Corbin Hoats
“I’m honestly just so incredibly grateful to have grown up in this community that supports music and artists as it does, ” stated Corbin Hoats in a phone interview when asked to comment about music and this community. Hoats is a local folk singer/songwriter of West Point, Georgia, just 30 minutes outside LaGrange. He was born and raised in the area and a Troup County School System graduate.
“This community is such a great area to grow up in or settle down in. I often find myself being so thankful to have the network that I do, and that’s from growing up around here. West Point had this awesome organic music scene that was so unique. The Presbyterian Church there had a basement, and a group of guys converted it into this studio-type space to practice and perform in. The pastor’s son was in the band, and they called themselves “The Basement.”
Hoats has always envisioned himself in the music world. He grew up with the dream of writing and producing music. “Music was always around me growing up. I was constantly playing it or listening to it, and my friends were the same way. I had friends who burned mixtapes in high school, and it was this thing that everyone accepted like it was normal. It wasn’t until later that I realized how cool that was. It’s crazy to think about all of the talents that come from our community.”
He grew up listening to an eclectic mix of genres, from Bob Marley to Mozart to classic rock. It was intentional on his parents’ part and helped morph his genuine appreciation of music. His parents instilled a love of music in him, and it’s something that he believes is a part of him. “I feel like rhythm runs through me. Music is a part of my being and my life. I love every single facet of it.”
Hoats first began his music career participating in a garage band camp based out of Auburn, Alabama. Spicers Music is a music boutique that sells musical instruments, offers lessons, and weekly music camps. Hoats spoke fondly of his memories at Spicers: “So, they host these garage band camps. During the week, we learned and practiced the music, and then at the end of the week, we performed to our parents. But it was this super cool atmosphere that made us feel like we were these crazy talented musicians. I mean, they had the stage, the lights, everything. Now that I look back on it, that was a really neat experience.”
From there, Hoats started a band with friends he made through his experiences with Spicers. “Shut Up and Clap” was formed, and they recorded an album not long after. The band continued to grow from there, participating in Troup High School’s “Battle of the Bands,” and winning first place! “You know, it was my experience with Shut Up and Clap that helped me make friends and experiences that solidified I wanted to make a career out of music.”
In 2018, Hoats moved to Atlanta to chase his music production and music business dreams. He began to create his own community and made a network of gigs in the Atlanta area. However, the Summer of 2020 brought him back to our community when the owners of a local winery, Nutwood Winery, asked him to perform on Saturday nights. Nutwood was branching out in the entertainment world and needed talent that matched their culture. Hoats was the one. This small and simple weekly gig has morphed into Hoats’ main job, as both performer and contact for other musicians. “I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Nutwood. That weekly gig was my sole source of income for a while. I want to provide for them just as much as they provided for me. I’ve introduced both local talent and talent from Atlanta to Nutwood.” Hoats now runs all of the entertainment for Nutwood, bringing outside talent and variety into our community.
In addition to outsourcing entertainment for Nutwood, Hoats just paired with Steffi Ledbetter to form “PeachMotif,” a singer/songwriter duo. They are currently working on finalizing their first EP, “You Just Need Someone.” “I want to make this our end game. Steffi is amazingly talented, and I want to build our brand and duo from our dreams and visions.”
In talking and listening to Hoats share his love of music and talent for music, you feel his happiness and joy; it’s almost contagious. You instantly know it’s his happy place. His sound is organic and grounds you, which is honestly how Hoats see the intersection of his faith and music. “Music and nature is divine. I used it to pay bills and have nice things in the past, but music is so much more than that. I am learning and acknowledging that it is much bigger than that superficial gain. Music is bigger than money; it’s bigger than a paycheck. I believe it is the closest you can get to God and the Divine; at least for me, it is. Music is the relationship that holds me to God. It is truly a beautiful source to experience that relationship, and it happens regardless of any barriers, regardless of race, income, culture, language. My mom always told me the biggest sin is not utilizing your gifts for good, and my gift is music. So I try to use it in the best ways I can.”
If you haven’t heard Hoats perform, then you are missing out on witnessing the exact relationship he described. He plays locally at Nutwood Winery, Beacon Brewery, Pure Life Studios. He will be playing at Lewis and Broad’s first annual, “ListenLaGrange,” a music festival to fight poverty. Be sure to check out his duo with Steffi Ledbetter on Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.