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NEW DRUMMER
We have a new drummer named A. Nigel Gates. He is a talented guy who can write amazing songs, play the drums, guitar, bass, and sing. He's kind of a quadruple threat. His laugh is contagious and he has many funny voices and the most bitchin' chest of hair you've ever seen since Barry Gibb came on the scene. Our last drummer, Rich Fuller, is an awesome dude as well albeit one with great responsibilities and a wife so we wish him the very best with his busy season at work.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ALASKA TOUR SUMMER 2009
I'm bringing up the whole band this time folks. It's the first time ever. We plan to rock and roll 24-7. Literally flying in on Friday, June 19th, playing a show that night at 907 Rock Festival, then gigs every night while we're there. Hope you can make it out:6/19 - Anchorage @ 907 Rock Festival (all ages)
6/20 - Talkeetna @ Fairview Inn
6/21 - Talkeetna @ Private Party w/ Hobo Jim
6/22 - Anchorage @ Tap Root (acoustic show) w/ Evan Phillips + Mike Gorder
6/23 - Healy @ Panorama Pizza Pub (Fairbanks, sorry, this is as close as we're coming)
6/24 - Wasilla CANCELLED
6/25 - Kenai @ Kenai Performers Playhouse (all ages)
6/26 - Homer @ Kharacters
6/27 - Anchorage @ McGinley's Pub* p.s. We are in need of a drumset, amps, and a reliable vehicle (preferably a van or motorhome) for this tour. If you can help, drop us a line at: matt at matthopper dot com.
** We will be joined for this tour by James "Le" Glaves of Kasilof, AK on extra guitar, vocals and keyboards, as well as Kullen Fuchs of Austin, TX on keyboards, trumpet, omnichord and whatever else he feels like playing with us - the dude is amazing.
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ROMANTICA LIVE AT VISUAL ARTS COLLECTIVE
We're excited to announce a really awesome show coming up at the Visual Arts Collective (Garden City, ID) with Minneapolis band Romantica. These guys are the real deal up and coming torchbearers of quality Americana music. I played with them at Schuba's sometime in the last year or two and their CD is incredible. Think Springsteen meets Ryan Adams. Speaking of, Adams sang with them at a live concert, you can sample that tune and more at their Myspace page. Also on the bill and we're equally excited about is Jeremiah James, a local guy who is really starting to smoke any stage he's on...this is gonna be fun. We're adding an extra pedal steel player Dave Manion for this gig and also extra percussion by Adam Nigel. Buy tickets for this show by visiting this link. They are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Well worth it. This will be a sit down show so don't even think about dancing.
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DOUBLE HEADER WEEKEND
Two sweet gigs this weekend - one on Friday at Bad Irish (8th and Main) that is free and one on Saturday at Neurolux with this band from Salt Lake called FURS, who are awesome. Check em out!
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HAPPY 4/20 - CELEBRATE WITH US
We booked a last minute gig at the brand new comedy and music club in Boise, ID called HIJINX, which is down on 8th next to Opa Lounge and Pie Hole. As far as we know this show is free and around 9 p.m. this club isn't even open yet for cryin' outloud, we're the first band to play there so come help us celebrate the soft opening and also this fine holiday upon us.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
AK TOUR IN JUNE
Currently booking Alaskan tour for late June. We will be attempting to play 9 shows in 10 days and hope to announce many dates for you soon. One show that we're really excited about is a major Alaskan rock festival that we can't announce just yet but it's looking good. Keep ya posted right here as things pan out.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
EVAN PHILLIPS BENEFIT
My buddy Evan Phillips needs money and lots of it - he's got a crazy groin injury that has been bothering him for seven years, recently re-injured and in need of repair. I wish I could just pay it for him, but I'm not exactly rolling in it. The least I could do was offer up a track for a benefit compilation though and the least you could do is order one. All proceeds will go to help Evan get back on his feet and back rocking with The Whipsaws, his band. Support the cause by visiting this Myspace page, that has more info on the tracklisting and also a list of other artists involved with the project. My contribution is a tune Evan and I wrote in 2007 in a hotel room off Sunset Ave. called "High Speed Los Angeles Car Chase Blues". Enjoy and get well soon EP. There will also be a concert in Anchorage to support Evan's cause - details on the website.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
FROM ALASKA WITH LOVE
"I think Matt Hopper just writes great, timeless rock songs. Period. Even
better, he writes great rock songs and sprinkles them with a healthy
dose of noisy experimentation.He proved it over and over again at Silver Moon."
