Rustic Overtones is an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band from
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
, United States, active between 1993 and 2002 and from 2007 to the present. They were the first group to perform live on
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (XM) was one of the three satellite radio ( SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable ...
, and their 2007 album ''
Light at the End'' was the fastest-selling local disc ever in the state of
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
.
History
Early years: 1993–2002
Rustic Overtones started in the early 1990s as a three-piece cover band known as Aces Wild with Dave Gutter, Jon Roods, and then-drummer and close friend Matthew Esty, playing small bars. This lineup produced the very rare ''Smile'' album. Rustic Overtones gained popularity during the mid to late 1990s in the Portland, Maine, music scene, although it had many self-financed tours throughout the country, mostly the northeastern states. After the release of the band's 1998 album ''
Rooms by the Hour
''Rooms by the Hour'' is an album by the American band Rustic Overtones, released in 1998. The album drew the attention of several major labels, leading to the band's contract with Arista Records.
Critical reception
'' The Providence Journal ...
'', major record label
Arista signed the band spurred on by then-president
Clive Davis
Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a non-performer, in 2000.
From 1967 to 1 ...
. The signing led to "Hardest Way Possible," a song from ''Rooms By The Hour'', being featured on the soundtrack of the
Rob Schneider
Robert Michael Schneider ( ; born October 31, 1963) is an American actor and comedian. He rose to prominence as a cast member on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' (1990–1994), where he earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Following ...
film ''
The Animal
''The Animal'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Luke Greenfield, written by Tom Brady and Rob Schneider from a story conceived by Brady. It stars Schneider in the lead role, alongside Colleen Haskell, John C. McGinley, Guy Torry, an ...
''. Arista hired legendary producer
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...
to produce what became the band's 2001 release, ''
¡Viva Nueva!
''¡Viva Nueva!'' is the fourth album by the Rustic Overtones, released in 2001 before their highly publicized breakup a year later. With 16 tracks, the album has the most songs of any Rustic Overtones album to date. Tommy Boy Records distribute ...
'' However, after disagreements with the label, and a shakeup at Arista that saw the band's primary supporter, Clive Davis, depart, the record deal fell through. The band was shortly picked up afterward by
Tommy Boy
''Tommy Boy'' is a 1995 American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, produced by Lorne Michaels, and starring soon-to-be former ''Saturday Night Live'' castmates and close friends Chris Farley and D ...
and released the album in 2001, which featured guest appearances by
Funkmaster Flex
Aston George Taylor Jr. (born August 5, 1967), professionally known as Funkmaster Flex, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer, and host on New York City's Hot 97 radio station. In 1992, he became host of the first hip hop radio show on Ho ...
,
Imogen Heap
Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap ( ; born 9 December 1977) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. She is considered a pioneer in pop music, particularly electropop, and in music technology.
While attending the ...
, and
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
. However, Tommy Boy's deal with Warner Bros. Records ended in 2002, which once again left the band without a record label. The disappointment of two major record deals falling through proved too much for the band members, and they went their separate ways in 2002. Its final performance was a three-hour show at the State Theatre on May 11, 2002.
Break-up and solo careers: 2002–2007
During the five years that the Rustic Overtones went their separate ways, most of the band members pursued a side project. Dave Gutter and Jon Roods met up with one-time Overtones drummer Marc Boisvert, and formed
Paranoid Social Club, another band that enjoyed success, with its single "Wasted" appearing in the soundtrack to the movie ''
Beerfest
''Beerfest'' is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by the comedy group Broken Lizard (Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan (actor), Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske), who also star in th ...
''. Spencer Albee joined with other local musicians including guitarist Zach Jones, drummer Brian Higgins, and bassist Haché and formed Rocktopus (later
As Fast As, replacing Higgins with drummer Andrew Hodgkins), whose album ''
Open Letter to the Damned
''Open Letter to the Damned'' is the first album by As Fast As after changing their name from Rocktopus. It was released in 2006 by Octone Records and is a reworking of their 2004 independently released album of the same name.
Track listing ...
'' received a 4.5/5 rating from music critic giant
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
. Tony McNaboe served as a touring drummer for
Ray LaMontagne
Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne (; born June 18, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. LaMontagne has released nine studio albums: '' Trouble'', ''Till the Sun Turns Black'', '' Gossip in the Grain'', '' God Willin' & the Creek Don ...
, and released an
R&B solo album in 2003 entitled ''Destination''. In addition, saxophonist Ryan Zoidis split his time between
Lettuce
Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae mostly grown as a leaf vegetable. The leaves are most often used raw in Green salad, green salads, although lettuce is also seen in other kinds of food, such as sandwiche ...
and
Soulive
Soulive is a funk/jazz trio that originated in Woodstock, New York. The band consists of Eric Krasno (guitar), Alan Evans (drums) and Neal Evans (Hammond B3 organ, bass keys, clavinet). Although they originated as a trio, the band has worked ext ...
