7/6/2023 0 Comments The maine ho ho hopefully![]() ![]() ![]() The Maine released their first label EP, The Way We Talk on December 11, 2007. Hailing from Tempe, AZ, all they had was a gut feeling that the music they were playing rocked and inspired kids nationwide. The Maine have taken no classes, were given no grades, and had no teachers. Featuring sweet vocal harmonies by the family trio Eisley, “Ho Ho Hopefully” has become Christmas canon within the scene, arguably second only to Fall Out Boy’s “ Yule Shoot Your Eye Out” in popularity, and a must-have on any scene holiday playlist.Graduating from high school early is nothing for a band when you have already graduated from the school of rock with honors. O’Callaghan sings about Christmas with a loved one as a respite from life on the road he evokes the strain of distance and the sweet anticipation of reunion in a way that’s eminently relatable and pitch-perfect for the holiday season. The release, intended to capitalize on the success of Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, offers four solidly enjoyable tracks - including a cover of Wham!’s classic-despite-itself “ Last Christmas” - but the clear highlight is “Ho Ho Hopefully,” a sweet mid-tempo ballad that hits all the right sentimental chords. But while Christmas releases are generally thought of as toss-offs, it would be a mistake to overlook The Maine’s late-2008 EP …And A Happy New Year. All I can surmise is that, when you live in the scorching hot desert, there’s really no sense in playing like you’re cool.Ĭhristmas music isn’t really the first thing the Mojave calls to mind. I’ve spent all of two weeks in Arizona, so I can’t give any real insight into why this is so. It’s just that where, say, my homebase of NYC would have the world believe we’re all-indie-everything, Arizonans don’t appear to have any such qualms, and that means that newer acts don’t shy away from embracing their more pop-forward instincts. Still, despite multi-platinum sales for “ We Are Young” and “ Some Nights”, I have friends who insist that The Format’s “ The First Single” is the best song Ruess ever wrote (and I have a tough time arguing that they’re wrong).īut regardless of whether success came sooner of later for these acts, Arizona nurtured and supported all of them, and their penchants for poppy rock music, in a way that feels a little unusual for a major metropolitan area (did you know Phoenix is the sixth most populous city in the US, with over four million people? Neither did I! Thanks, Wikipedia!) Which is not to say that the area doesn’t have a rich musical culture beyond pop and rock. Albeit never reaching the heights of the aforementioned acts, the seeds of wider stardom were clearly present while you might not know The Format, you’re undoubtedly familiar with fun., the Grammy-winning outfit frontman Nate Ruess formed after hightailing it to New York following The Format’s split in 2008. Of course, not every group has the benefit of timing witness The Format, an indie-pop duo who issued two beloved LPs (2003’s Interventions + Lullabyes and 2006’s Dog Problems) of whimsical, 70’s-inspired pop but never quite found their footing in the mainstream, though they received their fair degree of accolades within the scene. ![]() That album, and particularly single “ The Middle”, caught the leading edge of emo’s mainstream breakthrough, a wave they rode to platinum success. And in the early 00’s, Jimmy Eat World caught the same magic as the Gin Blossoms when their beautiful 1999 album Clarity sunk without a trace, the band cut ties with Capitol and recorded their follow-up, the equally excellent Bleed American, on their own. Tracks like “ Hey, Jealousy” and “ Found Out About You” might have been buried in the “college rock” world just a few years prior (indeed, “Hey Jealousy” didn’t catch on with radio until nearly a year after its release) the Gin Blossoms arrived just as alternative became mainstream, and reaped the rewards.Ī few years later, Roger Clyne-fronted power-poppers the Refreshments found buzz-bin success with the cheeky “ Banditos” though their star faded fast, they’ve maintained their popularity in Arizona to this day as their alter-egos, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers. In the early 90’s, the Gin Blossoms ran off a series of massive hits due in no small part to some fortuitous timing. That’s not coincidence - the Phoenix / Tempe / Mesa metro has a long legacy of acts who have found success (and just as importantly, acceptance) making radio-friendly rock music. The Maine are but one of a number of pop-centric rock bands to arise out of Phoenix, Arizona in the late 2000s. The Maine - Ho Ho Hopefully (Featuring Eisley) ![]()
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