Caroline Rose rocks, in The Current studio and the 7th Street Entry
by Jade and Jay Gabler
June 07, 2018
There's more to Caroline Rose than meets the ear. Her acclaimed new album Loner is raucously engaging on its own terms, but the "absurdist element" of her recent songs doesn't always come across on record, she told Jade as she stood in the workout wear that's her visual hallmark.
That's why she draped her gear in red-pepper vines, strewed fake flowers across the sound baffles, and adorned her keyboard with a battery-powered cat that made on-mic cameo appearances both in the studio session and later that night, in front of a giddy sold-out audience at the 7th Street Entry.
It's been four years since Rose emerged with the strong debut LP I Will Not Be Afraid. Those are four long years when you're a young artist, she told Jade. She's matured as an artist, trading an Americana vibe for a pop-rock idiom full of unexpected musical turns and fun lyrical flourishes. Her tight touring ensemble might just be America's best post-punk bar band.
They demonstrated their prowess at the Entry, where the Wednesday night crowd came ready to dance but also happily took extended breaks for the deadpan Rose to banter about life on the road (one time the cat escaped), local cuisine ("They call it an 'Izzy scoop'"), and the gratifying crowd ("you've prevented us having to inflate all the fake people we keep in the van").
Pausing for "some avant-garde music I've been working on," she whipped out a recorder to bring the house down with a few bars of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On." Was there a Britney Spears cover? Need you ask?
Maybe someday, Rose mused in conversation with Jade, "I'll write some love songs." She'll have a ready audience if she does, but for now, her growing fan base are ready to celebrate the summer with sardonic songs about motherhood and money, ironic bikinis and lovable loners.
Songs Performed
"More of the Same"
"Jeannie Becomes a Mom"
"Soul No. 5"
All songs appear on Loner (2018), available on New West Records.
Hosted by Jade
Produced by Derrick Stevens
Engineered by John Miller
Visuals by Nate Ryan (The Current studio) and Maddy Fox (7th St Entry)
Web feature by Jay Gabler
External Link
Caroline Rose - official site
