De Rosa (band)
Encyclopedia
De Rosa was a Scottish
rock band from Bellshill
. Its components were Martin Henry
(vocals, guitar), Chris Connick (guitar), James Woodside (bass), Neil Woodside (drums) and Andrew Bush (piano/keyboards). The band released two studio albums - Mend
and Prevention
- to critical acclaim.
a place in culture." Although heavily influenced by the alternative rock music
of the 1980s and 1990s, De Rosa's sound also referenced other sub-genres of music, with elements of slowcore, Scottish
folk
and electronic music
. In later performances De Rosa began to use more synthesisers and drum machines in their live set, their sound moving away from the guitar-based rock of their debut material towards a fusion of electronic and traditional styles.
in 2001. From 2007-2009 the band was a five piece (brothers James and Neil Woodside on bass and drums respectively, with Chris Connick on guitar and Andrew Bush on piano/keyboards). All of the band members were based in Lanarkshire
and Glasgow
. Connick - school friend of Henry and long-time De Rosa collaborator - became a full member of De Rosa in 2006. Bush joined as pianist/keyboardist in 2007 having previously worked as the De Rosa live sound engineer.
, run by Shaun Tallamy & Andy Miller
. It was following the release of their debut single ("Camera"/"All Saints Day") in August 2004 that they first attracted interest from DJs
including the late John Peel
and Steve Lamacq
. De Rosa was a three piece at this point consisting of Henry and brothers Neil and James Woodside. The band spent the rest of 2004 and most of 2005 recording their first album, Mend
. The album was recorded by Andy Miller
. Miller had been a friend and mentor of the band since their earliest rehearsals. The use of Chemikal Underground
’s recording studio led to the Glasgow label offering to release the album under licence from the band's original label.
Released in the UK on June 19, 2006, Mend
was voted #16 in British music magazine Mojos
top 50 albums of 2006...
With Chris Connick joining as guitarist after the completion of Mend
, the four piece De Rosa spent many months touring and promoting the album. The four piece line-up embarked on tours supporting Scottish indie bands Mogwai
and Arab Strap
in Autumn 2006, and completed their first headline tour of Europe
in April 2007.
was released by Chemikal Underground Records on 2 March 2009. Once again the band worked with Mend
producer Andy Miller
at Chem 19 recording studios in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Guest musicians on the album include Barry Burns
of Mogwai
and Robert Johnston of Life Without Buildings
. The cover artwork features a portrait of De Rosa painted by Glasgow
writer and artist Alasdair Gray
.
De Rosa toured in the UK and Europe in support of Prevention in spring 2009, and supported Doves on their UK tour dates in April.
A project where a free specially written and recorded song was given away free by MP3 download on the first Monday of each month of 2008. The result was a complete download only album of original songs.
Chemikal Underground’s anniversary compilation. Includes the De Rosa track “Cathkin Braes”.
Compilation featuring collaborations between Scottish writers and musicians. Includes “Steam Comes Off Our House”, a collaboration with Michel Faber
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
rock band from Bellshill
Bellshill
Bellshill is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, 10 miles south east of Glasgow city centre and 37 miles west of Edinburgh. Other nearby towns are Motherwell , Hamilton and Coatbridge . Since 1996, it has been situated in the Greater Glasgow metropolitan area...
. Its components were Martin Henry
Martin John Henry
Martin John Henry is a songwriter from Bellshill in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Henry is noted for his success as the frontman of the rock band De Rosa, who released several albums, singles and other recordings on Glasgow’s influential independent label Chemikal Underground. De Rosa's music was...
(vocals, guitar), Chris Connick (guitar), James Woodside (bass), Neil Woodside (drums) and Andrew Bush (piano/keyboards). The band released two studio albums - Mend
Mend
Mend is the critically acclaimed debut album by the Scottish band De Rosa. Released in June 2006, it was voted 16th in Mojo’s top 50 albums of 2006...
and Prevention
Prevention (album)
Prevention is the critically acclaimed second studio album by Scottish band De Rosa, released March 2, 2009 through Chemikal Underground and Gargleblast Records. Guitarist Chris Connick states that the album features "ten tracks of misery and place, from Lanarkshire," and notes that it "differs...
