1. We are talking today with Molly Sirenne from the U.S. band Rott. So Molly as I understand it, Rott consists of yourself and Danny Profitt. Tell us about the Rott sound, and how you two write your music.
Rott¡¦s sound consists of heavy guitar driven riffs and choruses sandwiched between melodic female vocals. We seem to attract fans with tastes that range from Iron Maiden to My Chemical Romance. Hopefully there is something in our style that appeals to a wide range of metalheads too. I really enjoy bands where you can really get into the music and the energy behind it.
Our writing is actually a collaboration of thoughts and ideas that may be new or may have been written but then later people think they are so good we sometimes revisit those to make the songs even better. It seems like to me I am my own worst critic and if someone else happens to enjoy the songs, I am elated. Danny writes the lyrics and then I work at changing a word or two to make it easier to sing and flow with the vocal melody as well as tempo and style. I edit the writing some to match the structure of how I want to sing it which works very nicely.
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2. Rott hail from the very small town of Spirit Lake, Idaho. So I would assume the band receives the majority of support from your outside connections, please elaborate.
Yes, the majority of our support comes from national and international sources. When we first formed in 2001, we followed the conventional route looking for publicity. We recorded our first demo in 2002 and it was well received overseas and we had several interviews and reviews in Poland, Romania, Greece, France and Argentina.?We received airplay in Greece for the demo and then the fans started emailing me in droves wanting more.
We played local clubs, then we were interviewed and played on mainstream rock station Rock 94 ? in Spokane, Washington. First by Tripp Rogers then later right before the ¡¥Afterlife¡¦ single came out in June 2007 by JP at the station in May. I cannot thank them enough for the enormous support they give to local bands.
We then recorded Out of Time in the summer. That was when things hit the fast track after it was released ourselves in September 2007. In particular with being helped out by a number of people which I am very blessed and grateful to. (You know who you are). Dave Smith at Ravenheart Music was the one who landed us our first record contract in fact, but there are so many others I just have to say I am honored immensely and humbled by their support.
3. Does the band travel to play live or is it just a musical project?
The ultimate goal of our work is to be traveling and playing live to the fans who want to see us. Studio recording and promotions work, for me anyway, is just the conduit for that. We¡¦ve done some traveling nationally already and are excited about international opportunities up ahead. Our goal is to play live in as many places as we can. As long as I have my band, my dog, and my sleeping bear with me ¡V (As Metallica would say) wherever I lay my head is home. I don¡¦t think I will mind using the finger toothbrushes or buying extra clothes to sleep in if I couldn¡¦t find a laundromat! (laughs)
4. In keeping with the bands name, (non dog lovers, please allow us a moment) Tell us about your Rottweiler.
Well that is part of the reason behind the name but not all of it. My favorite breed of dogs is Rottweiler¡¦s and my little girl¡¦s name means gentle in Greek. She is 77 pounds of pure joy, love, and wigglyness; hey I just made up a new word! She hails from a small logging town here in Idaho called St. Maries. I answered an ad and brought her home as a puppy. I keep saying she should be the ambassador for Rott¡¦s. No one could meet her and come away thinking they were ferocious, unless licking someone to death proves fatal.
5. Getting back to the music, your album "Out of Time" is now available through Ravenheart Music. What can our readers expect to hear from the album?"Out Of Time" is our first release (other than our demo), and our pride and joy. It¡¦s a variety of songs ranging from melodic and dark to heavy and pulsating. There are songs like ¡¥Brightest Star¡¦ that are more radio friendly I suppose and other songs that only truly gothic and alternative fans would gravitate towards.
I would describe the music as edgy and melodic with a vocal style that has a diverse range between innocence and seduction. It is a heavy edge too, not candy coated by any means. Lyrically, the songs talk about topics like biblical apocalypse as in ¡¥Mysteries¡¦, while ¡¥Afterlife¡¦ has more of a theme about compassion versus the alternatives. ¡¥Tortured Souls¡¦ denounces child abuse and ¡¥Brightest Star¡¦ is about how shallow people, who didn¡¦t quite believe in your potential see, that you have ¡§made it¡¨ and now think you are great. I think mostly relationships and looking at things from different perspectives and viewpoints and reflecting on how that affects others.
6. How did Rott come to hook up with Ravenheart?
Dave Smith from Ravenheart Music http://www.ravenheartmusic.com contacted me via our MySpace page and sent me an email about wanting to do a review of our CD for the Ravenheart Music website. Dave has tirelessly worked to promote and educate the world about female fronted rock and metal through his website and I am so grateful as he has been an awesome friend as well. We continued to correspond via email long after the initial business of the music review. The more we spoke and wrote, the more I found us to be alike in our goal which includes giving female fronted metal a forum to be heard. I have really joined forces in a big way since then to do as much as I can to help him in any way possible. I do not know if I really did that much but I feel I am at least trying anyhow. He has now formed a record label called Ravenheart Music Records and I am happy to see that and help by sending new talent his way.
7. Now that the album is out what is the next big goal for the band?
We are going to Seattle the end of this month (March) to record a song for an upcoming movie soundtrack. See I did let you in on some secrets. (Smiles) We would like to get as much exposure as possible through this type of outlet for Rott¡¦s music to be heard. Video games too would be righteous! Alternative, creative ways to sneak into people¡¦s subconscious and get them wanting more. Before I knew who Michelle Branch was, I saw her on the side of a McDonald¡¦s cup I think. In addition to more exposure through internet radio and awesome webzines and magazines like yours. Then of course after more exposure finishing recording the new CD will be great too. Can you say shiver¡K? (winks and smiles)
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8. To me there are few other satisfactions like recording your own music. What does Rott mean to you?
Rott to me is the living breathing embodiment of my soul. Danny and I have poured so much of our hearts and personalities into this band that is Rott. There is nothing wrong with performing cover songs. Some bands do it extremely well but for me however, to perform our own music and see the response of an audience is to feel love and acceptance in its purest form.
9.?Has the success so far surprised you and Danny? Were you expecting it?
We try to follow the principles of like attracts like and positive attracts positive. So believing that all things are possible is something I strive for. You have to believe in what you are doing and in that I felt confident that success would happen. I am humbled and honored really, and am very grateful. It is life changing to help give others hope as well.
10. In closing we would like to thank Molly for her time and wish Rott continued success. Molly any final words from you, and tell us where we can get Rott merchandise and the album.
Thank you Jason and all the wonderful staff at Nocturnal Euphony. It has been a pleasure and I really enjoyed your questions. You can get Rott merchandise and the CD by checking us out at our main Rott website: http://www.rottband.com and our official MySpace site at http://www.myspace.com/rottband.
Oh and I now use Twitter too so if you want to know what I am doing at any given time you can find me there at http://twitter.com/rott
Thank you to our fans for all the love and support. You guys are the best! See you soon!!
~molly sirenne xxx
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