WILLIAMSBURG— Tunes in Town is an occasional series that catches up with some of the local musical talents that call Hampton Roads home.
Bad Habit is a local rock band that has become a favorite for many Williamsburg music lovers. The group is known for bringing ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s arena-sized rock to an array of local establishments and festivals.
Bad Habit is made up of lead vocalist Paul Collins, guitarist and vocalist Rich Tisdale, bassist Nelson Scott, saxophonist, keyboardist, and vocalist Rob Noblin, and drummer and vocalist Pete Owens.
“Everyone in the band has been playing music for many years. Two of them I’ve known for over 30 years. It’s very enjoyable to get together and work towards a common goal with four other guys who like pretty much the same music. Getting in front of an audience and making people happy for three hours listening to the music they grew up with is always fun,” Tisdale said.
Some of Bad Habit’s favorites to play include “Foreplay/Long Time” by Boston, “Rosanna” and “Hold the Line” by Toto, “Stone in Love” by Journey, “Ah! Leah!” by Donnie Iris, “Roll with the Changes” by REO Speedwagon, and “Limelight” by RUSH.
For Tisdale, playing guitar is one of his favorite pastimes.
“First and foremost, it’s just the act of playing guitar and playing music I love. A close second is the camaraderie of hanging out with your bandmates and working towards a common goal. And of course, getting positive reactions from the audience is always nice. We try to go for that ‘I can’t believe you guys played that song!’ reaction,” Tisdale said.
Tisdale, who has also recorded music on his own, was inspired by some of the world’s most well known guitarists.
“Like a million other guys my age, Eddie Van Halen is the guy that changed my life musically. I wouldn’t even be playing guitar if not for him. But I love a ton of other players too like Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, the Dregs), and Steve Lukather (Toto). There’s a bunch more but those guys are at the top of my list,” Tisdale says.
Bad Habit aims to expand its repertoire and also to record an original song one day, while Tisdale also hopes to continue making music, both with Bad Habit and on his own.
“I’ve been lucky enough to do a whole lot while keeping this a hobby that I do in my free time. I recorded and released a CD of original music with my band Red Handed in 1994. We recorded in a real studio (Master Sound in Virginia Beach) and completely paid for it ourselves. That was a definite bucket list item” Tisdale said.
“My wife sent me to Rock Fantasy Camp in 2008 for a Father’s Day gift. I got to play with a bunch of famous musicians including one of my heroes, Elliot Easton, the lead guitarist from The Cars,” he continued. “I recorded two albums of original instrumental guitar music in 1990 and 2020. To play a larger local venue would be nice and also record and release an original song with Bad Habit.”
To learn more about Bad Habit, visit badhabitbandrocks.com.