Exerpt from a live review from our gig in Bend, OR by Ben Salmon. Click here to read the full article.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MATT HOPPER ON TOUR IN MARCH
Mar 7 - Las Vegas, NV - Gypsy Den
Mar 8 - Costa Mesa, CA - The Lab
Mar 9 - Los Angeles, CA - The Mint
Mar 10 - Jerome, AZ - Spirit Room
Mar 12 - Sedona, AZ - Ken's Creekside
Mar 13 - Prescott, AZ - The Raven
Mar 16 - Albq, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge
Mar 19 - Austin, TX - Blue Velvet (day party noon)
Mar 21 - Austin, TX - PIAPTK (day party noon)
Mar 27 - Denver, CO - Walnut Roommore details on these shows here
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INDIE ROCK REVIEWS
Check out this nice review at Indie Rock Reviews: "Perhaps I'm just filling in space in an attempt to mask my inability to describe why I enjoy Matt Hopper's music. Perhaps it's because he reminds me of Tom Petty. Not in any "hey, this guy's ripping off Tom Petty" kind of way, but just cause it reminds me of him. Maybe it's because they rock and roll pretty hard, and at the right moments." (click here to read the whole thing)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
YOU KNOW YOU WANT ONE
Purchase a Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles hoodie today via the store. Cameron Runyan is not for sale.
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ALBUM NEWS
Some of you have been asking, and I'll fill you in on whats happening. As of right now, I am shooting to be done with recording for my next record by mid-May, and at this point plan on releasing it as a double album vinyl record on Hatcher Pass Records. We are however beginning to encourage people to shop the new songs and demos around, and have gotten a small amount of interest so far...but as with all things, time will tell what actually happens when it actually happens. In the meantime, enjoy a rough mix of a song from the forthcoming record on Myspace currently. It's titled "Dreams Are All I Have" and features Junior Dommek (of The Whipsaws), Drew Grow, and Jeremiah Hayden on the recording. I'm toying around with a few title for the album so that I can proceed with planning the artwork and selecting an artist to realize my vision for it...while I continue to work on the songs. I'll continue to post news on the record as we go along, thanks for your interest.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MARCH MINI-TOUR
Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles will be touring as a three piece band in March with dates booked in Los Angeles, a few dates in Arizona, a night with Leslie & The Badgers in New Mexico, and of course, ending up in Austin for SXSW. Hope to see you on our way out there, while there, and afterwards while we limp home holding our heads.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
SXSW PARTIES
Join us for our unofficial showcases at SXSW 2009 in Austin, TX..
Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles + tons of other bands. Hopper will be performing representing Alaska, Portland, New York City, and Austin with Roy Swice on Drums, Nick The Dick on bass, extra percussion by Cam "Boner" Runyan and Russell "The Mussell" Lemkin and additional vibes and ballyho by Mr. Kullen Fuchs, esq. Details on all parties forthcoming here at this website.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
HOPPER TRIBUTE SONG
Back in the winter of '04 Hopper and a few buddies started a songwriting group called FAWM, which has grown into a pretty cool challenge for singer-songwriters of all shapes and sizes every February. One guy, Burr, built a little empire around FAWM, putting up a website and comp CDs and merch and everything. Another guy, Willis Fireball, who lives on a little island near Russia in Alaska (no Palin jokes) sent over a tribute song to yours truly that he completed recently. It's just a demo, but it's really cute. Thanks Willis. Click here for the song "After The Gold Rush".xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Did you know Matt Hopper hasn't owned an acoustic guitar since 2004? We're taking control of this problem here at MHHQ Obama campaign style by putting up a Paypal link so you can give donations towards Matt purchasing his own acoustic guitar. It's his birthday month so if everyone pitches in $5, he might just be able to get the guitar of his dreams.
