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David Hopkins (musician)
Encyclopedia
David Hopkins is a singer-songwriter
, originally from Dublin, Ireland
.
in the Dublin rock band Lir
. The group signed to What Are Records and released Magico, Magico, which went to #1 on the alternative album charts and scored a top 10 hit, "In A Day," penned by Hopkins. They toured the US twelve times while Hopkins was with them and toured with The Who
. They also opened for other rock icons including U2
, Ray Charles
, Iggy Pop
, etc.
, playing keyboards
on the 2001 Quadrophenia Tour.
Hopkins then released the full-length album Here Comes The Bright Light, which Dublin Event Guide dubbed "a classic." Later he signed with independent label Reekus Records, with whom he released Amber and Green
(2005) and the single "Merry Christmas My Love". The title track
for Amber and Green
can be heard on the soundtrack
for Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, and reached the Irish top 40 charts as did "Merry Christmas My Love".
In 2007 he released the album Running With Knives. The album is featured in the soundtrack to Paris Hilton
's 2008 movie The Hottie & the Nottie featuring Joel Moore
. According to Hopkins' myspace
page, a new full album should be released in 2009 entitled There Are Debts
, containing the Hopkins/Damien Rice
duet, "There Are Debts".
Hopkins was an opening act for Sinead O'Conner, Jeff Buckley
, Damien Rice
, David Gray
, The Frames
, and Matt Nathanson
. Hopkins' songs found a larger audience through wide-release motion pictures such as Paris Hilton
's The Hottie & the Nottie, Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, Speed Dating, and The Year of Getting to Know Us, starring Jimmy Fallon
, Lucy Liu
and Sharon Stone
. Tracks from this era can also be heard throughout MTV
's Real World Austin and Missing
.
Hopkins released his latest LP, There Are Debts
, through a limited release
on iTunes
and elsewhere in late October 2009. The album was released in Ireland in December 2010. The album features a duet with guest vocalist Damien Rice
on the title track
and back up vocals by Amy Kuney
. "Dublin (feat. Laura Jansen
)" is a confirmed single. Initial reviews of the album have been favorable. Hot Press
' Jackie Hayden gave it 4/5 stars and dubbed it "one helluva album". Las Vegas Weekly
and The Sunday Times
also gave the album 4/5 stars and described the album as "sweet and tuneful". The Sunday Times also stated, "[Hopkins'] duet with Laura Jansen, a Dutch singer, is a triumph. On Dublin, a gentle love song with hints of country, they produce a stunningly beautiful ballad." It is a RTE Radio 1 "Album of the Week".
Hopkins is also sponsored by Boulder Creek Guitars.
As a side project, Hopkins is involved with a collaborative group calling themselves "The Grieving Petersons". The group writes, collaborates, and records its music from great distances via the internet.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, originally from Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Lir
Hopkins launched his music career playing keyboardKeyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
in the Dublin rock band Lir
Lir (Band)
LiR is an Irish rock band. The band formed in the late 1980s in Dublin, firstly under the name The Spontaneous Frogs, then Uproar. They released their first EP All Machines Hum in A, in 1992. In 1993, they released their first LP, Magico Magico! under the label Velo Records, in Ireland...
. The group signed to What Are Records and released Magico, Magico, which went to #1 on the alternative album charts and scored a top 10 hit, "In A Day," penned by Hopkins. They toured the US twelve times while Hopkins was with them and toured with The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. They also opened for other rock icons including U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, etc.
Transition to solo career
In 2001 while touring in the US with Lir he left the band and stayed in the US. After a move to San Francisco, Hopkins toured with The WhoThe Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, playing keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
on the 2001 Quadrophenia Tour.
Hopkins then released the full-length album Here Comes The Bright Light, which Dublin Event Guide dubbed "a classic." Later he signed with independent label Reekus Records, with whom he released Amber and Green
Amber and Green
Amber and Green is an album by David Hopkins, released in 2005. It was self produced. All songs were written by David Hopkins. Strings and synths were arranged by David Hopkins.The title track reached the Irish Top 40 chart.- Film and television :...
(2005) and the single "Merry Christmas My Love". The title track
Title track
Title track may refer to:*Title track, a recorded song having the same name as the album or movie it comes from*Title Track, a song on the album The Stage Names*Title Track, a song on the album We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes...
for Amber and Green
Amber and Green
Amber and Green is an album by David Hopkins, released in 2005. It was self produced. All songs were written by David Hopkins. Strings and synths were arranged by David Hopkins.The title track reached the Irish Top 40 chart.- Film and television :...
can be heard on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, and reached the Irish top 40 charts as did "Merry Christmas My Love".
In 2007 he released the album Running With Knives. The album is featured in the soundtrack to Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
's 2008 movie The Hottie & the Nottie featuring Joel Moore
Joel Moore
Joel David Moore is an American actor who has appeared in television commercials, feature films, and television series. He is best known for his roles as Owen Dittman in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Dr. Norm Spellman in Avatar, Colin Fisher in Bones and J.P...
. According to Hopkins' myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page, a new full album should be released in 2009 entitled There Are Debts
There Are Debts
There Are Debts is an album by David Hopkins, released in December 2010. It was produced by Matt Fish. All songs were written by David Hopkins...
, containing the Hopkins/Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
duet, "There Are Debts".
Hopkins was an opening act for Sinead O'Conner, Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
, Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
, David Gray
David Gray (musician)
David Gray is an English singer-songwriter. He released his first studio album in 1993 and received worldwide attention after the release of White Ladder six years later...
, The Frames
The Frames
The Frames are an Irish band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six albums...
