Thea Hopkins

Artist Information

Biography

FIRST PLACE "AMERICAN SONGWRITER"
LYRIC CONTEST WINNER MAY/JUNE 2012
FOR MY SONG "CHICKASAW"
Link to the interview:
www.americansongwriter.com/2012/05/lyric-spotlight-qa-mayjune-2012/

Thea Hopkins, "Roots Attached Revue Showcase" a Boston Globe "Editor's Pick" April 2012!

"The bottom line is that she knows how to take an audience on a ride that touches the full range of human emotions. The beauty of Thea's voice is matched by the brilliance of her lyrics.” -– Roberta B. Schwartz, The Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

Thea Hopkins, "Roots Attached Revue Showcase" Monday Residency At The Precinct is an "Editor's Pick" in the Boston Globe May 2011!

"4 STARS" for Thea Hopkins' CD "Chickasaw" -- Maverick Magazine- UK, August 2008

“Immaculately played and produced, with narratives that drip with metaphor and imagery… Thea Hopkins possesses a voice that stands up to her material… The title track, "Chickasaw",showcases the style perfectly, evocative and with a hint of menace. This is folk as it should be: dark tales, poetry and protest.”— Americana-UK

“Thea Hopkins’ new recording, "Chickasaw," puts her haunting voice front and center, and especially on her lovely self-written ballads, it's a voice with the mystery and power of the late, great Nick Drake.” -- Susan Werner

“Thea Hopkins is one of the most literate, poetic and emotionally moving of the new singer-songwriters to arrive on the scene in the last few years. Her song, 'Jesus Is On the Wire,' is a compelling composition with a riveting story-telling style. This is one of the most important songs we have sung in recent years." – Peter, Paul & Mary

“Thea Hopkins possesses a voice and style that are so unique and brilliant that you wonder why the rest of the world has not yet caught on. She is sultry and sensuous, serious and playful, mysterious and fascinating all at once. She is reminiscent of the great torch singers, but also has a modern and contemporary sound which she shares with the likes of Sarah McLaughlin and Natalie Merchant." -– Roberta B. Schwartz, The Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

She is currently recording a new EP at Q Division, to be released in September 2012.

Critically acclaimed Boston performing songwriter Thea Hopkins calls her music American Short Story Folk: concise, striking narratives, they tell of American romance and tragedy in modern terms. In 2004, folk icons Peter, Paul & Mary recorded one of her songs, "Jesus Is On The Wire" on their album “In These Times,” and described the song as a "compelling composition with a riveting story-telling style. This is one of the most important songs we have sung in recent years."

Thea's composition is the only new song to be performed in its entirety in P,P & M's PBS- TV special, the career retrospective "Carry It On." It is considered one of their later signature songs, and is included on the 2010 Peter, Paul & Mary CD, "The Prague Sessions", which is dedicated to the memory of Mary Travers.

Thea Hopkins' debut album, "Birds of Mystery," was named one of the Top Ten local albums of the year by the Boston Herald. "A gorgeous dusky voice wraps itself like mist around country-folk songs of tenderness and substance," wrote Herald staff-writer Sarah Rodman. In February of 2005, the nationally syndicated radio program "Acoustic Café" selected Thea's music for their monthly feature devoted to a new artist, "One To Watch." In 2004 in the Washington Post, Richard Harrington wrote that P, P & M’s album "In These Times" showcases "several promising new writers. The standout here is Thea Hopkins."
Thea's songwriting awards include ASCAP PLUS awards, the Boston Folk Festival and the International Songwriting Contest.

Instrumentation

Thea Hopkins - Guitar & Vocals
Andy Hollinger - Guitar & mandola

Discography

Chickasaw 2007
Birds of Mystery 2001

Links

• Twitter
• Facebook
• MySpace
• reverbnation

Audio

• Chickasaw
  Listen  
• Medicine Line
  Listen  
• Jenny Danced
  Listen  
• Rows & Rows of Stars
  Listen  
• Jesus Is On The Wire
  Listen  
• Lilac Sky
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Chickasaw
• Medicine Line
• Jenny Danced
• Jesus Is On The Wire
• Lilac Sky

Video

Lilac Sky

Photo Gallery

Press

• "Chickasaw" Review - 4 STARS! [+ Show ]
  

  Thea Hopkins Chickasaw **** Brave songwriting by a woman who knows the importance and power...Thea Hopkins
  
  Chickasaw
  
  ****
  
  Brave songwriting by a woman who knows the importance and power of words.
  
