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New Store Locations Anncounced
You can pick up the new record "Reverse Odyssey" at these two new locations:

Sawtooth Music Festival
Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles will be performing live at the Sawtooth Music Festival in Stanley, ID as well later on in the month along with Finn Riggins and Kris Doty and others. If you're in the Pac Northwest - come on over to Idaho and check it out. Matt Hopper's new album is available at the Record Exchange in Boise, ID and also in the listening section during the month of June and July.

NPR Show "Music From Stanley"
Matt Hopper will be performing for NPR's Music From Stanley in Stanley, ID on July 1st in Stanley, ID. This will later be rebroadcast on NPR at a later time.

July will see Matt Hopper mostly lying low after the current tour wraps up. He is working on weekly residencies in Portland, Seattle, and Boise.

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GREAT BIKINI WATERMELON ROCK N ROLL TOUR
w/ Long Live Logos
Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles on tour with Long Live Logos for most of June, dates and locations announced below. Check TOUR section of website for more detailed information.

6-Jun	San Diego, CA	Letstats West
7-Jun	San Marcos, CA	The Jumping Turtle
8-Jun	Laguna Beach, CA	Seven Degrees
9-Jun	Santa Ana, CA	Gypsy Den
10-Jun	Los Angeles, CA	Gypsy Lounge
11-Jun	Prescott, AZ	Raven Café
12-Jun	Phoenix, AZ	Modified Arts
13-Jun	Phoenix, AZ
14-Jun	Las Vegas, NV	Crossroads
15-Jun	Flagstaff, AZ	Club 111
16-Jun	Bullhead City, NV	Mad Dogs
17-Jun	Las Vegas, NV	The Bunkhouse
18-Jun	Reno, NV	Fritz Bar & Grill
19-Jun	Fresno, CA
20-Jun	San Francisco, CA	Make Out Room
21-Jun	Redding, CA	Bombays
22-Jun	Medford, OR	Boneyard
23-Jun	Medford, OR	Boneyard
24-Jun	tba
25-Jun	Portland, OR	Mississippi Pizza
26-Jun	Seattle, WA	El Corazon
27-Jun	-	-
28-Jun	La Grande, OR	The Gadfly
29-Jun	Boise, ID	The Boquet

ANOTHER ALASKA SHOW ADDED
05.25.2007
Added a show at Players House of Rock with Andrew Norsworthy & Katie Cason on Wednesday, May 30th. Thanks to everyone who came to the CD release party last night at Tap Root Cafe and to James Dommek for playing drums with me last minute. The Whipsaws will be backing me up on a couple songs Sat night at the Brown Bear - this will be a crazy gig, hope you can make it. Hey, check out this blog on my Myspace page about my friend Eric Howk from The Lashes - he needs some support.

REVERSE ODYSSEY IN STOCK
05.18.2007
After months of delays and playing a patient waiting game, the first installment of CDs have finally arrived! Pre-orders will be shipped first...then we will be stocking local stores (click here for listing of locations) and stores along the west coast, working the album to radio stations across the west coast, and promoting for our full band tour down the west coast. I am 6 songs deep into the next record - the following jams have been recorded: Death of a Dayjob (w/ Ian Moore), Poor Madeline, Don't Fail Me Now (w/ Annalisa Tornfelt), Forgotten Sons, Casino Lights, Fools Gold.

I am licensing music to a few Alaska based DVDs and movies - Crystal Hutchen's film she's been working on, an Alaskan kayaking adventure DVD, a documentary on the Wasilla Skatepark, and also a snowboard video put out by Powderwhore Productions in Utah.

Just announced: Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles will be playing the Sawtooth Music Festival in Stanley, ID in June. Other tour plans include a short midwestern tour with Cameron McGill, a Hawaii tour with Matt Lewis, and possibly a return to Alaska in the fall with the full band. We'll keep you posted.

