Off The Record Press was invited to experience Hopeless Records 30th Anniversary in Las Vegas alongside the When We Were Young Fest crowd! To celebrate the iconic pop-punk/alternative label’s anniversary they brought their artist to the flocking emo crowd via the Punk Rock Museum. The standing museum is already stacked with artifacts from legendary bands like Goldfinger, Dropkick Murphys, The Ramones, and so many more. Smiling faces graced the visitors as the museum also holds pieces from WWWY headliners My Chemical Romance in the form of The Black Parade costuming and Fall Out Boy’s SOTA Action Figures. Not only can you look, but you can touch! The museum features a room full of playable guitars where visitors can shred their favorite musician's tools. While the Punk Rock Museum houses fascinating permanent artifacts, the main event was what the hoard of people was there to see; 30 years of Hopeless Records relics. Set up in encased tour gearboxes, we traveled through the different eras of Hopeless Records catalog.

EARLY YEARS ERA (1993-200)

Set up with the genesis artists demos on cassettes and CDs alike, and Hopeless early year Hopeless merch, zines. Indicative of the time, the box included the original rolodex complete with contact sof the different friends of Hopeless.

“Hopeless was founded in 1993 by Louis Posen, a music video director working with Guttermouth and NOFX. Around this time, Louis began losing his eyesight due to a genetic disorder, ending his video-directing career. With a new focus on the label, Louis and a small team began establishing Hopeles in the punk community. This era laid the foundation for much larger things to come. Over the next 30 years Hopeless releases music from hundreds of artists and sells over 15 million albums. Dive deeper into this era by checking out: Guttermouth, Funeral Oration, 88 Fingers Louie, Agons All Authority, Mustard Plug and Dillinger Four.”

ASCENDANT ERA - (2000 - 2006)

Left-side of the gearbox, a guitar played over Avenge Sevenfold’s record complimented with different film photography test shots of various hardcore bands.

“With Thrice and Avenged Sevenfold, Hopeless took a big step into a heavier sound coming out of Southern California. Both grew quickly, defining their genres and giving the label a reputation for breaking innovative artists. Their success, along with a solid roster of punk and ska artists helped Hopeless become a significant presence in the independent punk and metal community. Dive deeper into this era by checking out: Avenged Sevenfold, Thrice, Samiam, Atom & His Package, and Common Rider.”

NEON ERA - (2006 - 2011)

A case decorated with appropriate graphic tees that had bright and bold lettering, and various Alt Press covers, this section dedicates its heart to the rise of early pop-punk with various awards and billboard chart evidence.

“Kicked off by the signing of All Time Low, Hopeless became a leader in the Pop-Punk /Emo community through the glory days of Warped and Myspace. Several of the most iconic albums of the genre were released during this time. The label team grew and started to make a l larger impact globally. Dive deeper into this era by checking out: All Time Low, The Wonder Years, Amber Pacific, There For Tomorrow, and We Are The In Crowd.:

LEGENDS ERA - (2011 - 2016)

“With a great reputation for releasing big albums and nurturing artists, Hopeless became an ideal home for icons of the alternative community. Yellowcard and The Used joined the label in quick succession, followed by New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday, Sum 41 and more. This led to a string of top 10 albums, huge shows and artists reaching new heights including All Time Low's Future Hearts album topping charts around the world. Dive deeper into this era by checking out: Sum 41, The Used, Yellowcard, Taking Back Sunday, New Found Glory, Bayside and Silverstein.”

ALTERNATIVE ERA - (2016 - 2024)

These are the bands the new pop-punk/emo generation discovered before an inevitable deep dive into Hopeless’ catalog.

“Including in size, sounds, and diversity of voices, Hopeless steps up to lead a new generation of Alternative music. PVRIS, Waterparks, Destroy Boys and more grow into the next big Alternative headliners and show where the community is headed. Neck Deep grew globally to lead a new generation of punk. Dive deeper into this era by checking out: Neck Deep, Waterparks, PVRIS, Destroy Boys, Fame On Fire, Scene Queen, Stand Atlantic, and LOLO.”

Hopeless Records brought historical relics (to tour around the country soon) to the perfect test crowd, the When We Were Young Fest attendees eager to consume every element from artists performing in the festival and adjacent. Jed of Melrose Avenue, the newest sign to Hopeless Records, said, “It felt like a nostalgic dream coming true for a couple hopeless Aussie kids to be in the room with day one icons like Sum 41 and Bayside.” Heading out of the eclectic museum, Hopeless Records reclaimed they’re hopelessly devoted to us, as we are with them.

Hopelessly Devoted To US

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