, and Matt Nathanson
Matt Nathanson
Matt Nathanson is an American singer-songwriter whose work is a blend of folk and rock music. In addition to singing, he plays acoustic and electric guitar, and has played both solo and with a full band. His work includes the platinum-selling song "Come On Get Higher".-Early life and college...
. Hopkins' songs found a larger audience through wide-release motion pictures such as Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
's The Hottie & the Nottie, Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, Speed Dating, and The Year of Getting to Know Us, starring Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
, Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu
Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...
and Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
. Tracks from this era can also be heard throughout MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Real World Austin and Missing
Missing (2009 TV series)
Missing is a British daytime television drama series starring Pauline Quirke and Mark Wingett. The series is set in a busy, under-resourced missing persons unit, and follows the team led by DS Mary Jane "MJ" Croft . The first series of five episodes aired on BBC One in 2009, with a second series of...
.
Hopkins released his latest LP, There Are Debts
There Are Debts
There Are Debts is an album by David Hopkins, released in December 2010. It was produced by Matt Fish. All songs were written by David Hopkins...
, through a limited release
Limited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and elsewhere in late October 2009. The album was released in Ireland in December 2010. The album features a duet with guest vocalist Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
on the title track
Title track
Title track may refer to:*Title track, a recorded song having the same name as the album or movie it comes from*Title Track, a song on the album The Stage Names*Title Track, a song on the album We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes...
and back up vocals by Amy Kuney
Amy Kuney
Amy Kathryn Kuney is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist from Tulsa, Oklahoma.-Early life:At the age of 13, Kuney's dad moved the family from their home in Oklahoma to Honduras to live as missionaries after he saw a video highlighting the destruction of Hurricane Mitch.In March 2003,...
. "Dublin (feat. Laura Jansen
Laura Jansen
Laura Jansen is a Dutch-American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. Jansen established herself as a regular at the Los Angeles live music venue the Hotel Cafe before gaining fame in her native country, The Netherlands...
)" is a confirmed single. Initial reviews of the album have been favorable. Hot Press
Hot Press
Hot Press is a fortnightly music and political magazine based in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had a circulation of 19,215 during 2007...
' Jackie Hayden gave it 4/5 stars and dubbed it "one helluva album". Las Vegas Weekly
Las Vegas Weekly
Las Vegas Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper based in Henderson, Nevada, covering Las Vegas arts, entertainment, culture and news. Las Vegas Weekly is published by Greenspun Media Group. The paper was founded in 1992 by James Reza as a free monthly publication called Scope covering...
and The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
also gave the album 4/5 stars and described the album as "sweet and tuneful". The Sunday Times also stated, "[Hopkins'] duet with Laura Jansen, a Dutch singer, is a triumph. On Dublin, a gentle love song with hints of country, they produce a stunningly beautiful ballad." It is a RTE Radio 1 "Album of the Week".
Hopkins is also sponsored by Boulder Creek Guitars.
As a side project, Hopkins is involved with a collaborative group calling themselves "The Grieving Petersons". The group writes, collaborates, and records its music from great distances via the internet.
Other Contributions
- Still Waiting for SpringStill Waiting for SpringStill Waiting for Spring is an album by Matt Nathanson, released in March 1999 on Acrobat Records. It is the last independent release by Nathanson; he would later sign to Universal Records.-Track listing:#"Parade" – 0:33 #"Wings" – 2:53...
(arranging strings) - Matt NathansonMatt NathansonMatt Nathanson is an American singer-songwriter whose work is a blend of folk and rock music. In addition to singing, he plays acoustic and electric guitar, and has played both solo and with a full band. His work includes the platinum-selling song "Come On Get Higher".-Early life and college... - Not Colored Too PerfectNot Colored Too PerfectNot Colored Too Perfect is the third album by Matt Nathanson, released in April 1998 on Acrobat Records.-Track listing:#"All Been Said Before" – 3:01 #"Church Clothes" – 2:58 #"New Coats and New Hats" – 3:39 #"Wait Up" – 3:56...
(piano) - Matt Nathanson - The HypocriteRyan DowneRyan Downe is an American musician and audio engineer. His debut album The Hypocrite was released in 1996 by Elton John's Rocket Records label. Downe opened for The Who and for Iggy Pop during their 1997 tours. Later he and his guitarist Johannes Luley opened Freudenhaus Recording Studio in San...
(arranging strings) - Ryan Downe
Albums
- Here Comes The Bright Light (2001)
- Amber and GreenAmber and GreenAmber and Green is an album by David Hopkins, released in 2005. It was self produced. All songs were written by David Hopkins. Strings and synths were arranged by David Hopkins.The title track reached the Irish Top 40 chart.- Film and television :...
(2005) - Ireland only. - Running With KnivesRunning With KnivesRunning With Knives is an album by David Hopkins, released in 2007. It was self produced. All songs were written by David Hopkins. Strings were arranged by David Hopkins....
(2007) - Fake Fur Coat (2009)
- There Are DebtsThere Are DebtsThere Are Debts is an album by David Hopkins, released in December 2010. It was produced by Matt Fish. All songs were written by David Hopkins...
(December 10, 2010) feat. Damien RiceDamien RiceDamien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
, Laura JansenLaura JansenLaura Jansen is a Dutch-American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. Jansen established herself as a regular at the Los Angeles live music venue the Hotel Cafe before gaining fame in her native country, The Netherlands... - TBA
Other
- Onda (Music for Chakras) (1992) - Joint project with Eric Albiez & Ljubo Majstorovic
- Tangara (1995) - Joint project with Eric Liorzou