January 4, 2008
Awash in a new year, already flying by. Why do we blog? A need to communicate to those who listen, wanting to be heard, maybe just an outlet for expression, creativity or gossip. Most people I meet ask me questions, why not answer them here? Do you have a question for me? Why don't you drop it right here in my mailbox.I think I'll start a F.A.Q. this year. It could be fun. It could be entertaining. It could be learning for all. I'll post the questions on the right, with a link to the blog in which the question is addressed, and we'll move on from there. Sound good? Here's the first question:
Did you try to kill Cary Judd with a pool stick?
This is a trick question, because while I did in fact throw a pool cue down a flight of stairs at Cary Judd, I purposely aimed it slightly to the right so as to not actually impale him. Cary Judd is a friend of mine and I would never wish him any harm, but he once displayed ignorance towards the laws of physics, or at least misplaced for a moment it's cornerstone principle that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction". CJ took it upon himself to unplug the electricity powering the public address system I was using to broadcast my Absinthe-fueled musings to an audience in Yosemite, CA. As I was in midsong, this came as a shock, and upon opening my eyes to inquire why this had happened, my questioning glance was answered by a mischevious smirk near the electrical outlet. Action. After being rudely interupted in this manner, I took off my harmonica, unslung my guitar, set it on the ground and took one step in Cary's direction, whereupon he tore off out of the room as fast as hig legs could carry him. At this point, I could get into a discussion about the term "fight or flight" but hopefully you learned that in high school, and I have no wish to teach you lessons you will learn yourself someday (and therefore remember them for life) - but I did what any person in this situation would do, in fact, what any animal in nature would do - I ran after him. I can be pretty fast, but when an animal in nature is frightened or scared, they get a rush of adreneline, and this seemed to kick in at this moment on Cary's behalf and he left a trail of smoke for me to follow. I realized early on that I wasn't going to catch him, and perhaps my job was done, but I happened to be passing by a pool table at the time and found an optimal solution in the form of a pool cue. I wasn't going to chase after this person who may or may not have been fearing for their life at this point - because Cary wouldn't have stopped. He was tearing down a flight of stairs making for the front door so he could run as far and as long as it took before I gave up the chase. I knew if he got outside the front doors, there would be no way for me to catch him, so I took aim and fired the pool cue down the stairs with all my might. I knew it wouldn't hit him and it wasn't my intention to kill him but I had to let him know that I don't care for people disrupting my musical outpouring. There are civil and more respectful ways to make statements and Cary chose a rather unfortunate way of telling me he thought it was time for me to stop singing.
The funny thing is, like a child who knows they are about to be spanked for what they have done, it only took one look from my fatherly eyes to turn him on his heels towards the front door. He knew he had done something he shouldn't have and justice was coming. I believe in discipline but not physical harm to people I love, so I opted to veer my aim to the right so as to cause fright but no harm. The pool stick exploded into pieces and Cary left the building, a wisp of smoke trailing behind him. He chose to avoid punishment. I felt like my point had been made, so I pressed the issue no further. In fact, like any forgiving friend, I dropped the matter altogether and have proceeded with my life. I love Cary Judd. I forgave him for what he did to me within 2 hours; he however, has spread some great vicious rumors across the touring plane that I seem to get asked, especially by smiling, winking friends of ours who love a juicy bit, about that night quite often.
I think it's been hard for Cary to be without my friendship and he's asked for an apology. Now that I've set the record strait for all interested parties, I am going to send him a personal apology in the mail; something he can cherish forever, and someday sell on eBay...or maybe Christies if we're lucky.
Thank you, Sir Isaac Newton. MH
September 25 , 2007
Been in Alaska for a few weeks now playing lots of shows. Had a rather rough batch of gigs with a makeshift band since I've been up here, but as of our last show I'm pretty confident that we are starting to sound good. Not to say the first four shows went rather horribly - but we won't go into details about that. Scott Ferris on guitar, Sonny Ogle on bass, Russ Lemkin of drums - this be the current version of the Candles.Ferris has been housing us at his casa so we can rehearse and hang out, it's been nice getting some homecooked meals and hanging out with the Xander, the Rach, and the Scotty.
We've hit it off with another Alaskan band Wagner Logic, whom we're currently staying with at their recording compound in Kasilof, cutting some new tunes.
Both of the tunes are newer jams that have a real Stonesy guitar feel to them. One is called Wolf Eyes, another called In It For The Music. These tunes plus hopefully a few others will make a split EP we're doing with Wagner Logic down the line.
I got into an accident in my dad's car. Saw Bright Eyes last week - it was ok, I'm not huge fan, and I did enjoy the show, but I'd much rather see Conor solo.
I hate doing blogs. I just don't feel like I can keep up with everything anymore. It's hard enough just to find time to check my email and Myspace, let alone answer everyone. Maybe it's the feeling of winter setting in.
Maybe I should hibernate in 2008.
Hmmmm.
August 31 , 2007
Tomorrow is SEPTEMBER already. I was showing my friend Sean my tour schedule for the rest of the year and trying to recap where all I've been since my first tour in Jan with Leeroy Stagger - I've been on tour FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR! Ouch. The word lately from just about everyone is that I need to just settle in somewhere and dig in some roots and build a big fanbase that will sell out the local clubs so I can make some strategic maneuvers to take over from a homebase. The thing is - I LOVE to tour. I am a big fan of the open road, the simple task of getting up on a stage, plugging in my guitar and playing songs for people. I am a rare breed that lives off nothing and rides the wind. It's been hard for me to decide on a place where I want to live. I still love Alaska and well, it's home, but I can't live there anymore, it's too far from a good tour route, and it's too damn cold in the winter for me anymore. I'm getting older man. I still feel like I'm 21 though and that's all that counts. Looking forward to going home on Tuesday for some RnR, to see my little brother who is back from Iraq, and do some shows with some really great Alaska bands that keep popping up - Wagner Logic from Kasilof, and Batter Brown from Kenai...also my friend Heather's new all girl band Occulus Sinister- it's gonna be a sweet return.Um, I gotta run.
August 8 , 2007
Oh baby, things are crazy. As usual, my life is just a big giant rollercoaster of fun. I'mn writing to you from Chicago, IL...where's its hot AND muggy. Unlike the last post, where it was simply HOT and dry. Gimmie hot and dry anyday. Hot and muggy makes you want to not go anywhere cause you feel like a soggy diaper all the time. I really hate blogging, by the way. It's narcisistic in a way...like, who reads this shite? I guess maybe my mom. Maybe some friends. Some fans. Do I even have fans? It's hard to say. I mean, sometimes I just need a big pat on the back you know? It's hard to do what I do, no security, no trip to the doctor or dentist cause I can't afford it, no permanent location, a chance in hell of keeping some sort of relationship together with anyone, I'm not just talking about girlfriends, I'm talking about ALL my friends...I mean, I meet so many people and can only be in one place at one time. I really do a good job of living in the now, but that makes all my other friends feel like I ain't that great of a friend. Who knows. I'm just rambling cause I'm killing time before our Schubas gig here in Chicago tonight. I'm really excited to play cause the band backing me up is really good - they knew all the songs when I arrived for our first rehearsal and even bought me a burrito and a hamburger. I feel sorry for Cameron McGill right now, he has an ear infection and is generally not in the right mindset to put on his best show, but I'm sure he'll totally amaze us all...he did just that at the studio yesterday where we recorded the song we wrote together - "Die Traitors". It's quite good. We're both going to release it sometime down the road, I might put it on my next record "Death of a Day Job", we'll see.I've had some fun shows here in the midwest, and before that a few really fun ones like opening for Page McConnell of Phish. Grace Sims came with me and we drove 1400 miles EACH WAY to go do the one show. She's a little bit crazy for travelling around with me for 3 weeks strait, but that's why I like her. She is playing keyboards in the band for the northwest shows and well, it's been quite fun. We did our first show together at the Sawtooth Music Festival and it was a success. We were the only rock and roll band on stage that day I think. Weird.
Well, blog reader, get out and enjoy the rest of your summer. FALL is coming! And I can't wait. I like to get toasty and drink the coffee and write the songs that make the world go round. Trying to at least. We'll see you at a show on my neverending tour.
June 17, 2007
Currently spinning: Modest Mouse "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" and Wilco "Sky Blue Sky".Greetings from Las Vegas, NV where it's currently so hot that I'm beginning to lose weight simply because it's evaportating all the excess water in my system. I think it's somewhere around 104-106 most days round these parts of the country and we've had some sweltering drives with no A/C cause my car doesn't function very well when it's on.
