Home Tours Videos Interviews Reviews Photography Featured Artist Contact THEME

Interview: Rosedale

image

Rosedale is a pop-rock act from Toronto, Ontario. Real name Mike Liorti, the Canadian musician is gearing up for the release of his self-titled album later this month, and Legendary Kids Press was able to speak to him about the record and his plans for 2016.

How would you describe your music to those who have never listened to you before?

I’d describe my music as aggressive power-pop, but I think genre titles are distracting opinions.

Who were your musical influences growing up?

Blink 182 and all their side projects, Radiohead, The Ataris, Coldplay, Underoath, Postal Service, The Starting Line, The Used [and] Moneen, just to scratch the surface. I’d been to so many concerts growing up and those bands were the most memorable.

Why choose to release music under the moniker “Rosedale”, as opposed to your real name?

Rosedale is intended to be a band. I stray [from] the idea of a “stage name” and my real name just doesn’t suit my sound/message, I guess. Rosedale Ave is a street in Brampton, Ontario that I grew up walking/skating/biking on to get to the local music store and create songs with my friends/members at the time. So it serves as a reminder of why I started music, as well as a message to never give up on dreams, regardless of the obstacles.

You just finished up a European tour. How did it go?

It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. A lot of things were very different from how we normally tour, cultures aside. So we were constantly adapting and we went pretty deep in the hole financially, but we managed to get more out of it than we could have ever asked for. There’s a very descriptive diary of the tour, full of videos and pictures, that I put together on my website, under news.

Which show would you say stood out the most?

Vienna, Austria was definitely my favourite. Music is so appreciated there and I love the atmosphere. I was so flattered to see the amount of people that had looked up my videos and were singing and requesting songs. Germany, [the] Czech Republic and Italy were also really great. Swansea and Basingstoke were the UK highlights.

Do you have any other upcoming touring plans, possibly a Canadian tour?

We’re doing another Rosedale and Time & Distance full US tour that starts February 24 in support of my new album, with Canadian dates in Hamilton and Toronto. Tour dates are always being posted [online], so more March/April dates will be up soon.

You’ve announced you’ll be releasing your new album at the end of the month. What can fans expect?

It’s definitely a big step up from the debut, Real. It has been almost four years since I released Real and I put a lot of time and effort into this one. Fans will definitely relate to the nostalgic references and will likely have these songs stuck in their heads (as the people who have had an early listen seem to). Fans can pre-order the album [online] to get an early listen and [a] physical copy mailed to their door.

How would you say it differs from your previous releases?

It hits a lot harder, but also has a new kind of soft side to it as well. It’s a lot bigger sounding and my writing has definitely progressed since writing for Real. It’s all still very produced, pop-based alternative rock and full of hooks, but in a more uniquely developed way.

What track are you most excited for fans to hear?

One of the songs, “Thin Ice”, has so many cool elements to it. It starts with real marching snares and the verses are in the dominant key. I’ve never written anything like it, but it has so many of the biggest influences throughout. It is also going to be part of the score (along with the previous single, “Grey”) for an awesome documentary film about PTSD organizations called From War to Wisdom.

You released the music video for the album’s lead single, “Written By The Artist”. Who’s idea was it to do it in the style of Pop Up Video?

The concept was entirely my idea and it was very last minute. I knew who I wanted to work with and what I wanted to accomplish, but there were a few avenues that were just not possible with a low budget. The night before the shoot, I was up until 5am sketching out the storyboards (as seen in the actual video). We had a half-hour briefing on how to make it all happen and from there it was clockwork. It’s so nice, especially as an artist, to work with people who can accommodate your vision on the fly like that.

What do you see 2016 bringing Rosedale?

Hopefully, the cure of failing vans and bailing fans is finally broken. A solid booking agent and/or label would also be very nice. I really want to get a solid team together, so I can put more time and focus into growing as an artist.

Any last words?

Appreciate good live music. It is becoming under-appreciated as it gets harder to come by/saturated, but it is still out there. Witnessing a captivating show could be the most memorable, inspiring moment of your life. You can’t put a price on that.

Rosedale’s self-titled album is available February 23. Those wishing to stay up-to-date on social media can do so via Facebook and Twitter.

By Clare Fitzgerald

  1. crymestorage reblogged this from legendarykidspress
  2. legendarykidspress posted this