- to critical acclaim.
Music
De Rosa were noted for their use of guitar-based indie rock combined with Henry's personal lyrics sung in a Scottish accent. When asked about the importance of place in his lyrics, founding member and song-writer Martin Henry stated: "I guess in some small way I’m trying to give post-industrial LanarkshireLanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
a place in culture." Although heavily influenced by the alternative rock music
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
of the 1980s and 1990s, De Rosa's sound also referenced other sub-genres of music, with elements of slowcore, Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. In later performances De Rosa began to use more synthesisers and drum machines in their live set, their sound moving away from the guitar-based rock of their debut material towards a fusion of electronic and traditional styles.
Line up
De Rosa was formed by main songwriter Martin John HenryMartin John Henry
Martin John Henry is a songwriter from Bellshill in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Henry is noted for his success as the frontman of the rock band De Rosa, who released several albums, singles and other recordings on Glasgow’s influential independent label Chemikal Underground. De Rosa's music was...
in 2001. From 2007-2009 the band was a five piece (brothers James and Neil Woodside on bass and drums respectively, with Chris Connick on guitar and Andrew Bush on piano/keyboards). All of the band members were based in Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Connick - school friend of Henry and long-time De Rosa collaborator - became a full member of De Rosa in 2006. Bush joined as pianist/keyboardist in 2007 having previously worked as the De Rosa live sound engineer.
Early work and Mend
De Rosa signed in 2004 to Lanarkshire label Gargleblast RecordsGargleblast Records
Gargleblast Records is an independent record label based in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Early years:Founded by record producer Andy Miller and friend Shaun Tallamy in May 2003, the aim of the label was to support, develop and release music by some of the bands Miller had recorded at Chem...
, run by Shaun Tallamy & Andy Miller
Andy Miller (record producer)
Andy Miller is a record producer based in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Miller is noted for his production on influential albums by Mogwai, Life Without Buildings, Arab Strap, The Delgados, Scout Niblett, Songs: Ohia, Sons And Daughters, De Rosa and Desert Hearts.He is freelance, but has mainly...
. It was following the release of their debut single ("Camera"/"All Saints Day") in August 2004 that they first attracted interest from DJs
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
including the late John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
and Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
. De Rosa was a three piece at this point consisting of Henry and brothers Neil and James Woodside. The band spent the rest of 2004 and most of 2005 recording their first album, Mend
Mend
Mend is the critically acclaimed debut album by the Scottish band De Rosa. Released in June 2006, it was voted 16th in Mojo’s top 50 albums of 2006...
. The album was recorded by Andy Miller
Andy Miller (record producer)
Andy Miller is a record producer based in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Miller is noted for his production on influential albums by Mogwai, Life Without Buildings, Arab Strap, The Delgados, Scout Niblett, Songs: Ohia, Sons And Daughters, De Rosa and Desert Hearts.He is freelance, but has mainly...
. Miller had been a friend and mentor of the band since their earliest rehearsals. The use of Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 by Glasgow, Scotland rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in the nineties....
’s recording studio led to the Glasgow label offering to release the album under licence from the band's original label.
Released in the UK on June 19, 2006, Mend
Mend
Mend is the critically acclaimed debut album by the Scottish band De Rosa. Released in June 2006, it was voted 16th in Mojo’s top 50 albums of 2006...
was voted #16 in British music magazine Mojos
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
top 50 albums of 2006...
"The kind of parochial majesty you might encounter if The Pixies reworked The Go-Betweens "Before Hollywood" for a documentary about the social history of Lanarkshire..."
With Chris Connick joining as guitarist after the completion of Mend
Mend
Mend is the critically acclaimed debut album by the Scottish band De Rosa. Released in June 2006, it was voted 16th in Mojo’s top 50 albums of 2006...