ALASKA TOUR ANNOUNCED
05.04.2007
Matt Hopper will be performing all over the state of Alaska in the month of May, celebrating the release of his new record, Reverse Odyssey - please come out to one of the following shows:

NEW SONGS CUT / CDS OUT SOON
04.20.2007
First off, happy 4/20. Secondly, I cut two new songs in Austin, TX with Darwin Smith. Casino Lights / Fools Gold will probably be released as a single / b-side within the next few months. I am pleased with the results. As for the songs I did in Boise, ID with Sean Hatton - the album known as Reverse Odyssey - that will be DONE by the 27th and I will start shipping - so if you're waiting on one of those BE PATIENT. I know it's been awhile but they will be there soon. I'm on tour with Ian Moore right now heading towards LA. Playing the Mint on the 25th - come one, come all. Leeroy Stagger will be there, so will Evan Phillips. Yee haw.

IAN MOORE DATES ANNOUNCED / FULL BAND TOUR IN JUNE / SOLO ALASKA DATES ANNOUNCED / RECORDING DATES ANNOUNCED
04.09.2007
The Florida shows in Gainsville, Lakeland, and Orlando were a blast - and Florida also served as a get away for a little while - thanks for John, Courtney, Kate, Koryne for all hosting me while I was there. Here's some good news:

I'm going to be hitching a ride to LA with Ian Moore, a great singer-songwriter and our pal Kullen Fuchs - a great multi-instumentalist who plays like butter. We will be together from Austin till LA and I'm looking forward to it.

There will be a full band tour in June alongside Long Live Logos and Palomino. We will be starting in San Diego and going to Seattle then tracing back to Boise for awhile. Joining me will be Russ Lemkin on the drums, Josh McCleod on the guitar and bass, and Josh Collins on guitar and bass (on summer tour borrow from NYC's Ladycop). Russ and Josh backed me up recently in NYC and it was the beginnings of a rock and roll devastation - be expecting some loud stuff.

In May, dates have been locked up for Alaska (the first two supporting Erin McKeown):

14-May	Anchorage, AK	Snow Goose Theatre
15-May	Palmer, AK	Vagabond Blues
18-May	Anchorage, AK	Tap Root Cafe
19-May	Anchorage, AK	Snow Goose Upstairs
26-May	Fairbanks, AK	College Coffeehouse
2-Jun	Wasilla, AK	Great Bear Brewing Co

And finally, two recording dates have been booked with some rather proficient engineers with fine studios: Darwin Smith of Austin's Cacaphony Recorders (Explosions In The Sky, My Morning Jacket, Okkervil River) and Dylan Magierek of Portland's Type Foundry Studios (M. Ward, The Decemberists, The Gossip). It is my goal to produce four new "mellower" songs that may be released in conjunction with the 2004 Gold Rush EP. More about that later.

REVERSE ODYSSEY UPDATE
03.21.2007
Should be getting the master by Thursday. If all goes well, will be pressed up within 10-12 days. All orders will be shipped immediately upon arrival.

03.05.2007
The first master was not up to par so instead of pressing it up as I had planned, it had to go back to the drawing board. Should have a new master shortly and hopefully it will be good enough to put into production in time for a mid-March release. Will keep things posted here. Tour is going really well - see blog for some special thanks thus far.

SONG CHECK LIVE TRAILER
02.20.2007
The new Song Check Live "Brookledge Theatre Sessions" trailer has been posted both on their site, and here as well. It features the Hopper penned tune (and as yet unreleased) "Casino Lights" recorded live for the sessions throughout the entire trailer so be sure to take time and check it out. Other artists featured include Brett Dennen , Tom Freund , The White Buffalo , Sally-Jaye , Jason Feddy , Diane Birch , Alec Bridges , and Meiko .

There will be a release party for the video in June at Seven Degrees in Laguna Beach. Hopper will be performing a 30 minute set at the party - potentially with full band. Details will be posted at a later time - in the meantime, check out the trailer in the video section.

OUR LOVE IS SO SOFT CHOSEN FOR ABC TV SHOW
02.16.2007
On February 18, 2007 at 10 PM ABC's show "Brothers and Sisters" will be playing about a 1:30 clip of the song "Our Love Is So Soft" - so tune in and check it out if you get a chance.

HOPPER/STAGGER FILM FOR SONY CONNECT SETS
02.06.2007
Leeroy Stagger and Matt Hopper were asked to film for Sony's Connect Sets - an exclusive series of musical performances recorded live from Sony's state of the art recording facilities. It will be featured at a later date through their website. Past artists inclue The Killers, John Legend, Crosby & Nash, Snow Patrol, etc. They will be filming on Feb 8th in Los Angeles. An afterparty is currently being planned.

