Roses Are Red (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Roses Are Red


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Origin = Rochester, New York, USA
Country = United States
Genre = Alternative rock
Years_active = 2002 - 2008
Label = Trustkill Records
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Final Line-Up = Vincent Minervino

Roses Are Red was an alternative rock band formed in Rochester, New York. The band was signed to Trustkill Records.

Biography

Roses Are Red formed in the summer of 2002 from the ashes of numerous other bands around the Western, NY area. It originally featured Vincent Minervino on vocals, Brian and Matthew Gordner on guitars, Kevin Mahoney on bass, and Michael Lasaponara on drums. Just 2 months after forming, the band recorded a 4-song demo and hit the road for weekend tours throughout the fall and winter of 2002. Their first full-length, "Handshakes And Heartbreaks", was released in June 2003. They immediately loaded up the van again to bring it to the world, touring the entire United States in July and August 2003 under their own steam. By the fall of 2003, the band had generated quite a buzz within the indie scene. In August 2003, the band was named "The Next Big Thing" by Absolutepunk.net, and label interest soon followed. In the spring of 2004, Roses Are Red signed with New Jersey-based indie label Trustkill Records.

Roses Are Red's live performance, graceful yet explosive, allowed their music to strike the hearts of fans of every genre under the rock umbrella. Playing select dates of the 2004 Warped Tour on the Smartpunk stage, the band won over huge crowds and built great anticipation for their Trustkill debut, "Conversations", which was released in the fall of 2004. The album was produced by Chris Badami (The Early November, The Starting Line). The band toured relentlessly in support of "Conversations", supporting The Plain White T's, Underoath, Silverstein, Matchbook Romance, Chiodos, Hawthorne Heights, and more. RAR returned to the Warped Tour in 2005, playing the Smartpunk Stage yet again alongside Boys Night Out, Armor For Sleep, From First To Last, Emery, and more.

During a tour in support of "Conversations", Kevin Mahoney left the band and was replaced by Brad Gilboe from Detroit. Mahoney later re-joined the band to record and release their second album, but left shortly after. Both Matthew and Brian Gordner also left the band during touring for Conversations. They were replaced by Shaun Murphy and Tom Zenns, both from Rochester.

In June 2006, Roses Are Red released their sophomore album, "What Became Of Me", one of Alternative Press Magazine's 'Most Anticipated Albums Of 2006'. Produced by Brian McTernan (Thrice, Circa Survive, Senses Fail), What Became Of Me is a more intimate, emotional, and dynamic take on energetic, hook-driven melodic rock.

After the departure of Michael Lasaponara and Shaun Murphy in February 2007, just after the conclusion of the Glitz 'N Glamour tour (which they headlined and featured Rookie of the Year, Scenes From A Movie, and Four Letter Lie), the band went on hiatus. Tom Zenns joined the band Time & Distance, but left shortly after. Andy Champion also joined the band around the same time, playing bass, before leaving to join Zenns in his new project, the dance-influence pop-rock band Love or Lust. Champion left the group and is now with the Buffalo, NY-based band The Boy And His Machine. Michael Lasaponara played drums in the California based-band William Tell for a short while. He then began doing drum tech work for bands such as The Used, The Academy Is..., Armor For Sleep, and Chiodos. He is now the touring drummer for the band Cute Is What We Aim For. Kevin Mahoney is a current member of the band Hit The Lights. Current musical projects of the other former members are unknown.

In the fall of 2008, Minervino and Zenns began working together on new material via the internet for a their new project, My Island. The other members are unknown. Minervino states on his Myspace page that the group will not follow the traditional band model. The band will record and release music often - not in the form of full-length albums released in 2-3 year cycles - but in digital-only mini-albums, released every few months. The band will also play regional dates whenever possible.

Final Line-Up

*Vincent Minervino - vocals/guitar
*Michael Lasaponara - drums
*Shaun Murphy - guitar/vocals
*Tom Zenns - guitar
*Andy Champion - bass guitar

Past members

*Kevin Mahoney - bass guitar
*Matthew Gordner - guitar
*Brian Gordner - guitar
*Brad Gilboe - bass guitar

Albums

*"Handshakes and Heartbreaks" - 2003
*"Conversations" - 2004
*"What Became of Me" - 2006

Other songs

*'Last Christmas' from "Taste of Christmas" compilation CD - 2005
*'Cherub Rock' from "" - 2005
*'We Never Knew' Trustkill Takeover Vol.2 - 2006

Links

* [http://myspace.com/rosesarered MySpace]
* [http://www.trustkill.com/artist/Roses+Are+Red Trustkill Artist Page]