On October 17th, the seminal California-based punk label Hopeless Records will celebrate its 30th anniversary at The Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas, when the Museum will host the last stop of the label’s traveling road show, the “Hopeless Museum Exhibit.” To celebrate The Punk Rock Museum’s opening of Hopeless’ exhibit, and the start of the When We Were Young festival, idobi Radio will present an opening party at the Museum on Thursday, October 17th, 2024, from 8 PM to 12 AM, featuring special appearances from Hopeless artists, VIP experiences, and more.
The Hopeless Museum exhibit’s visit at The Punk Rock Museum follows its debut at The Valley Relics Museum in Los Angeles, a stop in NYC this June, and a very special visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland this August. In addition to hosting Hopeless’ traveling exhibit, the Rock Hall also launched a semi-permanent exhibit last month dedicated to the label, which will be on display indefinitely, and is the Rock Hall’s first exhibit dedicated to a modern indie label, or a label central to the new alternative scene - check out a recap and photos of the Rock Hall’s Hopeless celebrations at Paste Magazine HERE.
The traveling Hopeless exhibit’s 1,000+ unique artifacts from across 150+ Hopeless artists’ careers include everything from All Time Low’s first gold single plaque, Synyster Gates’ guitar from Avenged Sevenfold’s platinum album Waking The Fallen (2002), and lyrics from The Wonder Years' album Suburbia I’ve Given You All And Now I'm Nothing, to on-stage outfits, instruments, and other items from Hopeless’ new stars like PVRIS, Destroy Boys, Scene Queen, Fame On Fire, LØLØ, NOAHFINNCE, and Point North. Other memorable moments from Hopeless’ last thirty years - like a letter from the estate of Leonard Bernstein praising Punk Side Story (1995) a cover of the West Side Story soundtrack and a signed guitar from the 2008 Take Action Charity Tour - are on display as well.
To kick off the opening of the exhibit and start of the When We Were Young music festival – which will feature notable Hopeless artists and alumni including Taking Back Sunday, Silverstein, Neck Deep, The Wonder Years, Bayside, and We Are The In Crowd – The Punk Rock Museum x Hopeless’ opening party on 10/17 will feature surprise appearances, a tattoo artist, giveaways, and more.
Attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with key figures from Hopeless Records and enjoy surprise appearances from Hopeless artists in the Pennywise Garage, a unique space within the museum dedicated to iconic punk moments. Hopeless flash will be available in The Shop, offering attendees the chance to get quick tattoos inspired by the label's legacy. Throughout the night, live streams will capture the event for TPRM’s 150,000+ followers, and idobi will host giveaways with artists and guests, offering fans at home a chance to celebrate with the label.
Louis Posen, Founder and President of Hopeless Records, said "Punk Rock is the community that allowed me and Hopeless to get started, grow, and thrive over these past 30 years. It’s more than fitting that our 30th-anniversary museum exhibit will have its grand finale at The Punk Rock Museum. Fat Mike, the founder of the museum was the first person who trusted me with their music, letting me direct a music video for the NOFX song "Bob" and then helping me get Hopeless off the ground.
We can’t thank Mike, The Punk Rock Museum and the punk community enough for their long-time support and love."
Fat Mike of NOFX, a long-time friend of Posen and the creator of The Punk Rock Museum, added “I know this might sound a little cheesy, but I am very excited about this exhibit! Why? Well, because I kinda helped Louis start Hopeless. I gave him all of Fat Wreck Chords radio contacts and press contacts and I even gave him a band. 88 Fingers turned out to be their biggest record that year. I'm just so happy to see the success of Hopeless after 30 years... maybe I might end up doing business with them someday... you never know.”
