A (Not So) 'Hopeless' Alternative Rock Label Celebrates Its LA History

In most cases, calling someone a “hopeless artist” or “hopeless employee” would be considered an insult, but it's a badge of honor at the Valley Relics Museum in Van Nuys.

That’s where an exhibit celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the independent record label Hopeless Records just opened.

A 'Hopeless' label is born

The label, founded by Louis Posen when he was a film student at Cal State Northridge, started out representing punk, ska, metal bands — and later, alternative musicians more broadly. Some of its most well-known acts include Thrice, New Found Glory, Avenged Sevenfold and Yellowcard.

The name “Hopeless Records” comes from the Orange County punk band Guttermouth’s 1993 album. Posen met them after he made a music video for the punk band NOFX, the group Guttermouth was opening for at the time.

As Posen explains it: “Guttermouth asked me to put out a record for them. And I said, ‘Why would I put out a record? I know how to do music videos, not records.’ They said, ‘Well you seem organized, and we don't know anyone else that can do it.’ So I went and bought a book called How to Run an Independent Record Label. I put that first 7-inch [record] out, and the first song was called ‘Hopeless,’ and that was why it was the name of the label.”

Since then, the company has represented more than 200 artists and sold more than 15 million albums.

The exhibition

At a recent preview event at the Valley Relics Museum, located within a couple of airplane hangars at the Van Nuys Airport, Hopeless employees, musicians and their friends and families were in high spirits as they perused the memorabilia on display.

Memorabilia from the Hopeless Records exhibit at the Valley Relics Museum, including a handwritten note from Nina Bernstein, the daughter of composer Leonard Bernstein, commending Hopeless Records for the punk version of the "West Side Story" soundtrack.

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Monica Bushman

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LAist

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The Hopeless exhibit includes set lists for bands like Taking Back Sunday, drum sticks broken by drummer Paul Koehler from the Canadian rock band Silverstein, and even a letter from the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, praising the label for giving more than a million dollars to charity through its nonprofit arm. (They’ve since donated about 2 million dollars more.)

Loyola Marymount student Carissa Leong was one of the attendees not affiliated with the label. She got an invitation through an online publication she writes for, and is also a fan.

“This label has had so many bands that I just think have been really cool and I kind of like grew up on,” Leong says. “All Time Low I grew up liking, I used to listen to Waterparks a lot … They have a really solid lineup currently and they've had a really, really sick history.”

Singer/rapper DE’WAYNE, who describes his style of music as “just sexy rock and roll,” was also there. He was formerly signed to Hopeless and credits the label with giving him a chance when he needed it — right before the pandemic, when he was still new to L.A.

“They saved my life, [by] just giving me an opportunity to release music. [It] was all I needed, honestly,” he says. “And I think that's the best thing about Hopeless, because they see people when they're young and understand the talent that's there. And then they just give you an avenue to create and make beautiful things.”

A source for good

As for how the label has weathered all the drastic changes the music industry has gone through over the last 30 years, Posen points to the company’s ability to adapt.

“Everything is an opportunity and a challenge — that's the way that I look at life. “I started losing my eyesight when I was 19 years old … so everything is about adapting," Posen says. “It's about problem solving and facing things …not crawling up in a hole, but trying to figure out what's the best way to deal with this.”

Hopeless Records founder Louis Posen addresses the crowd at a reception for an exhibit dedicated to the label's 30-year history at the Valley Relics Museum.

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Ariel Goldberg

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Another key to the company’s survival, Posen says, is a strong sense of community.

“People don’t get into this style of music to make money, they get into it because they’re passionate about it. It’s who their friends are, it’s what clubs they go to, it’s what things they read.”

Whether through the label’s philanthropic efforts — like donating to charity, advocating on Capitol Hill for better mental health resources, or starting a music academy for kids (set to launch in the new year) — or through the music itself, Posen sees the potential for the alternative music scene to be a source for good.

“In some ways we’re changing the world in our own little way,” Posen says. “Musically, we’re affecting people. You hear about it all the time where fans say ‘This artist changed my life, or saved my life.’”

A new generation of fans and alternative musicians

Today, Hopeless Records defines itself less by a genre (though “alternative music” or “alternative rock” are labels they do use) and more by their audience.

“Young, alternative, inquisitive … passionate” is how Posen describes it. That’s also led to a more diverse roster of artists in more recent years — one that’s currently over 50% female or non-binary.

As longtime employee and vice president of marketing Erin Choi puts it: “[That’s] pretty awesome for the rock scene because when I was growing up it wasn't like that at all.”

“We're always trying to build the scene that we want to see and not just looking back at the past and what it was. And so that's been really important to us in our growth.”

The Hopeless Records exhibition is up at The Valley Relics Museum through Jan. 7.