A Hope for Home
Encyclopedia
A Hope for Home is a band based in Portland, Oregon
that formed in 2006. They have 3 studio albums, two of which were released on Facedown Records
and Strike First (the imprint label of Facedown Records). Throughout their career, A Hope for Home has controlled many of the aspects of their music including recording, production, mixing, art direction, and art design. These commitments have allowed them to achieve the precise sound and imagery of their intentions, and have become part of the band's dynamic.
After a long struggle with cancer, founding member Kyle Cooke passed away on August 5, 2006. After his death, friends and family members of Cooke created the "Kyle Cooke Foundation", a "non-profit fundraising corporation that raises money for The Friends of Doernbecher Foundation and the people of the Camas
and Washougal
community on a need by need basis".
On their website is a post stating the following:
A Hope for Home has since continued with new members, while still bearing the name created by Kyle Cooke as a remembrance of their formation. In 2007 A Hope for Home entered the home studio of bassist Dan McCall (Robots Ate My Studio) and recorded their first album Here, The End
. The track "Kyle" off of the album was written for Kyle Cooke by Matthew Ellis, and in the linear notes of the album there are words stating that the entire album is dedicated to the memory of Kyle Cooke. After releasing Here, The End in 2007, A Hope for Home gained local praise and began building their fan base by playing routinely at local venues such as The Noisebox in Camas, Wa
and the Satyricon nightclub
in Portland, OR.
On December 4, 2008 the band announced via their Purevolume page that they had signed to Strike First Records
(the imprint label for Facedown Records). "After 2 years of being a 100% DIY group we have finally been given an awesome chance to take the next step in the industry, and we can't be more excited".
The Everlasting Man was released on January 20, 2009 on Strike First Records. The title of the album is taken from the G. K. Chesterton
novel of the same name
. The Everlasting Man added more atmospheric textures to their sound, using many different guitar effects and tones woven together with electronic backgrounds while still holding a strong drum and bass foundation. In an interview with Indie Vision Music, Keyboardist Eric Gerrard explained that "We wanted to sing about and affirm value in things that aren’t often talked about in the current scene today" and that "a lot of our ideas lined up with what Chesterton talks about in the book (The Everlasting Man
)".
In September, 2009 after several months of touring A Hope for Home announced that drummer Ian Vidovic would be leaving the band to pursue his other musical projects "Roads" and "A Seasons Slumber".
After the departure of Vidovic, A Hope for Home entered a practice space in Beaverton, Oregon
(recruiting the help of fellow drummer Lance Taylor) and began writing Realis, their third album to date. Throughout January 2010 A Hope for Home recorded at the "Red Room Studios" in Seattle, Washington
and "Robots Ate My Studio" in Camas, WA
. The album was produced by bassist Dan McCall, mastered by Troy Glessner at "Spectre Mastering", and featured art direction and design by guitarist Tanner Morita. Realis, a concept album about the search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world, was a drastic change in the band's musical style. Far from the "breakdowns", "dance parts", and "double bass" of their previous records, Realis brought song structures and instrumentation that clearly indicated their Post and Sludge metal influences (Envy
, Cult Of Luna
, Isis
). The album was well received by many music review sites (Absolute Punk, The New Review, Indie Vision Music).
", and that it is set to be released on December 6th 2011 on Facedown Records
. On November 25th 2011 the band played a cd release show for In Abstraction
at the local Portland, OR
Rotture-Branx venue complex along with local artists Tribes, Tiny Dads, Amos Val, My Mantle, and Kye Kye
.
, A Hope for Home covers many other genres including Sludge metal
, Post-rock
, Post-metal
, Alternative
, Metalcore
, Screamo
, Melodic hardcore
, and Experimental rock
. With their debut album Here, The End
, some of the band's more Metalcore
and Melodic hardcore
influences can be heard. After the release of The Everlasting Man, the band developed a far more atmospheric and electric sound. The band's third album, Realis, defined a significant change in the bands direction towards their Sludge metal
and Post-metal
influences. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is the guitar riff heard at 3:06 on the song "The Machine Stops", which gives a direct indication of Panopticon
era Isis
.
, Isis
, Envy
, Thrice
, This Will Destroy You
, Sigur Rós
, Mono
, Thursday
, Underoath
, Death Cab for Cutie
. On the subject of the band's influences, Keyboardist Eric Gerrard stated "bands like those that aren’t limited to one genre and continue to grow throughout their careers".