ON TOUR NOW
02.02.2007
Leeroy Stagger and Matt Hopper official started their tour last night in Vancouver, B.C. - click on tour or visit Matt's Myspace profile for dates. Shows are still being booked, so make sure to check us out on a regular basis.

LIVE TUNE FROM LAST TOUR
I received a CD from Brian Gard recently, who recorded a live set from my last tour at Kuppajoe in Fresno, CA. On it were only 4 songs of mine (it was a short set) but the sound quality is above average and so I thought I'd share one with you and say thanks - this ones on me. Go to the music section and look for the FREE MP3. The song is a mix of my soundcheck that night and the first song of the night, and also my new record. It's a tune called "Keep You Around" and I hope you like it. My friend Leslie from Leslie and the Badgers came over and recorded a harmony on the studio version that sounds awesome. I will be selling pre-orders for the new record soon and if you pre-order one from me at a show, you will get a free button! I'm off to film an interview for Songcheck Live, take care.

MIXING IN LA
I'm down in LA and Bruce MacFarlane is mixing the record at his place in Echo Park. I just kind of hang out an say - that sounds good, and that doesn't. You know? I am playing a really sweet party on Saturday - check out the flier here. I'm also playing at the Gypsy Lounge in Orange County and it looks like Tangiers next Sunday. Then I'm gona on tour for a long, long time. I'll be seeing pretty much everyone on this tour, as I'll be to the four corners of the US. I'll keep you posted on the record progress and will be posting an MP3 or two soon from it.

NEW BLOG UP
Things are really starting to roll for this next tour, but we have quite a few dates left to fill, but check out the tour poster, postcards, new t-shirt design and more at the BLOG. Take a look at our tour schedule real quick and let us know if you can LEND A HAND or HELP BOOK A SHOW in an area you see we are coming to. We are willing to play house parties and whatnot, as long as it's legit.

ALASKAN BREWING CO. SPONSORSHIP
We're thrilled to announce that Juneau's little brewery that could the Alaskan Brewing Company is helping back Matt Hopper's next tour with Leeroy Stagger. The Alaska-based company not only makes great beer, but are also independent and a good example of the DIY mentality. Check out their website here: alaskanbeer.com.

NEW ALBUM NOTES
There are many, many title ideas for this record. It's proven to be one of the hardest things left to do - how do I tie these songs together, how do you want the design to look, what are you trying to say? I am going to consult my compadre Tim Easton in the Joshua Tree desert on Sunday before making my final decision. We are mixing over the next few weeks with Bruce MacFarlane in Echo Park. Look for more notes on the new record in the BLOG.

ANOTHER NICE MENTION IN BOISE WEEKLY
I've been there recording and playing the occasional show. We got our second Boise Weekly "Pick of the Week" and here's what it had to say courtesy of Amy Atkins:

There are hundreds of thousands of American musicians all vying for listeners' time and adoration. Add the rest of the world's music makers into the mix and the hundreds of millions of options are, at the least, overwhelming. Ultimately, this means that to get your attention, a musician has to offer up something special: a unique look--and listen--into the human condition. Matt Hopper is one such musician.

Hopper's music is as wide-reaching and varied as the Alaskan landscape he calls home. His music is quintessential Americana: a blend of pop, folk, classic country, rock, and indie-everything. He's a brilliant lyricist and story-teller, and even when he's singing a string of la-la-la's, as in his song "Silver Tongue" (from his 2004 release Gold Rush) , it's not because he had nothing else to say. Each "la" is sung with as much grit as the rest of the track that includes lyrics like You could be a building block but you're the weight on my back/Remember all the times I gave of myself or did it slip though the cracks?

If you haven't heard or heard of Hopper before, check out his myspace site at www.myspace.com/matthopper . He has four songs you can listen to including "Silver Tongue" and "Serious as a Heart Attack," which delivers--in both lyrics and music--a kind of melancholy joy that would have been a perfect addition to the Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack. Then make sure to catch him live, performing with his band the Roman Candles. Hopper's definitely one-in-a-million. --Amy Atkins

EVAN PHILLIPS CONFIRMED FOR DATES
One of Alaska's most popular and charismatic frontmen, Evan Phillips of the alt-country band The Whipsaws is flying to meet up with the Hopper/Stagger Tour in late April, where he will then be touring north to Seattle before flying home to Alaska. He will be performing on all dates after April 16th through May 06. Also confirmed for the final two shows - Mike D. from I Can Lick Any Son of a Bitch In The House.

