Jackson Free Press

Take two young men, both of whom write songs, sing and play guitar. Then mix in the Internet. Stuff the guys and what they'll need to survive on the road into a 2000 Chevy Blazer. Be sure they've left their regular-guy, 9-to-5 jobs. Shake, mix and move from town to town, state to state, from across the southwest and Texas, and continue on to the East Coast, then make your way back across America's heartland until you've reached the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. What you've got is the "Death of a Day Job Tour, 2004" complete with Matt Hopper, 25, and Andrew Norsworthy, 28, at the wheel.

Hopper and Norsworthy met in Anchorage in the mid-'90s when Hopper attended a concert where Norsworthy played with his then band. The two became friends. Hopper played for several years with the Roman Candles, now disbanded but with hopes of reuniting. Earlier this year, Norsworthy called Hopper from Europe where he was on tour alone after quitting his job in Seattle. Both knew the clock was ticking, they'd be 30 before they knew it. It was time to take a stab at it. Hopper: "Matt said he wanted to book a west coast tour. I asked if we could go all the way to Dallas. Then I told him we might as well go to the East Coast if we're going as far as Dallas." Hopper quit his job in the mailroom at Microsoft.

When I talked to them last Saturday, they were in said Chevy Blazer, somewhere between Flagstaff and Albuquerque. Norsworthy told me the title of the tour came about as a leap of faith, a way to see if making a two- to three-month commitment rather than a two- to three-week one would pay off for the two of them.

Without the Internet, Norsworthy told me, "I have no idea how we'd have done this … doors previously unopen are now open." Being artists with Hatcher Pass Records helped as did the many, many e-mails and Web searches; the two have set up almost all of their dates, but they continue to do so from the road. In addition, both guys have road journals at their own Web sites, Hopper's is at www.matthopper.com while Norsworthy's is at www.andrewnorsworthy.com You can catch up on what's been going on with the guys before they come to Hal & Mal's Friday, Oct. 22, at 8:30 p.m., 948-0888, then you can follow the rest of their tour online. Norsworthy says a real pleasure each night has been getting to meet the people they've only met online.

The Internet is how the guys discovered the Jackson musician who will be joining them at Hal & Mal's. Eric Stracener says he's flattered that these two in their 20s want a guy "way up" in his 30s to play with them. Norsworthy said he caught Stracener online and knew he'd be someone they would want on the bill with them. Stracener says the acoustic evening will feature each performer separately as well as a sort of songwriter-in-the-round section.

About his music, Norsworthy says "I'm a singer, songwriter who plays guitar. My musical heroes are guys like Paul Simon. I'm a word guy; I put a lot of emphasis on the lyrics. I guess it would be fair to say it's literate songwriting. I'm a word dork." Hopper says: "I'm a pretty basic guy. I consider myself a songwriter, a decent singer who plays guitar. My voice is more akin to Tom Petty or Elvis Costello. Actually, my voice is kind of weird, but I've been trying to find my own voice, and now I've found it."

All I can say is their speaking voices are melodious, and both can carry on a coherent conversation while being distracted by the beauty surrounding them on the highway from Arizona to New Mexico. So, Hal & Mal's is definitely the place to be Friday night, to celebrate with these two the death of their day jobs and the rise of their music careers. No cover, so come on.