  Thea Hopkins isn’t afraid to tackle a sensitive subject. Take Jesus Is On The Wire for instance; it tells the true story of Matthew Shepherd, a young man who was taken out to the country, tied to a fence and then beaten to death by two men because he had the audacity to be gay. A church minister actually turned up at his funeral as he was being lowered into the ground and shouted, ‘God hates faggots!’ Strange that, I always thought God loved everybody. For this one song alone, Thea Hopkins is to be applauded, because it takes guts to stand up to the hypocrites and religious bigots. ‘They said he slept with guys, they said that he was gonna die.’ Those lyrics would still resonate if the song was fiction, but because they are penned in truth they send a shiver down the spine.
  
  Hopkins is no one trick pony though; there are other songs here that are just as potent. She gets the war mongers in her sights on River Of Fire and scores a direct hit on the Bush administration: ‘the king sends his riders out just before the dawn, to the four corners of the earth he’s set his eye upon.’ Pretty powerful stuff delivered in a high lonesome voice slightly reminiscent of Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell—two women who know a little bit about protest songs themselves. Like any good storyteller, Hopkins has the lyrical talent to create startling images in the mind, and she reminds us of what it is to be human. She evokes charming memories of childhood with The Edge Of Geary, whilst Once There Was A Lover, a song about choosing the wrong partner, is sure to strike a chord in anyone who’s ever walked this world hand in hand with a mistake. I would have liked to hear a little more variation in the pacing of the songs, but that really is splitting hairs. After all, mother earth needs all the courage she can get at the moment, and Thea Hopkins is one brave girl indeed. I salute her. DH
  
  

• Thea Hopkins Crafts Haunting Tales Of Imagery [+ Show ]
  

  On the album art for 2007’s ``Chickasaw,'' Thea Hopkins’ second full-length release, you have the fo...On the album art for 2007’s ``Chickasaw,'' Thea Hopkins’ second full-length release, you have the four-words that define her work: ``American Short Story Folk.'' That is what you hear: 12 tracks of meticulously conceived, hauntingly realized and beautifully-sung narratives that are heavy on the heart for their sense of tragedy but so poignant and memorable all the same.
  Somerville-based Hopkins loves her imagery and is a gifted linguist – she suggests her work is as much influenced by writers of short stories as it is folk forebears. In song and in discussion, Hopkins has the candor of someone who’s well in touch with her gifts but is always careful not to take them for granted.
  ``I think with my debut album, I was consumed with it (the songwriting). Now I want to develop and refine it,'' said Hopkins, who performs at Perk’s Coffeehouse in Norwood Thursday evening. ``If you feel directed in a particular way, it becomes an act of will to say ‘I’m not going to do this.’ Sometimes I’ll wake up very early in the morning with a new idea and instead of saying ‘I don’t want to get up and deal with this,’ I’ll just go with it. I think it’s also recognizing that when that happens, it’s a gift to have it. Maybe it’s something that won’t make sense at first but is just some spark trying to get there.''
  Hopkins attracted national attention with her debut, 2001’s ``Birds of Mystery,'' and received an even greater professional boost when Peter, Paul & Mary recorded one of her songs, ``Jesus Is On the Wire,'' for their 2004 album ``In These Times.''
  Of all Hopkins’ wrenching story-songs, ``Jesus,'' about the hate crime death of University of Wisconsin student Matthew Shepard in 1998, is still the one that cuts the deepest. Hopkins said she’s had versions sent to her from musicians all over the world, and she even re-recorded the tune herself for ``Chickasaw.''
  The song is in good company with the other chapters in her storybook, including the romance-minded ``Rows and Rows of Stars,'' the pensive meditation on childhood memories ``The Edge of Geary,'' and the deep melancholy of ``The Weather Turns,'' which features cellist Natalie Haas.
  Haas is among several all-star contributors to appear on ``Chickasaw,'' including guitarist David Goodrich (Chris Smither), pianist Tim Ray (Lyle Lovett), guitarist Steve Sadler (Swinging Steaks), bassist Richard Gates (Suzanne Vega), and violinist Ian Kennedy, who also mastered the album. But the instrumentation feels like scenery next to Hopkins’ own voice – that sensual, late-night, ancient-sounding timbre.
  ``It’s a conscious thing. I love words, and I’m always trying to develop that,'' Hopkins said. ``I’m a solitary artist, though. I love to perform but I need a sense of solitude to let things ferment for a while. I read an interview with Leonard Cohen where he said he would rewrite, and rewrite and rewrite – that’s the kind of thing that inspires me to refine things. That’s what gets you to your aha! moment.''
  Hopkins will be at BK’s Lounge in Revere on May 15 and Bridgewater’s July 4 celebration at the Quad at Bridgewater State College.
  