NEW TOUR DATES POSTED
I've got new tour dates posted up through my trip to LA in the shows section. The Leeroy Stagger dates are currently being booked and a tenative schedule has been posted (click here). If you have sympathy for DIY musicians such as myself, consider helping promote the show in your area. We can send you posters, fliers, advance CDs, etc. If you think you can help to get things rolling in your city - drop me a direct line or to book a show contact Kate Fletcher (see below) to get things rolling (you will have to type in the e-mail yourself, but it's quite easy to rememebr).

COLD WAR KIDS ON LETTERMAN
Uh, this isn't about me, but it's newsworthy. A gang of four dudes known as the Cold War Kids, whom I toured with this year (and who were my backup band on two songs every night) have hit the big time. They will be performing Thursday night on David Letterman's The Tonight Show. Check em out if you like good music.

SONGCHECK LIVE VIDEO SHOOT
I'm very honored to have been asked to be a part of an upcoming video shoot for a program called Song Check Live. Matt Russell, the producer, has been coming to my shows for awhile now in LA and invited me to be a part of the shoot along with some other great artists such as Brett Dennen and Jay Buchanan. I'm flying down for a few days this upcoming weekend. I'm lining up a house party while I'm in town, so if you're up for some music and good times, stay tuned. MH 12.05.06

WEST COAST TOUR WITH KAT JONES
12/05 @ Imbibe, Portland, OR
12/06 @ Sunset Tavern, Seattle, WA w/ Molly Rose 21+
12/07 @ Midnight Sun, Olympia, WA details coming soon
12/08 @ AJ Mason AfterParty, Santa Monica, CA
12/09 @ Song Check Live Video Shoot (private)
12/10 @ The Revolution, Ashland, OR
12/11 @ Jefferson State Pub, Ashland, OR w/ Adam Evolve
12/12 @ Dip House Party, Redding, CA
12/13 @ Marilyns on K "Americana Ramble", Sacramento, CA
12/14 @ Recording at The Hangar
12/15 @ Kuppajoe, Fresno, CA w/ Aspen Hollow, Vernal Falls
12/16 @ Columbia Casa, Richmond, CA w/ Destroy Nate Allen
12/17 @ Edinburgh Castle, San Francisco, CA w/ Nate Allen

Tour starts today. We're still firming up a few dates, but its shaping up to be a nice little two week tour. I'm scrambling to learn some Christmas songs today before the show tonight in Portland. I should also get my license cleared up before I start driving around all over the place, apparently it's canceled according to the Seattle Police Department who hassled me at the airport for having expired tags. Anyway, this isn't news sorry. Oh, did I mention I'm filming down in Hollywood this weeked for SONGCHECK LIVE, a really cool program put together by my friend Matt Russell? I will be performing two songs and doing an interview with Jay Buchanen about music and songwriting. It should hopefully eventually be up on my Myspace page as a video sometime in 2007.

NOV 27, 2OO6
Ok, our TOUR POSTERS are up, hopefully you saw that when you came to this website. We went with the Dani K design based on popular demand. If you would like to help us spread the word about this tour, please download the .pdf poster file and print out as many as you need. I'm in Alaska on tour right now, it's been really fun so far, and nice to be home for Thanksgiving. Tour with Kat Jones starts next week. See SHOWS for tour dates.

