The Hopefuls

Showtime was supposed to be 20 minutes ago. We’ve watched the band carry in their gear, set it up on the tiny stage, but then they disappear for awhile. When they walk back on stage one-by-one, it’s with no ado. The lights don't dim; the overhead music doesn't even turn off. Despite the lack of usual ceremony – this is a slightly upscale bar on the edge of Loring Park, afterall, not a club – they seem like trickster gods taking the tiny stage, resplendent in their matching red and orange tracksuits. They're visually striking, Appelwick tall and lanky with a lopsided sly smile; Darren short, bespectacled, and poker-faced; Johnny tucking his long brown hair almost shyly behind one ear while focused intently on his keyboard; Heath smiling widely; and Matt fresh faced and blonde behind the kit. Darren asks politely that the overhead music be turned off, and his request goes unheeded. The band look at each other and shrug. The feeling that we're seeing something special ...

The Hopefuls' musical world is rich, diverse, varied, and just a bit daunting to navigate. Even trying to create a primer or "greatest hits" is a tall task, because there are so many different ways to approach it. I've tried several times over the past 5 years without hitting on anything I was completely happy with. But recently I struck on the idea of using the 3-part format of The Hopefuls: Chasing a Rock 'n' Roll Dream in the Minnesota Music Scene to create a soundtrack for the book. And I kind of like how it turned out. Here are links to the playlist on YouTube  and Amazon  (note: the latter is missing The Harvesters' "Skid Row"). Introduction 1. Olympic Hopefuls: "Let's Go" (2004)  Part I: It was Once Upon a Time (1994-2000) 2. Storyhill: "Parallel Lives" (1994) 3. The Harvesters: "Skid Row" (1995) 4. Spymob: "Half the Time With You" (1996) 5. John Hermanson: "80s Party" (1998) 6. Spymob...