The tour has been going really well, minus a few snags here and there. Overall I'd say we're having a great time and the shows are starting to sound pretty good. I'll do a quick recap of where we've played and some funny tidbits from those days to keep your entertained.
SAN DIEGO
We weren't quite "together" for this one - no rehearsal and all of us jetlagged from flying in (Josh and Russ from New York City, and Mick Cloud from Boise, ID) meant the show was really sloppy and, well, terrible. People didn't seem to mind, but the band was a little embarassed. And we were recorded that night - OH NO. We asked that the CD be destroyed. Met some nice folks like Jon Bishop from Crash Encore. His sister Joy sang with me in SLC on my last tour with Leeroy Stagger and so it was nice to meet a new face. We were staying in Encinitas by the sea at our friend Lindsay's compound - it was really nice.SAN MARCOS
This gig was kind of a joke. We were payed some ridiculous amount of money and the sound wasn't that great - plus we were still unrehearsed. The best part about this show was seeing my old friends Jake and Eli from Alaska...and that was about it.LAGUNA BEACH
Really the main reason we are all on this tour was because I was asked to play the Song Check Live Premiere party and I wanted to do it with a full band. Luckily 2 shows was all it took for us to really lock in as a band. We also had a special guest from Hawaii sing with us, my friend Megan who goes by Megum Pie (who sounded fabulous by the way). The night was really fancy and fun, catered food, free drinks, free guitar strings, and really good sound. Thanks Matt, Diana, Jessica and all at Soundcheck Live for putting on a really stellar event. Our tourmates Long Live Logos rocked us into a dancing frenzy and we carried on over to the hotels later where the LLL boys proceeded to get kicked out by the police somewhere around 3 a.m. I was already asleep so I didn't worry about it.LA / SANTA ANA
We had a really fun time hanging out with my friend Tashina and Nathan at their sweet new pad in downtown LA on the roof. We had a BBQ up there and generally met up with some of my LA friends who made it down to say hello. This was the first tour in forever where I didn't play LA so I feel kinda bad, but the main reason was that I couldn't play an acoustic venue with a full band so we just ended up skipping it altogether. Instead I played down in Santa Ana, a solo gig, and had a good time. We crashed at my buddy Matt Cater's place out on the backyard lawn where he was having a campout. It was a lot of fun to see the Orange crew.PRESCOTT
Finally out of So Cal and into the desert. A long drive to Prescott, AZ was fairly uneventuful but it was really nice to see Newt and the crew at the Raven. Good food, good beer, good company always equals a good time in my book and the Raven never fails. LLL brought out a roomful of teenage girls which was funny, cause I'm not used to seeing a packed room full of teenage girls since I was in Alaska back in 2003 with The Roman Candles. We ended up at a crazy dance party for a few hours and had a good time mixing it up with the locals before crashing over at Newts place.PHOENIX
Down to the city of my birth the next day where we had a great, fun gig at Modified Arts. The band is starting to hum about now...we are starting to have fun, forget that we're trying to sound good and just sound good. Always good to see familiar faces like the Dust Jacket boys and my friend Karie, who put us up for two days. I got to do all my favorite things like eat at Fate and Spinatos, drink Coronoas by the pool, and we even had a day off where we really had a chance to just relax. We were going to see a movie but ended up getting apps and drinks near the movie theatre and missed it. My friend Jason was pretty drunk and he was entertaining us better than any movie could with funny quips and applying for a job on the spot while we were at the restauarant. I think he got it too. I finally got my CDs for this tour this day.LAS VEGAS
Sin City was a blast. The House of Blues show is in a smaller room called Crossroads, but the sound is good and it's always packed. We sold lots of merch and got to see lots of old friends and it was a good time. Mick Cloud wanted to gamble so we hung out for about an hour afterwards but I was pretty cashed so we made it home and in bed by 3 a.m. Grace Sims played a tune or two before we started which was nice to see...but I wish she could have played a full set. Karan, Grace's mom, cooked us an amazing meal before the show that would make Linda McCartney proud.FLAGSTAFF
This show was really disorganized and poorly planned. No one seemed to have any idea what was going on. My friend Keenan did promote it for us, but this hardcore band played first and they were pretty good actually, but when they finished then another, even harder / death metal band came on and cleared the room...not a good move to put a death metal band on before Long Live Logos, who are a really dancy / pop band. Anyway, the sound was pretty good and we managed to have a good time despite the chaos and the fact that we went on at around 11:30 pm. After the show the owner of the bar next door tried to take 1/2 of our door money which was ridiculous so I argued until she finally gave up. We tried to find my friends place but didn't know where he lived so we finally gave up and around 2 a.m. in the morning drove over to Bullhead City. We arrived at around 6 am just as the sun was starting to come up listending to Mitch Hedburg and waiitng for my buddy Matteo to call us so we could go crash at his house. He got the msg around 9 a.m. and we were finally saved to go take naps at his place.BULLHEAD CITY
First off, Bullhead City is kind of a shitty little town en route to Vegas but since Matteo lives there we like to swing in and hang out for a night. The gig itself was kind of a joke, but Matteo hooks it up in terms of food, drinks, and a guarantee so it's always kind of fun regardless cause we get to hang out. After some naps we started eating/drinking around 6 PM and ended up racking up a $450 bar tab between us four. Not bad.LAS VEGAS Round 2
June 3 , 2007
Touched down in Seattle tonight. Spent the last 48 hours driving 600+ miles, flying 3000, staying up till 5 a.m. both nights, drinking fine beer from Great Bear, whiskeys at The Marlin...I'm pretty tired. Not a good way to start a tour...but I DO have a day off tomorrow here in Seattle. Looking forward to sleeping in, grabbing some coffee, doing a walk and visiting with friends. HB is making dinner and that's always a good thing. Might have to bust out some Green Hornet as well.So, I'm starting to get so much e-mail/Myspace mail I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm going to start not answering simple nice e-mails from people cause it takes a lot of time. I really appreciate hearing from people but it gets draining to answer so many of them. Not to mention me running my own business, writing songs, doing day to day activities...it just gets exhausting. I'm going to spend this tour trying to relax alot and I'm going to start putting my street team to good use.
Speaking of - if you have time to help me out, I could really use it. E-mail me please at matt @ matthopper.com. A guy named Robb recently starting helping me out by sending my music to blogs, and my friend Lisa has been shipping CDs for me (albeit a little late at times, sorry everyone), and my mom has started working for me one day a week to do whatever it is I need done that I can't do from the road.
There are little ways you can help, stuff like posting banners on your website, or show flyers, or taking them and sending them to your friends. Inviting a few people to the show is also a nice thing to do, and it can be a lot of fun. I could use all the help you can give. Being an indie artist can be tough at times so its really nice when people lend a hand in the promotion.
Let's see - recorded 2 more songs in Wasilla at Frozen Lake Studios with Jeff Morgan that turned out really nice. Aaron Case on guitar and bass, Junior Dommek on the drums, me on guitar and singing and such. That's 8 down for the next record. I'm kicking ass.
Saw some old friends in AK, missed alot of them, made some new ones...had a great time up there. We'll be back in September with the full band.
Yes, full band. Finally. That's in the works. I'll keep ya posted on this "you heard it here first" blog known as the Grand Ole Hopry.
MAY 29, 2007
Well, my time is almost up and for the first time in years I kinda don't want to go. I've really been enjoying myself up here in Alaska but I have had a lot of work scrambling to get this next tour ready and promoted and all the little things you have to do to make sure people come to the shows - not to mention the music video we're shooting on June 10th and the months of July and August - where I'll be, what I'll be doing, who I'll be staying with, etc. It can get quite hectic even when you're supposedly "home on vacation" with strict orders to RELAX.Blogworthy - The Whipsaws kicked a whole lotta ass backing me up this weekend at the Brown Bear Saloon - we had a great time and we hope that the packed, drunk, rowdy crowd had a blast - it looked like people we're enjoying themselves. Glad you got to experience a little Caribou Bill in his element.
I'll be in Seattle for a day soon, going to go visit my buddy Eric Howk, who recently hurt himself pretty bad in an accident and is now paralyzed - see my blog over at Myspace. Then it's on to San Diego to start this tour with my full band. Very exciting. We are probably going to be doing some recording on the road and lo and behold, I think that might be enough songs for the next record. Yup, I'm already 6 in, doing 2 more up here on Thursday with Aaron Case and James Dommek at Frozen Lake. Then a few more in Ashland, OR and then Portland, OR...we're gonna have 12 songs ready to rock for you by the end of summer. Eat that Ryan Adams. Speaking of, I'm looking forward to Easy Tiger. I'm also looking forward to the new White Stripes record - HOLY ICKY THUMP - have you heard this song? I'll be honest and say I've never been a huge WS fan, I'm more of a strait up Jack White-as-rock-star fan - I think the guy is incredible - but this new song is just AMPED UP. It makes you want to tear down small buildings with your bare hands. They are coming up to Alaska in September and I'll be damned if I could somehow open that show with my band. I would be kind of nervous _ i mean, I consider JW to be on par with Zeppelin...he's like Page and Plant combined. It would be an honor.