NOV 10, 2OO6
Hey, vote for your favorite tour poster for my upcoming west coast tour with Kat Jones. CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND VOTE. Also, as a little early Christmas present, why not check out a live version of "City Walls" from a live interview with Michael Leahy, on his show Cool As Folk in Davis, CA on KDVS. And one more thing - this week, Boise Weekly wrote me up as their pick of the week, complete with a photo, here's what they had to say about yours truly:

"Guess what, music lovers? Matt Hopper, who originally hails from Alaska, is hanging out in Boise for a few weeks while he records a new album. A troubadour of sorts, Hopper prefers whiskey to wine and well-constructed lyrics to drivel. A few years ago, he quit his day job to make music his full-time endeavor. Hopper made his new home the inside of his Chevy as he traveled far and wide, sharing the stage with an impressive array of musicians, including the much-blogged-about Cold War Kids and Damien Jurado. The LA Weekly wrote about Hopper, "He writes earnest alt-countrified songs that are pop without being clichéd and delicate without being sappy." Sounds about right. And while this alt-country-pop songster records his new release, he'll take up a resident gig at Opa, playing Monday nights at 9 p.m. through November 23. You can also catch him this Friday at The Bouquet with Escape Wheel. The music will be sweet and the drinks will be strong, so stop by and give this boy a listen." {BW Picks, Nov. 8, 2006}

NOV 8, 2OO6
Oh dear, it's been awhile, hasn't it. Here's the scoop - my laptop's AC adaptor fried on my in New York City and I haven't really had access to my website in a long time. The last post (see below) was written when I found someone with a Dell adaptor and was able to log in for one full battery life, which lasted like two days. Ok, since then Cameron McGill and I toured all the way up to Seattle, then down to Los Angeles. We had a blast on tour and I now count that guy on a very short list of bonafide characters that I'm pleased to call a true friend. We parted ways out in Santa Monica, where we spent some moments contemplating our great journey from Chicago while watching the waves crash on a rather beautiful calm Venice Beach. From there, Cam caught a plane home and I headed over to Joshua Tree to visit that ol' firecracker Tim Easton for a day, then on to Phoenix, AZ to start a short list of dates with the beautiful and talented Grace Sims. We got to see Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers at Glendale Arena which was so good. Stevie Nicks was also there and sang on about four songs...very niiccce. I crashed out in Las Vegas for a week, wrote some songs with my friends there and had a few gigs, then split for Utah, where I spent another week catching up on things and playing some shows. I arrived in Boise, ID about two weeks ago and began work on a new batch of tunes which will most likely become songs on my next record. I am working with a producer named Sean Hatton. He is trying to build his resume and I'm trying to get an album recorded so it was a no brainer. I'm staying in a ridiculously sweet house with my own wing and a whirlpool jet bath...I'm really excited about that...it's my new hobby. We are about halfway through the record, and it's a good mix of rock and folk...it's basically the logical progression of my musical journey. It's a rock record with lots of spacey folk and stuff in it. I like to say it's The Gold Rush to the next level, with a full band. I'm keeping a blog about it over at my Myspace page.

In about two weeks I head back to Alaska, where I was invited to play the Miss Alaska and Miss Teen Alaska Pageant. I have a few other shows booked up there and am looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with my parents, where I can hopefully talk them into loaning me a couple thousand dollars to get this record out. Ha ha.

After the AK trip, I'm doing a run down the west coast with my good friend Kat Jones. We cross paths all over the place and finally decided it's about time we attack the road together. She is such a sweetheart, I'm really looking to spending time with her and hopefully getting to write a few songs while we're out there freezing our lips off to sing you songs.

Not too sure where I'll be spending the holidays, but I will be down in LA in January to mix the record and I'm also housesitting down there, so I'll most likely do some shows and throw some BBQs.

That's all for now. Good things are afoot. Some cool things are presenting themselves to me, in regards to record labels and whatnot. I'm a stubborn bastard though, so I'll mostly hold off for the sweetest deal possible. This could take awhile. :)

HEAD WEST YOUNG MAN
Writing you from the Coffee Break in Salt Lake, across from my favorite breakfast burrito place - Betos. The tour with Cameron McGill is in full effect, we just got done with Colorado, and barely made it to SLC late last night to play a set at Moonshine Monday @ The W Lounge. Check up on our travels on our MYSPACE BLOGS. We wanted to apologize to anyone who came out last night and thought we were a no show. If you were one of those people, please drop us a line within the next 24 hours and we will guestlist you for tomorrow's show in Provo. Or, you could come to Park City tonight for a free show at the Spur. Will write more later, but that's all the news for now really, we are well and safe. Please tell your friends about our tour on the west coast! Thanks, MH

