The Rosy Shades
Tallahassee, Florida, United States | SELF
Music
Press
The members of the unsigned indie rock band, The Rosy Shades, originally met at an open mic night Tallahassee, Florida. For many weeks, all four members of the newly formed band performed individually until last year when two of the members, Tim Rock (vocals/guitar) and Nathan Louis (drums), decided to jam together in a local park. The chemistry between the two musicians was so strong that they set out to recruit two additional open mic performers, Jon Little (lead guitar) and Jason Borntreger (bass), and The Rosy Shades was born. Louis told IRC that he would go to open mic night ever week and play a drum solo, Rock would play guitar and sing a few songs, and Borntreger “angrily stomped the stage while strumming a ukelele.” Little was recruited later on from his home in nearby Jacksonville.
For a band that is only a year in the making, The Rosy Shades, sound like they’ve been playing together for much longer, and we believe demonstrate great potential. They’ve made a splash in the Tallahassee/Jacksonville alternative rock scene thanks to their unique, tight knit, energetic songs featuring Little’s electrifying guitar riffs, the perfectly fitting lead vocals and rhythm guitar of Rock, impressive drumming by Louis and precise timing of Borntreger’s bass playing. As we were reviewing DIY releases dropped in the past week, it became apparent to us, after listening a number of times to the two tracks they sent in, that this was more than just a new rock band on our admittedly gigantic radar of artists, but rather a band that is poised to break out nationally. Both songs featured below are from the band’s self-released EP, Morning Spirit, that officially dropped last week. The band’s major musical influences include Led Zeppelin, Kings of Leon, The Beatles, The Allman Brothers, and The Ataris. - Indie Rock Cafe
The members of the unsigned indie rock band, The Rosy Shades, originally met at an open mic night Tallahassee, Florida. For many weeks, all four members of the newly formed band performed individually until last year when two of the members, Tim Rock (vocals/guitar) and Nathan Louis (drums), decided to jam together in a local park. The chemistry between the two musicians was so strong that they set out to recruit two additional open mic performers, Jon Little (lead guitar) and Jason Borntreger (bass), and The Rosy Shades was born. Louis told IRC that he would go to open mic night ever week and play a drum solo, Rock would play guitar and sing a few songs, and Borntreger “angrily stomped the stage while strumming a ukelele.” Little was recruited later on from his home in nearby Jacksonville.
For a band that is only a year in the making, The Rosy Shades, sound like they’ve been playing together for much longer, and we believe demonstrate great potential. They’ve made a splash in the Tallahassee/Jacksonville alternative rock scene thanks to their unique, tight knit, energetic songs featuring Little’s electrifying guitar riffs, the perfectly fitting lead vocals and rhythm guitar of Rock, impressive drumming by Louis and precise timing of Borntreger’s bass playing. As we were reviewing DIY releases dropped in the past week, it became apparent to us, after listening a number of times to the two tracks they sent in, that this was more than just a new rock band on our admittedly gigantic radar of artists, but rather a band that is poised to break out nationally. Both songs featured below are from the band’s self-released EP, Morning Spirit, that officially dropped last week. The band’s major musical influences include Led Zeppelin, Kings of Leon, The Beatles, The Allman Brothers, and The Ataris. - Indie Rock Cafe
Discography
"Morning Spirits" (EP - released October 26th, 2012)
"The Guardian" (Single - released April 23rd, 2012)
Photos
Bio
The Rosy Shades are an independent Rock band based in Tallahassee, Florida–comprised of Tim Rock, Jon Little, Nathan Louis, and Thomas Pritchard.
Their debut EP, Morning Sprits, retains the poise of a highly polished band but indulges in the liberating sounds The Rosy Shades began with. "With this new EP, we did what we used to do,” Little said. “We just let the songs breathe."
The band elaborates on the confident, classic songwriting of rock's golden age. Soaring vocal lines and driving rhythmic currents shape an illustrious, bold sound. Originally stemming from rhythm and blues influences, their music integrates 60‘s classic rock luster with their own unique, contemporary musical renderings.
Natives of nearby Jacksonville, Tim Rock and Jon Little’s music obsession begat a drive to create, and they began writing songs together in 2009. They’d go on to complete ritualistic collegiate obligations, with no aims of being degree wielders in the workforce. Rock initially moved to Tallahassee for this, but returned to write songs with Little.
“There’s a lot of magic about that age and that music,” Rock recalled. “Exactly how I feel now about the music is exactly how I felt even back then. Even when I first started writing melodies, I thought that I heard a sound. And then, we started to get that sound when we started writing together in Jacksonville.”
Their sound combines the beauty of simplicity, mellow ardor, and emotional evocation. On their first day of recording, Rock had a vision of The Rosy Shades performing at an outdoor festival, sharing their music with people from all over the world, and the seeds of inspiration were planted.
Maintaining close ties to Little, Rock eventually returned to Tallahassee and discovered open mic night at a local venue called The Warehouse, where on his first visit, he encountered drummer Nathan Louis. Louis had recently moved to Tallahassee with no intentions of playing in a band, but was naturally attracted to The Warehouse’s sound-fostering architecture.
After catching a few of Rock’s sets, Louis could see the gravity of the former’s resolve and was captivated. ??“I don’t know. The sound was just... certain people just have that thing,” Louis said. “I heard something. It was unrefined but it was there.”
Rock reached out to Louis in hopes of playing together, and the two quickly realized their musical chemistry. The jams would go on for hours, fusing and refining the newly fledged sound. Little would soon relocate to Tallahassee to join the auspicious duo. The social chemistry was undeniable and it wasn’t long before The Rosy Shades became a fixture of Tallahassee’s burgeoning music scene.
Sonically, the band’s allegiance lies wholeheartedly within the traditions of rock and roll. The orchestrations are unalloyed, sweet, and simple. Their execution is a reverberation of classic rock with a contemporary, alternative spin. Morning Spirits’ opening track, “High Again”, is full of levity, opening with upbeat staccato that unfolds into a sea of harmonious vocals. “The Existentialist” embodies their soulful authenticity, as it unleashes artfully crafted melodies, pneumatic vocals and edgy guitar riffs–a fine example of musical equilibrium.
With its classic rock roots, genuine vigor and thoughtful lyricism, Morning Spirits is a beautiful distillation of The Rosy Shades’ impassioned, indelible sound that Tallahassee has already embraced and the world will soon discover.
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