[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/65767594 w=400&h=300]
A little ways into 2006, during my sojourn in New Jersey, the Boathouse Records dudes and I made a trip into NYC for a show featuring some of our friends. They happened to be playing a gig at the Lit Lounge with a host of other bands, one of them being a singer-songwriter who went by the handle, Hop Along aka “Queen Ansleis”. A young Francis Quinlan then proceeded to belt out song after catchy song with just her acoustic, leaving everyone fairly stunned. We scooped up her self-made record, “Freshman Year”, a captivating mix of lo-fi tunes with banjo plinks and gang-vocal sing-a-longs. We’ve been fans ever since.
She’s put a band together since then, dubbed Hop Along, and recently released a killer new record that’s received a ton of buzz, and deservedly so. Now this video, from Shaking Through, which highlights the band.