The Hope Conspiracy

What a great show...A Static Lullaby, Unearth, The Hope Conspiracy, & From Autumn To Ashes! The Hope Conspiracy rocked the house, and were clearly the crowd favorite. In fact, about half the audience left after they played. After their awesome set, I caught up with Kevin, the lead singer, who is about as nice as they come. Here is what he had to say about undermining authority, the breaking of his foot, and Snoop Dogg. If you have the chance to see The Hope Conspiracy live, don't miss it!

So, how's the tour going so far?
So far it's been amazing, like it's really a lot of fun. Just to get to go out and tour with different bands. Ya know everyone on this tour sounds different in one way or another, so it brings a lot of different kids in that we're not used to playing in front of, so it's a lot of fun.

If you could just give everyone a little history, how long you guys have been together, where you're from, and where the name The Hope Conspiracy came from, that'd be great.
We got together... it was the end of '99. Everyone that was in the band Harvest decided to come out to Boston to start a new band, Jonas, and Dan, and Adam, and our friend Raj from Chicago, they moved out to Boston. I met them through other friends. I was interested in being in a band, so I came out, and tried out, and it worked out. We played our first show... I think it was December 5th of '99. Ever since then, we've had a revolving door here and there. We had the same lineup for a little while, but then sure enough we lost Dan, and we lost Adam, and well, Raj too, and we're just a four-piece now.

So, are you the only original member?
Well, it's me and Jonas, who plays bass. We're the original members. Aaron, ya know... he's been in the band a while. He joined right at the end of 2000. So, he's been in the band for a while. And as far as the name goes, we just wanted to do something, or have something that represented us name-wise that was different than your usual, hardcore, cliché name. We were like all together one day, and we decided that we were gonna use The Hope Conspiracy because it kind of stood for how we felt, and how we want to be represented. It was based on a couple different things that we were influenced by, which was like... ya know, the band U2 used it as a tour name that they did back in the ‘80's.

Really? Are you a U2 fan?
Yeah, I love U2. And they borrowed it from uh... . Jesus, I'm zonked right now, I can't remember the author's name, but a book that was written about undermining... it was a book that was basically about The Cold War, and kind of a Soviet perspective, which was undermining the Capitalist government, and [about] engraining yourself in society, and then sabotaging it from underneath. But, that's not what we stand for. It was kind of like a roundabout way of saying undermining the moral majority. Whether it be religion, or government, or authority... like the cops, anyone who kind of oppresses you for one reason or another, whether it be you're different for one reason or another. We want to just say, be yourself, and don't let anything stand in your way for wanting to be yourself. Just stand up against it, and fight it at all costs. That's what it basically stands for.

What's the funniest thing that's ever happened on tour?
Oh man. I'm trying to think...

Not necessarily this tour, any tour.
Any tour huh? Funniest thing that's ever happened to us...

Or just a crazy story or something...
Let's get back to that one.

Ok, what's the worst injury that anybody [in the band] has ever obtained onstage?
I broke my foot in Albany; at a show we played at Valentine's, December of 2000 actually. It was us, and Converge, and Cave In, and I think Shai Hulud might have played too. It was a crazy show, because all the bands were awesome. We were playing, and kids were like stage diving and stuff. I leaned over to give the mic to some of the kids that were singing along, and this kid we know ran across the stage, this big guy... I fell in the crowd, and he just happened to land on me just right. I could hear the crunch all the way through my leg, all the way up to my head (laughs). And I just saw white. It was right in the middle of the set, and I got back on the stage, and I was walking, trying to play it off, ‘cause I was like "I'm not gonna fall on the ground, I'm not gonna start... I'm not gonna end the set right here."

The show must go on!
Yeah, "I'm gonna bite the bullet, and I'm gonna keep singing, and I'm just gonna ignore how much agony I'm in." And, we made it all the way through the set, and I was hobbling back and fourth. I got backstage, and I took my sneaker off and man... it was like a football! I just threw ice on it, and the next day when we went to the hospital, I couldn't even walk on it. They took x-rays of it, and it was broken. So, they put a makeshift kind of split on it to get me through the weekend, because there was no way I was gonna miss the rest of the shows. The last show was at CBGB's, with the same bands, and it was our first time ever being able to play CBGB's, and I was like... no way am I missing that show! So, I told the doctor, I was like "please, just do what you can to get me through the weekend." So, he threw a splint on, and we went out and played the rest of the shows.

That's awesome. That can count for the coolest tour story by the way! So, what do you guys do besides the band? Do you have other jobs, and what are your hobbies also?
I'm into some graphic design. I do some freelance. Lately, to be honest with you, the band has taken all of our time. We work odd jobs here and there. But because we've been touring so much, we really can't find time to hold down a steady job, because you're gonna be going out on the road a month or two later, or going to record or whatever. So, luckily we have friends... like, I go to work for our friends over at Deathwish sometimes, and just do odd jobs over there, or I did landscaping over the summer. And those guys, like Aaron, he's worked at Trader Joe's here and there. But for the most part, music... that's our hobby, and writing, and we try to keep as busy with the band as possible. So, there's really no other time for anything else.

