The Hopeful Monsters play a brand of bright pop-rock that fuses influences as diverse as classical music and funk, folk and prog rock. Killer melodies and thought-provoking lyrics are backed by seasoned musicians who can play with grace or gusto, who can shred or swing, as the songs demand.

	Larry Hardesty (vocals, rhythm guitar) was already a professional musician at the age of nine: he went to grade school on a scholarship from the Washington Cathedral Choir. He studied music theory, counterpoint, and music history at the University of Virginia, where he majored in English so he could graduate in three years and rush off to New England to play keyboards in his first band. He has been writing songs and performing in the Boston area since.
	Brant Grieshaber (electric guitar) majored in film scoring at the Berklee College of Music, where despite detours into composition and music production, he still found time to study guitar with Garrison Fewell. Later, as a grad student at the Boston Conservatory, he studied composition with Osvaldo Golijov. In addition to his work with the Hopeful Monsters, Brant leads his own jazz trio, plays solo classical guitar, and teaches guitar in Boston. His website is rbrantg.com.
	Andrea Hissong (bass) studied voice, guitar, and electric and acoustic bass with teachers from the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Unviersity of California, Northridge, and the Berklee College of Music, respectively. She has performed professionally as a singer, guitarist, and bassist, most recently playing electric bass in the Ogunquit Playhouse production of Menopause, the Musical, in Ogunquit, Maine. She lives with her husband and 10-year-old son on the North Shore, where she also teaches.
	Kory Watson (percussion, backup vocals) showed early musical promise, playing snare drum in the high-school marching band while still an eighth grader. In high school, he was a founding member of the band Aluminum Base Frying Pan, which later changed its name to Mercury Base Frying Pan to appeal to a broader demographic. He eventually traded in his monotonous Rust Belt existence for a more coastal lifestyle, living for a while in California and finally landing in Boston. Kory also plays drums for the Brighton rock trio The Common End.

All photos on this page are by the incomparable Stan Hu.