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HOPPER TO RELEASE GOLD RUSH DELUXE
Hopper's first solo release on Hatcher Pass Records was a stripped down do-it-yourself affair resulting in a light, airy record of lush and fragile vocal harmonies complimented by dream-guitar and rhodes piano played by Craig Gurwich the mastermind behind Summer At Shattercreek . The record was mixed by Bruce MacFarland in Echo Park and released in 2004. Five years later, Matt Hopper is still on tour and The Gold Rush was his kiss off. The DELUXE version of The Gold Rush EP features full band arrangements of the songs on the original EP + the original versions of the songs + updated artwork + stellar musical accompaniment provided by The Roman Candles. This album is slated for release SUMMER 2009 on Hatcher Pass Records. For a limited time only visit Hopper's Myspace page to download Silver Tongue from the original EP.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Come to this show! We are going to be DJing early during happy hour and bringing the party on into the night on Valentines Day with DJ Nudisco, DJ Bill Caribou, DJ T. Powell and live music sets by Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles plus very special guest Location, Location.
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NEW T-SHIRTS AND HOODIES
Get the new Sam Owens designed t-shirt. We are very pleased with how they turned out and think you will dig them too! Black and purple American Apparel shirts and soon black hoodies. We are working on getting some models to show you how radtastic these shirts are...soon. In the meantime, order one below and we'll ship it out to you wherever you are. Check out Cameron Runyan (Location, Location, The Devil Whale) below rocking a shirt last week at Sundance.
And while we're at it - we now have "Reverse Odyssey" back in stock here at HQ, so if you want an actual physical copy and aren't close enough to get them from us in person, then hit up the SHOP and pick it up.
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MH&TRC AT SUNDANCE
Sundance Film Festival is going on this month in Park City, UT and we are playing a show with our friends The Devil Whale at Flanagan's on Main Street in Park City, UT Wed Jan 21st at 8 PM. Hope you can make it.
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WIN TICKETS TO OUR KNITTING FACTORY SHOW
Boise, ID check it out - we are giving away 50 pairs of tickets to the next 50 people who sign up on our mailing list. To sign up, all you must do is send an email to theromancandles@gmail.com with the subject - Boise - and we'll let you know how to get your tickets before the show! Thanks and we'll see you there. Oh, if you haven't checked out the other bands yet, you should - especially The Devil Whale. They are one of our favorite bands from Salt Lake City.
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FAIRBANKS NEWS MINER ARTICLE
Got a little Fairbanks love in print.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> T-SHIRT DESIGNS FOR 2009
Click here to view some recent t-shirt designs and let us know what you think (send us #s of the shirts you like).xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
TWO THOUSAND NINER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May you live all the days of your life.>>> MH&TRC FINALISTS FOR BENEFIT CONCERT FEATURING KINGS OF LEON & THE WHIGS
On January 24th, 2009, The Lisa Klitzky Foundation presents Dare 2 Dream -- a benefit concert and silent auction presented by Platform One Entertainment , featuring KINGS OF LEON and THE WHIGS to raise major awareness and funding for pediatric cancer research and treatment with proceeds benefiting University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital . This event is already sold out and out of 1,500 applicants Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles made it to the top 5. Now fans of these bands will be given the chance to vote for their favorites once daily starting December 30 - Jan 6. Help Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles get to Chicago by visiting Platform 1 Entertainment's website daily to cast your vote. Thanks for your support.>>> LIVE ON KNBA 90.3 FM on NEW YEARS EVE
Tune in to Anchorage's KNBA 90.3 FM at 3:30 PM on December 31st to hear Matt Hopper showcase new tunes and an interview.
