Nights sleeping in a 1994 Toyota Corolla, 15-mile bike rides just to record in a frigid studio, raucous backyard shows, and other assorted moments of manic madness and feverish emotion seep into the stream-of-conscious punked-up, folked-out hip-hop-oetry of Hobo Johnson. 

He went from performing on the street to entrenching himself in the Sacramento music scene by grinding at countless open mics as Soundcloud streams crept into the hundreds of thousands. Accompanied by his band The Lovemakers, he launched the fan favorite Live From Oak Park video series (live gigs shot in guitarist Derek Lynch’s ramshackle backyard). That also served as the site for the video that put him on the map. He and the boys recorded a live rendition of “Peach Scone” for a 2018 NPR Tiny Desk Contest in the same yard. It quickly caught fire with the song cumulatively generating 50 million streams. Acclaim followed from Noisey, DJ Booth, Sacramento Bee, The Needle Drop, and more as he inked a deal with Reprise Records.

In many ways, “Peach Scone” offers the perfect introduction to his infectious and idiosyncratic style. Slow burning instrumentation bristles against his emphatic delivery as he cobbles together scattershot bars such as “brush me off like the dirt on JAY-Z’s shoulders” or “pumpkin, even, which is basically a fucking squash.” In the middle, he practically screams the hook, “Man I love the thought of being with you, or maybe it’s the thought of not being so alone, I don’t know. The second one’s way sadder than the first one.”

“I wrote it at five in the morning in thirty minutes after sleeping on the floor of the studio,” he explains. “It shows off my personality.”

Elsewhere on The Rise of Hobo Johnson, the somber “Romeo & Juliet” confronts his “parents getting divorced and trying not to let it impact me as an adult.” Meanwhile, the sardonic and sharply funny “Sex In The City” takes dead aim “at beautiful people who have certain chances of being treated nicer just based on looks alone.”

In the end, the myth of Hobo Johnson will only grow.

“When you listen to this, maybe you can take away some positivity and the assurance you’re not alone in how you feel,” he leaves off. “You’ll know at least one person gets what you’re going through.”

All support acts are subject to change without notice. Doors / Show: 6:30PM / 7:30PM. This is an ALL AGES show. No refunds unless show cancelled/rescheduled. All general admission tickets are STANDING ONLY. For more information about Pass the Line or Foundation Room access, please call the Box Office at 504.310.4999. For VIP seating, please contact NOLAVIP@livenation.com