Roses & Cigarettes’ music is an eclectic blend of roots rock and Americana; a perfect recipe for the classic California sound. The band’s name was inspired by the Ray LaMontagne song of the same title, formed in Los Angeles in 2013. At that time Jenny Pagliaro was a vocalist in a local cover band who auditioned Angela Petrilli for a vacant guitar position. Pagliaro and Petrilli immediately bonded over a common desire to create and perform original material, and Roses & Cigarettes was born.
There is a certain grit and honesty that cakes itself onto Kyle Daniel’s voice. Struggles and hardships line the margins of his lyrical palette. Hitting on the upsides and detriments of being a touring musician. Coping with long drives and longer nights. The emotion in his voice an authentic take on grasping with those questions. The question “What’s there to say when you’ve conceded to the hardships of life?” Its something that Daniel wrestles with this question throughout his sophomore EP (out March 15), aptly titled “What’s There to Say?” And for the heaviness of the content buried within his songs, the guy has a knack for giving it buoyancy with riffing guitars and a vocal that could gnaw its way through steel.
A new album is coming from Andrew Leahey & the Homestead, and The Boot’s readers are getting a first listen to one of its songs. Press play below to hear “Queen and King of Smaller Things.”
Leaning more to the rock side of Americana and alt-country, “Queen and King of Smaller Things” finds Leahey professing to his love, “You’re the one I want to follow now.” Leahey co-wrote the song with Jon Latham, “after a major U.S. election,” he tells The Boot.
“This was the last song we wrote for the album. We were over at Jenny’s house, and we were talking about needing one more rockin’ song for the album. I sat on her couch and summoned Janis Joplin to help us out. The chords literally poured out from my hands. Jenny and I looked at each other and she immediately grabbed her phone, a pen, and we recorded the first draft. The song came together fairly quickly. Jenny created this beautiful scenery and imagery with her lyrics and I just love the story she tells in this song. We’ve all been there, and have felt those feelings before.” – Angela Petrilli
Trying to make it in the unforgiving music business is not for the weak. For every triumph there’s seemingly endless stops and starts, heartbreaks and disappointments. To succeed, you’ll need a rallying cry. Kyle Daniel’s “Don’t Give Up on Me,” which Wide Open Country is premiering today, is an anthem for anyone facing an uphill battle.
The song is the latest release from Daniel’s forthcoming sophomore album What’s There to Say? (out on March 15). Daniel says the tune is a mantra to stay on track in the face of adversity.
In Their Words: “In my early twenties, I would often find myself trying to have ‘the correct emotional response’ in confrontational situations. Smile instead of cry. Laugh instead of scream. This song was written in a moment of observing how fear was standardizing my ability to be vulnerable. Over time, I realized that one small act of bravery could be crying instead smiling, and living that truth out in the open. This song is an ode to that.” — Jennah Bell