Cooglife sat down with Quarters of Change, an alternative, indie rock band from New York City. Vocalist Ben Roter and guitarist Ben Acker provided insight into the four-man band’s Portraits tour–named after their latest album.
Quarters of Change has been busy this year touring since April 2024. The band has been roaming across the nation with the goal of making every show better than the last.
“Houston’s been pretty good,” said Acker. “We come to Houston once a year, we should probably come more… We usually have good reception here and we like it here.”
Understanding The Craftsmanship
When it came to creating the sounds heard across each stop of the tour, Roter highlighted how their unconventional collaboration process was the foundation of both the album and the band’s synergy.
“We were kind of just sick and tired of people trying to tell us how we’re supposed to write a record these days…When you’re thinking about making rock music, how you can’t start with just jamming as a f***ing band is just ridiculous,” Roter said. “I think with ‘Portraits’ we just wanted to get in a room and see what comes from that.”
For “Portraits,” they spent their time jamming out in a cabin in upstate New York. This jam sessions lasted two weeks until they perfected their craft. The isolation forced them to stay focused on their writing–and most importantly their performance.
“We’re players–and players first,” Acker said. “We definitely wrote songs to be played live and then made a record out of that.”
This energy is clear in both their live performances and tracks such as “Tightrope,” “Cherry Tree” and “Keep My Blood.” In these, the instrumentation blasts alongside and past the vocals.
Future Plans for Quarters of Change
When it comes to future work, the band plans to flip this performance-focused approach on its head.
“We’ll probably make a record and then try to figure out how to apply that live, because you can get a larger than life record that way,” said Acker.
Roter chimed in and highlighted dreams of altering audience perception. “I’m hoping that the next record people are like ‘you guys sound worse than the recording’,” Roter said.
The band is focused on creating more music based on collaboration, quantity and quality in the future. With enough time spent away from the road, they hope to have new ideas flow in.
In addition to these plans, Acker talked about the idea of a music vault, drawing inspiration from direct influences like Prince. “Essentially you have three to four albums worth of material before you’re like, ‘okay this is how we’re gonna arrange it and condense it.’ Whereas like in the past it’s like, ‘oh we have 11 songs, we would release these, here’s the album,” Acker said.
“Not for the sake of output but just like, there’s gonna be more to pick from and a lot more writing to be shared before the album was curated,” Acker added.
Other Priorities for Quarters of Change
Outside these goals, the band is taking a slower approach on this tour.
Quarters of Change is focused on health and wellness. The band is trying new things in an attempt to keep the wheels turning as they grow older.
“We started touring when we were like 19, and now we’re like 24,” Roter said. “So now I just feel like maybe a little maturity and focusing on other things. Trying to not get sick every tour, trying to be really healthy and be able to do it sustainably for my own self.”
The Portraits tour will continue across North America, with a brief stop in the U.K. in November, bringing the sound of rock across the pond.
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