July 7, 2025

Inside the Pedal Lab with Relient K’s Matt Hoopes

Inside the Pedal Lab with Relient K’s Matt Hoopes

Matt Hoopes is back on the show! Blake and Matt catch up on all things Relient K—from packed DIY shows at Brown’s Diner to opening for Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan. They dive into what it means to be a touring musician as a grown-up, the joys of building a “new boat” for the band, and why some of the most meaningful shows don’t happen on giant festival stages.

They also nerd out on pedal design, with Matt revealing the evolution behind 1981 Inventions' DRV and LVL circuits (spoiler: the new stuff is weird in the best way), plus boost pedal obsessions, collabs with Big Ear and EAE, and that legendary Tele Deluxe of his.

If you're a fan of Relient K, boutique pedals, or Nashville pizza (yes, that too), this one's for you.

🎧 Topics include:

  • Relient K’s return to touring

  • The magic of Brown’s Diner shows

  • The secret sauce of the LVL pedal

  • Why boost pedals rule

  • Nashville’s best pizza spots

  • CBGBs, The Gorge, and other iconic venues


Check out all things 1981 Inventions at Matt's website HERE https://1981inventions.com/ and all things Relient K on their website HERE https://www.relientk.com/


  • Support The Show And Connect!

    The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577

    You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Release your music via DistroKid and save 30% by going to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/distrokid

  • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices