The Hopefuls
In 2004, Minneapolis-based power-pop band, The Hopefuls won local and national attention with their acclaimed debut, The Fuses Refuse to Burn. The album was ranked #38 on the CMJ Top 200 and included on the soundtrack for Fox’s The O.C., Vh1’s Best Week Ever, MTV’s Laguna Beach and the feature film Blue State. Additionally, Fuses earned the band Best New Artist and Artist of the Year status from The Minnesota Music Academy and was named City Pages’ Best New Band of 2004.
Released at the start of 2009, the Hopefuls’ sophomore effort, Now Playing at the One-Seat Theater builds on the success of their debut album. More searing guitars. More crazy keyboards. More three-part harmonies and infectious melodies. Early signs show that this album is going places. One-Seat Theater charted for several weeks at #2 on CMJ tastemaker station FM 89.3 The Current in Minneapolis. The album also earned album-of-the-week status on The Current in January ’09 and received song-of-the-day kudos for single “Virgin Wood.”
It is worth mentioning that The Hopefuls are men of many talents: singer/guitarist Darren Jackson fronts the indie rock band, Kid Dakota, singer/keytarist John Hermanson is one half of the acclaimed folk duo Storyhill and visionary leader of pop rock powerhouse Alva Star, bassist Heath Henjum plays with the R&B band Vicious Vicious and Eric Fawcett drums for hip-hop megastars N.E.R.D.