Renee LoBue, Ray Ketchem, Max Siebel, Sue Kresge, Lorraine Turi
Influences
The Shangri-Las, Unrest, Violent Femmes, Sonic Youth, Shudder To Think, R.E.M., Guided By Voices, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, The Replacements, Pixies, The Smiths, Husker Du, Throwing Muses, Blake Babies, Yo La Tengo, Galaxy 500, Teenage Fanclub, Superchunk, Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, X.
An oddball New York City quintet based around the team of singer/songwriter Renee LoBue and drummer/producer Ray Ketchem, Melting Hopefuls delivered a sometimes strange -- but usually winningly -- melodic brand of indie rock with a nice balance of folk and noise textures.
LoBue and Ketchem formed the Melting Hopefuls in 1990. After adding bassist Sue Kresge and guitarist Max Siebel, the group started playing local clubs. A self-released demo cassette, Prune Juice, came out in 1991, followed by Magnet for Stains in 1992, and Heal Back Harder in 1993. Finally signing with the Philadelphia-based indie Big Pop, the Melting Hopefuls recorded their debut album, Space Flyer, in several sessions over the course of 1992 and 1993, but the album didn't come out until early 1994. By that time, the group had added a second guitarist, Lorraine Turi, who is credited on the album's sleeve although she doesn't actually appear on the record.
Space Flyer was well reviewed, and the wry single "Pulling an All-Nighter on Myself" received a fair amount of alternative radio airplay. That tune was remixed and included on the group's next release, the eight-song EP, Viva la Void. Unfortunately, however, Siebel, Kresge, and Turi left the group before any more recording could be done. After a period of woodshedding, LoBue and Ketchem recruited guitarist Peter Langland-Hassan in 1997. LoBue moved to bass keyboards, and the newly constituted trio's sound changed as Langland-Hassan began sharing songwriting duties with LoBue. The group changed their name from the Melting Hopefuls to Elk City in 1998. The first Elk City album, status, was released in 2000.
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Your Muse-ic was/is and always shall be a huge influence and a cherished Gift.
My Prune Juice tape has long since died and Space Flyer is starting to go.
Glad you finally decided to make this page.
You touched my heart and Soul.
Forever timeless.
But what's with the NYC?Montclair/Bloomfield
and JERSEY FRESH;) ~still~
I'm glad you guys made this page, I will always love the Space Flyer and Void albums. Even if this Lobue-Ketchem incarnation never exploded into the spotlight like it deserved to, it still looms large in the hearts of fans like me. Great guitar work, great drumming and closing up-tempo change in "White Light" -- the most dissolutely, genuinely sexual vocals and guitar in "All Nighter" -- this stuff lived in my walkman through the 1990s and still goes out on mix CDs to friends all over the world. Viva le you!
