Rich Hope

Why we picked it

“An exhilarating slice of primal blues-rock. It’s what rock and roll should be” – Blues Blast Magazine You can almost feel the floorboards rattle as Rich Hope and his band blaze through their original repertoire of blues-boogie and Americana on Live At The ANZA Club, which was named one of the 10 best B.C. albums of 2025 by the Vancouver Sun. A live document seems only natural for vocalist/guitarist Rich Hope, considering he plays with some of Canada’s best musicians, including the City & Colour rhythm section of drummer Leon Power and bassist Erik Nielsen (who also oversaw the recording with the legendary Howard Redekopp), as well as Vancouver roots scene mainstays Scott Smith on electric and pedal steel guitars and Darryl Havers on keyboards. But it’s Hope who drives the mayhem right from the opening notes of “It Come Alive”—a garage-rock stomper that should give Little Steven chills—to the