Interview – GEARS – In Motion – NAMM 2016

One of the best parts of going to the NAMM Show is having the opportunity to meet with new bands as they start out on their musical journey. In retrospect, even Guns N’ Roses had to start somewhere so you never know what kind of gem you may find and once we heard Miami, Florida based band Gears, it was clear that this was a band we wanted to learn more about.

Gears was founded in February of 2014 by Trip Six (vocals) and Jimmy Wooten (drums) in Miami, Florida and were later joined by Bobby Thomas (guitars) and Chris Dorame (bass). With their newly released EP Pride Comes Before The Fall on November 11, 2015 this is the band’s second album and it is receiving praise so far from all of their fans.

We met with Jimmy Wooten, drummer for Gears on the first day of the NAMM Show in front of the Schecter booth along with lead vocalist, Trip Six.  Wooten explains that the band is scattered around the United States but that doesn’t have any affect on their musical chemistry or productivity. The music industry is all about survival of the fittest and those who blow past any and all obstacles thrown at them are more than likely the bands that remain. Gears had a truly rough start with financial setbacks and an accident. Wooten describes what that time was like for him and for the band. “We made a commitment to each other to keep going forward. Things are going to happen, you can’t avoid it. Members come and go and the third day of our tour, our van was totaled in an accident with a tractor trailer. But we persevered and we got through it. In fact, I think it made us stronger. There is always going to be a struggle at some point in time but you just make the choice to stick it out and keep going. If anything keeps you from your goals then you shouldn’t be doing those things. This is not an option for us.” Quite a commendable outlook and we are happy that no one was fatally injured in the accident.

Creatively speaking, Wooten goes into detail about the writing and recording process. “I feel like our songwriting has evolved since our last EP Set In Motion which came out in 2014. It’s more musical and melodic. Pride Comes Before The Fall was produced by Corey Lowery and he just knows how to get the best performance out of each person. Oddly enough, when we first started, the musical chemistry was outstanding but unfortunately there was a lack of work ethic on the part of former members. The hard part was, it all seemed to come to a head right before we were going to put out Set In Motion,” Wooten says. “The music was never the hard part. We moved fairly quickly and I think that’s the only way to do it really.” Trip’s influences include Prince, James Brown and Michael Jackson, while Wooten names Led Zeppelin and The Police, but as a performer he commended David Bowie. “It’s a shame he is gone now. I have always admired him and how he performs. I saw him as a kid and I just wanted to do what he was doing,” Wooten says. To elaborate on the recent loss of David Bowie, Glenn Frey, Scott Weiland and more so far in 2016, it has put a sadness over the industry as a whole. Wooten mentions that it really is a hard hit to the music industry and there will never be another performer like David Bowie or Michael Jackson, it just won’t happen and he hopes they can even touch the realm of those artists in their own musical careers.

Both Wooten and Trip believe that there is no plan B, you have to go all in when it comes to being a musician. Wooten goes on to say “I would rather do something I love and maybe not make as much money than to do something I absolutely hate.” There is no turning back for these guys and so far, they have shown their strength and determination to fight for their dreams.

Gears will be playing a few upcoming shows in February and then taking a break until May. Trip is having a baby and Wooten will have to endure shoulder surgery due to the accident back in 2014. It seems like nothing will slow them down. Between their firm belief that music is what they are meant to do and their willingness to overcome anything thrown at them, nothing can stop these Gears from spinning.

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