Monday, January 21, 2019

Interview with Restless



Describe your band, telling a little about it in a few sentences.
We are a group of 4 guys that got together and things just clicked. The cool thing is, our musical influences are the same in some way and very different in another. I think that has led to a really cool mix in our setlist.

What are your member names? / Who plays what?
Rich Gualtiere - drums / backing vocals
Mike Minor - Bass / Abuse
Mike Cottis - vocals / rhythm guitar
Q - guitar

Have members played with any other bands?
Q - Our bass player, Mike Minor, has been in several bands dating back to his college days. He is by far our most experienced member.
Minor- I have actually been playing since 8th grade. Experience is a very fluid concept to me; Q passed me long ago, in solo practice time.
Cottis – Little known fact… way back in high school I dabbled with a band. Sadly, we never made it out of the basement.

Do you write your own music or perform covers? Has it always been this way?
Cottis - We perform all covers right now, but we are also messing around with some original stuff. At some point we hope to start incorporating a few originals in the set.
Q – Restless is only a cover band. Personally I do have some originals that I hope to finish someday. But it’s tough to find the time!
Minor- We have a unique way of selecting songs. While we are at work, we look up music videos on Youtube.com and send them to each other. Also, at every show we have a secret song, that only Cottis knows. All in all, I would say it's a pretty eclectic selection.

What year did the band form?   2016

Where does your band call home?   The Ohio Valley

What's your style or genre?
Cottis - Do we have to pick just one? We are mostly rock / classic rock, but we have inserted and made our own some country tunes, southern rock, and even a little funk. For example, we took Merle Haggard’s Mama Tried and made it a cool little rock tune. But mostly you’re gonna hear late 80’s early 90’s rock.

What inspires your music?
Cottis - The stuff we listened to growing up and stuff that catches our attention now.
Minor - The need to vibrate my friends with speakers.

How often do you rehearse?   Usually once a week. I would add though, we talk about what we are playing, literally, constantly. I think 1 time a week works for us.

What gear do you guys use?
Rich – Ludwig drums and Zildjian Custom A cymbals.
Q – I’m a fan of Ibanez guitars, though I also use other brands. I use a Blackstar 5 watt amp for the live shows.
M- Ibanez bass, and 2 other Basses I use for parts. Hartke/Ampeg
Cottis – I love the Les Paul bodystle, but can’t afford a real LP, so I use a Mitchell and an Epiphone both in the LP bodystyle. My current amp is a Crate 50 watt tube.

Do you utilize a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that?
No, we just try to make calls and get our name out there.

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that?
That would be awesome, but we better start putting some solid originals out for that! Maybe someday? But we ain’t getting any younger.

Do you start with the music or the lyrics?
Q sometimes have ideas for riffs or melodies for songs, but nothing ever becomes a real “song” until we have lyrics. The lyrics make the song and arrangement take shape for me.
Minor has done some originals with Q, and is the exact opposite. Although, that's probably why it works. That and he says Q is awesome.

Do you compose in a certain environment? Certain life influences?
Cottis – I wish I could write a song.
Q – I try to write whenever the inspiration strikes. Most of my songs are about the emotions that come about from life experiences. I don’t necessarily try to tell the story of what happened; I try to tell how it felt. Then, hopefully, someone else can listen and identify with the emotions, but relate it to their own experiences.

Have you done any covers live?
Yes, we are a cover band.

What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs?
Rich – I would say between 30 and 100 people at a normal show.

What ages are most of your concert attendants?
Cottis - I’d say late 20’s to late 50’s. If you like stuff played on Eagle and WDVE you’ll like what we do.

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary?
Cottis - We really try to add new stuff for every show. It’s a cool challenge. And I tell you what, the stuff we do is not the usual easy stuff. We play complicated tunes. The average Joe may not get that, but a true musician would.

Do you have a regular place you play live often?
Cottis - Mostly Rutts in Mingo
Rich – I love playing at Rutts Cross Creek Tavern in Mingo.

What was your first gig like?
Cottis - Nervous! It was tough to get in the groove. But, it was a chili cook off picnic and it was a relaxed environment since it was mostly family and friends. Or maybe that made it worse?
Q – the first dozen or so gigs were nerve wracking. I don’t like being in front of people so trying to perform was difficult for me for a long time. I’m now on my third year of playing live shows and it is finally starting to get a little easier.
Rich – I was very nervous the day of the event. The nerves went away after the first song.
Minor - Our first gig was not my first gig; so I was calm. I just remember having a lot of fun.

What was your latest gig?
Rich – Rutts Cross Creek Tavern. We played their annual Christmas Party.

