2021 has been a year of firsts and brought many successful moments for Zach Beeken, Colton Pack and Garrett Nichols of Restless Road. Their most recent accomplishment comes in the form of their latest single “Bar Friends,” which embraces their true personalities and the fun they have together.
“‘Bar Friends’ is packed with fun and energy! It’s an anthem all about having your friends with you when life gets hard,” said Beeken.
In addition to their new music, the band also got the chance to present at the 2021 CMT Music Awards and have their debut performance at the Grand Ole Opry.
“I literally broke down and cried. It was an incredible moment,” Pack said as he reflected on the moment they received the surprise invitation to play at the Opry.
They have already accomplished so much this year as a band, but they are still keeping their goals high. Next, they are hoping to headline their own tour, meet more fans and eventually have a No. 1 song on the charts.
Before they work their way up to their own headlining tour, they will continue to grow their fanbase as they hit the road again with Kane Brown on his “Blessed & Free” tour across the U.S.
“We are going to come out full force with catchy songs and good times,” Nichols told Music Mayhem. “It is going to be an absolute blast for us and our fans.”
Music Mayhem caught up with Restless Road to find out more about their new music, performing at the Grand Ole Opry, their success on TikTok and more.
Read on to find out what Restless Road has been up to in this exclusive Q&A!
You guys recently dropped a brand new single called “Bar Friends,” could you tell us about the new song and what inspired it
Zach – “Bar Friends” is packed with fun and energy! It’s an anthem all about having your friends with you when life gets hard.
Garrett – “Bar Friends” is just so relatable to everyone. We all have many different types of friends, but there’s always a group of people you want to call on the weekend to celebrate the end of a long week.
Colton – “Bar Friends” is just an anthemic song that really celebrates what Restless Road loves and that’s friendship.
If y’all could pick 5 country music superstars to be your “Bar Friends,” who would they be and why?
Zach – Willie Nelson, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, and Miranda Lambert. I feel like anything could happen with this group – and I really like it when anything can happen.
Garrett – Kane Brown, Chris Young, Kelsea Ballerini, Jimmie Allen, Lauren Alaina. I think this would be a super fun group to go out with. I think everyone listed would bring a great vibe to a night out on the town!
Colton – Kane Brown, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, And Chris Young. I just feel like things could get wild with this group!
You recently got surprised with an invite to play the Grand Ole Opry by Kane Brown, what was going through your head during that emotional moment?
Zach – I thought he was messing with us! After I realized it was real the tears started coming.
Garrett – I was completely shocked. I really didn’t know what to say. It was absolutely mind blowing.
Colton – I literally broke down and cried. It was an incredible moment.
What are you most looking forward to about performing in the Opry circle and who are a few of your biggest inspirations/influences that are already Opry members?
Zach – Randy Travis, Chris Young, and Josh Turner. These guys are on my Mount Rushmore of country music. These are the guys I would study everyday as I was trying to learn to sing.
Garrett – I think just being able to stand and perform where so many legends have before will be so special. Randy Travis is definitely a member we look up to because he’s a large reason we all started pursuing country music!
Colton – Just being a part of the history that is the Opry. I definitely think Little Jimmy Dickens and Brad Paisley have always been really influential Opry members to me since they are from West Virginia too.
Being able to play the Opry is just the pinnacle of country music. Now that you have achieved this, what are your next three big goals?
Zach – go on a headlining Restless Road tour! have a number 1, and go on tour overseas.
Garrett – Meet as many fans as possible, have a downtown bar, and have a big #1 single on country radio.
Colton – Headline a Tour! Have a number one and win group of the year!
You guys are just viral TikTok video creators, your recent video with Kane Brown doing a mashup of Randy Travis songs took the internet and TikTok by storm. How much does Randy Travis mean to you guys?
Zach – He is my hero… I would study and copy him day and night. The first time I sang in front of an audience was my high school talent show. I was 16 years old and the song I chose was “Forever and Ever, Amen.”
Garrett – He means the world to us. For a man who has achieved so much and influenced a whole generation of country music to love and support us is just incredible.
Colton – He means more than we can express! He’s one of the main reasons we wanted to be in
country music.
With TikTok being a driving force in the music industry lately, How important do you feel TikTok is today in helping artists have their music heard and who are 5 of your favorite TikToker’s?
Zach – TikTok is awesome because anyone can shine and it rewards people for being original. I really like the “Tratter Gang.”
Garrett – TikTok is a great tool to reach new fans and show your personality. I personally love all the guys in the “Tratter Gang.”
Colton – TikTok is an incredible tool that can help you to take off no matter where you live and my favorite is the Tratter Gang!
Well, Randy Travis also recently surprised you guys at the Opry while you were covering his song “Forever & Ever, Amen,” what went through your mind when you saw him walking over towards you on stage with Chris Young?
Zach – My soul left my body.
Garrett – I thought I was dreaming and was waiting for someone to wake me up!!
Colton – I was in shock. I literally couldn’t believe it.
So you have your latest single “Bar Friends” and your previous single “Took One Look At Her Momma,” are you guys working on a new EP or debut album and will these songs appear on it?
Zach – We are going to keep dropping singles and see what the fans think!
Garrett – We are always working on new music and fans can expect a lot more music to be released before we hit the road again with Kane in September.
Colton – We have some more songs lined up for the summer!
How will your upcoming new music compare or differentiate from your self-titled debut EP?
Zach – It will keep building off the EP- you will hear each of our individual and unique voices paired with plenty of harmony. We will be focused on having a variety of sounds and topics!
Garrett – I think the new music will be a fresh new addition to our previous EP.
Colton – I think it will still be very cohesive from what you’ve already heard from us but it will also explore some new sounds.
You recently made your presenting debut at the 2021 CMT Music Awards, what was that experience like?
Zach – We loved it!! We really love our CMT family and we felt right at home.
Garrett – It was really cool for me because I had never been on Live Television before. Definitely a highlight of our career so far.
Colton – It was insane! We were so honored to be asked to present!
Later this year, you will be hitting the road on Kane Brown’s ‘Blessed & Free’ tour performing in NBA arenas across the U.S., what can fans expect from your set and what are you most looking forward to on the tour?
Zach – Most looking forward to meeting fans after our set!
Garrett – We are going to come out full force with catchy songs and good times. It is going to be an absolute blast for us and our fans.
Colton – Just playing again and being able to meet all the new fans we’ve made this year!
What’s next for Restless Road in 2021?
Zach – Keep putting out better and better music and meet as many fans as possible!!
Garrett – Connecting with new fans and continuing to make new music that we love
Colton – More music and a whole lot of touring!!!
