Calcutta | Hopewell

I've always had a good time when I see Hopewell. Last night at Knitting Factory marked #3 for me, and although it wasn't my favorite, it was a pretty cool set.

The band has been pretty busy. 2005 marked the release of their fabulous debut Hopewell & The Birds of Appetite (buy here) and a tour with the infamous Brian Jonestown Massacre. It was apparent last night that their live show has progressed; although I miss more of the raw craziness they had back in the old days (er a couple months ago). But this marked a special show because they were joined by "the Brit" Joe Bennet of Goldrush who played the violin and trumpet on a couple tracks. It sounded extremely polished.



I dug lead singer Jason Russo's getup. Not many men can wear all white, that tight, on stage. "Calcutta" is always the highlight on the set for me. They call it their "dance song." I call it my favorite. Part of me wanted them to just play this song over again. Is that a bit selfish? A bit wrong? A bit weird? Yeah, whatever.

The band will be at SXSW, with one more date in NYC before that. They will play January 26 with Lolita Brass. They recently performed at The Velvet Lounge in DC and have a couple tracks up on their site to download.

Hopewell - Calcutta (Live from DC)