I'm in talks with certain people and places about doing some big shows in the fall so maybe we'll come up either way back to Alaska and I'll bring the guys with me so we can rock some full band shows around the state, and go see the Stripes do their thang. Should be fun.
Here's some more news you might enjoy hearing. I am going to be re-recording the Gold Rush EP with a full band this summer. We will be cutting it in Utah somewhere with Jimm Timm, Cameron Runyan, Branden Campbell, and Jake Fish onboard for some studio fun. I will then re-release the Gold Rush EP with both the new full band versions of the songs and the original acoustic versions as well. I'm really looking forward to how this will turn out...and judging by how many Gold Rush fans there are out there, I think this will be an album people will want to pick up, and re-pick up for some time.
I leave you with this - sent to me from a fan (?) who was at the Brown Bear show on Saturday. I read it and found it really funny. He said I could post it on my blog.
Taking my personal demons out to lunch at the Olive Garden.
Ahem.
OK guys, can you listen up for a second?
What?
Well, because it's an authentic Italian cuisine for a fair price in a family environment, that's why. Anyway, I wanted to tell you all why I brought you out here today.
No. Well- yes. I mean, I brought you here specifically for the authentic Italian cuisine but I brought you out in general because I want to talk to you guys about a few things.
What? The food isn't that bad. The people in the commercials seem to like it well enough.
Yeah, the commercials are pretty corny but could we get off the Olive Garden for a few goddamned seconds?
OK, great.-- moving on. Listen, I like you guys a lot. As far as personal demons go, I don't think I could do any better than the group I have now. And we've had some fun times, haven't we?
Hey, Authority Issues, remember the time you, me and Anger-Management Problems got totally hammered at the bar and then pissed in the potted plant outside that store and when the cop tried to breathalyzer me I took a swing at him? That was a lot of fun. I couldn't have done that without you two.
Wait, where did Abandonment Issues go?
Really? He just got up and walked out the door? I can't say that I'm surprised, but it seems a little bit cliche, wouldn't you agree? I mean Shit, talk about fulfilling a stereotype.
No, I don't think that's why he left. The food here is fine.
Anyway, like I was saying--I like you guys a lot and we've had a ton of good times, but there's a time when you have to re-evaluate the kinds of people you hang out with. I've been dumped by my last 3 girlfriends, and I don't want to blame it entirely on you guys, but it doesn't help that I kept showing up for dates hung-over.
Why do you think I'm looking at you, Blossoming Dependence on Alcohol?
No, I don't think she over-reacted. She had a child, for Christ's sake.
Kids can too tell when Im drunk. Could you stop flirting with the waitress for one second, Compensation for a small penis? Thank you.
Look, I'm just saying that I'd like a little stability in my life. I can't remember the last time I've had a girlfriend for more than a week or two.
God bless you-- Fear of Commitment, you've saved my ass a few times ... Yeah, the one with all the "Get Well Soon" cards, she was a psycho. That was a good call. But still, I've probably pushed away more than my share of winners.
Yes, I do think that's at least partly your fault, Crippling Lack of Self-Confidence. I appreciate your honesty.
So I guess what I'm saying is that I don't think we should hang out anymore.
Fuck me!
I do understand how you feel Anger-Management Problems, but breaking that wine bottle against the side of the table isn't really helping your case any. Put it down. Seriously man, you're making a scene. I don't want to get kicked out of here.
No, I don't think we could find better food out on the sidewalk.
No fuck you, just because I listen to and sing Matt Hopper songs does not make me a pussy. Its good tunes you bitch.
Yes, I know its you Crippling Lack of Self Confidence.
For the love of God, Compensation for a small penis, didn't I tell you to quit flirting with the fucking waitress!
Right, ha ha, I did say for just one second. What the hell are you even doing here, anyway? I thought we stopped hanging out in middle school.
No. You're not the reason I bought the Lexus. Like I said, I didn't even know you were still around you ass.
OK, I tried to put this delicately, but I really need you guys to stop calling me and just leave me alone. I can do just fine without you.
Yes, I can. You're such a dick, Crippling Lack of Self-Confidence.
What? Now is not the time for a dine-and-dash, Authority Issues. Yeah, I do still want to stick it to the man, but do you think that the Olive Garden really qualifies as the man? It's just some shitty chain restaurant. Yeah fine—I admit it, the Olive Garden is terrible and we shouldn't have even come here in the first place.
Hey! Could everybody settle the shit down!
No, I don't feel like an ass for saying "settle the shit down," Crippling Lack of Self-Confidence; it's a perfectly fine expletive. But seriously, I'm trying to talk here.
Authority Issues, you're paying for your meal.
I have no idea where that samurai sword came from, Anger-Management Issues, but you better put it away before they call the cops. And I swear to Fuck, if you don't stop flirting with the goddamned waitress, I'll kill you myself, Compensation for a small penis.
This is a disaster. Does this shit hole even have a liquor license? Where the hell did My Blossoming Dependence on Alcohol go? I guarantee he's got a flask on him. Good Damn, I need a drink.
This didn't go at all how I had planned…MAY 21, 2007
Being back in Alaska used to be dreadful for me - coming back in the winter meant cold and darkness (and I have become accustomed to the sunny beaches of LA or Florida for the winter months) and in the summer it meant weird nostalgic trips and running into people still here doing the same old thing, which in a weird way brings you down. Also some sense of loss in the fact that my band's old fanbase has grown up and left the state and/or completely deserted us. I end up playing to groups of people that I mostly don't know - new fans who've only heard of the legend that used to be (or my inflated view of how things once were) and want to catch a glimpse and see for themselves. In the past three years I've completely reinvented myself as a solo jauggernaut - armed myself with only a guitar, tambourine, and harmonicas - added foot stomps, weird psychadelic guitar loops, and occasional poetry. I've grown by leaps and bounds as a singer and a songwriter and traveled the US, tearing down walls, building them up, meeting new faces, falling in love, falling out of love, watching sunsets and friendships fade, and new ones born every day. I'm beginning to understand that I don't understand anything.It is with great joy to announce that I feel like I've been reborn in some way to Alaska in general. I toured with Alaskan Evan Phillips from LA to Portland and it was really nice to have a fellow statesman along for the crazy ride - sharing stories and insights into the struggle that us artists go through in our quest to make great records, put on great live performances, and the need to make a living at what we do - and also to talk about uniquely Alaskan affairs.
When I came back to the motherland this time, I felt different about the way things are and how they are going to become. First off, the weather has been absolutely beautiful ever since I came home - sunny, bright days, light all the way through midnight (they call Alaska the land of the midnight sun in case you didn't know) and people getting into the swing of spring / early summer. Alaskan's are generally very eager for summer as the winter is very long and cold and desperate. They turn into crazy bar hopping drunks - drunk not only on alcohol but the feeling of an opressive weight being lifted from their shoulders - the weight of winter.
Secondly, I feel that the whole makeup of downtown has changed. Perhaps it's the influx of college kids back from their year in the lower 48 or abroad, or perhaps it's the fact that I'm older now and there are a bunch of 21 year old girls running around that I've never met, but things seem different in Anchorage. There seems to be lots of great activity. Saturday night there were no less than 4 great shows to choose from for an Anchorage entertainment seeker - that is a big change from when I was active on the scene here.
Thirdly, when I see old friends this time around, there is a true sense of delight in getting to see those old friends who I used to see on a weekly basis at the local coffeeshop, bar, or show. My hugs feel genuine, the smiles warm, and the sparkle in everyones eyes seems to glow brighter these days. I saw my old girlfriend and I was actually really happy to see her (this from a girl whose spawned such despair as to help me write such songs as "Serious As a Heart Attack", "Madison" and "Silver Tongue") and have an uplifting conversation about her life and how things are going with her studies and current affairs. I feel like I've really let go of the bitterness that came when I left Alaska - the band's untimely demise, the girlfriend indecision that led to some hurtful moments later on down the line, the friends that felt betrayed by my departure. I feel like most everything is now water under the bridge...at least from my end of the spectrum.
