1) When did you form PEACE AND QUIET?
Walt:  The band originally started in 1965 by group of musicians in Utah, Carl Fritch and Walt Jones joined the band in 1978. Shortly thereafter the band acquired a new bass player, Doug Salter. Gary Horan at this time was our sound and light man, who had played guitar in the wings for many years and when the rhythm guitar left the band he stepped in... the band has also had two keyboard players, Jim Goodin and the late Mike Gabbitas. The band is currently comprised of Walt Jones, Carl Fritch, Doug Salter and Gary Horan.
Carl: Yes... Peace and Quiet was a very popular local band in the Salt Lake area while Walt, Doug and I were in another band called Survival.  Survival played a lot of originals and was reasonably popular until we broke up in the summer of 1978.  At that time Peace and Quiet was looking for a Drummer and Lead guitarist so Walt and I had the opportunity to join them.  A few years later Peace And Quiet lost its bass player and Doug came on board with us again. We added Jim Goodin on keyboards around 1980 with Mike Gabbitas around  1981.  Gary has been with the band since about 1979.  We have also had a long list of female vocalists, in fact we've had so many female vocalists its hard to remember all of their names.  Cindy Sharon appears on the album with one of her songs.  Over the years we lost Mike Gabbitas to Cancer and Jim Goodin moved to California.  Cindy still lives around the Salt Lake area but she isn't with our band anymore.  The remaining members have been together and playing continuously since we joined the band.
"Peace & Quiet when the album was completed."

From Left to right, Gary Horan, Doug Salter, Walt Jones, Carl Fritch, Cindy Sheeron, Lisa Micheals, Mike Gabbitas, Jim Goodin

2) Did any of you do something musically before PEACE AND QUIET?
Walt: I played keyboards from my early childhood and began playing drums in a jazz band in the early 60's transferring to Rock in '65, played with many local bands, Rockin' Horse who had a national released song in '71. Also, Equinox that changed its name into Survival where Carl, Doug, and I first played in the same band.

Carl: Walt started very young.  I didn't start playing guitar until I was 17.  I played in numerous garage bands until the opportunity came along to play with Walt and Doug in Equinox.  Peace and Quiet was the first band Gary was in I don't know about Doug but I think Equinox was his first band.

3) Your music is early 80s/late 70s AOR/Pomprock, which bands influenced you?
Walt: Bands such as Bad Company, Foreigner, Journey, and Head East.

Carl: Don't forget Kansas and all of the late 60's music... Beatles, Doors Jimmie Hendrix, Eric Clapton, I think Eric Clapton and Jimmie Hendrix had the most influence on me.

4) Your music is very close to ROADMASTER (everyone is saying that). Do you know this band? they recorded 5 albums and are out of the midwest USA and there is a story on them on my website!
Carl: We have never heard of ROADMASTER but they must be a great band (laughs).  I need to check them out.

5) Your kind of music is really not in today's category (which is great I think). Do you think there are still many fans of this music style today?
Walt:We certainly hope so...we play what we enjoy, filled with a lot of emotion and energy...our style is get down and dance type of music...we hope many people will enjoy us as much as we enjoy playing this music...it is us!

Carl: Yes.  Music goes round in 10 year cycles.  What we are doing seems to be coming back.  I notice that 80's sounding music is getting very big in the clubs around here and at the college and high schools so who knows.  The most popular music on the radio right now is "classic rock" and we have that sound.  I'm sure people want to hear some new music in that vein. We just do what we do best...it really doesn't pay to try to "follow" the trends because no one really knows what that is.   Besides, great music is never out of style. Who would have thought the swing would be big again.

6) And the musicstyle in your area, and are you popular in your area?
Walt: We have been much more popular outside of our nest of the Salt Lake Valley, we have a great following in Wyoming, Eastern Utah and California...

Carl: Classic rock is very popular around here.  Whenever we play an original it always gets a good response from the audience.  Being in a band that plays a lot of clubs and has to mostly play "cover songs"  its always great to sneak some of your originals into the mix.

7) How is the debut going so far, positive reactions?
Walt:  We quite frankly have been very surprised at the positive comments we have had...we think that we have touched a nerve for those people who like this music and have been deprived of it for so long from the mainstream music moguls...we believe that it is refreshing to see the appreciation of high energy feel good rock...

Carl: Yes we are very happy with the response we are getting.  The album was original intended as a demo for us to get a recording contract.  We all wanted to go back into the studio and redo a lot of it before we released it but Walt convinced us to try to release it through independent channels to see what happens.  We've yet to get a bad review and everywhere we've offered the record for sale it is selling.  Right now we are looking into placing it on the satellite transmission Promotional Library's as well as possible major label distribution. We hope to have something set up by the end of the year.  Its very exiting right now for us.

8) What are the plans for the next coming months? Have you written any new material and if so, please tell us about it and possible song titles... Hopefully no musical changes...
Walt:  We are currently working on a new album, we basically write individually at the beginning and then come together to compose and get additional input...the song then evolves into our live song list, we see  how the local crowds respond and then make adjustments, then we add a bunch of production at the studio and then the song is finished...we like to leave everything open to the creative juices of everyone in the band....Walt primarily handles the production but everyone puts in their creative touches as well.

Carl: Gary has enough new songs to fill two or three albums... I have at least an albums worth of new material myself.  Our biggest challenge now is we are all married and have "day jobs".   Between playing on the weekends, our family obligations and our jobs we don't have a lot of time to work on the band's music.  We are hoping to do a "live" album sometime before summer is out and release it on mp3.com.  A lot of people may not realize that we can still perform our music live even though the original lead singer is gone.  We found a new keyboard player that we are working into the band that will allow us to play everything "live" rather than sequencing some of the parts like we have to do now.  And of course, we are working on our next album and I hope to have it done sometime around the end of the year.

9) Finally, do you have anything to add to our readers?
Walt:  We hope you love our material, we appreciate your support and we hope to be playing this type of music until we are permenantly horizonital, someday we hope we can get out on tour to meet more of your readers and those who want to hear our music and share our energy in a live show!

Carl:   I think the best is yet to come.