Have you had to cancel a gig?
Rich – We make every effort to not cancel a gig. We have brought in a replacement player (Cliff Bernard, he’s a Good friend and one hell of a musician, to fill in as needed). He’s has had to fill in on lead guitar and bass for us in the past.
Minor - Restless has reliability similar to the USPS.

Where have you played live this year?
Rich – We have played at the House of Brews in Follansbee and Rutts Cross Creek Tavern in Goulds.

Where do you plan to gig the coming year?
Rich – I would love to continue to play at our current locations but we are always looking and open to playing new venues.

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale?
Rich – Currently, we don’t sell any merchandise. However, we are open to the possibility in the future.

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days?
Q –I think that any way for artists to have their music heard is a good thing. But personally I still prefer records or CDs. I love the artwork and I love having the full album there the way the artist intended it to be heard. You just don’t get that with the digital format.

Do you have any role models or idols?
Cottis - Myself, my first true musical influences were Guns N’ Roses and Tesla. It kind of spider webbed from there. Got into any and all rock and country. Lately I’ve been on a southern rock kick and Blackberry Smoke is in rotation a lot. They are great song writers.
Q – my biggest idols are writers. Axl Rose, Jerry Cantrell, Christopher Hall from Stabbing Westward and Justin Furstenfeld from Blue October all had big influences on my tastes.
Rich – Guns N Roses, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, ACDC would have to be my biggest influences. Not sure if I would call them role models, but they have had the biggest influence on me.
Minor- Honestly, Pantera is my number 1 influence. Their groove metal style comes through in my playing, and volume, more often than not. But I love so many artists. Phil Collins, RHCP, Green Day, Vivaldi, to name a few.

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today?
Cottis - For me it’s older bands. You know, the Led Zep to G N’ R era is where it’s at! Or bands that have that classic rock sound. Blackberry Smoke has that Skynyrd sound. Greta Van Fleet, Shinedown, and some others have that classic rock sound. I also get into quite a few country artists like Waylon Jennings, Shooter Jennings, Eric Church, Whitey Morgan, and Cody Jinks. I could go on and on…
Q – both. I love old school stuff, but really I just like songs that come from the heart. When it was released doesn’t matter.
Rich – Definitely older bands. Some of my friends tell me I’m stuck in the 70’s and 80’s.
M- I don’t listen to much new music. It's been replaced by a constant loop of “Baby Shark”.
Cottis – I gotta add one thing, the diverse tastes in our band has helped me discover music that is new to me. Rich and I are a lot alike in our rock taste, but Q and Minor have turned me onto stuff that I probably would’ve missed in the shuffle. I hope I’ve done that for them as well.

What have been your biggest obstacles?
Cottis - As a band? Probably figuring out what to put in the sets. We get into some little spats about what to play, but most of it is good natured ribbing.
Rich – I would have to say finding the correct people for this band. Q and I started this prior to 2016 and was a revolving door of musicians for a while. It was very difficult to find the right people with the right personalities and musical abilities and musical goals to make this happen.
Minor - When you are in a band with people you really like, it helps you not see the obstacles.

What advice would you give other bands or artists?
Rich – I’m 44 years old. I played a little in high school. I hadn’t touched a drum set since I was 18 years old. Now I’m having a blast doing something that I truly love doing. I guess what I’m saying, it’s never too late to do something new and do something you’ve always wanted to do.
Minor - This is more of a message to everyone else - Get out there and pick up an instrument.

How do you get psyched for a gig?
Cottis - If you don’t get psyched on your own, why are you doing it?
Q – I don’t get psyched at all. I just put my head down and try to survive being on stage.
Rich – I don’t really get psyched. I enjoy kicking back, watching some old school tv shows before a gig.
Minor - Setting up, and holding Q's barf bag.

What are your web sites?
https://www.facebook.com/restlessrocks/

How can people reach you?
Rich - You can message us on facebook or contact me at 740-317-5584.

What are your plans for the future?
Rich – I just want to keep playing.
Minor - Q and I really want to play Heinz Field, I guess if we do that I’d be happy.

What do you think of my work?
Rich – I think it’s great that you’re doing this. Helps bands and the general public who is interested in quality local music.
Minor - It's excellent.

How do you think that this interview could help you in the local music scene and beyond?
Rich – In the words of Axl Rose, “Any publicity is good publicity”.

What is one thing even your biggest fans don't know about the band?
Rich – I would have to say that Q and Minor are closet country music fans. Lol.
Minor- We record every single practice, and I have listened to every single one.
Cottis – We all hate our band name, but we will never agree on another one.

Do you have anything to add?
Rich – Please get out and support local music.