It just feels good to be home. It feels good to have my mom begging me to give her ideas for what to make for dinner, my dad buying me beers and wanting to go on bike rides, my friends keeping their doors, hottubs and kitchens open long after bar closing time. It feels good to see the mountains and feel the sun on my face. It feels good to drive to Homer and Fairbanks - catching those views, feeling those old memories come flooding back, seeing those places I caught a glimpse at something inspiring, a midnight kiss, the place I lost my virginity, the pacts made in secret over a case of beer, the hikes that make you forget there is a city at your feet. For the first time in three years, I'm really enjoying being home for awhile.
I'm very excited to go on this next west coast tour with my full band - but I'm also just excited to be here in one spot right now. To wake up in a bed that feels comforting, a shower that blows the water out just as a I like it, and old friends ringing my telephone.
I'm going to leave you with this: my brother is in Iraq and I hope he gets to come home really, really soon. I miss him and would considering murdering George W. Bush with my own two hands if my brother came home in a pine box. I hope he gets to come back to Anchorage and the Valley and rest of Alaska and enjoy it as much as I had a chance to so far on this trip. He is a funny brother of mine - we are very different, but I love him for his differences - he is a goof of the nth degree (I can be a goof too, but I'm much more interested in being cool most of the time to my fault).
Do two things for me:
1. Watch Michael Franti's video about the war in Iraq.
2. Laugh outloud and thank my brother Ben for his good attitude and his dedication to our country (drop him a note on Myspace):
MAY 04 , 2007
What a strange, long journey this tour has been. Since my last blog transmission I have been to Montreal, Toronto, New York, Austin, Baltimore, Florida, Austin again, a short tour with Ian Moore and Kullen Fuchs and met back up with Leeroy and Cobi, as well as Evan Phillips in LA to finish off the west coast portion of this tour...we only have a few days left, Boise tonight, Portland tomorrow, then everyone heads home. I'm sticking around in Portland for a few days to do some recording, then heading up to Vashon Island to do some more recording with Ian.In Florida I managed to fall in with a crew of girls that worked the downtown scene and they got me into Universal Studios for a night of riding the Hulk - also free drinks galore from Koryne who worked at Cigars there onsite. I hurt my shoulder pretty badly on a botched leapfrog attempt that left me upside down and hurting for the next month or so - I'm just healing up now. I was treated to some amazing meals and warm hospitality by my old friend John LaManna and his girlfriend Courtney. Also had a chance to see my pal Zac Hagerty from Alaska.
Headed to Austin to hang with the Harrisons and Hilde Dankel, do some recording with Kullen Fuchs (the guy plays 10 instruments well, as well as the hearts of the ladies of the road) at Cacophony Recorders with Darwin Smith. The drummer on the sessions was a guy named Donnie who plays with David Garza and Brooks and Dunn (at least for his one Anchorage appearance at the Sullivan Arena)...he did a smack up job.
Left Austin with Ian Moore and Kullen through Marfa, Santa Fe, Tuscon, Phoenix, and then to a break in Palm Springs with Matt from the Posies/Oranger. He treated us to many amazing delcious things as well as some killer bike rides and a great hike. We had a chance to do some jamming/recording of some demos and Ian and I made plans to do some more recording in a few weeks.
Said goodbye to those cats in front of the Mint in LA where i met up with Evan "The Wolverine" Phillips and Leeroy "The Bear" Stagger, and also Cobi "Hurricane Sue" Vano...we mulled about LA for a few days and Evan and I wrote a new song together called "High Speed Los Angeles Car Chase Blues" at the Belage in our friend Shannon's room 314. We talked her into letting us throw a party there and had some friends over for an evening of fun.
Had a really fun show in Davis, San Francisco...and then climbed into the car for a 12 hour drive to SLC. We made it as far as Elko where we decided to camp out for the night. Wolverine and I decided to climb "Brokeback" Mountain - as it came to be known - but decided to settle in a ditch to start a good old fashioned campfire. We wrote a song out there called "Elko" that night before crawling into sleeping bags and spending a sleepless night freezing my ass off on the cold, hard ground. When the sunrise appeared I finally found the heat my body needed to fall asleep for a blink before a hideous noise woke me up. I heard a loud "WHAT THE F*&@" from the van as Leeroy had also heard this noise and I jumped to my feet to see I was about 30 feet from a mean looking bull that was clawing the ground and making that noise over and over - I retreated back to the van with my stuff but found it necessary to climb back out there and stare the bull down. He eventually backed off - he was no match for my own hideous noise and dirt kicking display of manliness.
Salt Lake City was a lot of fun - getting to see my friends there is always a nice retreat from a sea of strangers and strange floors around the rest of the U.S. Thanks to Jake, Cameron, and Joy for playing with me that night - it was a lot of fun.
Tonight we're heading into Boise for a Friday night at the 'Lux. Should prove to be a crazy night. I'm already coaching my liver on a strategy for survival. Here's my theory - the further north you go, the harder they drink. Boise people are almost as bad as Wisconsinites when it comes to the juice.
Here's some good news: I'm recording at Type Foundry with Annalisa Tornfelt on violin and singing! Yay. I've always been a big Annalisa fan from the days when we would play shows in Alaska and we're finally hitting the studio for some fun. Then later that week I'm heading to Vashon Island to record a few tunes with Ian Moore - this I'm also really excited about - Ian is a monster guitarist and singer. He used to play for Joe Ely and there's no doubt in my mind that we're not going to come up with something amazing while I'm there.
From there, I'm back to the homeland for some Alaska shows, and some well deserved r'n'r. I'll be having a CD release party at Tap Root on the 24th, as well as a Brown Bear gig with the Whipsaws on the 26th amongst other shows. I'm looking forward to being home for awhile.
Then I'm off to a west coast tour this June with a FULL BAND. We will be rocking it along with our friends Long Live Logos from San Diego. It's going to be awesome. I think we're going to be having some bikini contests or something when we're down in the southern states. It will be fun. Russ Lemkin and Josh Collins - my buddies from NYC are flying out to back me up on this tour, along with Josh McCleod from Boise's Escape Wheel. Josh laid down some sweet solos on the new record so be expecting some serious guitar rock this time around.
I'm working on a midwest tour come late July / early August, a Hawaii tour in late August with Matt Lewis, and the possibility of a fall tour with Cameron McGill. Who knows where I'll end up this winter - but as of right now, I'm very concerned with floating rivers, fishing, sleeping in, and rocking faces off. See you around. MH
MAR 05 , 2007
Oh geez...it's already a month into the tour and I've hardly had time to write here in the ol' blog. We've already shared our one month anniversary with smiles; I'd say it takes about 3-4 weeks to get used to being around new people in the van - their quirks, sense of humor, thought processes, mood swings, etc. I wasn't sure how I would deal with being around a couple all the time but Leeroy and Coby are sweet people and quite fun. We're always listening to Leeroy's iPod though cause I don't have one so I have to retreat to my laptop once in awhile for a little does of my favorites.So many things have happened to us already on this tour worth blogging about, but I want to make sure to thank everyone who has shown us great generosity, warm beds to sleep in, and delicious home cooked meals. In Seattle HB took care of us as he always has. In Portland we had Jen's famous Chicken Cajun fettchine and a great time. Had lunch in Ashland, but holed up at the Dip Boys' house in Redding later that night. In Sacramento we holed up with Chris from Caroline Distribution for some late night beers. Next night we were at AJ and Jonas' pad right off Venice Beach. In Yosemite we were taken care of by Mama Yo at the Cheley house. I got really sick the next morning en route to Las Vegas and spent the night sleeping on a couch at a house party at Chris Lelands. The next night I started to feel a bit better but also slept on a dirty floor at the Rad Pad. Next night was a day off where we crashed with our friend Allie from Hyperactive Magazine. Refreshing. Next was hanging out in Oklahoma City with an old VBM message board friend, the great Jonathan Youngblood and his girl. The next two nights were spent in a nice big bed in St. Louis with my friend Jamie...and probably the best french toast ever. Next up was Nashville where I really got into the honky tonk spirit...spending six days on six different couches while exploiting the city as best I could. Memphis we crashed at some loft a block from Sun Studios with some guys who we met through our buddy Lee from Madison. In Kansas City the great burlesque dancer Amie took good care of us. In Minneapolis my old friend from high school Kate Graham put us up for the night with a smile. In Madison we were promised bedrooms and comfy couches from Etak and Patrick but they passed out and didn't answer the doorbell, so we retreated to Jon Beck's place for the night, which was fun. Kate got us in the morning and we spent a lazy one relaxing and celebrating our one month anniversary on the 13th floor of the tallest apartment complex in Madison with a great view of both lakes. So good to see some familair faces in the place that I spent some time last winter. On to Chicago where Paul took care of us in the way that only Paul can. Getting to see Cameron McGill really gave me a good recharge of energy for the rest of the tour - lots of good memories came stumbling back into my mind as the night played out. Cam's music with the full eight piece band left me spinning for words to describe it - nothing short of breathtaking...almost had a tear in my eye by song three in the set. For breakfast we met up with Justin Bricco of the Blueheels and rolled over to Cam's record shop, picked up some sandwiches and shot the breeze for awhile before it was time to go. On to Erik and Maureen's house party in Praise Crossing. Cam and I had so much fun when we played there I was stoked for a second visit with Leeroy. Little Sylvie got a pet rabbit that peed on me. The food was excellent, the visiting was top notch and getting my own bedroom for a night is always great. The open bar can be kind of dangerous, but luckily my bedroom was about 10 feet from it! Eric and Maureen always make me feel like I'm at home - an eye of the touring storm. We rolled into Michigan where we stayed and played at the Jumberlack Manor, a great big haunted house with the craziest wallpaper I've ever seen. This guy Garret that I met reminded me of the Juiceman (drummer for the Roman Candles Madison edition) so much that we immediately bonded in the way that only Doobie Brothers can. Last night we holed up at the home of Al and Laurie Fraser - two music lovers with hearts of gold. Heading to Toronto right now - it's windy and I'm getting a little queasy from staring at the computer screen while the van is tossed by the air across the highway. I'm signing off for now. Maybe I'll share some funny stories here, but chances are we'll be talking about them onstage every night so come and check out the shows, eh!