.TICKETS ON SALE FOR WILDBERRY SHOW
December 28th there will be a show at the Wildberry Theatre, which has limited seating available. This will be a nice show to catch, as there are many amazing musicians on the bill, so we highly encourage you to buy a ticket in advance to ensure entry. You can order a ticket online here. More information can be found over at www.hatcherpass.org.LIVE ON KWHL BOB AND MARK SHOW
Anchorage, AK - Thursday, Dec 18th at around 7 AM AK time, Matt Hopper will be joining Bob and Mark on their morning show on radio station 106.5 KWHL. You can tune in live online. Be expecting some chitter chatter and some new songs.MH & TRC ON FOX 4 TV SHOW THE VENUE
Anchorage, AK - On December 20, 2008 Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles will be the featured artist on Fox 4 TV program THE VENUE . They will be performing songs off the latest album "Reverse Odyssey" along with the Christmas song currently in the Myspace player, along with a live version of a brand new song called "Come On Like A Light". The 30 minute program will also feature a six minute interview about what Matt Hopper has been up to and what we has in store for us in the future. The show airs at 5:30 PM and is hosted by Derek Mangrobang and Eddie P.ALASKA HOLIDAYS SHOWS ANNOUNCED:
Dec 10 - Chilkoot Charlies
Dec 13 - Pandemonium (all ages)
Dec 18 - The Avenue
Dec 20 - Mat-Su Resort (band)
Dec 28 - Wildberry Theatre (all ages)
Dec 31 - Blues Central (band)
Jan 02 - Kenai Performers Old Town Playhouse (all ages - band)
Jan 03 - Kharacters
Jan 06 - College Coffeehouse (all ages)
I will be joined at these shows by many former Alaskan based musicians as well as some still based here. Visit my Myspace profile for further details and lineups.
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
We would like to take some time to introduce you to our new manager, Erin Smolinski. Erin hails from Detroit, MI but currently lives in Brooklyn, NY where she spends her days getting to critique new Ryan Adams & The Cardinals music way before us common folks through her job working for Universal Music Group and she spends her nights writing poetry, nightclubbing, and dreaming about Chicago.DO YOU "ILIKE" MATT HOPPER?
We just created a profile on iLike.com today for Matt Hopper, or at least took over what was already on there. If you are a fan and love music, you should check out this website, it's pretty cool.
TWO HOPPER TRACKS ON TRANSWORLD VIDEO
Two Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles tracks are featured on Transworld Snowboarding's first feature film offering "These Days" during the bonus footage segment that will be included on the DVD release. "These Days" will hit shelves in September 2008 and showcases the snowboarding of some of todays rising stars. Check out a trailer for the film by visiting Transworld Snowboarding's website.NEW YORK CITY RESIDENCY IN SEPTEMBER
It's quite rare that I get over to the East coast, so this time I'm staying for the whole month of September. These shows are going to be at 9:30 PM every Thursday night at REHAB (25 Ave B) with some great lineups curated by Russ Lemkin. Check out my Myspace for details. Wait! There's more. Talib Kweli will also be hosting a hip-hop night the SAME night, he goes on at 11:30 - so it's double your fun. And if that wasn't enough, then consider this, drinkers...FREE ABSINTHE from 9-10 PM courtesy of Le Tourment Vert (a.k.a. The Green Torment). Check out the flier below and see you there.
WEST COAST DATES ANNOUNCED
Scroll down and check out show fliers for Seattle, Portland, Eugene, and Boise. Also playing in Redding, Santa Barbara, Flagstaff, and Las Vegas this month.
ALASKA SUMMER TOUR
Performing select gigs in Alaska this summer in between recording dates and some much needed rest, hope you can join me:July 12 - Wasilla, AK - Kafe Neo AA
July 19 - Kenai, AK - Kenai Playhouse AA
July 24 - Fairbanks, AK - College Coffeehouse AA
August 8 - Anchorage, AK - Blues Central 21+
August 9 - Anchorage, AK - Blues Central 21+
August 10 - Anchorage, AK - Blues Central 21+For some / most of these gigs I will be joined by members of the Wasilla band Lavoy. I'm playing with a lot of great artists from Alaska while I'm home such as Evan Phillips, Mike Gorder, Emily Kurn, Wagner Logic, Jesse Taurianen, Caleb Arsonson - make sure you check out their music!
