In 2008, two small towns on opposite sides of the globe came together when guitarist Ben Carey from Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia met singer/songwriter Bryan Hopkins from Salem, Oregon. When their paths initially crossed, Casey was a member of multi-platinum recording artist Lifehouse and Hopkins was the frontman for Hollywood-based and award winning rock band Paperback Hero.
Elvis Monroe was forged on friendships and is an honest, heart-felt and unique listening experience. Their songs speak their stories with rare truth and integrity, and their accessibility as humans is endearing to fans nationwide.
You met Ben at Mel’s Drive-In on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood in 2008. How did your impression of the Aussie guitarist change when you found out he was part of one of your favorite bands, Lifehouse?
I knew I had met a good guy because he has offered to help me musically with my live shows and recordings and he didn’t even know me. We had just met. And in that same sit down, I found out he was in My FAVORITE band Lifehouse…my jaw hit the floor. I laughed and said, “You’re one of the blurred out guys in the background behind Jason Wade.” LOL
Both of you were star athletes in high school. Together you’ve been involved in anti-drug and alcohol programs for students in Alaskan high schools. Was it your past involvement in sports that influenced your decision to work with the high schoolers?
Sports gave us both the “work hard foundation.” We both grew up in small towns but had big dreams and staying away from drugs and alcohol was something that gave us a leg-up on other student athletes and it happened to stick with the both. We’re both grown men who haven’t touched either drugs or alcohol EVER! Which we both found very rare and we thought we might want to share our stories in these small towns hoping to resonate with a handful of students among 10’s of thousands.