Former
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
that formed in 2006. They have 3 studio albums, two of which were released on Facedown Records
Facedown Records
Facedown Records is a Christian record label based in Fallbrook, California, devoted mostly to hardcore punk and metalcore bands . Founded by No Innocent Victim drummer Jason Dunn, the label started off small with a number of 7" record releases by bands such as Overcome, Dodgin Bullets, and Born...
and Strike First (the imprint label of Facedown Records). Throughout their career, A Hope for Home has controlled many of the aspects of their music including recording, production, mixing, art direction, and art design. These commitments have allowed them to achieve the precise sound and imagery of their intentions, and have become part of the band's dynamic.
Formation and Here, The End (2006–2007)
Founded in 2006 by friends Kyle Cooke and Matthew Ellis, "A Hope for Home" was a project devised by Cooke.After a long struggle with cancer, founding member Kyle Cooke passed away on August 5, 2006. After his death, friends and family members of Cooke created the "Kyle Cooke Foundation", a "non-profit fundraising corporation that raises money for The Friends of Doernbecher Foundation and the people of the Camas
Camas, Washington
Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington, with a population of 19,355 at the 2010 census. Officially incorporated on June 18, 1906, the city is named after the camas lily, a plant with an onion-like bulb prized by Native Americans. At the west end of downtown Camas is a large Georgia-Pacific...
and Washougal
Washougal, Washington
Washougal is a city in Clark County, Washington, United States. On April 1, 2010, the United States Census Bureau stated the city's population was 14,095.-History:Washougal was officially incorporated on December 4, 1908...
community on a need by need basis".
On their website is a post stating the following:
A Hope for Home has since continued with new members, while still bearing the name created by Kyle Cooke as a remembrance of their formation. In 2007 A Hope for Home entered the home studio of bassist Dan McCall (Robots Ate My Studio) and recorded their first album Here, The End
Here, The End
Here, The End is the debut studio album of A Hope for Home. It was self-released by the band on August 2, 2007.-Track listing:-Personnel:A Hope for Home* Nathan Winchell – vocals* Matthew Ellis – guitar, vocals, programming...
. The track "Kyle" off of the album was written for Kyle Cooke by Matthew Ellis, and in the linear notes of the album there are words stating that the entire album is dedicated to the memory of Kyle Cooke. After releasing Here, The End in 2007, A Hope for Home gained local praise and began building their fan base by playing routinely at local venues such as The Noisebox in Camas, Wa
Camas, Washington
Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington, with a population of 19,355 at the 2010 census. Officially incorporated on June 18, 1906, the city is named after the camas lily, a plant with an onion-like bulb prized by Native Americans. At the west end of downtown Camas is a large Georgia-Pacific...
and the Satyricon nightclub
Satyricon nightclub
Satyricon Nightclub was a nightclub in the Old Town neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States, best known for providing a place for local and touring alternative rock bands to play. Located at 125 N.W...
in Portland, OR.
The Everlasting Man and Realis (2008-2010)
After several months of touring for Here, The End, A Hope for Home re-entered the studio to begin recording their next album.On December 4, 2008 the band announced via their Purevolume page that they had signed to Strike First Records
Facedown Records
Facedown Records is a Christian record label based in Fallbrook, California, devoted mostly to hardcore punk and metalcore bands . Founded by No Innocent Victim drummer Jason Dunn, the label started off small with a number of 7" record releases by bands such as Overcome, Dodgin Bullets, and Born...
(the imprint label for Facedown Records). "After 2 years of being a 100% DIY group we have finally been given an awesome chance to take the next step in the industry, and we can't be more excited".
The Everlasting Man was released on January 20, 2009 on Strike First Records. The title of the album is taken from the G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction....
novel of the same name
The Everlasting Man
The Everlasting Man is a two-part history of mankind, Christ, and Christianity, by G. K. Chesterton. Published in 1925, it is to some extent a deliberate rebuttal of H. G. Wells’ Outline of History, which embraced the evolutionary origins of humanity and denied the divinity of Jesus...
. The Everlasting Man added more atmospheric textures to their sound, using many different guitar effects and tones woven together with electronic backgrounds while still holding a strong drum and bass foundation. In an interview with Indie Vision Music, Keyboardist Eric Gerrard explained that "We wanted to sing about and affirm value in things that aren’t often talked about in the current scene today" and that "a lot of our ideas lined up with what Chesterton talks about in the book (The Everlasting Man
The Everlasting Man
The Everlasting Man is a two-part history of mankind, Christ, and Christianity, by G. K. Chesterton. Published in 1925, it is to some extent a deliberate rebuttal of H. G. Wells’ Outline of History, which embraced the evolutionary origins of humanity and denied the divinity of Jesus...
)".
In September, 2009 after several months of touring A Hope for Home announced that drummer Ian Vidovic would be leaving the band to pursue his other musical projects "Roads" and "A Seasons Slumber".
