Project Description

Interview With

ROSE CARLEO

Interviewer: Karen Lowe

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With a career spanning more than twenty five years, multiple album releases and music awards, numerous appearances at music festivals across the nation and most notably ARIA chart success, blues rock artist Rose Carleo is the epitome of a hardworking, tenacious and super-talented singer, songwriter and musician. Karen Lowe caught up with her recently and asked some searching questions and got some great answers. Enjoy the product of their conversation below. 

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Thank you for taking the time with us today.

No worries, thank you.

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So you’ve been a major player in the Australian music scene for over twenty-five years now, how have you found yourself changing creatively over that time frame?

I think you change with age and you change with life. I think you know what you go through in life, things change you. You do things differently as you go along and you see different opportunities for songs or song subjects, so as far as genre wise I’ve always had quite eclectic taste. Which you’ve probably worked out (laughs) so, yeah.

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Yeah, that’s awesome! Speaking of that eclectic taste, so everyone else knows as well, what’s probably the weirdest thing that you like, in terms of genres?

I don’t know if there’s anything, oh one thing that I don’t like is screamo, I just don’t get it, I just can’t get my head around it. And I teach a bit of singing and I’m like if you want to learn that, I’m not the one for you. (Laughs). There’s probably nothing really weird that I like but I can appreciate all kinds of music, even classical, you know, but I love really swampy blues, I love hard rock, you know I love gutteral sort of soul music, any sort of music that comes from the heart, that’s where I’m at.

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‘Battle Scars’ is released as a single recently on March 23^rd and the EP is out April 20^th. Both are available to stream online, how do you feel about online streaming and how do you think it’s impacted the music industry in recent years?

That’s a great question, because it’s taken me a little while to get my head around it. I suppose I just have to accept it. I’m a very physical copy type of a girl. I will always buy the physical copy as well. So at first I was “oh I don’t know if I like this” (laughs) but you can’t stop a freight train right? It’s just the way it’s gone. I think it’s obviously very convenient and for this generation too. That’s what they know and I’ve still got vinyl records from my mum’s collection. Look I think it’s clever in a lot of ways and in saying that, the internet’s been good for musicians and artists so you cant really diss one without the other kind of thing, so I think it’s impacted a lot. I think it’s a bit sad that physical sales have gone down in general.  But, I guess I was trying to make a point on buying digital, I would source out and buy the physical as well.

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Look, I’m exactly the same.

I like reading some of the covers, reading the liner notes, all that stuff.

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Ok so, where do you think you’d be right now if it wasn’t for the Internet?

I think we’d be doing what we’re doing but it would be much harder. Obviously you have to physically go around to everyone, jump in the car. I guess just like they did way back when they’d do tours across the state. Just drive from town to town or drive from radio station to radio station. So, yeah like I was saying, the digital downloads and streaming you’d think “oh, I don’t know about that”  it comes in leaps and bounds so much more with having the internet? And emailing out things and being able to do video clips and putting them up and all that kind of stuff so it’s more good than bad I believe.

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So, in terms of your emotional reach, how do you feel that your music has impacted your fans?

We get a lot of messages of people coming out to us saying they can relate to a certain song or to a certain story & I think that’s the aim of the game. You need to try and connect. We’re all human and we all go through very similar things in life, just at different times. If you can communicate with someone on that emotional level you’re doing a good job.

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Definitely, in relation to that as well, do you ever have any specific intentions on how you want to impact people? For example do you ever think “I’d love for a fan to feel this way” upon hearing this song, or do you like to keep your music open for interpretation?

Probably open for interpretation but at the same time I want to make people feel and think. In this digital age that we’re in there’s so many people say that there’s “nothing behind the eyes” like they’re vacant, you know what I mean? Everyone’s either on their phones or whatever which we all do, but I just want people to feel, and if it makes them happy or sad or pulls at the heart string or whatever that’s awesome. That means I’ve done my job. Yeah, it is open to interpretation but I always hope that someone feels something from it.

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Have you ever noticed that when you perform live, the crowd has a favourite? Why do you think that is?

Yeah look, they differ between the different crowds. Different favourites. I think it’s to do with the catchiness of the song or the chorus. It could be a certain lyric, it could be me stopping in the middle of the song whilst the band’s playing quietly and teaching them the lyrics. And I think it’s the rhythm section, the beat, the drums and the bass and the guitars coming together that sometimes really hits your core, and you go “yep this is it”. I love it. Again, open to interpretation but as long as it you know gets you in the gut.

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And, have you ever had a song where you’re actually surprised that it’s a favourite?

Yeah! Yeah I have actually! On the EP, have you got the EP?

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Yeah I have, yes.

On the EP the last song is called “Last Day Alive” and a few people have been a little bit surprised because it’s so powerful and rocky. Quite a few people have commented on that song and how they were surprised, pleasantly surprised.

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Cool. What’s your personal favourite song to perform if you have one?

Oh gosh, it’s like choosing your favourite baby! Isn’t it? Oh, I love them all. Probably “Battle Scars” and “Faded Tattoo” at the moment. Yeah and we are actually working on new stuff so we’re sort of constantly writing as well. They say that your favourite song is the last one you’ve written too, so yeah!

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