Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 9/29/09 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Photo Courtesy of Jane Mallen The band recently played at Ram's Head Live with Loyola favorite Fools and Horses.

I'm willing to bet that mostly everyone at Loyola has heard of Rams Head Live! It's a pretty well known place, and happens to be one of the favorite venues of Evan Anderson, who plays guitar and sings some vocals for the band that calls themselves Hotspur. Ever heard of them?

On Friday, September 19, Hotspur played at Rams Head with another local band, Fools & Horses.

Hotspur is a group of five guys: Joe Mach, Coop Cooper, Dave Trichter, Scott Robinson and Evan Anderson. They're local guys, basing in the Maryland and D.C. area. "Joe, Scott, Cooper and I were all raised in Montgomery County, Maryland. Dave grew up in Long Island, New York. Joe and I actually went to high school together for a year," says Evan.

"Joe and Dave met in college, and worked together as interns for MTV. Scott joined the band after producing the first Hotspur EP. Coop got picked up after the first bass player left, and I found the band on Craigslist, believe it or not!"

Three members of the band, Joe, Dave and Scott, attended the University of Maryland, and Evan went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. "Cooper is a graduate of the school of hard knocks!" says Evan.
These guys have been out on the scene for about four years. "I've been with the guys for almost a year of that," says Evan. "Things have really been taking off since the new record was released."

While talking to Evan, I found that he's not entirely sure how the name of the band came about, but the thinks that it's "…Joe's doing. The name Hotspur comes from Shakespeare's 'Henry IV.' Henry 'Hotspur' Percy was the sort of anti-hero of the story. He was hot tempered and had an ill disposition. Henry Percy was actually a real person who was the inspiration for the character in the play. He was killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury when he lifted his facemask off and got hit with an arrow!"

In total, the band has four full compilations of music. The original Hotspur EP, Hotspur Beta, Hotspur Beta Undressed and the newest one, called You Should Know Better By Now.

Says Evan, "Joe and Dave were the primary songwriters on the first two records, and from what I understand and … experienced so far is that ideas come to the table, and the band fleshes it out and works out the arrangement together. On the new record, a lot of stuff came together in the studio."

Continued...

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