"45 45's until I'm 45" (#22/45)

Hello nice people,

as usual today - again - a record by a band not commonly known to a lot of you out there, at least I suspect this is the case: Flophouse.

And again it was rather difficult to ascertain any information about Flophouse whatsoever. I found this though, not describing slagging off today's choice, but their s/t debut album from 1990:

"Produced by Peter Case, this mild-mannered San Francisco quartet's uneventful debut proffers nicely played folk-rock (genus Californius), alternately sung by bassist Kim Osterwalder and guitarist J.C. Hopkins. Cello, violin, piano, mandolin, harmonica and trombone help color the tunes, but Hopkins' material (and voice; hers is much better) lacks character, and the band doesn't do anything special that would make up for it."

Great stuff, especially if you consider that I also found out that these days "(...) JC Hopkins is a bandleader, songwriter and producer. His exuberant music is influenced by many genres and he's described as a modern day Hoagy Carmichael, acclaimed singers such as Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, and Victoria Williams have covered his songs. As a bandleader, his 12-piece group, the JC Hopkins Biggish Band, has worked with a wide range of innovative vocalists including Elvis Costello, Justin Bond, Madeleine Peyroux and Martha Wainwright.

 
Hopkins has twice been nominated for a Grammy. He was nominated for his song “Dreams Come True”, recorded by Willie Nelson and Norah Jones, and also for his production of John Lithgow’s children’s album of Tin Pan Alley songs, The Sunny Side of the Street.

Aside from his work in music, Hopkins is also a filmmaker. His films delicately combine comedy and drama and are largely influenced by the likes of John Cassavetes, Woody Allen, and Charlie Chaplin. His short film, “The Goldberg Variations” and his webisode, “The Continuing and Seemingly Endless Courtship of Waldo Malone”, have been screened throughout New York City and explore themes of pathos and passion."

Now, that's how I'd describe career, I must say. Nevertheless I'm more fond of today's choice, a brilliant single which shows us Flophouse's original rawness. Be relieved to hear that this ain't got nothing to do with 'Sunny Side Of The Street' at all, here's your number twenty-two, friends. Enjoy:

 

Flophouse - 'Right Now' (mp3)

Harp Records - Harp 002 (1991)

 

 

Have a nice day,

 

Dirk