Matt Hoopes
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| Matthew Hoopes | |
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 Matt Hoopes playing guitar
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Matthew Ryan Hoopes |
| Also known as | Matt, Matt H, Matty H, Hoopes, Blanche |
| Born | February 15, 1981 |
| Origin |  Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Christian rock Pop punk |
| Occupation(s) | Lead Guitarist and backing vocalist for the Christian rock band Relient K |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, Lapsteel, Banjo, Vocals |
| Years active | 1998-present |
| Associated acts | Relient K |
| Website | www.relientk.com |
Matthew Hoopes is the lead guitarist of Relient K, a Christian rock band that was formed in 1998. Hoopes has played guitar and performed backing vocals for Relient K for nine years. Hoopes has slowly developed into the band's lead guitarist over the years, despite Matt Thiessen playing lead a lot in the band's early days. Thiessen is playing more piano for the band now, whereas Hoopes' primary duty for the band is guitar.
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[edit] Biography
Along with Matt Thiessen and Brian Pittman, Hoopes co-founded the band during his junior year of high school at Tuscarawas Valley High School in Canton, Ohio. He met Thiessen when they were in the Church choir together in second grade.[1] Matt Thiessen once said in the book The Complex Infrastructure Known as the Female Mind that Hoopes and Brian Pittman were the athletes in high school, and while they were friends with Thiessen, they were also probably considered cooler than Thiessen. While lead singer Matt Thiessen writes almost every song, Hoopes wrote the song "Those Words Are Not Enough" on The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek. While the band refers to him as "Blanche" to keep from confusing the two Matts[2], some fans refer to him as "Matty H", or just "Hoopes". Matt Thiessen has said that they can either usually tell who is being asked for when someone says "Matt", or they tend to use a lot of last names. This goes for Jon Schneck and John Warne as well. The band was named after Hoopes' car, the Plymouth Reliant K, and it is said that he still owns it.
Besides playing for Relient K, Hoopes has also done backup vocals for certain Matthew Thiessen and the Earthquakes songs, and has been a guest guitarist at concerts for the band My Red Hot Nightmare. Hoopes has said he is currently learning to play lapsteel, which would probably be used for the band.[3]
[edit] Personal life
Hoopes currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife and daughter.
[edit] Trivia
- When Relient K started in 1998, Hoopes originally didn't want to do any singing for Relient K. However, Matt Thiessen pushed him to do it, saying that he had a great voice. Hoopes has been the primary backing vocalist for the band ever since.
- Hoopes is married to Danielle, the daughter of Mark Lee Townsend, Relient K's primary producer. They have one daughter named Stella Rose.
- Matt Hoopes normally plays his guitar in one position (as seen in the picture on the right), so much so that certain fans have called it the "Classic Hoopes Stance".
- Hoopes went to the same high school as Marilyn Manson, who was the subject of their song My Girlfriend, though it was not at the same time.
- Hoopes has said he enjoys root beer, and playing golf.[1]