  

• "Chickasaw" Review [+ Show ]
  

  Thea Hopkins possesses a voice and style that are so unique and brilliant that you wonder why the re...Thea Hopkins possesses a voice and style that are so unique and brilliant that you wonder why the rest of the world has not yet caught on. She is sultry and sensuous, serious and playful, mysterious and fascinating all at once. She is reminiscent of the great torch singers, but also has a modern and contemporary sound which she shares with the likes of Sarah McLaughlin and Natalie Merchant. The bottom line is that she knows how to take an audience on a ride that touches the full range of human emotions.
  
  Chickasaw is her sophomore release—a worthy follow-up to the classic songs of her 2001 debut, Birds of Mystery. Chickasaw is subtitled "American short story folk," and indeed, the many wonderful songs here truly do tell a story about people living on the edge of love, of luck, and of life.
  
  An air of romance, of earth-shattering love and lust, permeates the richly sensual Rows and Rows of Stars. David Goodrich colors Thea's gorgeous vocals with his superb work on guitar and piano. This is a song you can just drift away on—you don't want it to end.
  
  The Edge of Geary brings back images of a small-town childhood as it appears in memory. Thea's soft, sultry alto rises to meet Chris Thompson's harmony vocals. Ian Kennedy shines on violin.
  
  Every one of us has a story about choosing the wrong lover—the one who is too good to be true. Once There Was a Lover describes just this kind of false suitor. It is one of the recording's best cuts:
  Once there was a lover who found
  Shelter in Jesus and all he adored
  Thorns and desire, roses and fire
  Was all his heart had room for.
  
  The Weather Turns is so hauntingly beautiful a song that its melody and lyrics stay with you long after you have listened to it. Natalie Haas on cello helps to create an air of melancholy and mystery. Thea's voice caresses the lyrics with her special magic.
  
  Dave Goodrich, on resonator guitar, opens the title track, Chickasaw" This is a classic song of love gone badly and irrevocably wrong.
  
  There are so many great songs here, I could address each and every one of them. But none is as moving as the revised version of Thea's riveting Jesus is on the Wire, which has been covered by Peter, Paul and Mary. Here she paints a picture of an unforgettable landscape, and a day that will go down in our collective memory. This song is a modern classic.
  
  The beauty of Thea's voice is matched by the brilliance of her lyrics. Some singers know how to sing and others know how to write. Thea Hopkins draws you in with her sensual, sultry voice, but keeps your attention by wrapping that voice around beautiful melodies and wonderful stories. She's a marvelous talent. Get lost in her mystery. You may never want to be found. -- Roberta B. Schwartz

• A literate voice [+ Show ]
  

  November 27, 2007 We don't usually associate the words "country music" with "literature," but al...November 27, 2007
  
  We don't usually associate the words "country music" with "literature," but all of the praise for Somerville country folk artist Thea Hopkins does just that. We're going to have to rethink our prejudices here. Hopkins, whose engaging voice and lyrics can be heard on her latest record, "Chickasaw," has been compared to everyone from Nick Drake to Sarah McLachlan. She performs tonight at Johnny D‘s. 21+ 8:30 p.m. $8. 17 Holland St., Somerville. 617-776-2004. johnnyds.com
  © Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company

• Hopkins has ‘Jesus’ to thank for her story-song talent [+ Show ]
  

  Writing a song and writing a short story are two completely different beasts, right? Thea Hopkins...Writing a song and writing a short story are two completely different beasts, right?
  
  Thea Hopkins begs to differ. What she calls her “American short story folk” brings the two disparate styles together on her new CD, “Chickasaw.”
  
  The Somerville songwriter’s literary take on the troubadour tradition was not calculated.
  
  “It’s something that just kind of came naturally to me,” said Hopkins in a conversation at Johnny D’s, where she’ll perform tomorrow. “I like the idea of using metaphor and imagery to tell a story.”
  