NEW YORK CITY ADOPTED SON
Lou Reed called me up and he wants his coolness back, so I'm bringing him a big dose from Alaska. I fly out from Chicago tomorrow and strait to a happy hour near you (if you live in SoHo), hey they even wrote me up. On Saturday I'll be playing with some fine bands from around the country at PIANOS. Next weekend I'll be in Baltimore making the rounds. I'm looking forward to connecting with all my east coast lovers and friends. See you soon. MMS was quite a blast last week in Indianapolis, you can read some accounts (including the now legendary "Hopper Collides with Ceiling Fan" story) of the weekend at my blog. Check out the page we slapped up for my upcoming tour with Cameron McGill. We still have a few dates left to fill, mainly in the San Francisco region of California, so if you have a house or an idea, let us know.

MIDWEST / WEST COAST TOUR WITH CAMERON MCGILL
Just wanted to let y'all know that the Matt Hopper / Cameron McGill September tour is confirmed, including a stop at the Southpark Music Festival. They are about 70% booked with more dates coming in, check out Matt's Myspace page for confirmed dates. Check out Cameron here. In other news, Matt will be playing the Midwest Music Summit next week, shooting a music video with director Nick Pirnstill in Ohio on his way out east, be gigging around Baltimore and New York City, and most importantly, recording some new tunes for the upcoming tour in September. Confirmed tracks include: Gravel Slide, Head To Feet, Wedding Ring, Keep You Around, I Put a Halo On Your Head, and a top secret suprise cover. Also, if you are interested in hosting a house party for Matt out east, well, hell, west, south or north, drop his booking agent a line at: booking at hatcherpassrecords.com.

PERFORMING SONGWRITER PHOTO
Fun Fact: Check out the new issue of Performing Songwriter, you'll find Hopper jamming with Grace Potter somwhere within it's pages. On the cusp - around six solo shows in Wisconsin before Hopper packs up for the road again - plans to hit the east coast after the Midwest Music Summit are materializing, with a strait shooter through the beautiful state of Colorado in early September to hit up the Southpark Music Festival (not confirmed, but counting on it) and then on to a west coast diet for the fall and winter. Plans for recording in Boise, Los Angeles, and Seattle are materializing. In hard news, Hopper made a cameo in a music video by Big D and the Kids Table [link] - if you look closely you can see a Hopper poster on the wall throughout the entire video. Ha ha. Also - congrats to Kristian Swearingen on his recent marriage - word on the street is that he recorded his own version of "Head To Feet" to play while he had his first dance with his new wife - that is one of the largest compliments one could ever recieve as a songwriter - thanks and many blessings on your marriage! Plans for a solo tour with Cameron McGill are in the works, along with Canadian steed Leeroy Stagger, and a show in New York City with Mr. Neal Casal, you may know him as the guitar player in the Cardinals, Ryan Adams' current backup band. Also in the works - a CD release party thrown by Backlight Records in New York for "Other Songs & Dances Vol. 1" with Ian McGlynn and Annie Quick. Cowabunga and yippie ka yo yo who ha ha hee and ho hum. [June 29, 2006]

MATT HOPPER PREPARES TO GO HOME
Tomorrow Matt Hopper embarks on a tour that will take him back home for a spell, eight dates in Alaska. While up there he plans on catching up on sleep, drinking beer, and collaborating with Chris Schutte on some songs, not to mention rocking your face off. In other news, Mr. Hopper is out of "THE GOLD RUSH EP" so don't order it. He won't have more copies for awhile. Be patient. [June 21, 2006]
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CANDLES TO OPEN FOR MARGOT & THE NUCLEAR SO AND SOS
Matt Hopper and current bandmates Juicy Kunesh (drums)/ TJ Pedriana (keys) will perform on the Union Terrace in Madison, WI supporting current indie darlings Margot & The Nuclear So and So's in July. [May 26, 2006]
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HOPPER ON SOLO TOUR
Matt Hopper is currently on a solo tour in select midwest and west coast states, you can check out his tour dates here. [May 26, 2006]
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HOPPER FEATURED ON COMP "OTHER SONGS & DANCES"
Backlight Records recently released "Other Songs & Dances Vol. 1" featuring a new cut by Hopper called "The Absentee". [May 1, 2006]