FEB 02 , 2007
Made it across the border of Canada no problem with my friend Andrea, after being shuttled to Bellingham by Seattle buddy Roger and HB's girlfriend Amanda. Met Leeroy and Coby; also Rob from Boompa and quite a few of Leeroy's pals at the show at UBC Gallery Lounge and an afterbar. Good times - nice mellow night to kick off the tour. Off to Victoria today, I've got the Davies tune stuck in my head and looking forward to getting lucky at the Lucky Bar tonight. Saw a bald eagle today on our first drive - I take that as a good omen. It will be a great tour.FEB 01 , 2007
It's my birthday month. I'm celebrating all month long my Aquarius roots. Since I'll be on tour, you'll have a chance to bring me presents. Today we made it down to happy hour for some of the best $3 margaritas I've ever had. Then to top it all off, went to go see David Lynch's new film "Inland Empire" - now my brain hurts from trying to make sense of it all. I guess the jokes on me. I'm glad the hottie from Mullholland Drive made a cameo, reminded me I need to own that one on DVD. Seattle is colder than LA that's fer sure, but it's not too bad. I'm at HBs playing Monopoly and getting worried as my ride to Canada and I have not made contact and the first show of the tour is tomorrow night! Yikes. I'm gonna go raid HBs fridge now and call it a night.JAN 30, 2007
Oh, Hollywood, you are too much fun sometimes. I really had a blast my last few days there hanging out with friends, drinking overpriced beers, and getting to sample the burnt Habanero with cream salsa at this little mexican restaurant next to the "Elliot Smith wall" - you know, from the cover of Figure 8. Got notice by the singer Sia at said restaurant and we asked her to sing on my new record. Not sure if that will happen, but I felt like a celebrity for a shining moment. The Bruce got a text message from a girl in the bar adjacent to ours with a flirty comment, and our waitress delivered news that the manager of the place, a cute Asian gal was ga-ga over Matt Cater. The only guy who didn't get any play was Drew - WHAT!?! Today got up and was whisked off to Michael Penn's house to borrow a bullet mic for our recording. Speaking of, the record is SO CLOSE to being mixed. I imagine it will be finished up by the end of the week and off to the mastering plant. I hope to have copies in hand before the end of February. I am taking pre-orders now. I'm currently in Las Vegas sitting here trying to NOT gamble until my flight to Seattle takes off...having wireless helps. Thanks to everyone for such a good time while I was in LA. I'm really looking forward to the tour with Stagger - we'll see you all very soon.
JAN 28, 2007
Last night I played at the House of Cater in Santa Ana to a crowd of 120 happy go lucky renaissance party goers who were having a blast - and that infectious energy fed into a set that saw me bring a bunch of buddies and strangers onstage to shake their tambourines, shakers, and money makers and a guest drummer from the band Writer. It was a blast - Rosey Cater had two giant grills going with some great food and Matt Cater kept watch from his perch on the roof as we danced, drank Guiness and pear cider, and generally had a great time. I was honored to be a part of the event and would like to publically thank the Caters for hosting one of the best house parties I've ever been a part of - let's do it again!A few years ago I met an internationally reknowned whistler named Francesco - this guy is a hoot and he just sent me his video, you should check it out:
JAN 26, 2007
Whew, so LA has been nice - got a whole house to myself and a fridge full of food. The mixing is steadily getting done thanks to The Bruce, and I even got out of town last weekend for some fun up in Yosemite. The rumors are true - Caribou Bill Jr. showed up and threw a pool stick at Cary Judd. Yesterday I drove down to Laguna Beach to film my interview for SongCheck Live and it was nearly 80 degrees and oh so beautiful. Getting out to the ocean reminds me of why I like being here in the heart of winter. Should be meeting with Sam Owens soon while he is in town about the record artwork. Getting so close. Had a fun show last night with The Marions, Long Live Logos and a band I had not heard of called BLVD out in Lake Forest at the Gypsy Lounge. A fun time. Gonna try to get into the Cold War Kids show tonight, have the Festival of New Wineskins to play tomorrow and a few more days to wraps things up in LA - then it's off to tour!JAN 18, 2007
Last week I ended up in Prescott , AZ where I made new friends in the form of Feather Ben Dickey and his girlfriend Beth. My buddy Adam and Ben both hopped up on a few songs which was a fun treat. Then it was off to Phoenix to play some shows with Dust Jacket and Andrew Levi Hiller and do some catching up with my relatives. Next up - a stop in Pioneertown to catch up with Tim Easton ; ended up jamming with the Thiftstore Allstars for a few tunes, with Easton on drums and Victoria Williams on guitar singing my buddy John Davidson 's gem “Johnny Cash Is Dead” and a few of my own tunes. It was a fun night but the morning was even better. We had to take Mia the dog for a walk because there was to be a Suicide Girls photoshoot in Tim's house. We trotted around Section 6 for awhile but I had to be in LA so we came back finally and got to meet a real live SG before I hit the road. Who would have through Tim's shack in the middle of the desert would be such a hotbed of activity!?!Cruised into LA at a decent hour and made it down to Spaceland to catch a few friends' sets - Richard Swift and The Broken West, whose bassplayer, Brian Whelan is an old buddy from when I used to live around these parts. He notified me that he recently cut his own version of “Hot Mama” – that which I haven't heard yet, but am excited to. For those of you who have never heard the song “Hot Mama” – it will be on my next record.
That brings me to the main point - mixing is underway on the new record, which I'm about 95% sure is going to be called “Reverse Odyessy”. Bruce MacFarlane is doing his thang and I'm heading over there tonight to put in some input.
I'm also 4 episodes deep into the HBO series Deadwood (Season 1). My friend Billy, whom I'm housesitting for, is part of their set design crew and I've always wanted to watch it. It's raw and brutal, just like I imagine it would be to live in a western town. I love it.
This weekend I'm off to Yosemite for some shows with my buddy Cary Judd. Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places in the US as far as I'm concerned and I had an enjoyable time there on my last visit thanks to den mother Yolanda and her family.
I'll be back in LA Sunday night, and have one week in which to finish up the record and get ready to fly up to Seattle to start the tour with Leeroy Stagger. We're knee deep in booking and final preparations but we're getting close!
Take ‘er easy,
MattJAN 14, 2007
Here is a live video shot just outside of Sacramento at a house party for a song called "False Alarm" off the forthcoming record:
Check out these fliers for our upcoming tour; if you would like, we can you some of these if you promise to hand them out to your friends with a kind word and hopefully a really great houseparty afterwards, e-mail Hatcher Pass promotions agent H.B.Telling and he will put some in the mail for you.
Our DOWNLOADABLE PRINTABLE POSTER (11x17 BW 300 DPI)
CLICK ON THE POSTER BELOW TO LAUNCH A PDF FILE! The easiest way to do this is to send it to a Minuteman Press (click here to see if there is one in your city/town/village/etc.) and arrange for them to print as many as you might need, then you can pick them up within 24-48 hours and distribute them around town (the venue, record stores, friends houses, underground parties, gas stations, lightposts, night time hangouts, also on the web - your Myspace profile, website, blog, e-mail list, place of work, etc.) We're just trying to get this DIY thing going - do your part and help a brother out!
