Hop Along, Queen Ansleis

Bruno, did you know that the greeks in morning would eat oranges?
They were firm believers in fruit-curing fevers
See, they believe (and I agree) that an orange warms the stomach. ~"Bruno is Orange", Freshman Year

Band Members: Frances Quinlan (acoustic guitar and vocals), Dominic Angelella (electric & slide guitar), Mark Quinlan (drums)
Record Label (Indie): Blue Moose Records/Salina's Records
Website: http://www.purevolume.com/hopalongqueenansleis/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hopalongqueenansleis

Hop Along, Queen Ansleis started out as the sole brainchild of Frances Quinlan but eventually expanded to include Marc and Dominic. France's voice is unique and childlike-very reminiscent of Joanna Newsom with a soft likeness to Laura Veirs (in pronunciation). I absolutely love her voice, and her heartfelt lyrics. "Freshman Year" is Hop Along's latest and best album but there is rumored to be another album in the works. There is a distinctive quaint folk vibe to the band's sound, and Frances' voice works well as the band's sound is pretty stripped down and her voice is so idiosyncratic and deserving of focus. Hop Along is interesting because their songs don't strain to adhere to rhyme schemes-instead, Frances manipulates her voice to bring life to lyrics that have a delicate but unusual poetry.

The band hails from Philadelphia and is currently on tour.
Below is a list of upcoming shows (taken from the bands myspace XD)

Mar 11 2010 8:00P	Meat Town USA	New Brunswick, New Jersey
Mar 12 2010 8:00P	The Hexagon w/ Dangerous Ponies, Lithuania, and Secret Mountains	Baltimore, Maryland
Mar 13 2010 8:00P	The Dull House w/ Dangerous Ponies, Lithuania, P.S. Eliot, and one more T.B.A	Richmond, Virginia
Mar 14 2010 8:00P	Cookie LaRue w/ Dangerous Ponies and Lithuania	Asheville, North Carolina
Mar 15 2010 8:00P	WonderRoot w/ Dangerous Ponies, Lithuania, and the Long Shadows	Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 16 2010 8:00P	The Farside w/ Dangerous Ponies and Lithuania	Tallahassee, Florida
Mar 17 2010 8:00P	Miss Fort Knocks House w/ Dangerous Ponies and Lithuania	New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 18 2010 8:00P	TBA **SXSW**	Austin, Texas
Mar 19 2010 8:00P	TBA **SXSW**	Austin, Texas
Mar 20 2010 8:00P	TBA **SXSW**	Austin, Texas
Mar 21 2010 8:00P	TBA tour w/ Lithuania!	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mar 22 2010 8:00P	Magic City Wholesale w/ Lithuania	Birmingham, Alabama
Mar 23 2010 8:00P	TBA tour w/ Lithuania!	Nashville, Tennessee
Mar 24 2010 8:00P	Club Cool w/ Lithuania and more TBA	Bloomington, Indiana
Mar 25 2010 8:00P	TBA tour w/ Lithuania!	Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 26 2010 8:00P	TBA tour w/ Lithuania!	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mar 27 2010 8:00P	The Terrordome w/ Lithuania	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 28 2010 8:00P	TBA tour w/ Lithuania!	Brooklyn, New York

Unfortunately the band doesn't seem to have any music videos out yet. They're still pretty obscure (with a little over 2000 listeners on LastFM which I usually use as a barometer). But with this band's talent and lyrical prose, I don't doubt that Hop Along will be getting more and more fans as they continue to tour and people are exposed to their sound. If I can, I will be going to the March 28th show but as it is I'm already seeing Tally Hall in early March and tomorrow I buy my ticket to see Joanna Newsom once it goes on sale. Both shows are on Thursday and I have class til 630 but with great music comes great sacrifice (lol Idk how much of a sacrifice missing psych lab is though). Anyway, I notice that Hop Along is playing Brooklyn on a Sunday which I appreciate...if  I can scrounge the money to go see them I will make the effort to go out and show my support. But keep a lookout for show reviews in March, and give a listen to Hop Along...especially if you're a fan of Joanna Newsom/Neutral Milk Hotel...I think if you like those artists you would appreciate this band.