The ’70s blues guitar rock energy of Humble Pie, Free, and Rory Gallagher blast to the surface when listening to American Restless’ self-described “Rust Belt Rock and Roll.” This Racine, WI-based band trio hones some legit chops in their growling package that is strikingly vintage.
With their debut, Rust Belt Rock N Roll on San Diego’s Blind Owl Records, guitarist Noah Lekas and bassist Ian Grant is joined by fellow Racine expat and Reverend Horton Heat alumni, Arjuna “RJ” Contreras, marking the first time the three old friends converge on one LP. Due out June 2023, songs from the group’s forthcoming debut have already appeared on sports broadcasts like ESPN and UFC Fight Night, as well as in award-winning adventure film director Maxwell Frost’s latest feature, Lake Bike Hell.
Glide is premiering the tenacious guitar rocker “King Bee” – which stings with some bloody blues riffs that many a fan of Chess Records will find enticing.
“King Bee is as close as we have to a theme song. It’s one part road-worn traveler, one part Bonnie & Clyde, with a heavy nod to late great Muddy Waters. Where Muddy sang about getting his honey into the hive, this King Bee already has his partner in crime. Hand in hand they face the deleterious forces of modern life, doing everything they can to run down the promise of something better. But bygone solutions aren’t as potent as they once were, so they forge ahead in search of a good place to catch some much-needed rest,” says the band.
“The music video was filmed by Nathaneil Stiers and edited by Shelby Baldcock, who is also featured behind the drum kit in the footage. Our buddies in The SIlent Comedy–who Noah also plays guitar with from time to time– sang backups on the recording. We happened to all be playing a show together in Grand Rapids, so they jumped up on stage and helped us take it home. It was a great night with a killer crowd, and we were really happy to have it captured on film. “
