The first time I saw Frances Quinlan, the lead singer of Hop Along, was in 2015. Since then I have not missed a chance to see her live. Hop Along have been the favorite band of my household since long before their most recent, not to mention incredible, album Bark Your Head Off Dog came out in 2018. My brother and I bought tickets to both of their most recent shows at the Independent the day after the tickets were released. Long story short, I am biased. I love Hop Along, and there was a very high probability that I would love the concert. Spoiler alert: I did.
What began as a heavily folk-based project that leaned on the vocal range of Quinlan has since transformed into a complete group project that displays the tremendous talent of all its members on Bark Your Head Off Dog. One of the reasons seeing the band live is so incredible is because the longer you watch the clearer it becomes that the music is not a result of countless takes and fancy studio work but rather incredible talent.
The most obvious talent to comment on is Quinlan herself. Trying to describe her voice feels futile, so I suggest you just pull up Spotify or Apple Music and experience her distinct vocal tones for yourself. However, I will speak to her ability to seamlessly transition between different vocal deliveries, all equally beautiful. Through merely her voice, Quinlan manages to evoke what sounds like an entire arsenal of instruments to the table that I could never have imagined existed.
Watching her live, it is very clear that Frances cares deeply about her music. For the first three songs on Thursday, she was very visibly distraught, despite only being off-key, and we soon learned that her ear piece was not working. As soon as it was fixed, she hit the ground running, hitting those beautiful notes that are unique to the Hop Along sound.
Hop Along’s other unforgettable talent is guitarist Joe Reinhart. Before joining Hop Along, Reinhart was a key member of popular emo-revival band, Algernon Cadwallader. Reinhart, much like Quinlan does with her vocals, transcends the conventions of the electric guitar. After spending Thursday night focused on Quinlan exclusively, I spent Friday watching Reinhart scamper up and down the fretboard. He managed to play the parts that were played by a variety of instruments on the album with remarkable ease, sometimes even making it sound like he was on percussion.
Watching the two perform together is heartwarming. Joe is tall and lanky, and flops around like a Muppet as he shreds. I would be surprised if you told me that Quinlan is above 5’3”, yet she stands straight and sturdy. When she is not singing Frances often turns to Joe, as they begin to play in unison. The best moment of their San Francisco stint came when Joe and Frances fell to the floor and lay playing together to close out Thursday night’s encore. A moment of passionate improvisation that was clearly not staged, as it was not repeated on Friday.
I specifically speak to the talents of Reinhart and Quinlan because guitars and vocals are the flashiest parts of the band, but this does not mean that drummer Mark Quinlan (yes, he is Frances’ brother) and bassist Tyler Long should be left out of the conversation. Hop Along would not be the same band it is if every part of it were not up to par. That’s part of what makes Bark Your Head Off Dog such a masterpiece: the ability of the band to perform as a unit, in which each member compliments each other’s talents.
The backbone that supports this musicianship is incredible songwriting. Especially on BYHOD, Hop Along writes complex songs that require close listening. Lyrically speaking, Quinlan creates cohesive albums. The songs on their sophomore album Painted Shut (2015) paint first-person portraits of the disenfranchised, while many of the stories told on BYHOD are connected by the common theme of who holds power (mainly men) and the problematic ways they wield it and influence the world. Beyond the lyrics, Hop Along manages to build wonderfully complex song structures that seem to morph in unexpected directions. Take, for example, “Not Able,” one of the singles on BYHOD, which starts as a folk song with an acoustic guitar and turns into a driving electric rock songs after a musical breakdown halfway through. Barely any of their songs follow the tried and true verse-chorus trope.
This combination of musical talent and songwriting prowess made for an all around excellent concert experience. It was one in which there was never a dull moment. If I wasn’t gazing curiously at Reinhart’s finger, or lost in Quinlan’s voice, I was puzzling out the nuances and complexities of the music. I wasn’t along either. All around me, and on both nights, people were awestruck. Wherever you were in the crowd someone was muttering “Can you believe her voice?” or cheering enthusiastically between songs.
Overall, I hope that Hop Along returns to San Francisco sometime soon, and when they do I’ll see you there.
Article and Photos by Mark Selden