INTERVIEW: Timmy Rough – The New Roses
WORDS: Tom Wakenell
Since forming in 2007, THE NEW ROSES have been making a stir with their blues driven hard rock anthems. With their latest album, Dead Man’s Voice, released late last month under new label Napalm Records, we caught up with frontman Timmy Rough to talk about Dead Man’s Voice, the progression of the band and future plans!
The new album Dead Man’s Voice has just been released. How did the recording and writing process go?
Timmy:It’s been a crazy ride. I offered more than sixty ideas to the band to choose from. From Country-Ballads to Speed-Metal-Noise there was nothing you couldn’t find.
Do you feel as a band that you have advanced since the last album, Without A Trace?
Timmy: Definitely! It would be awful if this band couldn’t even develop it’s sound from the first to the second record. I think we are getting closer to the essence of this band. We have very colourful influences, so it’s a big challenge to connect them to a strong chain. But we’re getting closer with every song and every show.
How has it been working with producer Markus Teske?
Timmy: We know him from our first album, so we we could start working from where we stopped the last time. So again, we had the chance to develop the band sound as team. He has very sensitive ears and and a good taste. He is a good guy, so it was an easy decision to work with him again.
What were some of the lyrical influences behind the songs – particularly Ride With Me, where it is a song about love?
Timmy: Ride With Me is more about good memories captured in songs from the past. You know that feeling, when you hear a song that you haven’t heard for ages and right away you travel back in time and you can literally feel the exact situation you heard that song in years ago. Apart from right with me, I wrote songs about being on the road with all the ups and downs, I tried to make up completely fictive stories for the first time, like the title song for example and I tried to explain my thoughts and feeling about what’s going on the world these days in a couple of songs. So, when you put it all together there should be something for every mood you could possibly be in (smiles)
Last year, you signed to Napalm Records, how important has that been in getting international recognition for your music?
Timmy: That is a major change in the band history. You just can’t do what those guys can do. You need that support and especially that know how. For us it was a big motivation boost to be recognized by a world wide company like Napalm.
How important is the classic rock revival scene in today’s society and do you think bands such as yourselves will help the younger generation discover some of the bands which influenced you?
Timmy: In my opinion Rock and Roll is much more a way of life, a state of mind, than just a kind of music. If you are open minded, if you don’t care what people think, if you like to be out on the road, if some bars have a magnetic effect on you, then you will probably like Rock and Roll. I’m sure there will always be this kind of rebel out there. So there will always be Rock and Roll music. I’m guess we help the young kids get in touch with the soundtrack of their life. At least I like to think that.
Any upcoming tour information?
Timmy: We play a lot this year all over Europe and we are making a plan to visit the UK as soon as possible, too
What can we expect from The New Roses throughout the rest of 2016?
Timmy: Kick as Rock and Roll, what else? (laughs)
Dead Man’s Voice is out now on Napalm Records.
