“Matt Hopper does rock and roll right. [He] has a very natural ear for memorable melodies and irresistible guitar riffs; great songs seem to pour out of him.”

– BEN SALMON, BEND BULLETIN

Listen to The music

Quintessential

Americana Band

Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles are a quintessential Americana band. They blend rock and roll, blues, country, folk, reggae, pop and a healthy dose of psychadelia into their unique take on guitar based music. The band expertly reads any room and can adjust their 130+ song setlist to match the vibe and the audience and thus have stayed alive for a 20 year independent career by playing all the dives and honky tonk gigs alongside the big theaters and outdoor festivals.

Matt Hopper and the Roman candles

“With their jangling guitars, slippery basslines, smooth violin and keyboard and light, steady drumming, Hopper and company would’ve sounded right at home on classic rock radio next to Bob Seger and the Doobie Brothers.”

– B. Schulz, Here Comes The Dumptruck

The passage that inspired the band name is as such: “the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!”

Matt Hopper and the Roman candles

Musical

Diversity

This band is so diverse, in fact, that they’ve managed to score gigs ranging from blues legends Dr. John and Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band to rock powerhouses like Everclear and Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons, folk artists like Todd Snider & Tim Easton, pop megastars Gin Blossoms and Barnaked Ladies…the list goes on and on, we’re talking 20 years of traveling and recording and playing shows.