ON TOUR NOW WITH DREW GROW
Matt Hopper + Drew Grow will be touring out to New York City and back to the west, catch them at one of the following locations:17-May SAT Salt Lake City, UT URBAN LOUNGE
20-May TUE Omaha, NE MICKS
21-May WED Minneapolis, MN UPTOWN BAR
22-May THU Madison, WI KIKIS HOUSE OF RIGHTEOUS MUSIC
23-May FRI Grand Rapids, MI LOUIES ROCKET LOUNGE
24-May SAT Grand Rapids, MI HOPCAT
26-May MON New York City, NY LIVING ROOM
27-May TUE New York City, NY REHAB <<< Just added
29-May THU Allston, MA THE DRAFT
30-May FRI New York City, NY CANCELLED
30-May FRI Baltimore, MD DANGEROUSLY DELICIOUS PIES HAMDEN
1-Jun SUN Philadelphia, PA WORLD CAFÉ LIVE
3-Jun TUE Chapel Hill, NC MANSION 462
4-Jun WED Nashville, TN THE BASEMENT
5-Jun THU Fayetteville, AR MAGESTIC LOUNGE
8-Jun SUN Denver, CO LIONS LAIRNEW YORK CITY RESIDENCY IN SEPTEMBER
Rehab on Ave B will be the home of a Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles residency in New York City every Thursday in September. The band will consist of local musicians including Russ Lemkin on the kit (you may know Russ from various tours in the past) and will feature a DJ set by Bill Caribou. Recording will commence as well for the Caribou Bill "NYC" EP to be released in 2009.NATIONAL TOUR WITH DREW GROW & THE PASTORS WIVES CONFIRMED
Dates are currently being booked for a national tour with Portland, OR's Drew Grow & The Pastors Wives (Careen / Five O'Clock People / Vigilantees of Love) in May. Hopper and Grow will be backing each other up along with Jeremiah Hayden and Seth Schraper on assorted instruments and vocals. Dates and news coming soon.RYAN VICKERS SHOOTS "MADISON" VIDEO
Los Angeles, CA - Somewhere in a creepy apartment complex off of Laurel Canyon and Mullholland lies the director with the deepest voice this side of Barry White, the soon-to-be-world-famous Redding All-Stars, otherwise known as THE DIP BOYS, own film director Ryan Vickers...who graduates from film school in five days and is letting loose next year with his second short film "Lonely" and also directing a video for Matt Hopper's "Madison". Hat's off to you Vickers, and congratulations on your accomplishments. Release date for the video will be announced at a later date.
CITY WALLS LIVE IN SEATTLE
Um, I haven't shaved in a week, my hair is greasy, and this isn't the best version of this song, but whatever...here is a version of "City Walls" strait from HB Telling's apartment in Seatte.WRITE UP IN REDDING WEEKLY
Click here to read a current interview conducted by Ryan Prado for Searchlight, in the Redding, CA based weekly "Record".HOPPER RECORDING "LONELY" SOUNDTRACK CURRENTLY
Matt Hopper is currently in Redding, CA and Oakland, CA working on a soundtrack for the Ryan Vickers short film Lonely. Hatcher Pass Records will be releasing the soundtrack digitally upon the release of the film, as well as select festival musical performances where the film will be debuting to audiences across the country.Some additonal news that may be of interest:
- A few new shows have been added to the shows section.
- Two new t-shirt designs are on their way from one of the top designers on the west coast, Matthew Cater. One is going to be based on classic design structure - imagine vintage Flying Burrito Brothers or Petty & The Heartbreakers; the other is an edgy/bold print of a lovely model and some striking typeface. You will like; Cater does not mess around.
- An in depth interview will be coming out in Synthesis soon conducting by Ryan Prado.
- In talks about covering a song off of "It's A Shame Around Ray" for a tribute album to coincide with Rhino's re-release of The Lemonheads' classic. The tracklisting is still a secret so we can't tell you what song Hopper will do, but rest assured, it's one of the better tunes on the album.
