The Hopefuls

Bio Formed in the mid-'90s in Minneapolis by singer/keyboardist John Ostby, drummer Eric Fawcett, guitarist Brent Paschke, and bassist Brian Roessler (who left in 2000 and was replaced by Christian Twigg),  Spymob spent a few years perfecting a unique blend of funk, pop, and rock before being discovered by songwriter/producer Pharrell Williams and recruited as the backing band (both in the studio and live) in his N.E.R.D. project. Their own album, Sitting Around Keeping Score , was released in 2004 on Ruthless Records after a handful of frustrating false starts. The band parted ways in 2005, but left behind a rich catalog to explore. Links Facebook Soundcloud Discography Reno (1994) Townhouse Stereo (1996) Spymob EP (1999) On Pilot Mountain (2000, unreleased Epic Records version of first album) Basement Tapes (2001) N.E.R.D. - In Search Of... (2002, Virgin Records) Sitting Around Keeping Score (2004, Ruthless Records) Memphis (2014, recorded in 2004) Sitting Around Kee

Bio Storyhill is a folk harmony duo consisting of Bozeman, Montana natives Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson, who have performed together off and on since 1989. Starting in high school performing as Chris and Johnny, the friends ended up at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and started to record albums and perform on and off campus, becoming a local sensation. After graduation they toured the country, built up a sizable fanbase, and changed their name to Storyhill before burning out and calling it quits in 1997. After exploring solo exploits, the duo reunited in 2000. They started a yearly festival, Storyhillfest, and in 2007 signed to Red House Records, releasing two acclaimed albums on the venerable label. In summer 2019 the duo celebrated the 30th anniversary of their first recording. Links Official website Bandcamp Storyhill.info Discography As Chris and Johnny: Chris and Johnny   (1989) Shapeshifting (1991) Different Waters (1992) L ive at the Grand  (1993) Mi

Bio After writing a set of songs he felt didn't fit under the Vicious Vicious umbrella, Erik Appelwick devised Tropical Depression along with Martin Dosh, James Buckley, and Adam Krinsky. He told City Pages , "It's a laugh at wealth culture. It's hedonistic spray-tan absurdism. It's the antithesis of a polar vortex." Of the first record he wrote, tongue firmly in cheek, "The album is mostly an autobiographical account of the travels and tribulations, wanderings and meanderings, islands and beaches, party people, and paparazzi I encountered along the way from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Cape of Good Hope, Straits of Magellan to Micronesia." Links Official website Twitter Discography Tropical Depression (2014, Egg Music) Islands (2016)

Bio The primary nom de musique of South Dakota/Michigan native Erik Appelwick, Vicious Vicious has released five albums between 2003 and 2020. Links Official Website Soundcloud Facebook Instagram Discography Blood + Clover (2003, Twentyseven Records) Don't Look So Surprised (2006, Redemption Records) Parade (2007) Vicious Vicious (2012) Gravity (2020) Paradise (2022)

Bio A folk-pop project from Egg Music collaborators Erik Appelwick, John Hermanson, and Lisa McGuire. They released one four-song EP digitally. Links Soundcloud Discography Maybe We Should Get Together Someday EP (2014)

Bio Formed at the University of South Dakota with a line-up of Erik Appelwick (bass, vocals), Justin Seim (guitar, vocals), Dave Scarbrough (guitar, vocals), and George Gongopoulos (drums), the Harvesters quickly rose to the upper echelons of a healthy mid-1990s southeastern South Dakota music scene.  In 1996 they became the first band from the state to get into South By Southwest. The alt-country band broke up in the haze of the late 1990s, but left behind one (very hard to find) CD.

Bio From the band: "Outre' Gen X musicians, Erik Appelwick (Tapes n Tapes), Todd Casper (The Great Depression), Eric Fawcett (N.E.R.D.) and John Hermanson (Alva Star), decided to spend 5 wintry days in a Minneapolis recording studio and ended up awash in an otherworldly blend of dreamy guitars, lavish synths, and cathedral harmonies." Links Intl Falls on Bandcamp Discography Intl Falls (2018)

Bio From the band: "Your soundtrack to another dimension, Erik Appelwick and Matthew Kretzmann teamed up to create sublime sonic meditation music that will bring feelings of calm and collected though layered synth pads, sparse keyboard melodies, and evolving soundscapes." Links Official website Soundcloud Discography Elements (2016) Monolux II (2016) Kurami (2017)

Bio Formed at Carleton College in 2003 by Josh Grier, the band relocated to Minneapolis and blew up big on the strength of online reaction to their full-length debut, The Loon . That CD was produced by Erik Appelwick , who then joined the band as their bassist for all their subsequent tours and albums. The band has been on hiatus since 2012, but reunited for two shows in 2020. Links Official website Discography Tapes 'n Tapes (2004, ibid) The Loon (2006, XL) Walk It Off (2008, XL) Outside (2011, ibid)