After the departure of Vidovic, A Hope for Home entered a practice space in Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
(recruiting the help of fellow drummer Lance Taylor) and began writing Realis, their third album to date. Throughout January 2010 A Hope for Home recorded at the "Red Room Studios" in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
and "Robots Ate My Studio" in Camas, WA
Camas, Washington
Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington, with a population of 19,355 at the 2010 census. Officially incorporated on June 18, 1906, the city is named after the camas lily, a plant with an onion-like bulb prized by Native Americans. At the west end of downtown Camas is a large Georgia-Pacific...
. The album was produced by bassist Dan McCall, mastered by Troy Glessner at "Spectre Mastering", and featured art direction and design by guitarist Tanner Morita. Realis, a concept album about the search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world, was a drastic change in the band's musical style. Far from the "breakdowns", "dance parts", and "double bass" of their previous records, Realis brought song structures and instrumentation that clearly indicated their Post and Sludge metal influences (Envy
Envy (band)
Envy is a rock band from Japan. They are signed to Rock Action Records in Europe and Temporary Residence Limited in North America, though originally they worked with Level Plane Records. More recently in their career, Envy's music has grown to include elements of post-rock.Vocalist Tetsuya Fukagawa...
, Cult Of Luna
Cult of Luna
Cult of Luna is a Swedish post-metal band from Umeå. They formed from the remnants of a Umeå hardcore punk band called Eclipse in 1998. They slowly garnered critical appreciation and underground popularity with early releases Cult of Luna and The Beyond ; however, it is 2004's Salvation that can...
, Isis
Isis (band)
Isis was a Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with a career spanning from 1997 to 2010...
). The album was well received by many music review sites (Absolute Punk, The New Review, Indie Vision Music).
In Abstraction - Present
On September 10, 2011 the band announced via their Facebook page that they had finished their fourth official album titled "In AbstractionIn Abstraction
-Personnel:A Hope for Home* Nathan Winchell – vocals* Matthew Ellis – guitar, vocals* Tanner Morita – guitar* Dan McCall – bass* Lance Taylor – drums* Eric Gerrard - keyboard, programming...
", and that it is set to be released on December 6th 2011 on Facedown Records
Facedown Records
Facedown Records is a Christian record label based in Fallbrook, California, devoted mostly to hardcore punk and metalcore bands . Founded by No Innocent Victim drummer Jason Dunn, the label started off small with a number of 7" record releases by bands such as Overcome, Dodgin Bullets, and Born...
. On November 25th 2011 the band played a cd release show for In Abstraction
In Abstraction
-Personnel:A Hope for Home* Nathan Winchell – vocals* Matthew Ellis – guitar, vocals* Tanner Morita – guitar* Dan McCall – bass* Lance Taylor – drums* Eric Gerrard - keyboard, programming...
at the local Portland, OR
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
Rotture-Branx venue complex along with local artists Tribes, Tiny Dads, Amos Val, My Mantle, and Kye Kye
Kye Kye
Kye Kye is an indie band consisting of the siblings Olga, Timothy, and Alex Yagolnikov, along with Olga's husband Tommy. They create ethereal, ambient, electronic music. Their most recent album "Young Love" was released in 2010.-History:...
.
Genre
Often described as Post-hardcorePost-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
, A Hope for Home covers many other genres including Sludge metal
Sludge metal
Sludge metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that melds elements of doom metal and hardcore punk, and sometimes incorporates influences from southern rock, stoner rock and grunge. Sludge metal is typically abrasive; often featuring shouted vocals, heavily distorted instruments and sharply contrasting...
, Post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
, Post-metal
Post-metal
Post-metal is a music genre, a mixture between the genres of post-rock and heavy metal.Hydra Head Records owner and Isis frontman Aaron Turner originally termed the genre "thinking man's metal", demonstrating that his band was trying to move away from common metal conventions...
, Alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, Metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
, Screamo
Screamo
Screamo, though used loosely to generally describe music that features screamed vocals, is actually a musical subgenre of hardcore punk which predominantly evolved from emo, among other genres, in the early 1990s...
, Melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on vocal melody. The genre is commonly defined with fast hardcore drum beats, complex guitar riffs and melodic singing with occasional screaming and shouting.-History:...
, and Experimental rock
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
. With their debut album Here, The End
Here, The End
Here, The End is the debut studio album of A Hope for Home. It was self-released by the band on August 2, 2007.-Track listing:-Personnel:A Hope for Home* Nathan Winchell – vocals* Matthew Ellis – guitar, vocals, programming...
