With Time to Chill, It’s Time to Grill

by Katie Kirila

For Bobby Hogg, his love for music began when he received a run of the mill department store guitar for Christmas at ten years old. From there, his musical talents evolved in college, when he attended the College of Charleston in the early 2000’s. He soon helped to form a band called Swift Water Rescue. At the time, it seemed like everyone played the guitar, so he began to perfect the bass, which ultimately cemented his role with the band.

After graduating from the College of Charleston in 2004, Bobby headed out West to Bozeman, Montana. In Montana, Bobby continued to play music in an acoustic blue-grass duo, where he began to cultivate his love for both food and cooking. Bobby spent time as a prep cook at a French restaurant before becoming a line cook at an Italian restaurant, also located in Bozeman.

In 2007, Bobby moved back to Charles-ton. It was then that he created one of his staple bands, Green Levels, playing a mix of Americana and Bluegrass. But since when is just one band enough? Bobby is also a member of The Reckoning, a Grateful Dead cover band, and Runaway Gin, a Phish cover band. Between the three different bands, Bobby has evolved as a musician, ultimatey playing a combination of roles; in total, you can catch Bobby singing or playing the guitar, the electric bass, an upright bass, and dabbling with the banjo.

With the unfortunate state of public health over the better part of the last year, it’s no surprise that live music came to a grinding halt. Suddenly, with more time on his hands than ever before, Bobby took this time to revisit his love for food and cooking. Like the rest of us, Bobby spent a lot of time in his Johns Island home with his wife, Alison. Turns out, this was the perfect time to revitalize his love for grilling. To really get into it—and again, with time to spare—he built the perfect stone patio to house his grill. One of Bobby’s favorite dishes to prepare is a simple grilled salmon, simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon. He often pairs this with rice and greens.

With restaurants opening back up and slowly getting back to a normal operating pace, Bobby has done his best to support his local favorites, Wild Olive and Fat Hen. You can support Bobby by checking out Runaway Gin on the deck at The Pour House on Saturday and Sunday February 20-21. You can also catch him with The Reckoning every Wednesday on the Pour House deck, which is always a good time.

To learn more about Bobby’s musical ventures and to keep up with his live performance schedule, you can visit www.bobbyhoggmusic.com