Do you write most of the lyrics?
I write all of the lyrics, yeah.

What inspires you? When do you write?
It's weird, I used to write a lot... just like in general, I used to just write all the time. I'd always have a journal with me, and always just write whatever it was that's on my mind, whether it was crap or cliché. You could write a page, or a hundred pages of something, and you're going to get at least one line out of it that's going to be worth something to you. Lately, I just haven't been doing that. On the new record, and previous records, I'd listen to the song that these guys would put together, and it would affect me in a certain way. And, I would just think about things that are going on in my life at that point in time, or whatever was affecting me that day, or at that moment, and just put pen to paper and start writing from the heart, how I was feeling. Whether it was anger, or sadness, I like to just write things that are really emotional to me. Because I hate middle of the road, I hate bands that are just middle of the road... writing things that are just so senseless, ya know?

That brings me to my next question. If you could get rid of one band, who would you get rid of?
Get rid of one band huh? Jesus, there's so many. Right now I would have to say my gun would be pointed at, I'd say probably Puddle of Mudd. Just because they just drive me nuts. I can't even stand looking at them when they come on the TV. But that's just the first one that comes to mind right now. If you and me were to sit in front of a TV right now, in front of MTV 2, I'd be like "This is the one! No, no, this is the one!" There's just so much crap out there that the industry tries to shove down our throats. It's just complete and total garbage, just put together in a studio, it's not from the heart, it's just complete trash. Right now I'd say Puddle of Mudd... oh, and Nickleback, I think they suck!

They do!
(laughs) Yeah, they're terrible.

Alright, if you won the lottery, and you had $1 million, what would you do with it?
Oh, if I had a million dollars... I would... first thing I would do, is pay off all my debt with the credit card company. And then I would definitely buy a bus for the band. And I would just be like "Yo, we're gonna go on tour for the next year. I don't care, if we're playing basements, we'll pull up to basements in a tour bus!" (laughs) And then I would probably give some to charity, and then I would start a label, and just do what it is I love, which is music. And just be able to invest time and effort, and good money into bands that I think deserve it, and push them out there, and give them a good start to do what they want.

Even if you didn't win the lottery, have you ever considered starting your own label?
Yeah, I have. Ya know it's a real, real intense job. Ya know, I see... I mean, I have friends who have their own labels, and I just see the work that goes into it. I mean, it's a 24-hour a day, seven day a week thing, I mean... if you want it to be successful, and if you want to keep the all the bands happy. Like, my friend Chris Wren, who does Bridge Nine, is seriously a workhorse. That kid is at his office first thing in the morning, and man... he doesn't leave until 12 or 1 in the morning. And he just loves it, you can tell how much he loves it because he just puts so much hard work into it, and his label is just so successful because of it. It's a real inspiration to me to watch him start where he started, which was complete ground, basement level, and get the label to where it is now.

If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be?
I would probably have to say I would be... hmm, who would you be for a day?

Who would I be? See, I've thought about it before, and I'd be someone totally different from myself, just to experience... I've always thought it would be cool to be Snoop Dogg.
Yeah... or DMX or something?

I'd like to be my dog for a day.
You'd like to be your dog! (laughs) Yeah, I know what you mean. You want to be somebody who's completely the opposite of you. Yeah, I think something like... yeah, DMX or something like that would be amazing, wouldn't it? Just to live that lifestyle? The most unrealistic thing ever, for me, would be living a day in their shoes. So, yeah... something like that. (laughs)

Yeah! Alright, if your house was burning down, and you could only grab 3 CDs, what would you grab?
I would grab Turbonegro – Apocalypse Dudes, I would grab The Cure – Disintegration, and I would grab Bad Brains – Rock For Light.

Nice. That's pretty much all I have. If you want to add any closing comments, or shout outs, this is your time. And also, if you could name some bands that are up and coming, either from Boston, or that you've seen out on tour, that would be awesome.
Ok yeah. I just want to say thanks to you first of all, for doing the interview. And Seattle is always amazing. As far as bands go, there's just so many. If you've never heard of Terror, who are from Southern California, check them out, they're unbelievable. Holding On from Minneapolis, I would say probably... Suicide File from Boston, another amazing band. But there's so many of them, people that I really love and respect that play music. But yeah, that would probably be the three bands I can think of off the top of my head right now for people to check out. Oh, and The Deadly... they're from Philadelphia, and Brandon plays drums for them. They're unbelievable... . real gritty, kind of spastic rock stuff. It's good. You should check it out. Thank you very much.

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