Larry Stewart said it’s a mystery that it’s taken Restless Heart 24 years to release a live album, aptly titled Still Restless.

The band stops in Denton on Sat­ur­day night as a part of its summer tour in support of the 25th anniversary album. The group will close down the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo.

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Lead singer Larry Stewart said his long-running band Restless Heart has a lot of new work in the hopper. His band headlines Saturday during the closing night of the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo.

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“I don’t know why it took so long, because playing live is our favorite thing in the world,” said Stewart, the lead singer of the long-running country band. “That’s the heart and soul of what we do. When we started back in 1984, the critics didn’t care for us too much. Here were four studio musicians who were bringing a really contemporary sound to country music, starting in the studio.”

Stewart said the band members had plenty of experience in roadhouse shows, but as Restless Heart, the studio musicians were often playing sessions for other musicians on demos.

There was a certain something, though, that made the group click. In the beginning, drummer John Dittrich, bassist Paul Gregg, pianist Dave Innis, guitarist Greg Jennings and singer Verlon Thompson got together to try their hand at band life. Stewart replaced Thompson right before Rest­less Heart was signed to a recording contract in 1984.

“We’re a band, just like a lot of bands,” Stewart said. “We met in Nashville and got together there. But it is really odd for a band that did meet, were put together in the studio and then cut a record before we played a live date. We put this band together and we started touring.”

Restless Heart puzzled Nash­ville when it followed just a few acts, like Alabama, Juice Newton and Sylvia, in crossing over from country music radio to pop radio. One of the band’s biggest hits, “I’ll Still Be Loving You,” had the barest hint of the signature country twang, but the harmonies fit nicely in the pop format.

“That didn’t go over well, either,” Stewart recalled, referring to the band’s critics. “When we started doing that, Alabama and some other bands did the same thing, they crossed over, but people didn’t really think about that. I think the opportunity that our label, RCA, gave us at the time, I think that really helped us reach out to new fans.

“I feel like there are a lot of music fans that came over to us from the adult contemporary side, which is where they heard us, with songs like ‘I’ll Still Be Loving You’ and ‘Why Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right).’ I think there are fans we’d never have picked up if it wasn’t for the crossover.”

The band’s music has shown itself to be timeless, too. “The Bluest Eyes in Texas” was used in the Academy Award-winning film Boys Don’t Cry, and the band has a plenty of fans on YouTube.
com, who either post their favorite songs or use them to make their own videos.

Restless Heart managed a successful rotation on adult contemporary radio probably because of its harmonies. Most of the band members sing on most of their songs, an ap­proach that has created their signature harmonies, which are sometimes so tight you couldn’t wedge a laser beam between them.

While country artists make more crossover songs than ever — Shania Twain and LeAnn Rimes have produced pop albums — Stewart said there are still purists who like their favorites to master country.

“There are sticklers who are going to stick to country music, but there is a wave of young artists who will be able to get airplay on Top 40 radio,” Stewart said. “I think more people are listening to country radio than before. It’s a very, very healthy format. I think … there’s still something about the contemporary rock, with a great story and great lyrics. I think about my kids and their tastes in music. My kids listen to everything.” 

The band toured relentlessly for a long time once its music took off. They were probably best loved in the western part of the country, Stewart said. But living on a tour bus and spending that much time with band mates can heighten the pressure.

“In country music, you tour year-round. Over the years, as a country artist, you just get out there and that’s what you do,” he said. “In country music, it’s a 24/7 deal and 365 day a year. I think we did go through some of those problems in the mid-’90s. We were doing 130 to 140 shows. If you don’t have your act together, if you allow it, it can get the best of you. I think that’s what happened for us in the 1990s for us. Greg and I decided to remove [ourselves] from the band. Dave Ennis left. Then in 1998, the four of us, minus Dave, we got together and did a greatest hits album and recorded some new stuff.”

The group disbanded again, but Stewart said they never lost touch. After taking time off, they got to talking about another recording. They reconvened to make Still Restless and tour with it.

“Looking back, we were so blessed. We looked at everything and said, ‘Let’s put this thing together and see if anybody cares.’ Here we are. It’s 2008. We’re still doing it,” Stewart said. “We’ve got a lot of cool plans — we’re not just holding on to the last 25 years.”

Band members are looking at producing a television special featuring a roster of guests. And they still love being in front of the crowd. Stewart said there’s nothing like the rush of hearing lyrics chanted back to you.

“Some of these clubs, man, there’s a lot of really great magic, boy,” he said. “You can sit there for two hours and try stuff you want to try, and then throw something out there you haven’t done before. I’m not sure we did that earlier, en­joyed all of the different aspects of performing. Now, we love all of it. You know, when you’re young and naive — you rate an audience by how loud they screamed. Now we know that an audience can be quiet, but they are still really appreciating what you do.”

Stewart said rodeo attendees can expect a diverse playlist from the band on Saturday.   

“I think people’s ears have evolved,” he said. “We do a lot of different music live. We’ll do a pop song like ‘When She Cries’ and then do a bluegrass song like ‘Hummingbird,’ and people like it.”

LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached at 940-566-6877. Her e-mail address is cbreeding@dentonrc.com .