- Hopper's friends (Roman Candles, the lot of them) Palomino, will be changing their name soon and debuting the new changes by throwing two CD release parties for their amazing debut full length record. Hopper is scheduled to play the Provo, UT release at Velour. Buy tickets, this one will sell out. How do you buy tickets? Call the concert hotline at 801-818-BAND.
- Hopper continues to release demos from his vast archives every week at Myspace.com/MattHopper. He has writing & recording dates coming up in Portland, Oakland, Seattle, Boise, Salt Lake City, Prescott with a variet of excellent band mates and songwriter partners. Tune in weekly for new songs - we welcome all your comments about the song, please leave them on Myspace or via e-mail.
LIVE ON KTUH 90.3 FM HAWAII
Matt Hopper will be performing brand new music on Barefoot Bob's Songwriter Showcase in Honolulu, HI on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 12 noon - 3 p.m. If you want to listen in online on your computer click here.February Album Writing Month
Matt Hopper has committed to write 14 of his 50 songs this year in the month of February as part of FAWM. Although demos are not being posted at this time, you can catch the lyrics of his latest works over at his FAWM site profile. Be looking for all of these songs to be released throughout the year via Myspace/Nimbit.
On Tour in Hawaii
Hopper is touring Hawaii, mostly in the Honolulu area. All shows are listed in the tour dates section. There is a chance he'll be adding a few more shows and today (Jan 30) he'll be on KTUH 90.3 FM , the college radio station with Ross Jackson's Daydream Nation from noon - 3 p.m. Listen online here.
LOTUS / SOUNDCLASH EVENT
w/ Golf Cart Rebellion + House of Tragic2301 Kuhio, Suite 118, Waikiki, Hawaii 96815 - $5
THE LOFT / ENTERPRISE EVENT 2/1
w/ Temporary Lovers115 Hotel St, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 -
www.loft808.com
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA 2/3
w/ Megum Pie + G. Liu Jr.Photo/Print Courtyard Art Building 3rd floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 - FREE
LOTUS / SOUNDCLASH EVENT 2/7
w/ The Closet Monsters (Portland), Pimpbot (HI)2301 Kuhio Ave, Waikiki, Hawaii 96815 - $5
COFFEE TALK 2/9
w/ Golf Cart Rebellion + Hell Caminos + Bari Bari 13 + *ALL AGES*3601 Waialae Ave, Kaimuki, Hawaii 96822 - $5
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New Live Music Videos & Interview Up
Matt Hopper conducted an interview with Ali MacLean over at Vlaze.com recently in Los Angeles, CA. Check out the media section for more details. Here is the first of the interview:
Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles DVD Teaser
In November 2007, Matt Hopper was joined by Jamie Timm (Band of Annuals, Matt Lewis Band) for a Nashville adventure that saw the band showcasing at the Americana Music Awards and meeting new Roman Candles. Footage was shot and is currently being edited by Greg K, a Chicago based film maker, who offered up this teaser for our viewing pleasure. We have loads of digital video from a few past trips and it is a goal this year to somehow cohesively put these together for mass consumption in DVD form by the end of the year. Enjoy.2008 Release Schedule / Top 5 Albums
In the year 2008, Matt Hopper will be releasing 50+ songs for a potential album towards the end of the year. Each week, a newly featured song will be available for download and steaming listen through Myspace. The songs will range from self-recorded and studio demos, recording outtakes, current rough drafts, and songs with friends from all over the country. You, as a listener and fan, will have the oppotunity to download those songs in their raw/rough draft form and in doing so, show Hopper what songs you dig the most so he can plan his studio album around your favorites to maximize your listening enjoyment. Check back in weekly to see if a new song has been posted to the right of this column.It's always nice to hear when you're loved and rubbing elbows with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Manic Street Preachers, and Jesse Malin. Check out this write-up at Dane101.com where writer Shelley Peckham describes "Reverse Odyssey is soaked with heartbreaking honey-sweet melodies and more than a few kick-in-the-ass rockers. His prolific writing ability coupled with a love of both classic rock and folk make it easy to see why he is frequently compared to artists such as Ryan Adams and Elliott Smith." Find out for yourself by downloading the album or ordering it online.
