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From: Mannieb <mannieb@laritmo.com>
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Subject: Rose Beach: Conquering w/ the Power of Family Love
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:09:39 -0700
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One of the more bizarre occurrences in recent times has been the
warping of such warm and fuzzy concepts as the family and love. Family
values means that a man doesn't just tell his own family what to do,
but you too, especially with what happens in your private life. Love
means love me and love my nation, my crew, or else it's on.
Rose Beach, whose blend of folk music tale spinning, hip hop energy
and pop sensibility she labels "fusion pop," stands to set things to
right on her CD Family Love by showing love in it's true light, as a
force that is our life line. The world view that pumps through her
music comes from her family and her native culture and is one where
pain, abuse and oppression are countered by kindness and integrity and
positive use of the force.
-----
What is the Canadian Aboriginal world view that your mother espoused
and how does it come out in or influence your music?
Rose Beach: What can you do after culture and identity are stolen from
you? My grandmother, my great-grandmother and their generation
suffered atrocities. My mother experienced racism. Their experiences
made me want the dream (of achievement) all the more. I sometimes wish
we had a future where these terrible events didn't occur and we were
all happy. That would be nice, but I think that we are where we are
supposed to be. The native youth are strong survivors and we are proud
of our ancestry and our ancestors' legacy. Always positivity through
negativity, which is the message of my CD, "Family Love."
-----
For an artist so woman-centric, the CD opener "Testament" is perhaps
the best song I've heard about leaving one's own and a father's
relentless love.
"He smiled his kind smile / He asked if I could walk a mile in the
shoes of poverty / Then waste my talent slovenly / What I want to
say ... I didn't want to say goodbye to you / When I left the farm
little fresh faced girl."
The music is a powerful contrast to the lyrics and gives the song a
dark-edged intensity that fits the modern urban grind. Ms. Beach sings
in a sultry, yet strident, voice over an 808-sounding beat, a thick
texture of guitar and synthesizer and punctuated by Indian tabla
drums. What could be a safe, pleasant acoustic guitar number is turned
into a late night altered state revelation.
Family Love is full of these juxtapositions of dark, sometimes grim,
yet uplifting, lyrics and tense, phat grooves. The stand out cut
"Window Pain" has Rose's soft sung and whisper-rapped vocals riding
over a nice beat with pop hooks worthy of The Matrix production team
or The Neptunes, especially in the vocal chorus and plaintive keyboard
riffs. Here she shines a poetic light on hustling and life's
disappointments, while acknowledging family love as a life line of
unwavering support and positivity despite sad circumstances.
"I never thought I'd end up like this ... / Who knew that I'd be
dancing in the window, but they say, girl, your body is your in,
though / Clutch that tip, f*$%in' shake them hips, your ass is mine if
I pay that dime / But, I won't sit on this train and cry ... My niece
is a beautiful young one, my brother is a talented someone / And we've
still got a great life to live, we've got more than this sad window
pain to give."
There are few tunes outside of bob Dylan's songbook that deal with
working poor, let alone sex workers, issues. And how rare is it today,
with the sad absence of Biggie and Tupac, to have music that's hard
hitting for the jeep and dance floor, but has a keep-your-head-up
message that is not a bromide of cornball sentimentality? This song
alone is worth getting the CD for, but the rest of the music is
equally good, with no bonus out-take tracks, skits or other filler.
-----
When did you first realize that you wanted to play music as your main
focus?
Rose Beach: I was really into acting, modeling, writing, dancing and
music from a young age. Anything to do with the arts. When I was about
twenty (seven years ago) a wise soul gave me a piece of advice: If you
want to be a legend, you can't be just good at many things, you have
to be amazingat one thing. That was a turning point in my life.
What are your main musical influences?
Rose Beach: I can't stop playing reggae I am crazy for it; the sound
is especially fabulous on the turntables. I love Sizzla, Tanya
Stephens, Peter Tosh and of course Bob Marley. I really like Ninnie
Starr from BC, Canada. I went to France and I met Tony Fisher. I can't
stop playing his song 'Rude Boy Style'. Wallen is great and from
France also. I love Tupac, B.I.G, Alanis Morrisette, Patsy Cline,
Aaliyah, Ben Harper, Ani Difranco.
What made you decide to move to Vancouver?
Rose Beach: Small town Saskatchewan is not really the place to be when
you are a musician and you dream big, for the simple fact that there
are not enough people to come to your shows unless you are playing a
festival or you already have a name for yourself. Vancouver seemed
like the place to be. My name is Rose BEACH. I guess I needed to be
near the Pacific Ocean with quicker access to Japan.
What led you to go to Japan? What is it about Japan that has caused
you to have so much musical and personal success?
