Rosacade @ Casa Cafe, an interview

The Chicago screamo scene has been growing into a true, underground spectacle that represents the constantly-growing DIY musical culture embedded within the Windy City. Rosacade is among some of my favorite acts coming out of the scene, due to the amazingly chaotic energy at their shows. They were the band that introduced me to the scene, allowing me to open myself up to the nuttiness that it beholds. When I see Rosacade on a bill, I do not hesitate to put in a sick day or come up with some bullshit at work in order to be sure and catch them. And when I saw that they were playing at Casa Cafe, that’s exactly what I did. I told my boss that I had to babysit, then went out and caught the bus. After their show, the hard-hitting sextet joined me for a little chat.

What is Rosacade? What started it?

Roland: So Rosacade first started well… I don’t know. I was going through shit and I started getting really into screamo. I was on a call with Abel, trying to figure out a name for a project because I was making shitty bedroom skramz. We were looking at diseases and we saw rosacea, then we were like “wait that’s cool.” But I mis-typed it on Snapchat and that was like “Rosacade.”

Where is your favorite place to play? Why?

Roland: This place and Empty Bliss. I think Empty Bliss will always have a special place in my heart.

Marco: I’m really hype because we have two upcoming shows at a bookstore and a bike shop.

Roland: Yeah those are gonna be fucking sick. This venue (Casa Cafe) was probably the funnest show I’ve ever played.

Abel: Beautiful venue. Tip the workers!

Roland: Confessional was also fucking amazing. That venue was so fucking awesome. Rest in peace.

I know you guys play a lot of shows in Michigan. You played at Roachfest in Kalamazoo and other events in Detroit. What is it like playing places in Michigan compared to Chicago?

Roland: We fucking LOVE Kalamazoo. Our first real show in a basement was at Kalamazoo with 40ft to Go and Snowbirds. That show was so fun, even though we were so fucking buns. Every single time we play in Kalamazoo, the crowd goes crazy– everyone is so awesome and nice.

Abel: Detroit is very moshy.

Roland: Tomorrow’s a Detroit show. Shoutout Bella’s Bunker! They are fucking awesome! They book the best Detroit shows… Shoutout every band playing tomorrow.

How did you get started playing in Michigan?

Roland: 40ft to Go went to our first ever show at the skatepark and they hit us up—

Abel: They were there?

Roland: Yeah they were at Swallowfest–

Abel: That’s a deep cut.

Roland: Yeah that’s not even on the Insta. They went to Swallowfest and they loved us even though we were so buns. Shoutout Dylan from 40ft to Go. They’re really awesome people and they helped us book our first ever real show. We haven’t played with them in a minute.

What is something that makes the Chicago scene stand out from other cities?

Glorp: We have good moshers.

Abel: It’s still growing, honestly.

Roland: Matt come in, come in. Talk about the Chicago scene. This is Matt from Norfair.

Matt from Norfair: What’s the question?

How does the Chicago scene stand out?

Matt from Norfair: Umm… the Chicago scene… It's like every other scene, bro. That shit does not stand out. The Chicago scene is like caveman times and SoCal is like medieval times. We’re getting real slow. Give it three months and this shit will be run by deathcore bro.

Everyone: NOOOOOO–

Matt from Norfair: But really, it’s just like a really big, tight knit community. I feel like everyone knows everybody and everyone’s friendly.

Roland: The scene is really awesome, like truly, really really great and it’s been growing at such a rapid rate recently. Every show we play, there’s more people and new faces.

Isaac: There are people who come to all of our shows, like we deadass got fans and shit.

Glorp: Our Shared Past and Rosacade, we played Swallowfest together and there was like a decent amount. It was like the rise of rizz screamo—

Matt from Norfair: This guy keeps talking, bro…

Abel: That wasn’t even Chicago– that was Round Lake bro.

Matt from Norfair: Glorp has his facts wrong, but it’s been such a great thing, seeing this start from the bottom and get to where it is now.

Roland: The scene a year ago is so different from what it is now.

Matt from Norfair: It’s like a seed. Watering a beautiful plant and then it’s like a flower. And then there are petals and shit. And then the bees come and pollinate it.

You dropped the 2x4 Split earlier this year with three other bands. What's the story behind that?

Roland: Norfair asked us to do the split and we were like: “uhh frick yeah.” We frickin love Norfair and we frickin love Snowbirds and we frickin love Silven. That split was really fun and those shows were really fun.

