Not a Phase: On Rose Crest's New Single "The Fall" and Writing Music That Feels Right
Rose Crest Photo Credit: Kyle McDowell
Dayton, Ohio is home to one of the most iconic bands in the scene, Hawthorne Heights. This famous band put this town on the map, however, there is another band in the scene that is quickly turning a few heads that is worth giving some attention to.
Emo/Alternative band Rose Crest has been quickly climbing the ranks with their latest single release, "The Fall." While the track displays a great juxtaposition of high-octane melodicism, undercut with poignant, emotionally engaging lyricism about cutting ties with toxic people within your life, this track means a lot more to this band than it leads on.
While Rose Crest comes off as a bunch of easygoing yet passionate guys about their craft, their story reveals one that is full of struggle, growth, finding each other, and above all, crafting music that is true to yourself. The band is here to talk about their single, what formed Rose Crest, and what else the band is up to this year.
How did you guys come to find each other? What started Rose Crest?
Edward Alec Kemper (Guitar): Danny, Matt, and I have been playing music together for a few years now, but we decided to add more talent for this latest project. We went through a few different people before discovering Chance and Brandon, who both bring a ton of fun and creative energy to every practice.
What was the scene like around you at the time? I always ask this because even the most conventional of genres seem niche when it comes to every state's version of the scene.
Edward Alec Kemper (Guitar): When Matt, Danny, and I first started coming into the scene it was all about high-energy pop-punk live shows. Everyone in the scene was bringing their A-game to performances, and we just wanted to be a part of it. We started going to every show we could and talked to all of the bands we vibed with. It’s amazing how friendly and welcoming everyone was to us.
They all offered us guidance and showed us how to become what we are today. Once covid hit all these bands went into a super creative writing mode, including us. Once everyone is vaccinated and bands start dropping their music and performing again, the scene is going to be massive and more fun than it has ever been. It is amazing how this scene took some average joes with a love of music and really raised us into what we are today.
What are your music influences? How did they make their way into your new single, "The Fall?"
Danny Council (Guitar): I listen to all sorts of stuff, but some of my favorite bands are Touche Amore, Title Fight, Counterparts, and Citizen. But for Rose Crest, I find myself listening to a lot of older alternative emo acts for inspiration, the kind of stuff I grew up on, and what got me into rock music in the first place. Bands like Taking Back Sunday, Rufio, Circa Survive, Thursday, The Used.
There's a lot of great music in that era that gets overlooked, I think because of the whole "It's not a phase mom" meme. Like, say what you will but Discovering the Waterfront by Silverstein slaps so hard. I wanted "The Fall" guitar-wise to be a combination of those sounds that I love. Ed brought in the idea of slowing things down during the verse guitar-wise and kind of the bouncy chorus we have going on. It really just brought it all together to form something that we were all proud of.
Stylistically, looking at "The Fall," there are some great emo and alternative sounds imbued into your instrumental framework. There is this sort of upbeat, melodic resilience to it, combined with nostalgically charged vocals. You guys kind of undercut this with emotionally engaging lyrics about cutting ties with toxic people. Without me having me do all the explaining on my end haha, where are you guys coming from lyrically with this new single?
Brandon Sorrell (Vocals): One of the things I like about "The Fall" as well as some other material we’ve got coming is that there’s definitely a contrast between the instrumental element and the lyrical elements. The first time I listened to "The Fall," back when I was just showing the rest of the guys what I could do, the track immediately made me think of backward baseball caps, pizza, and leaving my town.
Then it gets real and relatable. The baseball cap becomes bedhead, the pizza becomes a pint of ice cream, and you hate leaving your house. But for some reason, you’re still raging. Obviously, I want you to be impressed when you listen to us, but I want you to be surprised too. What matters to me, lyrically, is that the songs are genuine and impactful. I think we hit the mark with this one.
What was the recording process like for "The Fall?"
Danny Council (Guitar): It was great! We had some lineup changes during it, but the guys at Huge Face Productions, Alex Dahle and Austin Labig from Knavery -- check their band out if you haven't heard of them -- were super helpful, patient, and really encouraged us to explore different ideas as long as it sounded good. It was really refreshing for us as all of us come from different bands and different experiences recording, and Alex and Austin just made it feel like a hangout session where we were trying to put together something we were proud of.
I know this is your first single, and you guys are still new to the scene, but what are you hoping people to take from this?
Danny Council (Guitar): We're hoping that it shows people like us that if you want to create some form of art, that you can actually do it. You just have to put your mind to it and commit. For a long time, all of us were involved in music one way or another, Chance is involved in another band (Absent Soul), Brandon put out some solo stuff in the past, and myself, Matt, and Ed have been in various bands over the years. This feels like the first time for most of us. We're looking at this as something that is a part of our lives rather than something we are doing as a hobby.
If you would have asked me or most of the guys in this band 10 years ago "Do you guys think that you could ever be a musician and publish work?", my answer would have been no. Because I didn't think that could ever be me. I'm just some guy from the midwest. But now I couldn't imagine living life without constantly pursuing it. Even if only six people ever like our stuff, for me it's about the release of creating something. So, for me, what I'd like people to take away from "The Fall" is that if you want to do this, you can, even if you struggle with imposter syndrome and think you could never be an artist.
What does "The Fall" mean for each of you?
Edward Alec Kemper (Guitar): “The Fall” lyrically to me is something everyone has experienced but can be hard to talk about. I’m glad so many people can relate to it and really I think all of our upcoming releases have this vibe of talking about hard subjects in a way that is fun and relatable. We absolutely can’t wait to share more with everyone.
Danny Council (Guitar): For me, it's about letting go. I don't like to hard-define how I interpret it because I think songs mean different things to different people. But for me, it's about letting go of something that you should have let go of a long time ago.
Brandon Sorrell (Vocals): It sets the stage for us in a pretty aggressive way. It’s a good combo of our influences both instrumentally and lyrically. We couldn’t have picked a better song from the bunch to serve as the introduction to our band.
Chance Textor (Bass): Being the newest guy in the band, I didn't personally have anything to contribute to this single or the album. But when I first contacted the guys and they said I could come jam at practice and see how it goes, "The Fall" was the first thing they sent me. From the very first time I heard it I was super stoked. For one, the sound itself threw me right back to when I was first discovering the genre. Two, lyrically I really related to it in that moment because of some personal things I had going on in my life. Right off the bat, I knew I had to be a part of this project.
Matt Atha (drums) - I hit the drum with stick. I no feel.
What is next for you guys this year?
Chance Textor (Bass): As for this year, we're gonna bust our asses to finish the videos and keep promoting this album while at the same time kicking it into high gear to work on the next one. Personally, I'm hyped to be a part of the writing influence this time. This is a new project for me so it's gonna be fun to write something in a new genre.
I was and still am the bassist for Absent Soul, so I'm used to a heavier more metal core/thrashy kind of writing vibe, so changing it up is gonna be really refreshing. What we’re most stoked for, if daddy Dewine will allow it, is to be playing shows again.
As soon as venues open up you better bet that we’re gonna be there. We're super excited to get to really interact and meet some of the people who have been giving so much support in releasing this music and spreading Rose Crest around. We're gonna give you all an absolute banger of a show that you so much deserve after the last year and a half of Rona. Love ya’ll and thank you so much for the support.