INTERVIEW: THE HOPEFULS

By: B -- 12/27/05

Anyone familiar with the local music scene surely knows The Hopefuls (originally named The Olympic Hopefuls until the pesky IOC got involved). They’re a five-piece power pop band with members hailing from other local bands (Vicious Vicious and Kid Dakota being two examples) that released The Fuses Refuse To Burn in early 2004. Where most local bands enjoy a few initial months of popularity before being replaced by the Next Big Thing, the Hopefuls have actually been maintaining their status, which can be attributed to an album that’s as substantive as it is catchy, and to an always-energetic live show. Recently, The Hopefuls were recently crowned “Best Artist of the Year” and “Best Pop Artist/Group” at the 2005 Minnesota Music Awards.

The Hopefuls will be playing a New Years Eve show at the Minneapolis Hyatt Regency before they embark on another tour supporting The Fuses. This interview was conducted a few weeks ago, through email.

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First things first: what are the band’s plans for 2006? Have you scheduled a date to begin recording the next album? Can we expect to see most of the live staples – “Hold Your Own” and “The Edge of Medicine,” for example – on the album?

Eric Fawcett: We definitely have the creative juices flowing and ideas are poppin’ up all over, but Fuses refuses to die, so we'll be hitting the road beginning in January to take the tunes from that record to far flung regions of the country. Sooner or later we'll start recording the next record, and I think it's safe to say that “Hold” and “Edge” will be on it. But you never know. Records are selfish beasts and they keep their secrets from you until they're pressed.

I know your sound has been compared to Weezer, the Cars, Beulah and others. Any conscious influences? Was there a band that you modeled your sound after, or directly referenced, when you first started playing together, or are those comparisons an after-the-fact allusion?

Darren Jackson: More after the fact than any conscious decision. We like such a wide variety of music that it would be difficult to even identify our main influences.

What are your favorite venues around the Twin Cities to play?

Heath Henjum: I personally love playing First Avenue (mainroom or entry), The Turf Club, The 400 Bar, and The Triple Rock. First Ave has great rooms for seeing shows. The 400 Bar has a great sound system.

Although, I wish they could get rid of that pillar in the middle of the room. Of course the whole place would probably collapse if they did! The Turf Club has an awesome staff, and they treat bands very well. It's also a very comfortable roomy bar with easy parking and load-in.

Your music has been featured on a number of television shows, including The O.C., Laguna Beach and more. How do these opportunities come about? Who contacts whom?

Heath Henjum: For The O.C., one of the show's music producers heard us on satellite radio, and liked our stuff. So, he contacted our record company, and we proceeded from there. Laguna Beach also contacted us, but I'm not certain how they heard of us.

Do you regret deciding to wear your matching track suits at every show? I can’t imagine they’re the ideal threads to deal with stage heat.

Heath Henjum: Sometimes. Although, it is nice to not have to worry about what to wear to a show! The heat is a problem. I don't think I've ever sweat more on stage than I have with The Hopefuls.

Taking a step back to the beginning… I first heard about your album from local drummer Peter Anderson’s brother who was visiting from Los Angeles – talk about “word of mouth.” Did you do much promoting of the band and album, or did most of your popularity arise from word of mouth? I guess what I’m asking is, did you make a concerted effort to promote your debut album, or did the near-unanimous praise, and resulting popularity, take you by surprise?

Heath Henjum: When the album was released, 2024 Records handled most of the promotion. We also hired Vitriol Radio (www.vitriolradio.com) to do radio promotion. They do an awesome job, and concentrate mostly on college stations, satellite radio, and internet stations. They helped us chart somewhere in the 30's on the CMJ top 200, and indirectly helped get our music on the O.C. It was a concerted effort, but small in the scheme of things. While our promotion efforts definitely helped, I would attribute our rise in popularity to mostly word of mouth and positive media exposure.

You are actively involved in MySpace. How do you think your MySpace page has affected your band and its popularity? How do you think it affects the music industry on the whole?

Heath Henjum: MySpace is awesome. It allows bands to connect with fans on a daily basis. It's a great avenue for getting your music out to new people and advertising. It also saves bands from having to pay a ton of money to develop a good website. I'm a little worried that it was bought by Fox, but we'll see. I'm on it daily, and I'm constantly checking out new bands. I think MySpace is very influential among the younger more internet savvy music fans. Being featured on the MySpace home page can increase your fan base dramatically in a short amount of time.

What are three CDs currently in your rotation? I noticed you recommended the new Rogue Wave recently in an email newsletter (thanks for that); any other new music to recommend?

Darren Jackson: Lately I've been listening to the newest releases by the metric, imogen heap, cloud cult, and tilly and the wall.

Heath Henjum: I think the latest cd's in rotation are the new Nada Surf, The Like, and Tapes 'n Tapes (produced by our own Erik Appelwick!)

Speaking of Rogue Wave, I have to miss your show Wednesday because I"ll be on vacation. My question is this: would you mind calling my cell phone and recording your set on my voicemail for me? You have “weekend minutes,” right? I would totally buy you a souvenir.

Eric Fawcett: You know, The Hopefuls are known for never phoning in shows, but we'll make this one exception for you. Give me your number off the air and I'll make it happen. But you have to promise to bring us some of your mom's famous cranberry sauce.

And now for a few general questions unrelated to anything in particular (my James Lipton moment)….

Favorite bars and/or restaurants in the Twin Cities area?

Jackson: I don't drink so I don't have any favorite bars but I really enjoy eating out. Some of my favorite places are Pizza Nea, Chang Mai, and Udupi.

Henjum: Bars: The Turf Club and The Hexagon. Restaurants: Udupi, El Burrito Mercado, Saigon, and Dong Yang Oriental Foods

What are your three “Desert Island" albums?

Jackson: Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd; In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel; Either/Or - Elliott Smith.

Henjum: That's tough... to be honest, I would probably rather not have any music than only have three albums. Does that make sense? Can I trade my three albums for a guitar?

What are your reality show guilty pleasures? (To be fair, mine are American Idol and Real World/Road Rules Challenge.)

Henjum: Does Iron Chef count? That show rules! I enjoyed the season of VH1's The Surreal Life with Tammy Faye Baker and Ron Jeremy.

What person, living or dead, would you most like to avoid sitting next to on an airplane?

Henjum: Osama Bin Laden (the question is... is he living or dead?)

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