Popular Band Hippo Campus Coming to Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. — Minnesota based, now risen to fame indie rock band Hippo Campus is coming to Bayfront Festival Park on Sat, June 24.

Born and raised in Saint Paul, five high school students came together to form a band called Hippo Campus in 2013 — and their sound would reach far beyond the state.

“It happened really fast for us. We got a lot of really lucky breaks pretty early on in our career and so, luckily, we’ve been able to have this be the main focus for the last 10 years. Not a lot of bands and musicians get that opportunity, so we definitely don’t take it lightly,” said Hippo Campus Guitarist & Vocalist Nathan Stocker.

Stocker went on to explain, chasing a career in music is no easy task — but it’s worth it to take a chance.

“I think the important thing to do is to try. First and foremost, not trying is worse than failure. So, the fear of something not working out is, in my experience, always a lot worse than something not actually working out.”

Stocker laid out some tips for up-and-coming musicians. “I found it super valuable to record anything and everything. Any ideas, musical or otherwise. It could be a branding idea or something, just write it down or do a voice memo. There are a lot of instances where those ideas can come back around and be more relevant at a future time.”

As we know, for better or worse, social media has become a staple in society. Stocker stated — use it for the best. “Early on it was pivital to be able to have such an instant connection with fans and people that come out to shows through individual social media accounts, as well as the bands social media account.” He went on to say, “You kind of grow together. I don’t know what we would have done without that as a tool.”

Hippo Campus has played on many big stages, but Duluth has also been a stopping point along the bands path.

“We’ve worked closely with Alan Sparhawk over the year as well from the band Lowe. It’s always nice to see him up there. Duluth is pretty near and dear to our hearts as a band.”

In fact, on Saturday the group will be back on stage at Bayfront. “Duluth is going to be great. I’m really excited to have a salmon sandwich — shout out Northern Waters. So good man, the kimchi too.”

So, why the name hippo campus? “Psychology class. I came across this thing in the book talking about the brain, talking about memory and this part of the brain that has something to do with memory. I kind of thought it would be ironic, funny, cute, clever to play on words. Hippo Campus, usually it’s one word. But it was kind of just… the worst, the worst band name.”

Either way it’s safe to say — their name, sound, style, and origin story has led them to success.

“Man, I don’t know how to sum up the last 10 years, but we’re just doing the best we can with what we’ve got and we’re grateful that people have you know latched on to something there with us. It’s been a ride.”

Again — you can catch the group playing in Duluth at Bayfront Festival Park on Sat, June 24. For ticket information, click here.