And finally, check out the latest t-shirt design, courtesy of Scenery Clothing. These are being ordered this week, and should be available on Feb 4th on the upcoming tour in Seattle, WA. If you don't live in a place where we are on tour, then you can order a shirt online through Paypal (see link below to order):
I was excited to find out that a favorite book of mine "Into The Wild" by Jon Kraukauer is being made into a movie, and I'm working on getting on the soundtrack and/or scoring the film. Cross your fingers, I've got a friend looking into it for me.
I'm working on a title for the album. It's really hard to name your album somtimes - I mean, how do you possibly offer up something that ties it all together without being a total copout. Maybe I'm taking this too seriously. All I know is that artwork, thank yous, and all that stuff is being worked out right now. Mixing will commence soon. The album is nearing completion.
Spent a few days in Bullhead City (oddly enough, where Chris McCandless was before heading up to Alaska) just working on tour stuff and chilling out with my friends Mateo and Amber at their house. It was good times. I'm in Prescott, AZ tonight and all is well. I'm drinking a beer from Bear Brewery called "Hop Rod Rye" - it's quite good.
I love driving in the desert. So much. But not when your car is ready to fall apart, as mine is. Ol' Blue is getting quite worn out. I think my "break" this year will only be a chance for me to save up enough to buy a new touring vehicle before it's too late. Looking forward to Phoenix, AZ in the next few days. Looking forward to housesitting in LA. Looking forward to seeing Tim Easton in Joshua Tree on Sunday. It's nice when you can get one of your favorite songwriters to just play you tunes on the back porch for free.
Look forward to some ranting this year in my BLOG. Lot's of ranting. Oh, I did a photoshoot with my friend Allie Moran - she did quite a smashing job and you'll see the results soon because I'm using some of the shots for the album.
JAN 1 , 2007
Here it is, the first blog of 2007. I'm sitting next to an old man at the coffeshop who is here every day in the same chair by the bathroom in the corner. I finally said hello today and we talked about some small things, and also the fact that his nephew is quite a poker player, even to the point of being banned from play in Reno. Speaking of Nevada, we're heading up to Jackpot today to gamble and relax. One of my friends has a free hotel room and we need some time let the new record sink in anyways - more notes - always taking notes and making changes.The record is starting to get sort of convoluted. The mixing is going to be very important in getting across what kind of mood I'm going for here. To make things even more complicated, I haven't heard anything from Teddy, who has the Pro Tools files of some songs we recorded in Madison. I want to use two songs from last winter, but without the files I can't exactly do much, can I? So, there's a chance that the record might be a bit shorter than I had originally intended. Nevertheless, I'm putting something out in February.
DEC 25, 2006
I spent Christmas Eve in my car. 657 miles from Yosemite to Salt Lake City, Utah and it was made bearable because I eventually found a radio station playing nothing but Beatles all day. And I listened for hours. The Beatles are simply the best band of songwriters in the world. I can't think of another band that I could listen to for hours upon hours and still be impressed and refreshed by the quality and craftiness of their songs. I heard a Japanese version of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and just throught to myself - how badass is that? Those guys were huge all over the world, enough to where they had to learn how to sing their songs in different languages. I began to think of Oasis' claim to be bigger than the Beatles and just laugh to myself...that Gallagher, he's great but no where close to Lennon / McCartney. Keep playin' those miiiiind games....Spent the weekend in one of the most beautiful places in the United States, Yosemite National Park. Took my new friend Ebony for a walk to half dome with her owner Yolanda. El Capitan, The Meadows, the waterfalls, the trees, the smells...it's beginning to look alot like Christmas. I played a few shows there Fri / Sat night and it was super relaxing and enjoyable. Thanks to the Cheley's for hosting me and taking care of me. I'll be back in January with Cary Judd and I can't wait.
I've got the tracklisting for the new album close to figured out. We're going to be spending the next week finishing up the record in Boise, and then I'm taking everything to LA to mix. It's going to be done in late Jan I imagine. Although I won't have copies in time for the early February gigs, I will be taking preorders for the album on that tour and mailing the CDs when they become available. I will also be posting some of the songs on Mypspace page after they are mixed and mastered.
Currently watching the Lakers / Heat game on TV, waking up slowly. Going over to Chambers' family's house for prime rib around 3 p.m. Thank you baby Jesus for the Fish family.
DEC 19, 2006
I had one of those picture perfect days today, an extension of one of my favorite shows of the tour in San Francisco, CA. Let me back up a bit and say that Kat Jones and I had our last show at a place called Edinburgh Castle on Geary Street. I got online that day and e-mailed some friends, but nothing could prepare me for who actually showed up that night. I was suprised to find out my friends Conan and Josh from Phoenix were in town to see Joanna Newsom on Tuesday. Blake Thomas showed up out of the blue en route to the airport to head back to Madison for the holidays. A friendly fan named Becky happened to be in town all the way from Calgary, Alberta, which was a nice treat; she is one of the most encouraging people I have ever met online. My friend Rachel Satterfield popped in, I hadn't seen her since I played the Department of Safety in Anacortes a few summers ago. Also Alaskan friend Katie Mather happened to be in town on vacation and dropped by. On and on it went, and the show was great. Kat Jones was especially funny that night and we all topped it off with a late night pow-wow at Rachel's house. I awoke this morning to the sound of breakfast being prepared, espresso, and good friends all around. After saying our goodbyes to the girls and bidding Kat a farewell back to Fresno, we headed out to check out the Golden Gate Bridge and Park. It was a sunny 60 degree day and we rolled out to the small town of Saulsolito before coming back into town and wandering around the park for a few hours. We met up with Katie and her friend in time for a brisk walk and then I finally took off down the 101 South to visit with my brother and his wife over dinner, and finally some good sleep. I will be here for a few days before heading back over to Sacramento to finish up some recordings I started last week, and then on to Yosemite for some of my last shows of the year. Here is a recap of some good memories of this tour:Seattle, WA
Hanging out with my AK friends up there is always a highlight. Skip tried to fix my car door. Breakfast at Eggcetera. Kristian's birthday party was fun.Portland, OR
Getting to see and hang out with my old roommate Zach Brown. Taco night courtesy of the master of deliciousness HB Telling and new friend Roger. Playing with Annalisa Tornfelt and family. Seeing my other old roommate Randy and his wife Michelle and a host of other people.Olympia, WA
A fun little show courtest of one of Kat's friends. I stand behind my belief that Olympia is just a weird little town. Our breakfast the next morning was incredible. Beers after the show led me to bumping into an old friend Kayla from a band called the Mechanical Dolls. I asked her to play bass in my band.Los Angeles, CA
While Kat froze to death up north, I jetted down to LA for the Songcheck Live Video shoot. The Mason Brothers picked me up in the VW Bus and we were whisked off to a great art reception / party where I partied it up pretty good. They even left me at the party. Soon I was back at the afterparty though where I decided to write an album in the bathroom about weird LA people. Ended up attacting enough peeps to make me move out to the living room. At 3:30 a.m. my friend Matt Cater showed up with a small possee and we walked to Venice Beach where I played another small imprompteau show. The next day we hit up the video shoot - it was at a small theatre called Brookledge in West Hollywood and it was beautiful. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, thanks Matt Russell for putting that all together. Thanks AJ and Jonas for the hospitality. Thanks to Ryan Vickers for looking like an idiot in front of Rosario Dawson and the ride to the airport.Ashland, OR
We were in Ashland for two shows that couldn't have been more different. One was at a church building and all ages, the other a bar and 21+. Both shows were a little bit weird but it was good to see my friend Aaron from Adam Evolve up there, where we enjoyed some jamming and good food with some friends of his. After some Wiley's Pasta, we were off down to...Redding, CA
Home of the world famous Dip Boys (of which Vickers is part of the gang). It was a good time as usual with Aaron, Brian, and the rest of the crew complete with a 6:30 a.m. bedtime, a 9:30 a.m. bike ride, a delicious breakfast, a hot shower, and a set by our friend Paul, who used to play in Kat's band. In my opinion, my best performance of the tour.Sacramento, CA
We had a relaxing time. Arrived fairly early, had a nice dinner, got some work done, played a fun show at Marilyn's and saw some familiar and friendly faces. My friend Solana, who used to be babysat by my friend Kate Fletcher. Ha! Also Michael Leahy, Eric Fate, Jay Shanar and super engineer Scott McChene were in the house. A good time was had by all. I spent the entire next day recording at the Hanger with Scott and Jay, Dustin, Ed and a few others. We got about 6 scratch tracks down, a few good takes of acoustic type songs, and one fully produced tune down. It was a good time. A little bit stressful, but fun. Learned from some of my mistakes on what to do next time. Looking forward to next time.Fresno, CA
Kat's hometown, and suprisingly a good place for both of us to play. We had a blast on stage that night. The set was recorded live, might surface later. Lot's of familiar faces, and as always the amazing Dave Brown. Some dancing, some tacos, some sweet sleep at the Jones compound.Richmond, CA
A small house party with friendly people. The highlights for me were Kat's spiced cider, fresh brownies and ice cream, and the most delicious indian food I think I've ever had. Oh, and sleeping in a bed.San Francisco, CA
Here we are full circle. A beauitful night, and good way to end the tour. Nate Allen played some songs that I thought were really fun to sing along to - thanks for setting up the show and performing bud.Kat Jones is a girl. At night she sometimes becomes BAT JONES! She has a theme song. Girls can be hard to figure out, so I just sort of kept to myself for the first part of the tour, but eventually we kind of warmed up to each other in terms of getting to know each other like friends. By the end of the tour, I really felt comfortable around her, which was nice. I guess it takes about two strait weeks to really get someone's quirks and traits down. Bat Jones and Caribou Bill might record a split vinyl sometime down the road. Cross your fingers.
