Dr. Dog, Hopewell, The Reputation March 12, 2006

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03-13-2006

Dr. Dog
Hopewell
The Reputation

Young Ave Deli
Memphis, TN
$7
Indie Rock
Dr. Dog

Dr. Dog is a musical band from the greater West Philadelphia area. We are interested in three-part harmoies, the out-of-doors, hoagies, vegetables and diminished chords.

HOPEWELL

Rich Meyer, Lyndon Roeller, Jason Russo, Tyson Lewis, Jay Green (photo by Scott Irvine)

Biography
A brief scan of heraldic press clippings for their last release (The Curved Glass) ? from the NME, CMJ, the Village Voice, Time Out, Wire, Magnet ? divulges a clear journalistic pattern of enthusiastically describing Hopewell in terms of opposition: delicate/visceral, sublime/stabbing, crushing/romantic, immense/fragile. Far more than evidence for a collection of tired journalistic tropes, those who follow the group recognize volatility as an immediate and clear touchstone of both its music and its history. It is nowhere more evident than on their recently completed LP, Hopewell and the Birds of Appetite, that Hopewell have come to fully recognize, embrace, and explore this tension to mature and stunning conclusion.

Given the bands penchant for drama, it was no surprise that Hopewell eventually captured the attention of producer Dave Fridmann. Produced at upstate New Yorks Tarbox Road Studios (home of The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev and Sleater-Kinney) Hopewell and the Birds of Appetite takes a mammoth leap forward in terms of songwriting and arranging. Along with co-producer Bill Racine (Rouge Wave, Phantom Planet) the group has constructed a ravishingly beautiful rock record that that confidently steps beyond its influences and truly refines both the sublime and visceral energy always intrinsic to Hopewells performances. Hopewell has made a record, according to lead singer/founder Jason Russo, that: ?locates the spot where the personal and universal intersect.

When Russo was 19 years old he found himself traversing the world with the now legendary Mercury Rev. Immediately following the tours for Revs breakthrough record Deserters Songs, he and his brother Justin (Hopewells then keyboardist now with The Silent League) struck out on their own to promote the critically acclaimed The Curved Glass. The band played the Reading/Leeds festival in the UK, recorded a Peel Session and received XFM and BBC1 airplay. Extensive touring throughout the rest of Europe followed. In the states they enjoyed rave reviews in national press and crisscrossed the country playing to increasingly larger amounts of fans.

Hopewells devastating performances ? unveiling a live act that supplements rock instrumentation with additional percussion, orchestral arrangements and shrieking horns ? have left packed houses clamoring for more and drawn drop-jawed reviews from the most stoic of New York journalists. Recent appearances include sold-out shows at New York Citys Bowery Ballroom and the Knitting Factory, and coveted supporting spots with British Sea Power, Elefant, the Sleepy Jackson, the Comas, Mike Watt and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Catch them on tour this spring and summer in the US and Canada. Hopewell and the Birds of Appetite?s North American street date is June 14th, 2005. Plans for a European/UK and Japanese release are in the works.