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 .