In the meantime, the focus is now on three things: REST, finishing up my new record (more recording, mixing, mastering), and booking the tour with Leeroy Stagger and getting ready for that.
Happy Holidays everyone. I'll see you in the new year.
DEC 17, 2006
Oh, sweet blog. I can post things like "drunks are funny" and you can laugh. I'd like to tell you the tour with Kat Jones is going well, it's over tomorrow in fact. Very short tour really. I'm gonna take a few days off, then make my way over to Boise to finish up the record. Got one song down pretty good at the Hangar and a lot of unfinished stuff as well that I hope to work on later this week. There's plenty of stories to tell about this tour, but suddenly I just realized I don't feel like blogging right now. Sorry. The new is this - I'll be in LA in January for some mixing and shows so if you're an LA person that I know, we should hang out. MHDEC 12, 2006
I've decided to take flight in a blog and thus keep my news section entirely "news" oriented - details about things that are to happen, stuff that has happened, you know - news. Instead, I'm going to be writing musings over here on the blog section of my website. Now that I have a laptop I can do these sorts of things on a regular basis. I'm going to start with a F.A.Q. section:"Hey Matt, when is the new record coming out?"
I've been working on 8 new songs with Sean Hatton in Boise, ID but that is on hold right now since I am on tour. The songs we've recorded include some soft, acoustic style songs and some rockers as well. I'm undecided on wether they will all come out on one disc, or seperately as E.P.s. My goal is to wrap up recordings by Jan 5th and bring them with me down to LA to start working on mixes for them, with hopes of having something early on in my Feb - May touring. Cross your fingers."When is your next tour and do you have any details?"
I've confirmed a rather lengthly tour with Canadian Leeroy Stagger. He is this kind of bedraggled, young Steve Earle type character and based on what I can tell we have a lot in common. Most importantly his music is great and he likes to have a good time. Leeroy is signed to a Canadian label called Boompa, and that means things are a little more organized on his end. Our tour is quite epic - from Victoria, B.C. to Nashville, TN, up to Chicago, IL over to New York City and Toronto, flying to Austin for SXSW, then back up to the Northeast to do a little bit of recording, then down to Florida and over across the bottom of the US to Los Angeles and then back up to Boise, whereupon Leeroy will drive up to Calgary for what will be a much needed rest at that point. The tour spans about three months. We are booking now."Why haven't you signed to a label yet"
Although I have recieved various offers I'm still waiting for the right one to come along. Being a highly motivated, DIY kid from the woods, I take a sense of pride in what I do and what I can and have created from my own hard work. I have a business degree and a label is essentially a bank, so I figure if I can get a big tasty loan, I can probably double that money in a year through CD sales and tours - so really, I don't need anything other than good ol' Hatcher Pass Records, my own label / collective."What are your goals for 2007?"
I want to spend time in various parts of the country recording new music. I want to put the right band together. I want to get out of debt to my credit card company. I want to tour with some good bands that I like as an OPENER to kind of just have a good time and not have to do all the work behind the scenes. I would like to put out some good records and get some good press on them so I can bump up to some bigger venues in the cities, etc. I'd like to find a manager that works twice as hard as I do. I'd like to buy a new vehicle for touring, since my car is falling apart. Oh, and I'd like to be able to afford to buy my own acoustic guitar. I still don't own one and I've banged my current loaner up pretty bad. I'm gonna owe Jake Fish quite a hefty slice of love. And last, I'd like to be able to buy you dinner for a change - thanks to everyone who takes care of me on the road, I hope to someday repay you.DEC 06, 2006
Greetings. My favorite CD right now is My Morning Jacket's "Okonokos". Even my dad likes this CD.JAN 01, 2006
Do you ever get the feeling that life starts passing you by so fast that you feel stuck in a whirlwind of activity, but none of it really means anything - you're simply going through the motions of life round and round with no real destination?I've felt like that in the past, and when I take a step back to re-evaluate my relatively short life and all I'd like to pack into it, I get inspired to continue the journey of travel I've started as a result of my music and the place it takes me. These past two weeks I've been from Chicago to Nashville, Indianapolis to Los Angeles, Las Vegas to Prescott, and round about again back to Chicago today. It's 8:30 a.m. and I'm on a flight to Denver, CO with a big smile on my face. The past two weeks have been amazing and priceless. Getting to see old friends, make new ones, play music, and see more of the US countryside make what I do worthwhile, despite the rather tough financial situations it puts me in. I've already written about my midwest touring, but I definitely wanted to bring you up to speed on the west coast leg of my journey, now safetly behind me and glowing like a fresh scrape after a bicycle wreck.
I arrived in Los Angeles last Friday night and my friend Noah Needleman picked me up and whisked me away to his new abode where we jammed on guitars and catching up on life and the stories we are weaving. The next day we loaded up the car and drove up to Santa Barbara to BBQ with the ever so quirky Zack Turner and his ensamble, which includes the bandmates, the siberian huskies and his wonderful wife Laura. We also met up with our friend Bay and soon found ourselves in a club called Rocks where we were to play that night. After a mixup with the management who were conveniently absent from the city for the evening, Zack informed us that the club would not be paying us or allowing us to charge a cover. Since I was leaving the business aspect of the show up to Zack, I decided not to worry about it, but as the evening progressed I was building the steadfast resentment for the cheap bastards who will charge you and your fans $7 for a drink and not pay you a dime for bringing all the people through the door. To make matters worse, the sound system was subpar and giving the soundman problems. As his frustrations rose, so did the rest of ours and by the time I got on stage, I was in no mood to deliver a regular set. Instead, I pulled Noah and Turner's drummer Nate Keezer up onstage to jam for 40 minutes. When I say jam, I mean jam. There was no direction or cause to our madness we simply played what we wanted, creating a beautiful cacophony of noise and looped delight, which suprisingly got people on the dancefloor. Or maybe it was just those $7 drinks. Needless to say, I gave the club a good "fuck you" from the stage and stole some beers for good measure to compensate for their poor treatment of the artists that night. Turner got roughed up by the meatier knuckleheads on staff for some earlier comments so I commenced to exit shortly thereafter to hit up some other bars with friends before calling it a night.
Sunday I had a chance to hang out with my friend Tatiana and hit up a BBQ off Sunset Blvd where I met some people and chatted about LA, BBQ and comedy. Apparently the majority of the people gathered were involved in some shape or form with the Upright Citizens Brigade. I found the people that looked most like musicians and chatted ears off. Later on that evening we scooted over to the Viper Room to catch my friends in Long Live Logos at their showcase. They performed superbly and we whisked them all away to karaoke with my friend Anna for a few songs (where Tatiana slayed with her rendition of Bowie's rock 'n' roll suicide) and then on to the BBQ/party where we had started the evening for more beers and good times. My good friend Ryan Vickers rolled into the party with Sacramento's finest band Brilliant Red Lights and we ended up crashing at Ryan's pad up off Vineland. The next day Ryan and I ran around town and decided to catch the new X-Men movie at Mann's Chinese Theatre. For those of you who really get off on good movie theatres, this one is pretty sweet. It's also in the same vicinity where the Kodak Theatre is, where they host the Grammys or Oscars or something...Vickers is all about that and hopes to someday walk the red carpet in a tuxedo for his directing. Might as well fully introduce Ryan Vickers as the man behind the video camera for our extended weekend in Las Vegas and Prescott - he is my official videographer and soon to be famous music video director...but of course he wants to move on to movies as soon as he can. :) By the way, I loved the movie. I never read the comics to I can just sit there and enjoy the eye candy and wonder how badass it would be to move metal with my mind or have claws that come out of my hands and skin that heals in a matter of seconds.
