HISTORY

HOPKINSON BRIEF BIO

Australian sensation Hopkinson's soon to be released album 'Strangers To Ourselves' is causing quite a stir. Recently single '(Take Away) The Drama' topped the American Idol Underground Rock Chart, 'Angel (Wanted You To Be There)' was nominated for best alternative song in the L.A Music Awards, and the record won 'DIY Album Of The Year' in Hollywood. 'His dreamy, sophisticated sound was tabbed by the judges as a compelling blend of influences that's uniquely Hopkinson.' It's a bumper start for the record and songsmith's Ian Hopkinson & George Merrill couldn't be happier.

Additional interesting fact: George Merrill is known for hits with his own band 'Boy Meets Girl' & songs penned for Whitney Houston 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' and 'How Will I Know'. Find out MORE

See Hopkinson's recording sessions and the famous 'Adventures Of Pugs' HERE

HOPKINSON (I'm bored or retired and want to read more) BIO

Ian Alexander Hopkinson (born September 20, 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter born and raised in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney. Hopkinson grew up listening to Midnight Oil, Crowded House, INXS, ACDC, U2, Sting, Seal, Portishead, Radiohead, Pseudo Echo, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Live, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and a whole host of other top acts that flooded radio and made tours Down Under.

KIP CITY + SPINACH

Fresh out of school he and some friends formed a band for a 21st Birthday party on a whim, setting up the stage like the bass players lounge room with lamps and a coffee table. The band was a hit and started working friday nights as a cover band at local pub, 'The President Hotel'. After a while they started writing their own songs under the name 'Kip City'. Within a year they had a set of originals written predominantly by Ian Hopkinson, Warwick Allsopp, and Chris Connell - the founding members. Guitarist Brian Wallace, songwriter and artist in his own right, was rehearsing off and on with the band and showing up at gigs and jamming his way through sets with remarkable ease. The three founders then called in Simon Godwin to play drums. Slade Jensen (the 6th Beatle) left the band around this time.

With the outfit complete they were playing at University band competitions, gigging extensively across Sydney and playing major venues supporting 'The Pearl Jam Show'. The band was causing a stir and building a nice following, even getting mentioned on commercial radio a few times. Somewhere around that time the band name changed to 'Spinach' . A few demos had been recorded at places like Darling Harbour Studios (Rehearsal space for Midnight Oil) but nothing solid enough to package and market. So it was time to record an EP of the best songs at that point and get it out there. The band got bogged down in the recording process because of studio renovations and by the time it was all done the Bass player (Warwick) had been accepted into musical theatre college WAPPA across the other side of the continent in Perth where he was to pursue his acting career. This saw the end of the band and they all sadly parted.

GOING SOLO

After a short hiatus, Hopkinson decided it was time to make a serious decision about music. In the latter half of 1997 he completed a Music Management Course and deferred his University studies. A pretty major step away from his interests in Psychology and Business Law. Considering after school and just before University Hopkinson was contemplating joining the Australian Army and becoming an officer, and even passed many of the rigorous testing regimes they threw at him, a career in music was a far cry from any of these paths. However, he was determined to follow 'the dream'. In 1999 Hopkinson started looking for producers. He had a bunch of new songs that he'd written on the acoustic guitar, an instrument he'd picked up just a year or so before.

Hopkinson explored a number of possibilities but one week while doing vocal sessions at Sony Music Studios in Sydney the engineer recommended well known and respected keyboardist Ricardo Melick. What followed was a meeting at Rick's home studio in Avalon, and shortly after a 2 song demo including guitar playing from Rex Goh ('Savage Garden'). In 2000 they got together again and planned another block of 5 songs in view to working towards an album. Followed by another 6 songs several months later. 'Class Clown' was an eclectic debut album for Hopkinson featuring the rhythm section of two of Australia's most successful bands of the 80's, Gangajang and The Angels. It was a massive learning experience, an eye opener to say the least and a taste of the Australian industry, past and present. It was quite a financial sacrifice too, tackling a self-funded album and assembling a crew of industry professionals was no easy task, but thanks to Rick's experience and guidance it ran smoothly.

SO FAR GONE

Within 3-4 months of finishing the album Hopkinson had found management in 'Fear Of Heights Management Group' based in Sydney. This was the end of 2001 and the beginning of a great period of support for the Hopkinson cause. Studio recordings at that time included an EP 'So Far Gone' and then a single 'Let It Go', featuring Leon Gaer on bass, an American who had moved to Sydney. Leon introduced Hopkinson to George Merrill, well reknown for co-writing songs for his band 'Boy Meets Girl' & Whitney Houston. By 2002 Hopkinson was in Los Angeles to meet and hopefully write with George Merrill and other BMI writers. What followed was a tonne of songs and the recording of another EP in Sydney at Redferret Studios inside 'Troyhorse Recordings' in Alexandria, Sydney. Hopkinson wrote more songs with the co-producer of the EP, Daniel Philip Golightly, and the two ended up with some fully produced gems. The 'Dreamed Of You' EP was completed and Hopkinson returned to the states for most of the second half of 2003, showcasing, recording, and writing.

To be continued...