Meet Justin Hooper of The Simple Parade in Littleton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Hooper.

Justin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I was a Senior in High School living in San Luis Obispo, CA, my mom “strongly encouraged” me to add Choir as one of my final electives. That year, we were one of three choirs nationwide selected to sing in Carnegie Hall in NYC, memorizing a 45 min requiem in Latin along with various other choir pieces. That powerful experience sparked my passion for music, and shortly after that, I began to teach myself piano and guitar and joined a band and started songwriting.

After our first band broke up a few years back, I started this music project, “The Simple Parade”, and in 2015 moved to CO with my lovely wife, Kayla. Not only was Kayla the muse of many of the songs on the debut album, “A Love Story”, but she also provided harmonies on the record, which got some attention from Nashville when it came out in 2016. After taking a few meetings on Music Row, we were told that we should go back to Denver to “keep building”, which is what we did. Over the years, we have collected many talented backing musicians, and this fall released a brand new album, “Seeker” (now streaming everywhere!).

Granted, this is a very short summary of the last 15 years (always game to go into greater detail over a good cup of coffee), but the overall goal with this music is to give people permission to tell their stories, to ask the hard questions, and to continually love beyond themselves. Through the peaks and valleys, songwriting has personally become a great “Jiminy Cricket” of sorts, and the lyrics are a constant reminder that there is hope in this crazy world we live in.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Believe it or not, the life of a musician is rarely easy. However, if it weren’t for the struggles, there wouldn’t be much to write about. For roughly six years, I struggled severely with multiple auto-immune diseases which came to a crescendo with a diagnosis of late-onset Type-1 Diabetes when I was 27 years old. This long and painful struggle (where I found myself on deaths doorstep on more than one occasion) lead me to start being more honest when people asked, “How are you doing?”. When I started to let people in on my journey, they began to open up in return (often over a cup of coffee), and those honest conversations became the song “Going Through Something”.

Shortly after that, I got hit hard by abrupt job loss for unjust reasons, and as Kayla and I bounced around from basement to basement for months while I looked for steady work, we both started to sink into depression (also during that season, I got hit by a serious staff infection and we had all of our money stolen by an elaborate identify theft scheme). In the middle of all of this, I went out to a park bench and yelled at God about the injustice of it all, and this became the song “Park Bench”.

Divorce in the family: “Sydney.”
Death of a Grandfather: “Heartstrings”
Death of a friends baby after eight days on this planet: “Aria.”

These are just a few examples of many hardships I have seen along the way, but something I have found is that when we play songs like these out in the world, we are able to connect with people on a deeper level. Sure, we have a lot of fun songs as well, but it has become apparent that while people enjoy sharing happiness, we truly bond in suffering. There is great power in words “I get it”, and surprisingly there can be hope and joy in sharing the valleys with others.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
Technically speaking, I’m in the “music business”. However, after trying so hard to “make it” as a musician, enough life circumstances have come my way to show me that trying to make a difference with music is better philosophy. Along with songwriting, recording, and performing (sometimes with a full band, sometimes with my wife, and sometimes just me and an instrument), I am also a music teacher. I got my degree in Teaching at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo (with an emphasis in History), and I did my senior project on the importance of music in schools.

When I was nine years old, I did take nine months of piano lessons, but when my teacher took a break, I decided not to find another teacher because I didn’t like to read music. I found it boring. Years went by, I got more into sports (soccer, primarily), but after winning the “most injured player” award one season decided maybe it’s time for a new elective (cue my mother’s suggestion of choir…)

When I got back into music, my passion was ignited because I was able to do it on my terms, the way I was wired. I used this passion for creating my own piano and guitar curriculum and being a musician, I have, over the years, taught students a more holistic approach to music. Back in California, I called it “Not Your Average Music Lessons”, but since moving to CO, I have renamed it “The Simple Parade Music Lessons”, just to keep everything more, well, simple. I am also hoping to start a program called “Project Heartstrings” in the Fall of 2021, helping to instruct students who can’t afford lessons and having people donate guitars so they truly are able to have the gift of music. My hope is that if this idea is printed somewhere that it will keep me accountable to actually start that next year, so whoever is reading this, please keep me accountable.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There is quite a list of people to thank, but for time’s sake, I will keep the list short and sweet. For starters, I have to thank my parents, Janet and Kevin Hooper. Every step of the way, they have been supporting this music endeavor, and they always find opportunities to say how proud they are that I am doing something I believe in.

Secondly, my supportive wife Kayla for all the love and support she has given all these years. Not only is she a joy to sing with, but more importantly, she has the most caring heart of anyone I have ever known. A big reason why I keep trying to make this music thing more about helping others is because of her compassionate spirit, and whenever I start to get off track, she has the right words to remind me what it should all be about.

Also, have to thank my HS choir director, Mr. L. His passion for music and his disciplined attention to detail made him a powerful influence in my life and a true reminder that one teacher can change the trajectory of a child’s whole life. To Ken Peet, my youth group leader, who was also an invaluable part of my life. There was a sign that hung in our youth room that said, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care”, and although he did have quite a bit of wisdom, he was first and foremost known for love he showed every student who walked through those doors.

Finally, I have to thank Jesus. Since his life is one of the most (if not the most) influential stories that this world has ever seen, I thought it might be wise to study his biography and build a mission statement off of it. After a bit of research, it turns out he told a lot of stories, he asked a lot of questions (and rarely answered questions he was asked), and he loved (God, others, neighbors, enemies), and encouraged others to do the same.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 805.305.3937
• Email: thesimpleparade@gmail.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/thesimpleparade
• Facebook: facebook.com/thesimpleparade
• Other: Youtube.com/thesimpleparade

Image Credit:
Kayla Hooper

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