, baritone saxophonist Jason Ward played with several local bands, and trombonist Dave Noyes joined local group
Seekonk.
Reunion and ''Light at the End'': 2007–2008
In early spring of 2007, drummer Tony McNaboe began the process of reuniting the band, calling each former member separately, and telling them that everyone else had already agreed to a reunion. In May 2007, Tony McNaboe, Spencer Albee, and Jon Roods made a surprise announcement on Portland's
WCYY
WCYY (94.3 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Biddeford, Maine, and serving the Portland metropolitan area. Its target audience are men between 18 and 44. The station airs an active/alternative rock radio format and is owned by Tow ...
that the entire band did indeed plan to reunite, and were in the process of scheduling local reunion shows. On May 29, they announced that they would play two reunion shows at Portland club The Asylum, on July 28 and 29, 2007. In addition, after a month of rumors and gossip, the band also announced that they had been working on a new album of previously unreleased material and newly written music, eventually titled ''
Light at the End'', which was released independently in late July 2007 coinciding with the two reunion shows.
Although the band originally made it clear that the reunion would only last for the summer, and the members would turn their attention back to their post-Overtones projects after the two shows and the release of the album, Gutter confirmed in an article for the ''
Portland Press Herald
The ''Portland Press Herald'' (abbreviated as ''PPH''; Sunday edition ''Maine Sunday Telegram'') is a daily newspaper based in South Portland, Maine, with a statewide readership. The ''Press Herald'' mainly serves southern Maine and is focused ...
'' that "reunions will become a regular thing" and that the band is "here to stay." Furthermore, during one of the band's reunion shows,
Spencer Albee
Spencer Aaron Albee (born May 31, 1976) is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Portland, Maine. Albee has been part of the Portland music scene for over two decades. Previously, Albee fronted As Fast As and was the keyboardist and ...
proclaimed, "we're never going to leave you again, we're sorry". Also, during an interview on a local news station on July 18, 2007, with Gutter and Albee, the two were asked what the future plans are with the band. Gutter responded with "we've got a couple more huge endeavors planned for Rustic Overtones" and Albee stated that "there's no reason to not be together".
On September 8, 2007, the band announced on their
MySpace
Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
page that they were in the process of filming a "feature film documentary," though they did not announce a release date or filming timetable. On November 24, 2007, Spencer Albee announced to the crowd at an Asylum concert that the band would soon re-release the albums ''
Long Division
In arithmetic, long division is a standard division algorithm suitable for dividing multi-digit Hindu-Arabic numerals (positional notation) that is simple enough to perform by hand. It breaks down a division problem into a series of easier step ...
'' and ''
Light At The End'' on a national record label to get the albums out to the masses. Two days later, the band announced on MySpace that the label they had signed with was
Velour Records, and hinted that their entire back catalog of albums would soon be released.
Spencer Albee's departure and ''The New Way Out'': 2008–2009
On September 17, 2008, the band unexpectedly announced on Myspace that Spencer Albee, their keyboardist since 1995's ''Long Division'', had left the band. Drummer Tony McNaboe explained that Spencer was parting ways on good terms, and that work on a new album would continue as planned with multi-instrumentalist Nigel Hall from Lettuce filling in on keyboards. Hall toured as a normal member of the band until he became too busy with other projects to continue as a full-fledged member, still contributing to the recording of the album. On tour the band began to alternate between Hall and Tyler Quist as keyboardists, playing some shows without a keyboardist at all, or having Ryan Zoidis and Dave Noyes take over keyboardist duties on certain songs. The band continued work on their album in their self-built studio, Limited Productions Limited, throughout 2008 and 2009, and on November 11, 2009, ''
The New Way Out'' was released.
Death of Noyes and ''Self Titled'': 2019
On February 23, 2019, the band posted a short clip of a song titled "Black Shirt" to their Instagram account with an announcement of their forthcoming album. On March 7, trombonist Dave Noyes died unexpectedly. Hailed as an essential member of the band, he was called the "glue that held the band together."
Multiple benefit shows were performed in his honor, as well as to raise funds for his bereaved pregnant wife and young child. On November 29, 2019, they released a self-titled album based on what Noyes had recorded before he died.
Styles and influences
In its earliest days, Rustic Overtones was mostly classified as a rock and soul band, citing as their heaviest influences artists such as
Earth, Wind, and Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...
and
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...
, and playing with a raw sound. However, by ''
Rooms by the Hour
''Rooms by the Hour'' is an album by the American band Rustic Overtones, released in 1998. The album drew the attention of several major labels, leading to the band's contract with Arista Records.