, some of the band's more Metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
and Melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on vocal melody. The genre is commonly defined with fast hardcore drum beats, complex guitar riffs and melodic singing with occasional screaming and shouting.-History:...
influences can be heard. After the release of The Everlasting Man, the band developed a far more atmospheric and electric sound. The band's third album, Realis, defined a significant change in the bands direction towards their Sludge metal
Sludge metal
Sludge metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that melds elements of doom metal and hardcore punk, and sometimes incorporates influences from southern rock, stoner rock and grunge. Sludge metal is typically abrasive; often featuring shouted vocals, heavily distorted instruments and sharply contrasting...
and Post-metal
Post-metal
Post-metal is a music genre, a mixture between the genres of post-rock and heavy metal.Hydra Head Records owner and Isis frontman Aaron Turner originally termed the genre "thinking man's metal", demonstrating that his band was trying to move away from common metal conventions...
influences. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is the guitar riff heard at 3:06 on the song "The Machine Stops", which gives a direct indication of Panopticon
Panopticon (album)
Panopticon is the third full-length album by Los Angeles, California based post-metal band Isis, released by Ipecac Recordings in 2004. The album's title is derived from philosopher Jeremy Bentham's panopticon prison ideal and philosopher/historian Michel Foucault's later allegorical appropriation...
era Isis
Isis (band)
Isis was a Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with a career spanning from 1997 to 2010...
.
Influences
A Hope for Home has a wide variety of influences, the following are some that have been mentioned by the band. Cult of LunaCult of Luna
Cult of Luna is a Swedish post-metal band from Umeå. They formed from the remnants of a Umeå hardcore punk band called Eclipse in 1998. They slowly garnered critical appreciation and underground popularity with early releases Cult of Luna and The Beyond ; however, it is 2004's Salvation that can...
, Isis
Isis (band)
Isis was a Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with a career spanning from 1997 to 2010...
, Envy
Envy
Envy is best defined as a resentful emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another's superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it."...
, Thrice
Thrice
Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school....
, This Will Destroy You
This Will Destroy You
This Will Destroy You, often abbreviated to TWDY, is an American post-rock band from San Marcos, Texas, formed in 2005. The band consists of guitarists Jeremy Galindo and Chris King, bass player and keyboardist Donovan Jones and drummer Alex Bhore...
, Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
, Mono
Mono (Japanese band)
Mono are a Japanese post rock band, formed in 1999 in Tokyo, Kantō, Honshū. The band consists of Takaakira Goto , Yoda , Tamaki Kunishi , and Yasunori Takada .Mono have released five studio albums...
, Thursday
Thursday
Thursday is the fourth day of the week according to the ISO 8601 international standard adopted in most western countries. In countries that use the Sunday-first convention and in the Judeo-Christian calendar it is the fifth day of the week. It falls between Wednesday and Friday...
, Underoath
Underoath
Underoath is an American Christian metalcore band from Tampa, Florida. Founded by Dallas Taylor and Luke Morton on November 30, 1997 in Ocala, Florida, subsequently its additional members were from Tampa, Florida...
, Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
. On the subject of the band's influences, Keyboardist Eric Gerrard stated "bands like those that aren’t limited to one genre and continue to grow throughout their careers".
Band members
Current- Nathan Winchell - Vocals
- Matthew Ellis - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Vocals - Tanner Morita - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Dan McCall - Bass
- Eric Gerrard - KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
, Programming - Lance Taylor - Drums
Former
- Kyle Cooke - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Todd Farr - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Vocals - Ian Vidovic - Drums
Discography
- Here, The EndHere, The EndHere, The End is the debut studio album of A Hope for Home. It was self-released by the band on August 2, 2007.-Track listing:-Personnel:A Hope for Home* Nathan Winchell – vocals* Matthew Ellis – guitar, vocals, programming...
(2007) - The Everlasting Man (2008)
- Realis (2010)
- In AbstractionIn Abstraction-Personnel:A Hope for Home* Nathan Winchell – vocals* Matthew Ellis – guitar, vocals* Tanner Morita – guitar* Dan McCall – bass* Lance Taylor – drums* Eric Gerrard - keyboard, programming...
(2011)
Videography
- "Iniquity: An Offering" (The Everlasting Man)
External Links
- A Hope for Home at TumblrTumblrTumblr is a website and microblogging platform that allows users to post text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio to their tumblelog, a short-form blog. Users can follow other users, or choose to make their tumblelog private. The service emphasizes ease of use. The site ranks as the 10th...
- A Hope for Home at FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- A Hope for Home at MyspaceMyspaceMyspace 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....
- A Hope for Home at TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
- A Hope for Home at Formspring
- The Kyle Cooke Foundation