UTG INTERVIEW: Rocky Loves Emily

We’re extremely pleased to bring you this exclusive interview with Rocky Loves Emily!

RLE burst onto the pop scene in 2009 with something to prove and with honesty, dedication, and a love for their fans, the band have secured their spot in the ranks with some of the best in the business. They’ve recently released their newest effort Secrets Don’t Make Friends which quickly rose in popularity on UTG and has been adored by the rest of the world.

We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to speak with vocalist Brandon James Ellis about the new album, his inspirations and approach to writing as well as some news that has yet to be revealed until now! Read on through and get caught up with Rocky Loves Emily!

What’s your favorite 3 Ninjas movie?
Oh man. As a kid, all of them. After watching them more recently (search them on YouTube) I have to admit they just didn’t get me as pumped as I thought they would (laughs).

What are you looking forward to the most on your upcoming tour with Sparks the Rescue?
It will be our first tour not doing smaller cap rooms with headlining shows so that’s a huge step for us. I’m also a big fan of STR and have been for years, so watching them play every night is going to be awesome.

Who do you hope your music speaks to lyrically?
Anybody willing to listen with an open mind. Our songs on Secrets Don’t Make Friends cross a lot of different topics; love, loss, money, depression, faith in God and some bad habits (laughs), so I hope there’s something in it for everyone!
 
How have you been enjoying the response to Secrets Don’t Make Friends since its release? 
It’s been cool and inspiring getting almost all positive feedback and most recently #2 in AP reader’s choice. We weren’t sure how everyone would react to such a melting pot of songs, but it seems that’s what people enjoy most about the album. Secrets Don’t Make Friends definitely crosses many genres which makes it interesting to listen to. Reading all the reviews is so encouraging! One guy compared us to The Beatles (which is a stretch) but that was definitely flattering. We specifically loved the UTG review so much that we quoted you guys on our most recent ads!

What was the main inspiration that went into the writing for the album?
Writing honest pop songs. That idea inspired me personally most of all. I didn’t want to stick to one specific genre, as long as the song was good, it made the album. We didn’t limit ourselves to what “the scene” thought was cool, ya know? I think that’s what makes SDMF stand out. 

What song on the album holds the most personal weight for you?
“Dream”, by far, but I’ve spoke so much about that in other interviews that I’d like to shed some light on my second favorite, “Oil and Water”. We just shot a music video for it actually in Detroit (which we haven’t announced yet, so there’s some exclusive content) and the song means a ton to me. It describes my pursuit to find happiness, being a single young man, all while reflecting on the ups and downs of my last relationship. I definitely let some skeletons crawl out of my closet lyrically on this one. Feels good.

How would you describe your honest, everyday approach to your writing?
I try to listen to as much diverse music as possible and collect ideas here and there all while taking from personal influence and encounters in life. I sit around my room a lot when I’m off tour dabbling on guitar. I have thousands of choruses I’ve written over the years that will probably never see the light of day (laughs). I’m always thinking, always writing.

What has the band been listening to lately?
My favorite band is The Honorary Title so I jam their channel on Pandora every day, singing my little heart out. Check them out! As for everyone else, it’s pretty diverse.

How has your time been with Tooth and Nail?
It’s been really cool. We are great friends with everyone over at Tooth which makes our working relationship that much better. Our A and R, Micah Dean, always does fun stuff with us like recently he flew down to our “Secrets Don’t Make Friends” video shoot and made a cameo appearance throughout the video. He is also planning on coming out on the road with us this summer for a few days which will be a blast. He’ll even call each of us individually just to chat about life… We just always do cool things like that which keeps work fun. It’s rad.

Are you guys really friends with Snooki?
(Laughing) No. I saw that tweet too. I also have no clue who in the band sent that. I blame Andrew…

What has been the most rewarding thing for Rocky Loves Emily thus far?
Hmm. Rewarding? Probably when our fans tell us how things we have done have changed their lives. That is always the most special thing someone could share with us. It makes us inspired to keep striving to write honest music and be good people. Oh, and how could I forget, support from people like you guys at UTG! It means the world to us. We love you!

Written and conducted by: Brian Lion

Brian Leak
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