Hopeful Monster joins Pete Samples and Evening Hymns at Wavelength next Sunday, March 1. Sneaky Dee's PWYC
12 am Hopeful Monster
11 pm Pete Samples
10 pm Evening Hymns
with DJ Lauren Schreiber
Don't live downtown? Hopeful Monster joins The Odysseys at Marcello's in Streetsville, Saturday Feb 28
Hopeful Monster at Mitzi's Sister - NOW review
Shows That Rocked Toronto Last Week
Thursday, Feb 5, 2009
Hopeful Monster and My Divine Light at Mitzi's Sister
Oh, the musical talent that lies waiting to be discovered inside small, dark, empty bars. Thursday night at Mitzi’s Sister starred musicians who’ve kicked around for years and whose craft is achingly well hewn because of it. But just a few dozen people came out. My Divine Light is José Contreras’s moniker when his By Divine Right cohorts aren’t around, and though he struggled with a bad cold and poor onstage lighting that prevented him (and his wife, guest musician Lily Frost) from easily reading the piano charts, he saved the set from disaster with charming banter and tender, dreamy acoustic tunes.
Hopeful Monster, Jason Ball’s long-standing chamber pop project, gave a confident performance that showcased Ball’s terrific voice and melodic knack. Best were the sparser tunes in which Contreras, who plays guitar in the band, harmonized while Ball pounded away on Mitzi’s stage piano. A brand-new song called New Start was so good – and appropriately hopeful – it hurt.
Carla Gillis
Originally posted here
Thursday, Feb 5, 2009
Hopeful Monster and My Divine Light at Mitzi's Sister
Oh, the musical talent that lies waiting to be discovered inside small, dark, empty bars. Thursday night at Mitzi’s Sister starred musicians who’ve kicked around for years and whose craft is achingly well hewn because of it. But just a few dozen people came out. My Divine Light is José Contreras’s moniker when his By Divine Right cohorts aren’t around, and though he struggled with a bad cold and poor onstage lighting that prevented him (and his wife, guest musician Lily Frost) from easily reading the piano charts, he saved the set from disaster with charming banter and tender, dreamy acoustic tunes.
Hopeful Monster, Jason Ball’s long-standing chamber pop project, gave a confident performance that showcased Ball’s terrific voice and melodic knack. Best were the sparser tunes in which Contreras, who plays guitar in the band, harmonized while Ball pounded away on Mitzi’s stage piano. A brand-new song called New Start was so good – and appropriately hopeful – it hurt.
Carla Gillis
Originally posted here
Moonlighting with Jon Epworth
JBall joins Jon Epworth Band at Lee's Palace Thursday, Feb 19 $5
I met Jon when he invited Hopeful Monster to do a set at a benefit concert he organized last month for the Durham Humane Society. But I already knew his name, if not his music, because he lived in Nova Scotia for a decade before moving to Toronto last year. In fact, we both won "Best Of " awards in 2003 in The Coast's readers choice — Jon got Best Guitarist and I got Best Local Album. When he emailed about the benefit show I told him I'd do a solo set but he offered to back me up, along with his band's bassist Matt McCullough. I misunderstood. I didn't know Jon was a kickass drummer too! They played with me for the benefit set (Matt is a wunderkind) and again for Hopeful Monster's Mitzi's Sister show on Feb. 5, plus Jose of course, and Lily for a couple songs — check out the live review in NOW magazine by another ex-Haligonian, Plumtree guitarist Carla Gillis.
Well on Thursday I'm gonna sit in with Jon's band and I'm excited. I won't try to describe the sound, just watch these videos. I like this description though: "Like Elvis Costello arguing with Ray Davies. Wet On Wet [Jon's last album] has the sound of "art-rock drinking with old AC/DC." I would add Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright. Did I mention Jon can sing like nobody you've ever heard?
I'll be playing some guitar and singing harmonies. Come on out!
Jon Epworth & The Improvements at Fundy Fog Festival
ECMAs 2007
"Sessions" Episode 13 — interviews and live footage
I met Jon when he invited Hopeful Monster to do a set at a benefit concert he organized last month for the Durham Humane Society. But I already knew his name, if not his music, because he lived in Nova Scotia for a decade before moving to Toronto last year. In fact, we both won "Best Of " awards in 2003 in The Coast's readers choice — Jon got Best Guitarist and I got Best Local Album. When he emailed about the benefit show I told him I'd do a solo set but he offered to back me up, along with his band's bassist Matt McCullough. I misunderstood. I didn't know Jon was a kickass drummer too! They played with me for the benefit set (Matt is a wunderkind) and again for Hopeful Monster's Mitzi's Sister show on Feb. 5, plus Jose of course, and Lily for a couple songs — check out the live review in NOW magazine by another ex-Haligonian, Plumtree guitarist Carla Gillis.
Well on Thursday I'm gonna sit in with Jon's band and I'm excited. I won't try to describe the sound, just watch these videos. I like this description though: "Like Elvis Costello arguing with Ray Davies. Wet On Wet [Jon's last album] has the sound of "art-rock drinking with old AC/DC." I would add Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright. Did I mention Jon can sing like nobody you've ever heard?
I'll be playing some guitar and singing harmonies. Come on out!
Jon Epworth & The Improvements at Fundy Fog Festival
ECMAs 2007
"Sessions" Episode 13 — interviews and live footage
CBC Radio 3 Podcast (and r3 pop up player)
This week Hopeful Monster is featured on CBC Radio 3 podcast # 194 with host Grant Lawrence. We're nestled between Brent Randall and the School Of Rock segment featuring Paul Aucoin of The Hylozoists — I guess that makes us the tofurkey in a Halifax ex-pat sandwich. For those who don't know, Paul was Hopeful Monster's original drummer. In fact, Paul and I have played in loads of bands together: Holden Wheeling, The Spoondaisies, Living Water Assembly, The American Flag, Heavy Blinkers for a show or two...I played keyboards in the first incarnation of The Hylozoists and we ran Nervous System Studio together in Seabright NS.
Check out this list of featured artists!
Julie Doiron
Andre Ethier
Jon-Rae Fletcher
Brent Randall & His Pinecones
Hopeful Monster
Hylozoists
The Craft Economy
Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees
Tigerrr Beat
Old Man Luedecke
You can download the podcast directly in the following formats:
mp3 | m4a | ogg
CBC r3 podcast #194 blog
Click the arrow in the top right corner to launch this pop up player and listen to Hopeful Monster while you browse the internet: