You guys certainly know how to overcome obstacles and come out better than ever!   I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a band going through as much as you guys have just starting out and then continuing on!   But you know what they say, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!   And here you guys are, dare I say, stronger than ever and making 2016 your year for sure! ?

Yes!!! We don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. We’re stronger, we’re better and we’re more determined than ever!

Because of the numerous obstacles, you guys have changed lineups a bit.  How is that working out and has everyone fully recovered from the accident?

We’ve had a few lineup changes, but each time we’ve replaced members, I feel like they have definitely been upgrades in both musicianship and how well everyone fits together. There’s zero ego with this lineup and we all truly enjoy each other’s company. That’s really important to me. I mean, we could go out and get these “hired guns” but I want everyone to feel like this is their band as much as it is Trip’s and mine.

As the tour winds down for you guys at the end of February, where can we expect to see you guys in 2016?

EVERYWHERE….we hope, hahaha! Just actually had a really good conversation about some upcoming touring opportunities with our agent, Evan Michaels, and things are looking good for the summer and beyond.

How did the name Gears come to be ?

We wanted a strong name, something to grab attention. I’m not a fan of long names, so GEARS, is both of those, short and powerful. For a machine to work to its optimum performance, all the moving parts, or “gears” have to be in perfect sync. If even just one gear is off, the overall performance of the machine suffers. That’s why I liked the name from jump.

“Face Down” to me is a very complex and ambiguous song depending on how the listener uses social media.  How has your song “Face Down” been received ?  Are many fans seeing themselves or others in the song and relating to it or becoming offended by it?

“Face Down” as far as I can tell, has gotten a good reception and for the most part, people can relate in one way or another. I’m sure there are some people out there that might not appreciate what we’re saying in the song, but that’s ok too. You’ll never write a song that EVERYONE will like, that’s just fact. As far as anyone being “offended” by it, if they are, they haven’t approached us about it, but ironically, I’m sure there is a post or two on Social Media we could find if we looked hard enough. HA!

Your EP “Pride Before The Fall” was released in November of 2015, will we see another EP in 2016?

Not sure. We’re gonna do our best to tour this record for the rest of the year. I’d like to do another EP toward the end of the year, but a lot of it is going to be scheduling and availability of our producer, Corey Lowery. He’s been quite busy this last year with Saint Asonia and they’re doing great, obviously. So, short answer, there will be another record to follow, when, is just too hard a question to answer at this particular moment.

I’ve noticed lately a move in music toward what I grew up listening to in the late 80’s but with a slightly harder edge and I’m loving it and I definitely would include your guys music in that!    What genre do you  guys consider your music to be ? 

Man, it’s so hard to say with all these genres, sub-genres, and whatever else. We try to write good songs. Sometimes they come out heavy, sometimes they’re a bit moody, sometimes they’re angry…we just try to write and play good songs. I guess it would be Hard Rock/Active Rock, but we’re just what we are, whatever that may be.

Speaking of genre, who is one of your all time favorite artists and your favorite song of theirs ?  

Just off the top of my head, Led Zeppelin, “The Rain Song.” That song just speaks to me. I think it’s because it’s the first time I really noticed a super huge, loud band playing with such a great dynamic feel. If you don’t know what Dynamics are in music, “The Rain Song” will teach you all you need to know.

If you could pick anyone to collaborate with, who would it be ? 

Modern day? I’d love to work with someone like Trent Reznor. I played in a lot of Industrial type bands for a while and he just knows how to put the perfect blend of electronics with live instrumentation and that’s really difficult to do, in my opinion.

And here is a question that typically stumps people a bit .. what is something about you that your fans would be totally surprised to learn about you ?

I spend more time on the road watching puppy videos than anything else. As a matter of fact, some of my band and crew members will actually send them to me when they see me stressing out. Calms me down. Helps me realign my Chi. HA!

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions and hope to see you guys while you are on tour in 2016 if you make it to Michigan !  

Thanks for your time as well. Michigan is one of our favorite and most frequently toured places, so we will be there, I’m sure!