Matt from Norfair: Yeah we asked everybody to get on the split, but we just liked so many of these bands that we had to do it with three other guys. One thing I need to tell y’all is that we were super rushed doing that split. We thought we had long enough to do it, but we released that shit so fucking fast under so much pressure. But I wouldn’t undo it. It’s such an amazing split and showcases really cool shit from the Midwest. It’s awesome. *burp*

I’m gonna kinda switch gears here into the recording aspects of things. A lot of your songs bounce around quite a bit and have many distinct sections within themselves. How does recording a song like that come together?

Felix: Okay, so… for the original 2x4 Split, at the time, we only had one guitarist. I had a kick mic and then I had an overhead. And our guitarist, Alex, put his amp in a room, like two rooms away, and we had our bassist, Glorp, going straight in and we had everybody listening with headphones. We actually just recorded for our CD demos and what we did for that was… I actually just used one mic for the drums. Everybody else was just playing a scratch track at the other side of the room and they were playing into one mic. Then we went back and did one take where we just had our guitarist listen to the track and just sort of listen through and record over what they played before in that other take. With Roland and Abel, our vocalists, we really just sit down and we do a few sessions I guess.

Roland: The demo was like all one session and then we rerecorded a bunch.

Felix: It’s always like we record one big thing and then we go back to re-record a lot.

What have you been up to since releasing the split?

Roland: We had a whole member change. Playing all these shows. We just recorded an EP.

Felix: We were hesitant to do anything after we went through the member change and the sound change and we were debating adding Isaac and Abel to the band, so we wanted to make sure that our sound was actually what we wanted to put into the scene. We finally feel like we’re at a place where recording is acceptable now, so we recorded and did the CD demos and we’re working on more mixes.

What are you doing when you’re not making music?

Marco: Skating.

Abel: YO WE SKATEBOARD AS HELL MARCO. We reading up on theory. We locking in. Usually, when we’re not doing band stuff, we’re either working, in school, skating, or reading.

What’s your favorite book of theory?

Abel: I love The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon. I love postcolonial theory. Shout out West Africa, shout out Algeria…. Locking in bro.

Where do you each see yourselves in the next few years?

Abel: Nowhere.

Glorp: I see myself as a Wilson oldhead unc talking about Rosacade drinking PBR.

Abel: Hopefully, I’m getting my master’s.

In what?

Abel: Sociology or social work.

There are always new up and coming bands and artists from the city, especially within the screamo scene. Do you have any words of advice for people who wanna jump in?

Felix: No mosh callouts.

Abel: No mosh callouts! And do NOT make the band Instagram before you make music or merch.

Roland: If you make the Instagram first, it’s cursed and it’s never happening.

What’s everyone’s go-to Culver’s order?

Isaac: Pretzel bun, double cheeseburger, if I’m feeling big and greedy, but otherwise just a single.

Glorp: Pretzel bun, quadruple patty—

Abel: What the fuck?

Glorp: No lettuce, no tomato. It’s protein, it's protein.

Abel: You eating the sadburger, bro. Usually what I get is the single cheese butter burger, everything on it, no pickle. Fries. And I get a mini concrete mixer with Oreo and strawberry. I’m picky about my shit.

Marco: I like the double bacon deluxe meal, no pickles. When I get my ice cream, I like the chocolate with brownie bits.

Roland: The new pub burger and the pretzel bun is so fucking good. The curder burger is mid as fuck– it’s like stunt food. The cheese curds or the pretzel bites. The onion rings are underrated as well. And then concrete mixer: vanilla with cookie dough and Reese’s. Everyone try that shit! It is actually the best shit ever!

Felix: Honorary mention is the chicken salad they got. Good as fuck. But I’m gonna go with the single bacon deluxe with cheese curds and a vanilla concrete mixer with brownie bits and raspberry.

What is in store from Rosacade in the future?

Glorp: Really just a bunch of nonsense, but we hope it sounds cool.

Isaac: Split with our glitter brothers from California, Taja. Everyone check them out, they are our goats, Taja. More shows. More music. More horses. More friendship. And just love.

Connect with the band online: Spotify | Instagram

-TNY

Rosacade @ Casa Cafe, an interview

SIKADE - “eleven”

Jason Piquette - “Chocolate Heart”