Happy New Year
This is going to be an exciting year, can't you feel it? YOU and I both can look forward to hearing and having the opportunity to download 50 songs this year. The songs will be released weekly via this website, Myspace, and Nimbit. The twelve songs for my next record will be based on YOUR downloads, comments, and suggestions.I am in Arizona right now - playing a gig at this awesome place called The Raven Cafe in Prescott on Saturday. Check out this flier and come out if you need a break from the big city.
Nimbit = Digital Downloads
Matt Hopper's music can now be downloaded in the SHOP via a service called Nimbit, which lets us keep 80% of the price of the song, currently the best in the downloads business. We (and hopefully you) prefer getting an album in the mail (where 100% of the profits go to us) but in the case of sold out albums (like The Gold Rush E.P.) this means you can still buy the tunes even though they don't exist in a tangible form currently.Christmas Single Preview Online
Matt Hopper teamed up with Wilderhood Records exec James Glaves to bring you "Merry Christmas (Get Back On Your Steez)" - a tune Hopper penned in Kasilof, AK during a stint of Alaska shows with Kate Earl & The Old Believers. Earl, Keely Boyle and Nelson Kempf all lended their voices for background vocals. Check out the song on Matt's Myspace page over the next few days before we take it down. It will re-emerge next year probably on vinyl.LocalCut.com Review / Download
Matt Hopper has been dubbed an honorary Portlander by Amy McCullough over at the Willamtte Weekly! He's definitely spent many a day and night in Portland. Check out what they have to say about Reverse Odyssey and download "Hot Mama" if you haven't had a chance to already. Click here.Recording Sessions Commence at Wilderhood
Matt Hopper is currently holed up in a studio in Kasilof, AK (google it) working with members of Wagner Logic on a split EP that they hope to release in 2008. The songs getting treatment include "Wolf Eyes" "In It For The Music" and "Happy Girls" - as well as a special Christmas single.Fox 4 News
Tonight, December 11, Matt Hopper will be on the 9 PM news here in Alaska playing during the entertainment segement towards the end of the show performing a new song "Roadmap" and "Head to Feet" off of his latest release Reverse Odyssey.Alaska Holiday Tour Dates Announced
Matt Hopper will be performing at select venues over the Christmas holiday. Click here for more details.Hopper To Score Short Film
Up and coming director Ryan Vickers has asked Matt Hopper to score a short film for La Devastation Pictures, currently titled "Lonely" being shot in January in Los Angeles, CA. Hopper will be re-recording an old tune "Westchester Lagoon" for the film as well as supplementary music for the film score.AMA Conference Success
Matt Hopper's The Roman Candles included Nashville locals, three drummers, Band of Annuals/Matt Lewis Band guitar hero Jamie Timm, and the motley crew performed no less than six shows for unsuspecting Nashvillians. The Basement, Mercy Lounge, and Exit-In were all treated to rare full band performances and new songs.AMA Conference Invite
Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles were selected to showcase at the Americana Music Association's annual conference. We will be putting on the ritz at The Basement at 9:30 PM on November 3, 2007 - send all your loud, obnoxious friends.Recording In Chicago w/ Cameron McGill
Matt Hopper & Cameron McGill, now old buddies from the touring life, are going to be cutting a tune they wrote on tour at B-Side Audio in Chicago. This will probably be released as a single on each of their websites so stay tuned.Boise, ID Residency Announced
Matt Hopper will be performing a weekly residency in Boise, ID at The Reef starting August 16th.Let's Go Phishing!
Just Announced: Matt Hopper (solo) to support Page McConnell of Phish
Belly Up Tavern. July 14, 2007. 9 PM. More Info at www.bellyupaspen.com
Management
Erin Smolinski
Booking
Hatcher Pass Agency
Legal
Robert Reynolds
Contact
Matt Hopper