, itself.

Of course, this oversimplification doesn�t cover everything. Just remember: Great tunes never bore their listeners. - Chattanooga Pulse