Interview with Alan Cotton of The Cotton Soeterboek
Band
Interviewer: Eric
Eric: Tell us a little about the bands history.
Alan: I had decided to put a new band together, and Robert Soeterboek's
name was recommended to me. I gave him a call and that was that. Robert's the
vocalist I had been looking for my whole life. Not only is he a fantastic
singer, but a true friend. Well, we ended up getting together here in Colorado
and just started writing together. Locked away in a cabin up in the mountains.
That was great, nobody to bother us.
The idea from the beginning was just write music we love. When it was time to
put the whole band together, we just starting thinking of our friends that we
would like to work with. That's when Butch, Mike and Joost came on board.
Eric: The bands first release was the self-titled EP. At this point in
your career the release was put out with no label help. Did it take long for a
label to take notice after the EP's release?
Alan: After the EP came out, we had some offers from small labels but
nothing we felt that great about. What we really didn't want was a label trying
to make artistic decisions for the band. Pushing us in any one direction. Caf
Fine Records is a company Robert and I ended up starting together.
We recently signed a distribution deal, getting the album into stores
worldwide. That has really helped because we have a large fan base across
Europe.
Eric: Has The Cotton Soeterboek Band's sound really changed since the
EP?
Alan: Not really. We try not to write the same song twice. If you listen
to any one of our songs alone, you would get a limited perspective on what the
band is all about. But if you listen to the ep and album as a whole, they fit
together perfectly. Actually, Good Morning Georgia is such a great song, we
might end up re-recording it and putting it on the second album.
Eric: The first single off of Twisted is Set Me Free. Is there any
chance that we'll see a video for this songs release?
Alan: I would love to see a video for it. Set Me Free is the song that's
really being pushed to radio right now and I think that would be the best song
to expose the band to a larger audience through video.
Eric: Twisted came out on October 14, 2008. Have the sales of this
album been better than you expected?
Alan: They are doing quite well. Sales seem to be strongest in Europe
right now, but the radio campaign has just started over here. The good thing is
we are seeing a whole range of ages in people buying the album. From kids who
are just getting turned on to "Classic Rock" for the first time, to adult's who
grew up listening to Whitesnake and Deep Purple.
Eric: Which bands influenced you when you were starting out with
music?
Alan: Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, Bad
Company. All the classics. As far as guitar players go, Jimmy Page, Ronnie
Montrose, Johnny Winter.... too many to count.
Eric: Are there plans for a full length tour to support Twisted?
Alan: The plans right now are to finish writing the second album and then
a full length tour across the US and Europe. It took us a while to get the first
album out so we want to make sure the second album is going to come out on time.
That's our main focus right now but if a large tour offer comes our way, we
would take it.
Eric: If you had to pick which bands you'd like to go on tour with
whom would they be?
Alan: All of the bands I listed as influencing us. The good thing is that
they are all still touring right now. I actually would like to do some shows
with Airbourne, The Black Crowes or The Answer. I think that would be a lot of
fun.
Eric: I like to get silly with my interviews so now you have to answer
some not so normal questions. Do you think they should make a sequel to
Kindergarten Cop in the near future?
Alan: Are you kidding me? That would be a fantastic sequel to make. They
could get Steve Buscemi as the cop and Jeffrey Combs as the drug dealer and
maybe Jessica Simpson as the wife. Getting Troy Duffy to direct would be the
icing on this block buster cake. Haha.
Eric: Would you rather play baseball with a bunch of rodents or play
tennis with music legend Celine Dion?
Alan: Am I playing with them on my team or against them? I'll take on
those rodents any day of the week. I'll even give them a point spread and still
beat them.
Eric: Time for the plug. Tell our readers why they should pick up a
copy of Twisted.
Alan: If you are a fan of classic Rock and Roll, please check the band
out. If your on Myspace, drop on by and say hello and if you like what you hear,
please pick up the cd. That's the only way bands like ours can continue to
release albums. Also, please support the websites like Review Busters that
support the music you enjoy and make interviews like this possible.
Eric: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I wish you
and the band the best of luck in the future.
Alan: Thank you Review Busters and to your readers, thank you for taking
the time to read this interview.
The Cotton Soeterboek Band Links:
