David Hopkins (musician)

David Hopkins (born 18 January 1971) is a singer-songwriter, originally from Dublin, Ireland and currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. He is also the singer for the group Bombay Heavy and was the original keyboardist for Irish alternative rock group LiR.[1]

For other people with the same name, see David Hopkins (disambiguation).
David Hopkins
David Hopkins
Background information
Birth nameDavid Hopkins
OriginDublin, Ireland
Genresfolk rock, alternative rock
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, acoustic guitar, guitar, piano, keyboard
Years active2001–present
LabelsReekus Records (IRL), St. August Records (US)
Associated actsLiR, Bombay Heavy

LiR (1990s)

Hopkins launched his music career playing keyboard in the Dublin rock band LiR.[2] The original lineup was David McGuiness on vocals, Robert Malone on bass, Ronan Byrne on guitar, David Hopkins on keyboards and Craig Hutchinson on drums. The band came together at the Ballyfermot Rock College, and were known as the Spontaneous Frogs before settling on the name Lir.[3] The group signed to What Are Records and released Magico, Magico, which went to No. 1 on the alternative albums chart and scored a UK top 10 hit, "In A Day," penned by Hopkins. They toured the US twelve times while Hopkins was with them, including touring with The Who. They also opened for other rock icons including U2, Ray Charles, Iggy Pop, etc. LiR are also the subject of the documentary Good Cake Bad Cake: The Story of LiR.[4]

Solo career (1994–present)

In 1994, while touring in the US with LiR, Hopkins left the band and stayed in the US.[2] After a move to San Francisco, Hopkins toured with The Who, playing keyboards for the opening band on the 1996 Quadrophenia Tour.

Hopkins then released the full-length album Here Comes The Bright Light, which Dublin Event Guide dubbed "a classic." Later he signed with independent label Reekus Records, with whom he released Amber and Green (2005)[5] and the single "Merry Christmas My Love".[6] The title track for Amber and Green can be heard on the soundtrack for Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj,[7] and reached the Irish top 40 charts as did "Merry Christmas My Love".

In 2007 Hopkins released the album Running With Knives. The album is featured in the soundtrack to Paris Hilton's 2008 movie The Hottie and the Nottie featuring Joel Moore. In 2009 Hopkins released the album There Are Debts.

Hopkins' songs found a larger audience through wide-release motion pictures such as Paris Hilton's The Hottie and the Nottie, Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, Speed Dating, and The Year of Getting to Know Us, starring Jimmy Fallon, Lucy Liu and Sharon Stone. Tracks from this era can also be heard throughout MTV's The Real World: Austin and Missing.[8]

Hopkins has performed his solo material with David Gray, Dan Reynolds (of Imagine Dragons), Matt Nathanson, Damien Rice, The Frames, Lindsey Stirling, Teitur, Jeff Buckley, Sinéad O'Connor, Bell X1 among others. Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons cites the Hopkins song "Jackson" as "an early and lasting influence" on BYUtv's Audio-Files.[9]

Bombay Heavy (2014–present)

Using the nom de plume "Barnabus Wu" Hopkins is the frontman for Bombay Heavy. The group draws its influence from the likes of classic rock bands such as Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin, playing a kind of psychedelic rock & roll; a striking contrast to David's usual singer-songwriter style.[10] The group's debut EP features Dave Keuning and Mark Stoermer of The Killers,[1] which is no surprise considering Bombay Heavy's connection to the Las Vegas-based power group. Two of their earliest gigs were as the opener for The Killers in 2016.[11]

Aubergine Electric (2015–present)

Hopkins, Rob Whitehead, Bobby Lee Parker, Tobias Ashmore, and Mac Burruss will release Debut EP "Unreachable On Mountain" in June 2015. The EP also features Mark Stoermer (The Killers).

Other contributions

Discography

Albums

EPs
  • Scared Rabbit EP (2004)
  • Merry Christmas My Love EP (2005)

Soundtracks

Other
  • Onda (Music for Chakras) (1992) – Joint project with Eric Albiez & Ljubo Majstorovic
  • Tangara (1995) – Joint project with Eric Liorzou
  • Reekus Christmas Compilation (2010) – "Merry Christmas My Love"

References
  1. "The next wave of Vegas music: 10 acts to hear this year". Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  2. Udell, Phil (19 September 2005). "Swan song". Hot Press. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  3. "Lir's Biography — Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and photos at Last.fm". Last.fm. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  4. David Hopkins at IMDb
  5. Guerin, Harry. "David Hopkins — Amber and Green". RTÉ. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  6. Cummins, Steve. "Review — Amber and Green". Hot Press. Archived from the original on 14 February 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  7. "Overview — National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj Soundtrack". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  8. "Indie Spotlight: David Hopkins". 8 April 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "The Killers buddies Bombay Heavy to play in Springdale". Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  11. "Bombay Heavy uses connections, talent to open for The Killers". 29 June 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  12. "The Killers bassist Mark Stoermer announces new solo album 'Dark Arts'". 22 July 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  13. http://thebrummies.com/bio/
  14. "Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj (2006)". Retrieved 20 November 2017 – via www.imdb.com.
  15. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0924134/soundtrack%5B%5D
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