The Rustic Overtones haven’t played together in nearly four years now, but that hiatus is almost over. The band, arguably one of the most popular groups ever to come out of Maine, is set to headline the ARME Boot Camp 2 festival in Searsmont, Maine, on Saturday, Aug. 5.
Rustic Overtones frontman and recent Grammy winner Dave Gutter sat down with me recently to talk about the band, the upcoming show, and his latest project, Dave Gutter & The Strongly Worded Email, who will also be playing a set at the ARME Boot Camp 2 festival on Friday, Aug. 4. The conversation’s been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
The ARME Boot Camp 2 festival is Friday and Saturday, Aug. 4 and 5, and tickets start at only $60. Camping is available, and the venue is all-ages, family-friendly and pet-friendly. The festival is very nearly sold old, but a handful of tickets remain. Get them here.
The Rustic Overtones haven’t played a show in quite a while. Why now? Are you getting the band back together?
It’s been a weird dynamic. Dave Noyes, who helped found the band and also was the trombone player, passed away four years ago, and since then it’s just been weird without him. We’ve been kind of grieving that loss, and it felt weird to continue as we were. Dave was the glue that held that band together.
People are calling this a reunion show, but it’s nothing like that. We didn’t break up. We were just kind of taking a rest. Everything reminded us of Dave Noyes. Now we’re at the point where we’re celebrating our catalogue with Dave because it’s something we’re proud of.
We rehearsed last night, and it was amazing to play together again. Last night, we were all reminded of that nuance that we have when we play together.
How long has it been since the last Rustic Overtones show?
It’s been close to four years, I think, maybe more. I’m not really sure.
The Rustic Overtones are a beloved band with a huge audience. Given that it’s been such a long time since you’ve played a gig, you probably could’ve played anywhere you wanted – Thompson’s Point, or the State Theater. Why did you choose the ARME Boot Camp festival?
Because it’s (ARME Boot Camp organizer) Will Bradford’s birthday.
Pretty much, he could ask for anything and I’d do whatever I can to give it to him. He’s been such a good partner in crime. He might not like me telling this story, but it’s a perfect example of the kind of guy that he is, so I’m gonna tell it anyway. At last year’s ARME Boot Camp, the very first one, after everything was done and I saw him work his butt off the whole weekend, playing four or five sets on his own bands, with The Worst and SeepeopleS, and making sure that everything ran smoothly, at the end of the night we looked down and there on the ground, we found Will’s check and we found out how much he got paid. It was not much. It should’ve been a lot more.
His love for the music scene in Portland has always been palpable. He’s literally the kind of guy that anybody can call and if you need a show, he’ll scratch up four or five gigs for you. He’d do whatever he can to help you.
Besides that, the ARME Boot Camp is a fun event. It’s outside, and it just seemed like a great place for us to do this. It’s gotten a little bigger this year, and it’s something that I’m really psyched to have been involved with from the ground up. I feel like it’s evolving into something that’s much bigger than all of us, and I want to be involved.
What can we expect from the Rustic Overtones at the ARME Boot Camp show? Any new material? Any surprises on tap?
We have a special guest who’s playing the set with us. Jamie Saft, who’s played with the Bad Brains and the Beastie Boys, is our keyboard player, at least for this show. Dana Colley, from Morphine, is going to sit in on sax, and Angelikah Fahray is going to sit in on vocals.
There’s always been an energy with Rustic. If you saw us in Wichita, Kansas, playing for three people, we’d play just as hard as if we were playing for thousands. We’re so fired up for this show. Rehearsal last night was great, and after 25 years to still have that fire and that energy, it’s amazing. We’re just excited to play. It’s been a big year for me, with the Grammy, and it’s been a crazy time with the pandemic. We all have a lot of feelings and a lot of pent-up energy to get out, and we have a lot of songs in our catalog.
What can you tell me about Dave Gutter & The Strongly Worded Email? I tried to find something to listen to before our conversation and I couldn’t find a thing online anywhere.
You won’t find anything. We change our name every show, and we let fans pick the name of the band. I’d have to go back and search to find out who came up with that one, but the person who did will get in free and get to come back stage. We’re always open to suggestions for the next name, and anybody who’s got one can send it in to our Instagram.
This band came together to perform the music from something called “I’ve Been Here a While,” which is a visual album on YouTube. The band includes Cam Jones, from Weakened Friends on bass; Ryan Curless, who plays with Spose, on drums; Augustus Perkins on keyboards; and Scott Mohler on guitar.
We’ll play that whole album in its entirety, and most of a new album, too. We’re kind of a new band, and it’s different from Rustic Overtones. It’s kind of a supergroup, and these are all musicians that I like personally and really admire professionally.
This is going to be a great show. The ARME Boot Camp is a fantastic event. People are going to want to bring some energy drinks or something, because this is going to be non-stop for two days. There’s nothing else like it.
The ARME Boot Camp 2 festival runs Friday, Aug. 4 through Saturday, Aug. 5 at Threshers Brewing Co. in Searsmont, ME. Tickets start at only $60 and only a few remain.
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