Rose Beach: I went to Japan the first time as a model. I would do
stints in Japan to pay for my music. You can't be flaky here. If you
say that you are going to do something, you have to do it. I learned
that the hard way. It can bring you down, or you can make it work for
you. I make myself seen and I ask for help. My street team is amazing
and it consists of really multi cultural people. Japan is changing. It
is not so segregated racially or culturally and that is an exciting
thing, from an artist's perspective. On the other hand, being thought
of as exotic is a definite plus. Also, people work extremely hard
here. My father was a workaholic, as well. These two different
surroundings have made me more motivated.
-----
The creation of pop music with depth and connection to real life,
shows someone who has something to say and is not just after fame and
yet, like anyone else, Ms. Beach and her crew like to have fun and
celebrate life, as in the song "By My Side." A girl's gotta have fun
on her own, right? That's what the message of the song "Stay" is. But
here the fun is in having a romp with Rose in a sexy bad-girl mode,
the kind of girl that's hot, self-assured and defiantly, confidently
so. She whisper-sings in your ear:
"I want it my way, tough luck / My condition, my terms, my wishes, my
desire / And don't you dare fight it, 'cause I don't bite / Wait, yes
I will, gonna get my thrill."
The song and lyrics, as throughout the CD, are perfectly matched to
the beat, here a Jay-Z style beat of deep Middle Eastern drum and
sitar sounds. Somebody scream!
Though refreshingly devoid of me-first braggadocio and materialist
fantasy, the cut "Remember My Name" finds Ms. Beach giving herself
some well-deserved props, and hopes for a richer future. And for a
good reason, too:
"I crave a day when they scream my name to the stage at the top of
their lungs / I crave a day when the people I love ain't poor, they
will be provided for."
A notable contribution comes from O.v, a rapper from Montreal and a
former classmate of Ms. Beach's; he busts a rhyme in English and
French. For Rose Beach even success is geared toward love, friends and
family.
These are also celebrated on the ode to friendship "The Gift," which
features harmonica playing by her mother, Arlette, and her good friend
Gaye Delorme on guitar. Ms. Beach's sister Belle Chanson makes an
appearance on the CD. "Basically, any time I needed any musician, they
either went to the school, or had a buddy that I could pay for some
session work." Another friend, singer Brandy Johnston, provided back
up vocals on several cuts and most notably on the club-hit-in-waiting
"By My Side." Both cuts have a hip hop sensibility that is radio
friendly and would get mad respect on the streets of my Bushwick/East
Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY.
-----
You have a lot of dance/R&B/hip hop aspects to your music. How did you
come to be influenced by these styles of music, especially considering
your mom played in honky tonks and your step dad was into country
music?
Rose Beach: I moved to my dad's house in Surrey, BC. You had better
change your style pretty quick out there, or suffer dire consequences.
Everybody was listening to Aaliyah and Wu-Tang Clan. Fortunately, some
nice girls took my twin and me under their wing before too much damage
was done on the dance floor. They taught us the importance of hip-hop
and dancing. I am forever grateful Carey and Nat! After that I was
hooked and I used to sit around my friend's studio all day and all
night in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan writing and recording. They taught me
a lot about rap.
-----
The hip hop or fusion pop influences don't overshadow the melodic and
well-structured song writing. This comes from her love of reggae,
music which nearly always has a tune, and other forms of root-based
popular music. This comes through on the lilting song "Crossroads," a
plaintive, roots-tinged cut with a sweet sing-along chorus. Ms.
Beach's melody (wrapped around lyrics about a long distance lover in
Japan), flows in and out of airy pop and hip hop soul. And in and out
of English and Japanese. There is also another hardcore, flowing rap
that tastefully complements the rest of the song (not some ham-fisted
cameo designed to appeal to some demographic), this time from Edge, an
MC from Vancouver, BC. Underneath it, though, like most of the CD is
the jumpy, twenty-first century groove pioneered by Timbaland and
Missy Eliot, among others.
-----
Who are the other producers on the CD? What are their backgrounds and
how did you come to work with them?
Rose Beach: Kyhan Smith mixed the entire CD. He's a genius. Richard
Harrow did the mastering. He's from Calgary, Alberta, and is highly
recommended. As far as the music, I am the main producer for two
songs. They are the more acoustic sounding songs. The other ten songs
are produced by T. Jay Howe from Vancouver. He was a student at
Columbia Academy. At one point, I had completed two fairly serious
songs and I was wanting to write a party track. My beats always end up
kind of melancholy/tortured soul sounding. He rolled in the studio as
I was trying to record "By My Side" which is a song about partying
with your girls and whipped out the perfect beat. After that, he was
in charge of the beats and I focused all my energy on writing and
recording. I edited the entire CD as well.
-----
If Ringo of the Beatles had to get by with a little help from his
friends, Rose Beach happily thrives and is inspired by her extended
family of relatives, cousin-close collaborators and an international
street team in Japan and Vancouver, giving further proof that leading
with one's heart is one way to get by in the world of independent
music. In other words, Rose Beach catches the flies 'cause she uses
mo' honey.
For more information and to get the bangin' Family Love CD, go to
http://www.rosebeachmusic.com or http://www.myspace.com/rosebeach
Article by Mark Kirby, MusicDish
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