Press release –
With Best is Yet to Come, seasoned Colorado hard rocker MöTT has compiled a sixteen track monumental set of songs with assistance from a tour de force of friends and acquaintances he’s made along his musical journey. Included are the likes of Jeff Scott Soto, Phil X, Derek Sherinian, Billy Sheehan, Matt Starr and a host of other names.
Best is Yet to Come took flight right when Covid hit and everything shut down, he sensed it could be a good time to reach out to some pro players to contribute to his tracks. He contacted Jeff Scott Soto but Jeff was too busy at the time and asked him to try again later. In 2020 Mott was looking for a Robert Plant type singer for the song, “Sunshine Baby“. He contacted Rob Rock who passed because it wasn’t his style but put him onto Chas West (Bonham, Foreigner, The Moby Dicks, Westbound), which led to guitarist Jimmy Burkard, (Westbound, The Sweet), and Dave Moreno, (Puddle of Mudd, Bruce Dickinson, Love/Hate). They played on Mott’s rocker, “All Outta Love” that was well received and got on rotation on KNAC. Since then, Mott has been honored to have artists such as Jeff Scott Soto, Phil X, George Lynch, Eric Gales, Brent Mason, Billy Sheehan, Tony Franklin, Jimi Bell, Kenny Aronoff, Matt Starr, and Derek Sherinian, among others, add their talents to his project.
Kicking off with the bluesy “I Say Hello,” Mott immediately gives you an idea of what you’re in for over the next half hour. “My first band experiences as a young teen were playing in a 3-piece blues rock outfit. Johnny Winter, Cactus, Cream, ZZ Top, Mountain, Feddie King. It’s still my favourite music.” First single, “Angéle,” which features Jeff Scott Soto on lead vocals is the story of “love, longing, frustration and determination,” as Mott tells it. “It’s about a guy who meets a girl in another country, falls for her then has to go home and figure out how to reconnect again.” The Van Halen inspired title track blows your system apart while the more classic rock influenced “Drift Away” is special to Mott for a number of reasons: “I originally wrote the song as a Hendrix type exercise for my students which then morphed into an almost sort of tribute for, not only a couple of friends who had lost loved ones in a very short period of time but also for Eric Gales who got Covid really bad and I saw that Joe Bonamossa was running a GoFundMe for him. I decided to reach out to Eric myself and ask him to be on the track instead of just donating to the GoFundMe. He agreed and then both Tony Franklin and Chas West came on board, as well.” Ever the animal lover, the inspiration for “Sweet Baby Grace” was one of Mott’s Sphynx kittens that was born with a bad heart” while “Marguerite” is just a fun rocker influenced by a number of bands and songs. Typical American guy going south for sun, fun, and girls. “The Punky Meadows reference has been a source of major amusement for many of my musician friends” Mott states. Rounding out the album is the arena rock anthem, “Toni.” “As a young musician I was hugely influenced by The Producers, Mott says. “This is my attempt to write a “She Sheila”. Performing it live, this is the song the crowds always remember the hook from.
1) I Say Hello (Chas West, Vocals; Jimmy Burkard, guitar; Martin Epp, bass; Jon Watson, drums; Arlan Oscar Schierbaum, keys)
2) Someone (Jeff Scott Soto, vocals; Brent Mason, guitar; Martin Epp, bass; Jon Watson, drums)
3) Angéle (Jeff Scott Soto, vocals; Phil X, guitar; Derek Sherian, keys; Martin Epp, bass; Jon Watson, drums)
4) Fallin’ (Jason Buhr, vocals; Jimmy Burkard, guitar; Martin Epp, bass; Jon Watson, drums)
5) Best Is Yet to Come (Jeff Scott Soto, vocals; Phil X, guitar; Billy Sheehan, bass; Matt Starr, drums)
6) Drift Away (Chas West, vocals; Eric Gales, guitar; Martin Epp, bass; Dan Shuford, drums; Arlan Oscar Schierbaum, keys)
7) Second Chance (Jeff Scott Soto, vocals; Martin Epp, guitar; Tom June, keys; Jon Watson, drums, bass, guitar)
8) Sweet Baby Grace (Chas West, vocals; Martin Epp, bass, guitar; Jon Watson, drums, ethnic instrumentation)
9) Alone Again (Jon Watson, vocals, drums; Michael T Ross, keys; Jimmy Burkard, guitar; Todd Marino, guitar; Martin Epp, bass)
10) All Outta Love ( Chas West, vocals; Jimmy Burkard, guitar; Martin Epp, bass; Dave Moreno, drums)
11) Marguerita (Lee Small, vocals; Phil X, guitar, Martin Epp, bass, Jon Watson, drums)
12) I Knew (Jeff Scott Soto, vocals; Brent Mason, guitar; Martin Epp, bass; Jon Watson, drums)
13) OUT TO Breakfast (Martin Epp, bass, vocals; George Lynch, guitar; Jon Watson, drums)
14) She Holds The Key (Jeff Scott Soto, vocals; Jimmy Burkard, guitar, Jon Watson, bass, drums)
15) Sunshine Baby (Chas West, vocals; Martin Epp, bass, guitar; Dan Shuford, drums)
16) Toni (Lee Small, vocals; Jimmy Burkard, guitar; Todd Marino, guitar; Martin Epp, bass; Jon Watson, drums)
