Local artist back to play Vagabond Blues

April 8, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Former Alaska pop-music icon Matt Hopper is back after a series of unfortunate events, including a car break-in while on tour in Washington state that left him without a guitar, pedals, music merchandise, mixer, laptop or iPod.

This week, Hopper returns to his old stomping grounds and loyal fan base with hopes of regrouping before continuing his tour across America.

Hopper's four-performance swing through Alaska consists of two benefit concerts aimed at helping him replace the stolen items. The second benefit concert is scheduled for Vagabond Blues this Saturday, an

intimate acoustic show

with singer/songwriter

Evan Phillips, from The Whipsaws, an Anchorage band.

Following the Vagabond show, Hopper is off to Fairbanks for one gig before heading back to the West Coast, with stops in Washington and Oregon.

"Career-wise, I'm in a great place," Hopper stated in an e-mail interview earlier this week. "I've been touring in the states for eight months straight and have gained many new friends along

the way."

Hopper said the next step will be getting a band back together to start showcasing for big indie labels before recording new material and hitting the road again.

Hopper first made a name for himself in the Valley and Anchorage as the front man for The Roman Candles. Since the group disbanded, Hopper has spent most of his time on the road, performing solo and with other bands, while continuing to record albums.

Lately, Hopper said he's been playing with lots of bands that have backed him up during performances.

"Ultimately, I would enjoy playing both solo and with a band roughly eight months out of the year, split evenly," he said.

On Saturday, Hopper fans can expect to hear a lot of new tunes, including all five songs from his current solo release "The Gold Rush." He said he'll probably pull out a few old Roman Candles songs as well.

The Vagabond Blues performance is $8 at the door. Music starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information, people may call 745-2233.

Contact Joel Davidson at 352-2266, or joel.davidson@

frontiersman.com.