The Hopefuls at The Turf Club on 1/9/09
By: David de Young
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| Darren Jackson of the Hopefuls - Photo by Sara Montour |
On Friday at the Turf Club I got to redeem myself and do a make-up session for missing the release show. The Hopefuls went on late enough (at 1:05 a.m.) that I still had time to see them after the Jason Shannon CD Release Party at the Varsity had concluded.
First Communion Afterparty was just finishing as we entered the club, and after a brief break, The Hopefuls began. Their set started out much like their new CD, opening with “Edge of Medicine,” a song that makes a wry and rather melancholic commentary about dosing in sports (“The times are better than the times have ever been. We are fast, we are strong, but we won’t be here for long. So let’s set a record they can never break.”) For the song they were joined by Mama Carin from FCAP on tambourine, one of a couple guests the band would have join them on stage for their set. (Other guests included Drew Everett Phillips from Invincible Kids who played some killer cowbell, and Hopefuls mascot Rupert, but more on Rupert later.)
For those of you who haven’t had the chance to spin The Hopefuls new disc yet, the album is an undeniable winner. It's a little more atmospheric than the first, but it still has more hooks than a master fisherman. (Had I received it sooner, it’s quite possible it would have made my best of 2008 list.) With no hint of a sophomore slump in the follow-up to their 2004 debut The Fuses Refuse to Burn, several new tracks, including the aforementioned “Edge of Medicine,” “Idaho,” “Virgin Wood,” “Red Stain,” and even the majestic title song “One-Seat Theatre” stand up easily against the best tracks on their debut. They’ll need a few more listens before they feel as familiar as songs like “Let’s Go” and “Holiday,” but based on the number of people singing along Friday night clearly many audience members had already taken the album to heart since its December 20th release. (To be fair, the band has been playing many of the new songs live for quite some time.)
The enthusiastic audience was nestled up against the Turf stage with plenty of dancing and bouncing around going on, the kind that when it happens at the Turf or other wooden- floored venues like the 400 Bar, sometimes makes you wonder when the floor is going to give way under the strain of exuberance. There are not many bands in town that elicit so much dancing, and so much “white guy dancing” as many are prone to call it, as the Hopefuls do. Some may argue with me, but I think that’s a good thing.
Songs for One Seat Theater were already being written and recorded before Erik Appelewick left the band permanently to join Tapes ‘n Tapes. Appelwick actually plays guitar on the new album’s opening track “Edge of Medicine.” In the Hopefuls live show these days, Appelwicks’ guitar and lead vocal parts are being covered by Hopefuls other songwriting contributor, John Hermanson. At Friday’s show Hermanson was sans his trademark keytar, instead playing synth as well as second guitar. Another program note is that Peter Anderson (who played drums on the Hopefuls debut disc) was sitting in tonight for Eric Fawcett on drums who is on tour in China right now (playing stadium shows, I understand) with Wang Lee Hom. Heath Henjum remains in his spot as Hopefuls bassist as usual.
Despite the solid set of music, a funny stand out moment was when Rupert climbed onto the stage to dance. He played a little cow bell himself, and used the Turf support pillar to do a little bit of “pole dancing” swinging around the outside of the pole. He told me later he hadn’t planned on dancing tonight and therefore was not wearing his trademark business suit. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons he was actually – get this – asked to get off the stage by a Turf bartender despite his insistence, “I’m with the band!” It was all worked out in the end and no one was 86’d, but it was definitely hilarious, and the mythos of Rupert has yet another anecdote tied to it.
Set list:
- Edge of Medicine
- Idaho
- Virgin Wood
- Stacey
- Miss You
- Revelation
- Holiday
- Drain the Sea
- What She Wants
- Thing for Me
- One-Seat Theatre
Encore:
- Red Stain
- Let’s Go
- Hold Your Own
Location Info:
The Turf Club
Artist Info: The Hopefuls
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