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?A band you should know: 56 Hope Road

By Trent Modglin

Chicago’s own 56 Hope Road takes a break from a crazy touring schedule to discuss an acoustic funk sound, their influences and how playing in front of a packed house is a lot like skydiving or making love to the woman of your dreams.

To us, making music is all about… anything you want it to be. It can soothe the soul and bring fans and the band to a higher emotional and spiritual state. It’s about harnessing a supernatural force that creates a wave in the fabric of the universe we are all connected to.

When we’re back in Chicago, we have to… be with family and friends. Hang with the Wise Fools Pub crew. Catch a Cubs game. Lakefront sports and spectating. Hit Flash Taco, Picante. Prepare for the next tour. Write music.

Our favorite places to play in the city are… Wise Fools, Martyrs, Double Door, House of Blues.

Our sound… is acoustic funk influenced by R & B, classic rock, jazz, reggae, world music, jam bands and pop bands. 56 Hope Road is known for lush vocal harmonies, clever song writing and one of the tightest rhythm sections on the scene.

Doing this for a living can be… hard, rewarding, fun and adventurous.

On the road, we’ve discovered… disc golf and good people everywhere.

Our travels have taken us places… from Maine to Arizona and to the No. 1 slot on JamBase.com’s Road Warrior list for the “Most Shows Played In 2005.” We outplayed 12,000 bands worldwide with a relentless tour schedule of  219 shows last year. We have played national festivals like Wakarusa, 10,000 Lakes and Summercamp. We are a regular performer at the Alpine Valley VIP Stage with the Dave Matthews Band and have opened for Page McConnell of Phish, Tom Cochrane and Red Ryder, and Robert Bradleys Blackwater Surprise.

They key to making a band work is… teamwork, patience, hard work, motivation, dedicated team members on the road and in the office, fans, supportive friends and family.  

The name 56 Hope Road comes from… Bob Marley’s address in Kingston, Jamaica. It is now the Bob Marley museum. We chose the name to pay homage to the positive influence that Marley’s message and music had on the world.  

Playing in front of a packed house is like… an adrenaline high similar to skydiving, back-country snowboarding or making love to the woman of your dreams.

If we weren’t doing this… we’d be playing baseball for the Cubs.  

If we were featured on “Behind The Music,” we would never... reveal our crippling PlayStation habits.

When we were starting out, you could say we were… just friends having a good time and naïve. But now, you can say we are just friends having a good time, convincing ourselves that we have everything under control.  

Right now, we’re listening to… Mason Jennings, Vice City Radio, Madahoochie, The Station, Speakeasy, The Balance, Vince Herman, Down Lo and, we almost forgot... Gwar.

Local bands we like playing with are… JohnWasem, Bumpus, Family Groove Company, Dearborn, Ghettobillies, Katie Todd Band, Brian Wilke, Anne Harris, Family Style, Do No Dawn, Spare Parts, Lo Down Brass Band.

Our shows typically... feature guest artists. Turn into a dance party. Create a positive atmosphere.

You can tell we enjoy... playing together. You can see the interaction and feel the energy exuding from the stage.
A company that should be endorsing us is... Fleetwood RVs, Shell gasoline, BlackBerry digital wireless and Waffle House.

The music industry can best be described... as ever evolving. The door is wide open for talented and motivated musicians. Current trends in digital technology and distribution make spreading the word and networking easier and allows fans instant access to your music. We have found continued success working hard independently — discovering, creating and developing our own piece of the industry. Touring for two years, playing around 20 shows a month nationwide has really put us on the map in the eyes of other bands and industry peeps. There is something to be said for getting out there and really doing it.

Time on the road can... pass very quickly. Every day is a new adventure; a balance of music, business operations and recreation. Typical activities include on-campus noontime shows, songwriting, rehearsing, late night after-show jams with the bar staff, local musicians and fans. Snowboarding in Colorado and Vermont, hiking through the Rockies and Appalachians, disc golf and trying to find the Atlantic at night during massive rain storms. Checking out other bands like The Campbell Brothers (mentors of Robert Randolph), Railroad Earth, Pnuma Trio, Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon, Dave Mathews Band, Wilco, Backyard Tire Fire and The Station. Talking with loved ones on the phone. We recently brought with us an old-school VHS camcorder and have begun recording some really funny skits, testimonials and band members acting badly. Look for some footage to be released on our Website at www.56HopeRd.com.

One of our favorite lyrics (from our music) is... from the song “Blue and Gold,” track 2 on the album Drop It All: “Hold on tight love... It’s never as far as it seems.”
And from the song “Let it Roll”: “Why don’t you giftwrap your face... and put it in a paper bag!”

The ideal gig for us… would be the house band at the Virgin Hotel in space.

For more information on 56 Hope Road, visit their Website at www.56hoperd.com or come check them out at the local shows listed below. 56 Hope Road has put out three albums to date: All Points Connect, Drop It All and Once in Our Lives, the latter being a collection of live performances from such venues as the 10,000 Lakes Festival, Wise Fools Pub and the Double Door. They also are involved in a compilation disc with Triple Dot Mas (3dmas) entitled Chicago Minds and Souls Compilation Volume 2, expected to be released in August.

Upcoming Chicago-area shows
Thurs. 5/4 Rock Island Brewing Company - Rock Island, IL
Sat. 5/6 The Cubby Bear - Chicago, IL
(w/ Family Groove Company)
Thurs. 5/11 Czar’s 505 - St. Joseph, MI
Fri. 5/12 Sybergs - Maryland Heights, MO
Thurs. 5/18 United Way Charity Golf Classic - Darien, IL
Fri. 5/19 Spring Wingding Festival - Modesto, IL
Sat. 5/20 Block’s Brewery - Decatur, IL
Sun. 5/21 American Cancer Society Walk ‘n’ Roll - Chicago, IL
Fri. 5/26 Summercamp Music Festival - Chillicothe, IL
Sat. 5/27 Lakeside Music and Arts Festival - Decatur, IL
Sat. 5/27 49er - Springfield, IL
Fri. 6/2 SOJO Music Fest - Springfield, IL
Fri. 6/2 Mojo’s - Springfield, IL
Tues. 6/6 The Venice Café - St. Louis, MO
(Road To Wakarusa Pre-Party)
Sun. 7/2 Alpine Valley Side Stage - East Troy, WI
Mon. 7/3 Lock, Stock, & Barrel - Decatur, IL
Tues. 7/4 Taste of Chicago - Chicago, IL
Wed. 7/5 Wise Fools Pub - Chicago, IL
Wed. 7/12 Wise Fools Pub - Chicago, IL
Wed. 7/19 Wise Fools Pub - Chicago, IL
Wed. 7/26 Wise Fools Pub - Chicago, IL
Wed. 8/2 Wise Fools Pub - Chicago, IL
Wed. 8/9 Wise Fools Pub - Chicago, IL
Wed. 8/16 Wise Fools Pub - Chicago, IL

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