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FAIRBANKS — When Matt Hopper arrives in Fairbanks, it will be for a solo acoustic show. But in many ways Hopper is like a sailor who spends his life at sea. Instead of a girl in every port, Hopper has stockpiled bands that he calls on when he’s ready to tour or record. By his own account, it’s “a weird way to go,” but one that seems to be working for the Alaska resident who calls the road home.

“I realized that I could basically come into a town, spend three days doing rehearsals and teaching them a set list so we can do some shows,” Hopper said from his parents’ Wasilla home.

Economically, it makes sense considering the current cost of touring. Given that Hopper has no home base, it also eases the burden of trying to support that band.

“I live on the road. Been living on the road since 2004 pretty much full time,” he said. “I’ve touched down in a few places along the way, usually it’s because I need to record. I’ll take six weeks and integrate myself in some place with a band and cut a record. Then I’m out on the road again.”

This also plays to Hopper’s strength: Diversity. Hopper’s music ranges from classic rock to blues, glam rock to grunge, alt-country to folk, with perhaps a few other genres sprinkled about. There’s no locking Hopper down.

So with bands in Madison, Wisc.; New York City; Nashville; Boise; Salt Lake City; Portland, Ore.; Los Angeles; and Wasilla, Hopper can follow his whim. His New York ensemble includes a violin for an “atmospheric and dreamy” feeling, while the Nashville unit has more twang. In Madison, Hopper rocks full-steam with a drummer that’s “the closest thing to Keith Moon” he’s ever seen.

As for what fans will hear on those tours, Hopper said the music is still his, only the dynamic is slightly different.

“If a fan came to see me in all these different places they’d find the songs would be the same up to about 70 percent, and the last 30 percent would be the musician’s own flare,” he said. “They’re getting a Matt Hopper and the Roman Candles song, but it varies a little in style.”

Though Hopper said he’s coming to Fairbanks to “play a show of folk music,” the reality will be a diverse program that should include some original rock and pop numbers.

Hopper began his career as a musician in Anchorage, where he also deejayed at a couple radio stations, promoted concerts and did some time at the Anchorage Press. His world revolved around music, but he couldn’t keep a band together longer enough to capitalize on his talent. Eventually, disillusionment took hold and Hopper opted to go the solo route.

"When the Roman Candles broke up, the actual band I had under that name in Alaska, I went on a little soul-searching journey and played solo for a couple years,” he said. “It was about two years ago I missed playing in a band, that freedom you use to create something that you can’t do when playing solo. Then, little things started happening.”

He was in Phoenix when the Madison band called and asked him to join a session. Happy to be back in the band realm again, he tried to form a band in Alaska once again. That one also failed to work out.

“It was a complete disaster. Nobody was really getting along. The guitarist kind of had a drinking problem that spilled over to the shows. I was really discouraged and did a solo tour the next time I came to Alaska,” he said. “But there was no reason I couldn’t find a good band to back me off. “

He did, absorbing the Wasilla band La Voy and one friend from Kasilof to form the Roman Candles.

Of course, having a band does have it’s drawbacks, Hopper talked of his last tour, which lasted about a month and netted him a whopping $133 for his efforts. He laughed at the absurdity of it even as he admitted how much he enjoyed it.

“I hooked up with this band and went from Chicago to L.A. to Salt Lake City,” he recalled. “It was a great tour, a lot of fun. We had like an $800 to $900 profit from the tour, but then split it 7 ways. I made $133 for a month long tour.

“I make way more money playing solo,” he added. “I can book a few solo shows and scrape together $500-$600 pretty fast. It makes no sense to go on tour for a month and make $133 or play three shows solo and make $600. It makes no sense.”

Still, few artists have such options. Hopper has the luxury to grab a band when he’s feels like rocking, or play it solo when he’s in a mellower mood (or needs more cash). Either way, it’s the best of both worlds, no matter where the port of call.