Critical reception
'' The Providence Journal ...
'', the band refined and diversified its sound, with much more of a jazz influence on songs such as "Pink Belly" and "Machine Maker," and an
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
feel on songs such as "The Heist" and "Kicking and Screaming". By the late '90s and into the early 2000s, the band had become heavily influenced by
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
, leading to the heavy production of the entire album, a collaboration with hip-hop veterans
Naughty by Nature that appeared on the rap group's 1999 album, and the ''
¡Viva Nueva!
''¡Viva Nueva!'' is the fourth album by the Rustic Overtones, released in 2001 before their highly publicized breakup a year later. With 16 tracks, the album has the most songs of any Rustic Overtones album to date. Tommy Boy Records distribute ...
''song "Smoke", which when played sometimes featured a guest rapper friend of the band who rapped over an extended outro to the song. Many believe that this radical switch of style contributed to the band's fallout with their Arista record deal, as the company apparently believed that the band's sound on the album would be similar to that of their older material. The album
Light at the End sounds most similar to the production and style of ''Rooms by the Hour'', although the album draws from various other phases of the band's musical evolution as well.
Members
Current
* Dave Gutter — Vocals,
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...
(1993–2002, 2007–present)
* Jon Roods —
Bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Wood
* Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
(1993–2002, 2007–present)
* Jason Ward —
Baritone Saxophone
The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowe ...
(1995–2002, 2007–present)
* Gary Gemmiti —
Drums
The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
(2015–present)
* Lucas Desmond —
Alto Saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...
,
Tenor Saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...
(2019–present)
* Jamie Colpoys —
Trombone
The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...
,
Backing Vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
(2019–present)
Past
* Matthew Esty —
Drums
The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
(1993)
* Tony McNaboe —
Drums
The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
(1993–2002, 2007–2010)
* Dave Noyes —
Trombone
The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...
(1994–2002, 2007–2019; died 2019)
* Spencer Albee —
Hammond B2 Organ,
Fender Rhodes
The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...
, Synth
(1995–2002, 2007–2008)
* Ryan Zoidis —
Alto Saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...
,
Tenor Saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...
(1995–2002, 2007–2008)
* Nigel Hall —
Keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Mus ...
(2014)
* Mike Taylor —
Fender Rhodes
The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...
, Keyboards
(2015–2019)
* Kyle Hardy —
Alto Saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...
* Marc Boisvert —
Drums
The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
Timeline
Discography
Albums
* ''
Shish Boom Bam'' (1994)
* ''
Long Division
In arithmetic, long division is a standard division algorithm suitable for dividing multi-digit Hindu-Arabic numerals (positional notation) that is simple enough to perform by hand. It breaks down a division problem into a series of easier step ...
'' (1995)
* ''
Rooms by the Hour
''Rooms by the Hour'' is an album by the American band Rustic Overtones, released in 1998. The album drew the attention of several major labels, leading to the band's contract with Arista Records.
Critical reception
'' The Providence Journal ...
'' (1998)
* ''
¡Viva Nueva!
''¡Viva Nueva!'' is the fourth album by the Rustic Overtones, released in 2001 before their highly publicized breakup a year later. With 16 tracks, the album has the most songs of any Rustic Overtones album to date. Tommy Boy Records distribute ...
'' (2001)
* ''
Light At The End'' (2007)
* ''
The New Way Out'' (2009)
* ''Let's Start a Cult'' (2012)
* ''Let's Start a Cult Part 2'' (2013)
* ''Rustic Overtones'' (2019)
EPs
* ''My Dirt'' (1996)
* ''Check/Girl Germs'' (1997)
* ''Volume Up'' (1999)
Singles
* "Check" (1997)
* "Combustible" (2001)
* "C'Mon" (2001)
* "Light at the End" (2008)
* "Downside of Looking Up" (2009)
* "Martyrs" feat. Eric krasno (2014)
* "The Show Must go on" featuring Sara Hallie Richardson (2014)
* "Black Shirt" (2019)
Promotional recordings
(This is only a partial listing)
* ''This Is Rock N' Roll'' (promo tape) (2000)
* ''Viva Nueva! Album Advance'' (2001)
* ''Live on XM Satellite Radio'' (2001)
* ''Promotional Pre Release Viva Nueva!'' (Date Unknown — boilerplate Tommy Boy inserts are labeled 1997 and 1998, although they were with another label in '97/'98)
* ''Selections from the Album Viva Nueva!'' (2001)
References
External links
*
Live recordings
Rustic Overtones collectionat the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
's live music archive
{{Authority control
Indie rock musical groups from Maine
Musical groups from Portland, Maine
Arista Records artists
Tommy Boy Records artists
Musical groups established in 1993