Hopewell, originating from Poughkeepsie, New York, delivers a weightier take on space rock through its blend of interstellar guitar pop and dreamy psychedelia. Bandleader Jason Russo, who handles vocals and guitar while also participating in Mercury Rev, Harmony Rockets, and the Golden Crickets, steers the group toward a distinctly personal style that admits only passing traces of Mercury Rev’s approach.
The band came together in 1993 after Dalia Garih on drums and vocals and Whip on bass guitar linked up with Jason and his brother Justin Russo, who contributed keyboards, samples, and vocals. Together they cut a run of 7" singles issued across assorted independent labels during the 1990s. Their debut album, Contact, appeared in 1998 on the Burnt Hair imprint, prompting a brief series of live dates before the Russo brothers joined Mercury Rev’s touring lineup behind Deserter’s Songs. Whip used the break to issue a solo album on Black Bean Placenta.
Most of 1999 went into sessions for the follow-up full-length Curved Glass, which Pariapus Records brought out that autumn to widespread praise; the release coincided with a slot at the Reading/Leeds Festival in the U.K. and a lengthy European trek. For the next project the band enlisted producer Dave Fridmann, known for his work with the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. Tracking took place in upstate New York, yielding Hopewell & the Birds of Appetite in 2005.
Personnel shifts occurred along the way, notably Justin Russo’s departure in 2003 to start his own outfit, yet Jason Russo kept the ensemble moving forward with Not Birds in 2006 and Beautiful Targets in 2007. Hopewell resurfaced in 2009 with Good Good Good Desperation.