Tuesday I slept in late, watched L.A. Story from bed, and rolled off the couch just as Vicker's was getting home from work and then off to class. My friend Samantha Murphy picked me up and we had dinner prior to my gig in Silverlake. Met some cool cats from Seattle, and of course the Brokedown, my buddy Brian Whelan's band who played right after me rocked the house. Crashed at Whelans place and hit the sack at a decent hour as he had to work in the am. When I awoke, I hitched a bus over to Santa Monica to hang out with AK buddy Kate Earl. We cleaned Kate's apartment, dusted, mopped the floors, trasferred laundry and had a nice dinner while we caught up on the current events in our lives. Kate's new boyfriend is a pro surfer and there is a photo on the fridge of him dropping a 60 ft + wave - it's totally insane. When I met him a few days later I let him know that when I move back out to LA, I'd love to go surfing with him sometime, but we'll see if that happens. I've only been a few times with my friend Eric Gross but I hardly got up on my board. That night Kate and I rolled down to The Mint to catch Samantha's set and got greeted and treated like royalty. My friend Deana was working the door and serving as the club's manager - she snapped her fingers and free drinks started flowing. After Sam's set Kate and I rocked over to hang out with Amos Lee who has been in town recording his new record. We caught dinner with them and listened to a few tracks at the studio before calling it a night. The next day Vickers came and got me, I did an interview with Sam for her podcast show SMTV (to be broadcast at a later date) and greeted my buddies from Redding, CA who came down to join us for the trip to Vegas. Mr Brian Clements served as tour manager and personal assistant where his main duties were rounding up girls after the show and scoring coke. Just kidding. Mr. Aaron Gumm was the offical trip photographer and he took over 900 photos and showed off his new fisheye lens, which we will be posting to the site sometime in teh next few weeks. Vickers was handling the video documentation for the trip. We picked up the rental car, a Hyundai Sonata, which drove beautifully and had a really nice MP3 CD player in it. We hit the road around 3 p.m. and arrived in Vegas just in time to rock the Unplugged show at the House of Blues. My buddies from SLC showed up a day early (they were to play the shows the following day) and afterwards, Brinton, Jake/Chambers, Josh, and Cory joined our crew for a night of carousing about town. Chambers and I ended up in the Foundation Room with some new friends we had met and I made the mistake of adding two small white pills to my steady intake of beer and whiskey. Bill Caribou joined us shortly thereafter as well, where he led the charge to a strip club that shall remain nameless where we were jipped into a $200+ bar tab and somehow the $75 in CD sales from the HOB found it's way out of my pocket and into the hands of some working gal...in the meantime, said white pills caught of to me and next thing you know I'm waking up in a house around noon, where to my relief I see many other curled up bodies that resemble my friends. I try to get up and have breakfast but my mind is a dizzy mess and I hit the sack again to awake at 5 p.m., a mere hour before my set time at the Clark County Ampitheatre. Note to self: no more drugs. You might even ask yourself, why does Hopper even post this stuff about all the "bad" things he does on the road, and my answer is this - we have nothing to fear but fear itself. I'm never going to hide behind a mask or act for the crowd, what you're getting here is pure Hopper, mistakes and all, and most importantly, honesty. I could care less what you think of me and wether or not you judge me based on what I do, I only have myself to account to, and my mom, who will no doubt be very disappointed by this last paragraph. But the only reason she gets upset is because people from her church read this stuff and my mom gets really embarrassed by it and thinks she failed as a parent in raising less than perfect children. God bless my mother, she is the greatest, but I gotta follow my own path down the road of life...and she's just going to have to learn how to deal with the life and times of her son, the troubadour. Luckily my brother Nick is taking some pressure off the firstborn son by marrying his girlfriend, I guess after the magic date they won't be "living in sin" anymore and my mom can rest her weary heart. And if you think I'm bad, you should meet my younger brother Ben...ha ha ha. We won't even go there.
Back to Vegas...Friday night was the setting of a magical house party at our friend Marianne's place, known as the Blast! House. As to be expected, we had a blast. Unlike some house parties where the music is drowned out by blabbering fools and their dragon breath conversation, this was a special party where the music was the focal point of the evening and everyone was distincly amazing. My lawyers brother Dan Reynolds kicked off the night with some Jack Johnson tunes and I think a few originals. My friend Corlene Byrd captivated with her dark, brooding, and utterly amazing songs on the piano. New friend Grace Sims sizzled through a few numbers with a voice and fingers that defied her age and showcased her overabundant talent. Mr. Chris Leland and company performed as Dreaming of Lions and delivered a very tasty set with an interesting vocal delivery that was similar, but not as whiny as Conor Oberst. Finally, my good friends and 1/2 of the amazing SLC band Palomino, Mr. Brinton Jones and Mr. Jake "Chambers' Fish knocked everyone out with some of his stronger tunes. I played a few (quite a few?) songs after that and on my last tune, stripped down to pants only and dived into the pool, whereupon the party truly started with plently of ass grabbing hornballs in their underpants and girls in their nighty wear. Aaron's brother Brian played DJ from his bedroom up in Redding, CA and we blasted it through the stereo with AIM requests and shout outs. More jamming ensued, some hottub action and the party, like a good fire, slowly burned down to a few embers of light after the sun went down on the city of sin.
The next morning it was goodbyes to the overnight guests and the Cain Family, truly wonderful hosts and supporters of the music scene in Las Vegas, and off we went to Prescott, AZ.
Besides being a beautiful drive, most of which I spent asleep in the back of the car, Prescott is just a little magical town where people are friendly and genuinely happy to see ya. My friend Newt has opened a really fantastic cafe/bar there called The Raven Cafe, and we were treated like kings with a giant dinner, swigs off the ol' bar tap with the finest beers in the world, and the company of some of my great friends from Phoenix. Mr. Conan Zimmerman of Dust Jacket played a solo set before I took the stage to rock for quite ahile on through the evening and more fine beers. My Aunt and Uncle showed up on an "out of towner" weekend so they were in full effect, also enjoying the fine beers at the Raven and getting randy like any good couple should be when you have a hotel right across the street to reteat to. That night we crashed at Newt's place and Brian and I did some legal activities that made me lose my mind for a couple moments...some halluicinogen known as Salvia that made me feel like I was in a video game, completely out of my mind until I saw a princess I thought could save me, which was really a girl named Rachel who I think I totally freaked out. I'm not one for losing my mind too often so I cooled off after round one, but Brian supplied ample entertainment by going the distance with three bouts with Salvia, each proving to be more and more entertaining to the camera's watchful eye. Alas, when on vacation...
The next day's drive was a doozy...about 400 miles back to Los Angeles, where we had just enough time to pack up, drop off the rental car and hit up the Hotel Cafe where I had a nice set and enjoyed catching up with quite a few old friends over the course of the eveneing and topped it off with a beautiful set by Amos Lee, and his piano tickler Chris Joyner. Afterwards, I showed Brian around Hollywood a little but but the bar scene was dead by 1 a.m. so we retired to La Casa Vickers for a few hours of sleep before I had to catch my current flight out to Denver...and finally Chicago. I plan on resting my weary head tonight on the couch of Mr. Paul Macnamara, getting my car in the morning and making it up to Madison for a gig at Cafe Montmarte to celebrate 6-6-06 with a metal revue featuring the finest singer-songwriter talent Madison has to offer, inlcluding my buddies Josh Harty and Burr Settles. I haven't thought about Madison once since I've been on tour, I'm afraid my heart does not have enough room for all these places that I go and spend time in. I did miss out on the New Kentucky Quarter's CD release party but Cory made sure I was in the loop with some audio from the show of their hit single "Carry It Around"...one of my favorite tunes of the summer along with Gnarles Barkley's "Crazy".
I'm spending about two weeks in Madison, then leaving to go home for a few weeks to do some shows, visit my mom, dad, and sister, and get a little R'n'R in...the latter part of the summer will hopefully be spent in pursuit of gigs on the east coast, a few summer festivals and finally, a trek back across the US to good ol' Los Angeles, CA where I will be holed up for the winter recording, writing, touring a little bit, and attending my brother's wedding as best man, and of course, felling Troy in Las Vegas as Achillies would do, making sure my brother leaves singledom with plenty of hedonistic debauchery under his belt. His soon-to-be wife Trish might kill me, but hey, that's what brothers are for, right?
My whirlwind keeps changing, shaping up my life, and scurrying me across the continent, but hopefully this will be the year I funnel that energy into the best recordings of my life. Thank you for reading and caring. MH
