Matt Thiessen’s voice filled with energy as he recalled the rise of Relient K from a band playing small gigs in his hometown to slots with major music festivals and appearances on late night television shows.
“Growing up in Ohio, it’s such a special place,” said the 41-year-old frontman of the pop punk band. “When we were starting out, there wasn’t a ton of bands, but there was about five or six really cool bands full of buddies, and we could all play shows together, and those are some of the best times you could remember.”
More than a decade has passed since timing and circumstances converged to launch Relient K from obscurity to mainstream chart success, a spot on the Vans Warped Tour and impressive record sales, all while transcending the Christian music scene where the band started.
“And it just created a momentum that we just got to ride, and then, yeah, the story got crazier and crazier,” Thiessen added.
“The Alive Festival … playing things like that, and for the first time, someone wants your autograph, and (I thought), ‘What is my autograph?’ and that sort of thing. And yeah, we think about that stuff all the time, and it’s pretty crazy how it changed our lives.”
Thiessen took time to chat by phone a few days prior to Relient K’s concert at the House of Blues in Cleveland late last month. Stark County native and co-founding band member Matthew Hoopes chimed in via email on Monday.
Thiessen spoke with the insight and maturity of a musician who knows thousands of bands don’t make it, and even many who do fade out without the ability to consistently tour or make music.
Hoopes, 41, said the band and its fans have aged together.
“We had so much fun playing together,” he said of the recently concluded tour. “It’s been about five years since our last show, and honestly, I wasn’t sure if we would ever get back to this. I think there is a certain sense of gratitude and joy that is present now in our live shows. I think a lot of our fans weren’t sure if we would ever tour again, either, so I think it’s part of the reason for the excitement and overall good vibes.”
Asked how long he thinks Relient K will last, Thiessen didn’t flinch: “Matt and I always said the band will always exist as long as we’re having fun.”
Reflecting on the tour, he sounded at ease: “It’s not too hard to have fun.”
Rounding out the band during the tour were Jonathan Schneck, guitar and vocals; Ethan Luck, bass and vocals; and Dave Douglas, drums and vocals.
Relient K released its last studio album in 2016, “Air for Free.” A live album came out in 2020.
Thiessen lives in Nashville and Hoopes calls Florida home.
“We do have … a goal of making another album someday,” said Thiessen, who co-produced Owl City’s No. 1 song “Fireflies” in 2009 and still writes new music regularly. “Logistics in this band have become a little difficult. … It’s just about getting together, and it’s about figuring out where and what and when and how, but it will happen — I have faith that it will.”
Touring re-energized the band, Hoopes observed.
“I’m excited about what we can make … and how we can make music that feels important to us after all these years,” the guitarist wrote. “I don’t really think about hanging it up at a certain point. I think that Relient K will always kind of change into whatever form it needs to be for us, and that’s a pretty cool place to be.
“I don’t think we are too concerned with retiring or doing a farewell tour, but hey, you never know. The future is undetermined, but that’s what makes it exciting.”
Edited for brevity and clarity, the rest of the conversation and email exchange follow.
Making it in the music business
“I’m sure a lot of bands think their story is special and miraculous, but that’s the way we look at ours, too,” said Thiessen, a 1998 Tusky Valley High School graduate. “There’s just so many little factors of, ‘If this hadn’t happened, nothing would have happened,’ this sort of…
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