Photo: Robby Klein
Restless Road didn’t intend to release their version of a Hannah Montana classic shortly after the show’s 20th anniversary special.
The country trio, made up of Zach Beeken, Garrett Nichols and Colton Pack, debuted their version of “The Climb” on Friday (April 3). It’s part of Main Street Country, a 5-track EP featuring modern country twists on classic Disney songs. The country installment of the music series follows a successful collection of pop-punk renditions, A Whole New Sound, which dropped in September 2024. The new country compilation also includes Kane Brown and his wife, Katelyn Brown (“Beauty and the Beast” from Beauty and the Beast), Dasha (“She’s So Gone” from Lemonade Mouth), Maddie & Tae (“You’ll Be in My Heart” from Tarzan), and BRELAND (“Go the Distance” from Hercules).
Restless Road caught up with iHeartCountry about their version of “The Climb” on Thursday (April 2). Beeken and Nichols said “was a really happy accident,” and the band “did not intend for that to happen,” when their spin on “The Climb” coincided with the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special. The show premiered on March 24, 2006. Miley Cyrus launched her career when she played the title character, a typical teen who lives a secret double life as a famous pop star. “The Climb,” written by Jessi Alexander and John Shanks, appeared in the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack in 2009. Pack said it’s “unbelievable,” for Restless Road to be a part of a project like Main Street Country.
“It pulls at the heartstrings,” Beeken said of the timelessness of Disney’s music. “There’s always a message, and that’s why we chose the song we did, ‘The Climb,’ because it just has such a powerful message. And a lot of the songs that are on this record do have such a powerful, moving message behind them.
“We actually, when we picked this out, when we were planning on doing this, we actually didn’t even put that together,” he added of the 20th anniversary timing. “So then when we found out, it’s like, ‘woah, we were meant to do this.’ …There’s a restless reason for everything.”
Nichols said “The Climb” fits “perfectly” with the trio’s music and message.
“We have a catchphrase in the band called, ‘keep your eyes on the road,’ and we’re no strangers to adversity,” he said. “We’ve been in a band for 12 years together, and we’ve had so many ups and downs. And I think this song just relates so much to stuff we would say anyway. Like, ‘keep your eyes on the road.’ We have another song called ‘On My Way,’ and it’s all about getting back up. Keep going. You know, ‘I’m not there yet, but I’m on my way.’ And I think ‘The Climb’ says that perfectly. I think it’s just another iteration of, you know, there’s going to be hard things in the way, but you’ve got to keep moving. Keep climbing. Keep the faith.”
After releasing their spin on “The Climb,” Restless Road looks ahead to playing shows and new music. Listen to their version of the Hannah Montana song here: