Abbey Road At Home, The Road And Honing A Craft

Hailing from Burlington, Vermont, RAQ is self described as high performance rock and roll and has found a place in the jam band circuit.Chris Michetti of RAQ looking down the neck of his guitar. Photo by jon Stewart Playing rock clubs all across the country to even thousands upon thousands of people at Bonnaroo as an independent touring band has become a way of life for RAQ.  For guitarist Chris Michetti, honing that craft and being the tightest band possible is of most importance.

How has the Internet helped RAQ?

“The Internet breaking down the major labels, and home studios are making it easy to go make your own stuff without having to go into Abbey Road.  I feel like the Internet makes you in the control of your own destiny.  As far as making a record and distributing it, we don’t need the outside source (like a big label).  The purists say it’s not the same, but even if I do everything from home, we know exactly what we want and can then go into a studio and save a ton of money on production. People are taking it into their own hands and it sucks for the
major label CEOs who really need this money.”

If you were offered a major record deal, but had to change your sound, would you take it?

“We would not let our music change, if someone starts changing our music, that’s not going to work.  We would never succumb to them even if they give us all this money and a real artist or musician wouldn’t do that.  I spend so much time honing my craft and bands on the pop market don’t play that well.  But I don’t think someone would ever make us do that.  I am driven to play because I have this sound in my head, I don’t want to be in a tour bus, or wear leather pants, or have sex with groupies or play cool clubs.  Bands are in it for a different reason, bands need to express themselves in a certain way; if you’re in it to be in a tour bus and wear your guitar really low, then it’s for you to sell out.”

How would you define what makes a good live show?

“It’s very genre specific, it would be lame if the world were filled with just RAQ people.  Playing guitar with your teeth is fun, and giving devil horns is too.  There is an entertainment value to the whole thing and I like bands that do it all.  Brad Paisley writes really great, very accessible music and he is no joke.  He puts on an amazing show and you don’t need to like country.  Diversity in music is the most important thing next to food…food and music are the two most important things.”

How do you think the music industry has changed into what it is today?

“There is less time to develop today and in RAQ’s scene it’s up to us no matter what.  I love taking my time and no one’s going to tell me what to do.  When Van Halen cut that first record he (Eddie Van Halen) was going to use room mics and build his own guitar.  I love that you have to look at other ways to help yourself.   Chris Michetti of RAQ works in his home studio in Burlington, Vt. Michetti uses Line 6 Gear Box with his personal computer. Michetti says the recording technology today can emulate benchmark instruments, amplifiers and even effects made famous by studios such as Abbey Road. Musicians now have the recording technology at their fingertips that artists of previous generations did not, he says. Photo by Jon StewartHaving an open mind about music is the best way to do it.  The label used to develop everything and what is that going to get you?  Musicians need to suck it up if major labels aren’t there. Any band needs to develop its own sound.  We use live shows and our reactions of crowds to our music as a bench mark.  Everybody needs to grow and see what works and what doesn’t work.  High performance rock sets us apart from the jam band scene.  We are swinging from the fences and really doing everything we can.  The development is going to happen for us.  Without a major label being on our own and seeing the reaction to different styles allows us to grow on our own live experiences.”

Do you think iTunes puts all bands on an equal digital music shelf whether they are independent or mainstream?

“Absolutely. Everyone is on iTunes. I would love for it (RAQ) to make money. We can if we do it right and we need more of a Web presence now. We need to fine tune it and in this iTunes world we need to follow a successful model in this point and click world.”

Do you think artists need to be savvy to their business in a corporate music world?

There needs to be a balance between business and creative.  If you don’t take account for your business you’re going to get fucked.  We know when were getting fucked because we’ve been stolen from, lied to and now you need to be aware of that.  We have our greasy paws in everything that happens.

How has the group dynamic allowed RAQ to continue to tour and make music over the years?

“We all have a desire to play and we love to play. I know plenty of bands that hate it.  We all look for the big payoff where you hear the crowd cheer or it could be one guy telling you it’s awesome after the show or someone wanting an autograph. The crew and the manager doesn’t get that pay off…we get the gratification…to come full circle and have people love it keeps us going.  People wanting to see it again is beneficial to the overall path and vision.”

How do you feel about bands being trendy and also being great musicians?

Some bands are not trying to impress and if someone is truthful to themselves and believes in what they want to do it comes through.  We have a vision, even if it’s maybe a little glam and accessible to the fans for a modern day sexy bitch kind of music.  If they (the artist) want to inspire someone and do it that will show.  You can tell between a great band and a bad one that way.

Is there a need in the modern music industry to be a great musician?

“You don’t need to be a great musician today.  But in the 80s and 90s you needed to be a great musician. Those guys are still around today with stellar careers because they have the staying power and can play jazz fusion or be a studio musician.  There’s not much that innovative today.”