Mark Myers: Where does the passion come from that you have for 80 ' s rock n roll?
Ben Cote: To be honest I actually am more influenced by the Rock artists of the 70’ s, although I do take inspiration from all styles and decades of music. I originally got into the Classic Rock scene after discovering my father’ s Van Halen records. After that I just dove head-first into that scene. I really got into artists such as Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, The Runaways, Jimi Hendrix, etc. There is just something about that style of music-- probably the blues influence of it-- that has a certain swagger that you can’ t really find anywhere else.
Another reason why I have such a passion for Classic Rock is that back then, the artists didn’ t have the technology to fix any mistakes. You had to be able to actually play and sing. There was nothing to hide behind like today. I’ m not saying that I would rather not have Pro Tools today, because I have been getting into music production recently and I love the luxury of today’ s technology. However, I do have a lot of respect for the artists and producers of that time for working without the technology that we all, myself included, take for granted today.
MM: How do you balance Berklee, work and playing out?
BC: It’ s definitely not easy, but I believe that nothing worth doing is easy. It’ s a lot of setting goals, and making priorities. During the semester, my schoolwork always comes first, but the band is always active. I just have to make sure I get everything I need done. I don’ t usually get a lot of sleep during the semester, but I thought is that I’ m working as hard as I can now, so I hopefully won’ t have to later in life.
Plus I have a lot of family and friends helping me out. My parents have always been very supportive, and my dad is actually managing my band now to keep us organized. That’ s a HUGE help! Also, my good friend Steven Hebert runs all of my social media accounts, which is another huge help. I definitely wouldn’ t be where I am today if it wasn’ t for everyone around me.
MM: How long have you been playing guitar? Do you play any other instruments?
BC: I started playing guitar when I was 14, so I’ ve been playing for about 8 years. I started by taking lessons from Brandon Durham at a local music store. He is an amazing teacher and he taught me so much. Apart form singing, I also play little piano, but that is mainly just for songwriting purposes. I don’ t think I’ m fluent enough yet to be able to call myself a piano player.
MM: Who inspires you musically?
BC: As a guitarist, I went through the shredding phase. My first big influence was Eddie Van Halen, and then I got into guys like Yngwie Malmsteen and Randy Rhoads. That isn’ t really what I’ m about anymore, though. I think it’ s great that I spent time learning how to play like those guys because it definitely got my chops up, but now I’ m much more into the songwriting perspective. The Rock Music of the 60’ s and 70’ s style is what really influences me now … guys like Eric Clapton, Joe Perry, Jimmy Page, and Angus Young are what influence me as a guitarist. My view is that you see 6-yearolds playing Yngwie solos on YouTube, so it’ s really not that impressive anymore. I think music should be a little deeper. I’ m a big fan of Slash because he keeps his playing really bluesy and emotional. As far as bands go, lately I’ ve been listening to a lot of artists such as The Replacements, David Bowie, and The Neighborhoods. Basically, I like music that is a good blend of Rock, Punk, and Pop. However, I’ m always looking for new music and trying to grow as an artist.
MM: Will you be staying in Boston after graduation from Berklee?
BC: I plan on it. I wanted to move out to Hollywood when I first started at Berklee, but the older I get, the less appealing that is to me. I’ ve really fallen in love with Boston. Plus, I’ ve been building connections and a fan base here, so I really don’ t want to uproot myself anytime soon. You never know what the future will hold though, so we will see. However, as of right now, I’ m happy to be just another Boston rocker.