  While most modern-day folkies sing first-person narratives, Hopkins has taken an alternate route: connecting with listeners through a storytelling tradition that’s more influenced by Annie Proulx and Truman Capote than Joni Mitchell.
  
  But just because Hopkins (who is married to Herald music writer Daniel Gewertz) refrains from the confessional singer-songwriter approach, don’t think her songs lack emotional punch.
  
  “There are just certain things I want to express in story form, like ‘Jesus is on the Wire’,” said Hopkins of her song about the hate-crime slaying of Matthew Shepard. “I wanted to write in a way that felt personal enough. Especially for such a charged topic, I wanted it to feel as personal as a confessional, so that it will affect people in that way.”
  
  Most songwriters can only dream of their song getting the kind of reaction Hopkins has gotten from “Jesus is on the Wire.” Performers from around the world have asked Hopkins for permission to cover it, including folk legends Peter, Paul & Mary, who included it on their 2004 album “In These Times.”
  
  Reaction to the imagery of “Jesus is on the Wire, if not it’s message of tolerance, has been mixed.
  
  “Several churches have contacted me wanting to perform it,” Hopkins said, “but I’ve also gotten many responses from the Christian right saying, ‘How dare you say that. It’s blasphemy!’ They told me I was going to hell, damnation, all that.”
  
  While Hopkins admits to harboring some anxiety about alienating fans with her take on certain controversial topics, it hasn’t affected her approach to songwriting.
  
  “I do feel that if you have a perspective on these issues,” she said, “that you have a responsibility not only as an artist, but as an individual, to say what you think.”
  
  Writing about people outside of the societal norm comes naturally to Hopkins, whose heritage is American Indian - her uncle was the chief of Martha’s Vineyard’s Wampanoag Indian tribe -African-American, Irish, French and Portuguese. Her mixed race background makes her stand out among the Boston folk pack.
  
  “There aren’t a lot of people with ethnic backgrounds in the folk scene here,” she said, “but I don’t think people should have to deny part of their heritage to make other people comfortable.” -- Christopher Blagg

• Praise For "Chickasaw" [+ Show ]
  

  “Thea Hopkins’ new recording, "Chickasaw," puts her haunting voice front and center, and especially ...“Thea Hopkins’ new recording, "Chickasaw," puts her haunting voice front and center, and especially on her lovely self-written ballads, it's a voice with the mystery and power of the late, great Nick Drake.” -- Susan Werner
  
  “This is what making good music is all about! I especially liked ‘Jenny Danced.’”
  -- Tom Rush
  
  “Thea Hopkins is one of the most literate, poetic and emotionally moving of the new singer-songwriters to arrive on the scene in the last few years. Her song, 'Jesus Is On the Wire,' is a compelling composition with a riveting story-telling style. This is one of the most important songs we have sung in recent years." – Peter, Paul & Mary
  
  “Thea Hopkins possesses a voice and style that are so unique and brilliant that you wonder why the rest of the world has not yet caught on. She is sultry and sensuous, serious and playful, mysterious and fascinating all at once. She is reminiscent of the great torch singers, but also has a modern and contemporary sound which she shares with the likes of Sarah McLaughlin and Natalie Merchant. The bottom line is that she knows how to take an audience on a ride that touches the full range of human emotions. The beauty of Thea's voice is matched by the brilliance of her lyrics.” -– Roberta B. Schwartz, The Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
  
  “Immaculately played and produced, with narratives that drip with metaphor and imagery… Thea Hopkins possesses a voice that stands up to her material… The title track showcases the style perfectly, evocative and with a hint of menace. This is folk as it should be: dark tales, poetry and protest.”— Americana-UK.com
  
  “Thea Hopkins is one of Boston's treasures. Her brand new CD "Chickasaw" is pure delight from beginning to end.”— Kathy Sands Boehmer, me & thee coffeehouse
  
  “The songs on Thea Hopkins’ second CD “Chickasaw”, bear witness to many different aspects of human nature… Hopkins’ velvety voice and perfect phrasing provide a riveting contrast to the seriousness of her subject matter; her voice soothes while her lyrics electrify you.” – Judy Robinson, Madison Folk Newsletter
  
  Chosen as the Festival Network Online’s Musician of the Month, for Jan. 2008. “Thea Hopkins possesses a voice like fine cognac and a warm wood fire. “
  – David Earl Tomlinson, FNO
  

Setlist

1- 3 sets, 45 minutes each.

Originals & covers.

Basic Requirements

Calendar