, the four piece De Rosa spent many months touring and promoting the album. The four piece line-up embarked on tours supporting Scottish indie bands Mogwai
Mogwai
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
and Arab Strap
Arab Strap (band)
Arab Strap were an indie rock band from Scotland that consisted of core members Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, and split in 2006...
in Autumn 2006, and completed their first headline tour of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in April 2007.
Second album, Prevention
The second De Rosa album, PreventionPrevention (album)
Prevention is the critically acclaimed second studio album by Scottish band De Rosa, released March 2, 2009 through Chemikal Underground and Gargleblast Records. Guitarist Chris Connick states that the album features "ten tracks of misery and place, from Lanarkshire," and notes that it "differs...
was released by Chemikal Underground Records on 2 March 2009. Once again the band worked with Mend
Mend
Mend is the critically acclaimed debut album by the Scottish band De Rosa. Released in June 2006, it was voted 16th in Mojo’s top 50 albums of 2006...
producer Andy Miller
Andy Miller (record producer)
Andy Miller is a record producer based in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Miller is noted for his production on influential albums by Mogwai, Life Without Buildings, Arab Strap, The Delgados, Scout Niblett, Songs: Ohia, Sons And Daughters, De Rosa and Desert Hearts.He is freelance, but has mainly...
at Chem 19 recording studios in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Guest musicians on the album include Barry Burns
Barry Burns
Barry Burns is a Scottish musician best known for his work with post-rock band Mogwai.-Early life:Burns went to Cardinal Newman High School in Bellshill before enrolling with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, taking up a Bachelor of Education degree in teaching music. He did...
of Mogwai
Mogwai
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
and Robert Johnston of Life Without Buildings
Life Without Buildings
Life Without Buildings were a Glasgow, Scotland based indie rock band. The band, mostly ex-students of the Glasgow School of Art, formed during the summer of 1999. The band initially consisted of Will Bradley , Chris Evans and Robert Johnston . Painter Sue Tompkins joined later that year...
. The cover artwork features a portrait of De Rosa painted by Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
writer and artist Alasdair Gray
Alasdair Gray
Alasdair Gray is a Scottish writer and artist. His most acclaimed work is his first novel Lanark, published in 1981 and written over a period of almost 30 years...
.
De Rosa toured in the UK and Europe in support of Prevention in spring 2009, and supported Doves on their UK tour dates in April.
Studio albums
- MendMendMend is the critically acclaimed debut album by the Scottish band De Rosa. Released in June 2006, it was voted 16th in Mojo’s top 50 albums of 2006...
(2006) - Appendices 2008 (2008)
A project where a free specially written and recorded song was given away free by MP3 download on the first Monday of each month of 2008. The result was a complete download only album of original songs.
- PreventionPrevention (album)Prevention is the critically acclaimed second studio album by Scottish band De Rosa, released March 2, 2009 through Chemikal Underground and Gargleblast Records. Guitarist Chris Connick states that the album features "ten tracks of misery and place, from Lanarkshire," and notes that it "differs...
(2009)
Singles
- "Camera" / "All Saints Day" (August 2004)
- "Camera" / "Amy’s Song" (June 2006)
- "Father’s Eyes" / "Evelyn" (November 2006)
Other releases
- CHEM 087 CD+DVD (August 2006)
Chemikal Underground’s anniversary compilation. Includes the De Rosa track “Cathkin Braes”.
- Ballads Of The BookBallads of the BookBallads of the Book is a studio album, released on 5 March 2007, on Chemikal Underground. The project was curated by Roddy Woomble, and features collaborations between Scottish musicians and Scottish writers. The album is considered a "joint effort" by all those involved...
(March 2007)
Compilation featuring collaborations between Scottish writers and musicians. Includes “Steam Comes Off Our House”, a collaboration with Michel Faber
Michel Faber
Michel Faber is a Dutch-born writer of fiction. He writes in English.Faber was born in The Hague, Netherlands. He and his parents emigrated to Australia in 1967...