Exclusive interview with outlaw Southern rock singer Glitter Rose live worldwide on Gosh! May 12th, 2012
By Robin Rowe
Glitter Rose live on Gosh!Radio on May 12th
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!Radio) 2012/5/8 – “I just write what I feel and play it hard,” says country rock-n-roll singer Glitter Rose. “My style is very raw. I’m influenced very much by The Rolling Stones. Mick and Keith created a very poetic musical experience, with raw, natural guitars.”
Host Gabrielle Pantera interviewed Glitter Rose on Gosh!Radio Meet the Music. The music of Glitter Rose is outlaw Southern rock, a perfect blend of country and rock-n-roll with an outlaw attitude. Her message carries emotion. “Whether its a story about someone I know, or an experience in my own life, every story I tell evokes real emotion,” says Rose. “You can feel it in everything from the lyrics to the chords I choose and the way I play them.”
Glitter Rose wrote her first album, Girl of Mystery, at age 12 and recorded it when she was 13. Her second album, Wolf’s Cry, released when she was 14. At age 15, she started the rock band Hollywood High. She released three singles with that band: Class of ’69, Bred to Shred, and Embrace the Sin. In 2007, Glitter Rose went back to being a soloist, releasing the album Southern Comfort, then the single Doublewide on the Backside. She also released an acoustic CD, GR at the PALMS. Her latest album is Dead or Alive, that dropped in March 2012.
Glitter Rose at the Hardrock Cafe Hollywood
Currently in residency at Hard Rock Cafe on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Glitter Rose has performed 2,500 shows. She’s the featured performer at Southern Rock Brunch, an event the Hard Rock created around her music. In the past 14 years, Glitter Rose has played at The NAMM Show, the Dallas International Guitar Festival, Whisky a GoGo and House of Blues in Hollywood, Poor David’s Pub in Dallas, the Main St. Arts Festival in Ft. Worth, and at Hard Rock Cafes all over the U.S.
Rose started writing music when she was 12. “I wrote country music, although I didn’t listen to a lot of country,” says Rose. “So it was something that was natural in me. I’ve always been a huge rock music fan. That’s what I was raised on, everything from Van Halen to Tom Petty.”
“As a teenager, I wrote rock music in the style of Motley Crue and Guns n’ Roses,” says Rose. “I enjoyed that for several years. Then, when I turned 20, I wanted to blend the two styles, create something unique and real. I combine what I feel and what I love in my writing.”
“The way I write songs is different every time,” says Rose. “Sometimes it starts with a guitar riff. Other times it’s words. Sometimes it’s a melody. There are also times when I might start an idea and put it aside. Then, when I’m writing something new, that prior piece written happens to fit and the two become one. Songwriting has always been such an interesting art to me…being able to express feelings and tell stories accompanied by music. It’s much like watching a movie and
hearing the words people are speaking while there’s music in the background enhancing the emotion of the words.”
Rose sang from a young age, joining the school choir at age 10. She’s a guitarist, acoustic and electric. She’s also a lefty. “When I first started writing at 12, I tried to learn on a right-handed guitar to accompany my singing,” says Rose. “I couldn’t play it. I then started playing keyboards, thinking I maybe wasn’t cut out for guitar…although I loved guitar. Then, I discovered left-handed guitars. Got my first one at 14, and played a live gig on guitar one month after learning to play. Once I got a lefty in my hands, I knew guitar was my instrument. It helps my music in the sense that I like to rock…play hard. There’s so much versatility in guitar playing.”
Glitter Rose, Southern rock
“Recently I had the pleasure of performing in an All Star Band including Matt Sorum, Chris Chaney, Billy Duffy, Billy Morrison, Wes Borland and Kenny Aronoff,” says Rose. “The show was for one of my endorsements, BAE Audio. I grew up listening to these guys’ music and they all were so nice to work with. Since I started in the business as a kid, I always try to perform with young, local, and up-and-coming talent, giving them an opportunity to grow and be seen.”
Some of the artists who helped Rose as a teenager included Dave Williams of Drowning Pool, Sugarbomb, and Joey C. Jones of Sweet Savage. “One of my favorite stories is about Devin Snead of Buckcherry,” says Rose. “I was on a tour to Las Vegas and Hollywood when I was 14. I lost my drummer in Vegas and had a show at Dragonfly in Hollywood in 2 days. One of our friends on the road called Devin and asked him to sit in with us. He invited us to his rehearsal space and we ran through the show. He nailed it and was so nice to work with.”
Rose says her top pick to perform with would be The Rolling Stones. “I’m big on live performance and putting on a show,” says Rose. “I think it would be incredible to get down with Mick and Keith on a stage. I’d love to perform with Steven Tyler for the same reason. And, Tina Turner would be amazing. I wish that Johnny Cash was still alive, as well as Etta James. And of course, Elvis Presley. These are all huge idols and influences to me. The power they evoke on stage is what makes them incredible performers.”
Glitter Rose was born in the Mojave Desert in Southern California in a small town on old Route 66. She moved to Texas when she was 12 and has adopted the state as her home.
Albums
Rose co-produced Dead or Alive with Dran Michael. It was mixed and engineered by John Thomas Price. “I’m very proud of the album,” says Rose. “It encompasses everything I’m about as a musician and songwriter.” The album is dedicated to the memory of Rose’s father, who passed away Christmas 2011. “He never heard the album,” says Rose. “But he helped me choose the title and I know he’s listening now.” Dead or Alive is available through iTunes, CDBaby, Amazon, and GlitterRose.com.
Rose is currently independent, but says she’d be interested in being signed to a label that will support her style and her songwriting. “I have very loyal fans,” says Rose. “My goal is to continue to make music from my heart that speaks to them.” She has fans in the U.S., England, France and Italy.
Upcoming Performances
Every Sunday Glitter Rose performs for the Southern Rock Brunch from 10:30am-12:30pm at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood. Her Dead or Alive CD Release Show will be at the Hard Rock Cafe on Friday, May 18th. She has more dates coming, with that information posted regularly on her web site and Facebook.
Glitter Rose works with the charity www.Heroes4Heroes.org that sends comic books, DVDs, music and entertainment to the soldiers overseas. For every copy of her 2007 album Southern Comfort, she sends an album to a soldier overseas. Other organizations she’s supported include Girls Inc., Dallas Legacy AIDS Foundation, Dalmatian Rescue of North Texas, and The Bridge Homeless Assistance Campus. “I’ve been blessed with a talent that can change people’s lives,” says Rose. “I want to do everything I can to bring light to those in a less fortunate situation.”
Three songs from Rose’s album Dead or Alive are to be played on Meet the Music. The songs are Desert Blues, Sad Day For Love, and Red Light. “There will always be something special about the Mojave Desert to me,” says Rose. “My song Desert Blues is written about it and tells the story of what emotions it evokes in me.”
Songs Glitter Rose plans to perform live on Gosh!Radio include Kody Was A Killer, Vodka Girls and Buda Negra.
Links
Meet the Music host Gabrielle Pantera
About Meet the Music
The show premiered in June of 2011. The 1-hour weekly music talk show Meet the Music is hosted by Gabrielle Pantera who interviews bands, singers, musicians, composers, songwriters, and music executives. Show co-hosts vary. Sound engineer David Williams. Producer Robin Rowe. Executive Producer Gabrielle Pantera. The show broadcasts live from Melrose Music Studios at Raleigh Studios Hollywood. Raleigh Studios is a historic studio lot where TV shows such as Castle, Closer and Private Practice are currently in production.
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