Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Rovito.
Hi Zach, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a kid I always enjoyed music and played in the school band. My dad and grandma exposed me to a very diverse and vast library of music and it all resonated with me. One day I finally picked up the guitar in the corner of the room and the rest was history. I fell in love. Over the years of playing in basements and bands with my dad or kids my age I was adopted into a group of local songwriters who taught me how to be my own musician and how to write songs for myself. It led me to follow a path of both playing as a hired instrumentalist for other writers as well as starting a band to feature my own original material, The Ragged Co.. In a couple short years that band has made great leaps and is planning on taking it as far as it’ll take us. If not for folks like Don Shearer, Jay Wiley, Cory Steighner, Utah Burgess and many others, I wouldn’t have learned how to write for myself and see how genuine art finds the most loyal ears.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth ride but that’s been some of the best parts still. Learning what to do and what not to do were always the biggest triumphs in the long run. Most musicians struggle with the double life of fighting for their dream and their art but also waking up and going to work the next day to pay for it so that took the biggest toll on me. I was burning the candle at both ends and the middle for years but it was always worth it. The bumps of holding onto everything you’ve ever wanted while the weight of the world is on your shoulders makes it all the sweeter when you finally get through it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a musician of all sorts. I love music and will generally play any genre on any instrument or take any role in a band that I can get. My full time gig is fronting and writing for a band called The Ragged Co. out of the Pittsburgh, PA area along with performing as a solo artist under my own name. I also play guitar full time in a band called The Hawkeyes with whom I’ve done the majority of my traveling as a musician. I’ve been a musician for hire for the last decade playing full time or per gig with so many awesome acts. I try to take inspiration from guys like Charlie Worsham that will take a role as Dierks Bentley’s guitar player while fronting his own band and taking studio sessions. I’m most proud of the work I’ve put out and name I’ve made for myself so far in a city that’s not necessarily known for being a music city. Pittsburgh is known as a sports city so any attention gained in arts is always something to be proud of here.
What’s next?
My future is focusing on just making music and enjoying raising my kids and building a life with my wife that we can look back on fondly. I never had any interest in selling out stadiums and still don’t. As long as I can make music and pay my bills, I’m a happy guy. The Ragged Co. is expanding our market this year and traveling further, releasing new music and just keeping our nose to the grindstone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theraggedcoband.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/theraggedcoband www.instagram.com/ztrovitomusic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theraggedcoband www.facebook.com/ztrovitomusic
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@theraggedcoband www.youtube.com/@ztrovitomusic
