Hop-Scotch is a Lovian post-punk band with a career spanning more than four decades, having formed in Hurbanova in 1972. Their music is classified as new wave and no wave, but they are, for the most part, a post-punk band. They have been a part of the Lovian punk scene, and are known for their surreal lyrics and bizarre live shows.
For a long time, the band have been quite popular in the indie musical scene, and have sold to date approximately 6 million albums.
In 1980, the band's first album, Go Forth!, was released on Lovilago Music in Lovia, Mäöres, Brunant, Burenia, Tagog, and Chvarqvia, and on A&M Records in North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia. They have continued to release new material quite frequently, with their latest album being HOPSCOTCH2016.
Formed by Sammarinese-born Lovian musician Massimiliano Di Traglia and a former janitor at King Arthur II School named Jackson Doe, the band are considered one of the best Lovian musical groups.
The band currently consists of Massimiliano, Jackson, Tommy Zion, Mark Garfield, the Inzaghi brothers (Vincenzio and Nunzio), Jackson's daughter Harmony, and Bob Schlitz.
History[]
The beginnings (1972-1980)[]
Massimiliano and Jackson met in Hurbanova at the now-closed Musicator record shop. The shop mainly stocked psychedelic and glam rock that was invading the charts at the time in the US and UK, as well as a small amount of progressive rock. Jackson was at that point working as a janitor, but he was also teaching himself to play guitar at the same stage. The band's style originally incorporated many aspects of the music that they listened to at Musicator.
In mid-1973, the band gave their first performance at the Lyric Theatre in Noble City, under the name 'The Clean Community'. Around this time Tommy Zion and the Inzaghi brothers also joined.
Some time after, the band released a demo tape, and changed their name to Hop-Scotch, which was originally spelled as one word: Jackson wanted to add the hyphen 'so it would look more original'. In 1975, Nunzio announced that he would be leaving the band to play alongside an American friend in the band Living Truth, however since Living Truth was short-lived because of a plane accident that killed half the band, he was able to return.
Hop-Scotch's 1st Album... Well Kinda, their first EP, was released in 1976, and picked up the attention of a new record label, Lovilago Music. The label was interested in their work, and, according to Tommy Zion in an interview with Tone Factory, 'They didn't care about what we sounded like. All they needed was that we were Lovian, and local talent, and they could pick us up. And they did.'
After a number of other EPs, Mark Garfield joined in 1980, as the band held auditions for a bassist (having previously used two guitar tracks for the purpose). Their first album, Go Forth!, was released that summer. While not a commercial success in Lovia, it helped to launch Lovilago as a record label, described as 'Lovia's first'. Meanwhile in the United States, it reached #176 on the Billboard 200 and ended up resulting in the band being booked for a world tour.
Initial success (1981-1986)[]
In 1981, their second studio album The Great Pretenders was released worldwide. The album showed off Massimiliano's "scratchy" vocals and Jackson's metal scream-esque voice, plus Stacy Stravinsky's raspy style of singing.
Performances[]
Live shows have been getting technogically advanced for the band ever since the early-90's.
Members[]
Current[]
- Massimiliano Di Traglia (1972-present) - lead vocals, synthesizer, digital piano
- Jackson Doe (1972-present) - electric guitar, backing vocals
- Tommy Zion (1972-present) - electric guitar, backing vocals
- Samantha Ann Price (2016-present) - lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Mark Garfield (1980-present) - electric bass guitar, keyboard bass, bass synthesizer, double bass, backing vocals (non-touring, part-time recording)
- Panthro Di Tragila (2017-present) - electric bass guitar, keyboard bass, bass synthesizer, double bass, backing vocals (touring-only, part-time recording)
- Vincenzio Inzaghi (1972-present) - synthesizer, backing vocals
- Nunzio Inzaghi (1972-present) - synthesizer, keyboard bass, backing vocals
- Harmony Doe (2007-present) - rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, backing vocals
- Bob Schlitz (1998-present) - acoustic drums, drum synthesizers, drum machines, backing vocals
Former[]
- Stacy Stravinsky (1972-2006, died 2006) - rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, backing vocals
- Pierre Alméras (1972-1998, died 1998) - acoustic drums, drum synthesizers, drum machines, backing vocals
There are also members who do not play instruments, such as the band's manager Uncle Bill Schwartz and the band's artists Joe Andersons and Mina de la Hot Croix Bun.
Discography[]
Main article: Hop-Scotch discography
Albums[]
- Go Forth! (1980, Lovilago/A&M)
- The Great Pretenders (1981, Lovilago/A&M)
- Meanwhile (1984, Vendetta)
- Channel 69 (1986, Vendetta)
- 56 Miles North of Pluto (1990, Vendetta/Interscope)
- Voodoo Monkey (1992, Interscope)
- Temple of Hop-Scotch (1994, Interscope)
- Super-Mix (1996, Interscope)
- Anti-Itch Formula (1998, Interscope)
- Y2K (2000, Interscope Geffen A&M)
- Go Forth Again! (2010, Lovilago/Frontiers)
- Testing (2015, Lovilago/Frontiers)
- HOPSCOTCH2016 (2016, Lovilago/Frontiers)
- Lovian Blood (2017, Lovilago/Frontiers)
EPs[]
- Hop-Scotch's 1st Album... Well Kinda (1976, Super)
- The Super Men (1979, Super)
- Piano (1980, Lovilago/A&M)
- Planet Earth (1986, Lovilago/A&M)
- Jairmany Calling! (2003, Lovilago/Razor & Tie)
- Save the 99% Yuppies (2011 Lovilago/Frontiers)
Live Albums[]
- Live in the USA (1982, Lovilago/A&M)
- Live from the Planet Googol (1986, Lovilago/A&M)
- Se Souvenir de Pierre (1999, Interscope)
- Recorded Live at a Hop-Scotch Grog (2003, Lovilago/Razor & Tie)
- Citation Needed (live EP, 2013)
- HOPSCOTCH2016LIVE (2016, Lovilago/Frontiers)
Compilation/remix albums[]
- Number Zero Collection (1983, Lovilago/A&M)
- Leftovers: Part I (1991)
- ReMIXXED Magic (1998, Interscope)
- Leftovers: Part II (2001)
Cover albums[]
- Hop-Scotch's Cover Parade (1989, Vendetta)
- Cover Art (1997, Interscope)