Rosie Daze Band is a Bluegrass/Old Time/Folk band. Their music is uplifting and joyful. I Also, they are an all-women band, which I love. They are releasing their second album, Nobody Here But Us; it feels so easy and yet polished. You can hear it live at the Bryant Lake Bowl on April 17.
Please tell me about the Rosie Daze Band. What spurred an all-women ensemble?
I started playing music again in 2012. At the time I was a Minnesota roller derby player, and a band formed from my teammates after a night of exploring musical instruments in the spirit of fun. When the band eventually shifted as people moved away, it reformed again as all women. Somewhere during that time, I started attending community music jam circles that eventually led to MBOTMA (Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association). After my first experience, I set some personal goals to attend as many bluegrass and old time music events as possible and sign up for songwriting workshops to start honing my skills. In that year, I met incredible people, camping, around jam fires, and in the wee hours of the morning.
One fateful weekend in Fall 2022 I signed up for two experiences: a songwriting workshop and a draw band. From that weekend, those experiences and connections, the Rosie Daze Band formed. Jeanne reached out via email to see if we could find a way to keep singing together. We met one time and asked if Johnna wanted to be part of it, bringing fiddle and vocal harmonies to Jeanne’s harmonies and mandolin. Julie was next holding down the low tones with upright bass, then we pulled Beth into the spotlight to showcase her amazing banjo skills and vocals which had been a secret for far too long. This year we finally rounded out our mid tones with Adelle on guitar and her added harmonies. Each member brings incredible strength, experiences, and collaboration to who we are as a group and when we’re all together playing, it is pure joy.
I will add, we DO play occasionally with other bass players when Julie can’t be present, and yes sometimes they happen to be men. We call them Honorary Rosies. They get badges. 😉
Your upcoming album, Nobody Here But Us, is your second album and closely follows the first (Due North, 2024). How was the creation of the second album different from the first?
The Sound: The first EP was an experiment. We wanted to start understanding the recording and production side of what the music world might ask of us. We knew early on we needed to record something so people who might want to book us, could get to know us a bit. I wanted to start very simple and wanted a sound that was almost like talking into a tin-cup. I tire easily of songs that feel overproduced and I love field recordings that hold a rawness about them. The 2025 Nobody Here But Us is a fuller sound with more instruments and a little more polish. And we’re still in our learning phase when it comes to production and recording. We hope one day to get it right. We want the songs to hold up to repeated listening but still be true to who we are as a band. It’s a balancing act.
The Material: The songs themselves are evolving as we layer sounds and new perspectives surface. In the end we center on what we believe is best for the song. We also had a full season of festivals to practice and get to know most of the songs so we had a solid direction when we went into the studio. That wasn’t true for all the music. Tomorrow Falls and Solid Ground were pretty new and we grew from that experience. Some we may repeat, some we may not. 🙂
I wish Monsters had been a song when my kids were young. The words are powerful, the sound is familiar and comforting. It’s like mama advice in a song. What was the inspiration?
Pulled directly from my childhood fears, that started with the title.
I have a slush pile of ideas, words, phrases that I keep and dig into when I feel the need to write a song. The word Monsters was added to it at some point so I sat down and journaled about it one day to start the process. I used to tell my classes that as a leader, others will admire you for your strengths, but they will follow you if you have the courage to share a struggle and show that you’ve experienced vulnerability and found a way to persevere.
As I was writing Monsters, I remembered being afraid of the dark, especially when my Dad was away, so my Ma would leave the hall light on for me at night so I could sleep. I was also a blankie kid so I hid under it and used it as armor. I imagined if I were braver it could have been a cape and suddenly I had an image of the child in the song. She is a little braver than I was and knows to ask for help as a way to feel less alone. The lyrics are fun because there are lines and words that come from a child’s view of the experience, staying true to her character. It wasn’t easy, because vulnerability means you gotta be willing to go to that place every time you sing this song, so before I shared it, I knew I had to love it.
One day, a few of us were stopped by a family on the street as the man asked about our instrument cases. My tenor is special/old/rare so when I pulled it out, we got to talking, and then we offered them a song. We sang Monsters. The harmonies are so pretty, and by the end, I opened my eyes and saw that the man had silently and openly wept for most of the song. I will add he is not the first man or woman to weep during Monsters. It touches people in profound ways and I hope in the end it heals whatever needs healing.
The band is described as where “heart of the Bold North meets the heat of the Deep South.” Can you elaborate more? And to be fair, I’m even more interested in the impact of Minnesota on your music than the Deep South, but curious about the South too.
Bluegrass and Old Time music is deeply rooted in the south, though if you swap out the banjo for an accordion, you have Polka which is what I grew up knee-deep in for all my childhood. I’ve said I’m a “polka refugee” but really I’m singing some of the same songs I did when I was nine, just set to a slightly different beat and instrumentation.
Often if the band is doing a cover or traditional song, we’re squarely rooted in the south with words and imagery. Seldom do those songs reflect the bold north experience. I think I intentionally try to balance it out and find a way to reflect honest experiences so I look for commonalities or shared themes.
Take Me Home, EP Due North 2024, is an example of a song that uses northern imagery but plays on the theme of travel and missing home which is universal. Agatha Jones, from the same EP, is rooted in southern imagery and plays on the shared experience of women who walk their own path and therefore never quite fit in.
Music events are so interesting to me. We experience them collectively, but we internalize moments on an individual level as the music meets people where they’re at. We’ve had an audience member come up to us after a show and say, “I grew up in Appalachia and tonight you made me miss home.” I was like, “What! Wait, what are you doing here?!” – and we exchange stories and smiles.
I write songs that touch on traditional topics then we layer on instrumentation that marries the song lyrics and tempo to what will breathe the most life into the song. But I also write songs that are specific to Minnesota.
Tomorrow Falls is an example of that. It’s a song related to the time since COVID lock down and the murder of George Floyd. I was deeply touched by the moment when George called out to his mother, a testament that to many people a mother represents safety. I believe she was there in those final moments, waiting for him on the other side. The second verse of Tomorrow Falls is about her but can also be applied to every woman experiencing the laws, policies, and attitudes that continue to police our bodies. We stand in the doorway of what was and what will come and sometimes it feels like we’re fodder for the whim of the masses.
Woman in the doorway, the sadness she wore.
Her heart stole away and her love it was torn
Land set ablaze shook down to its core
Woman in the doorway, the sadness she wore.
Please tell us about the upcoming release show.
Oh wow. Well we start projects like this looking forward to it, and somewhere in the middle my perspective shifts and I hope to just survive the night. We are excited to spend the evening in song and community. It’s been a journey to get to this point through all the learning and growth points. We get two sets in an intimate theater setting and intermission time to connect, tell stories, and leave people happier than when they came in. No pressure.
I’ve always said it’s good to have a goal. This show and the album have been that for us. We are just in our sophomore year of making music together, so the band’s goal is to keep growing together for as long as the ride will have us. We are working to expand our fan base geographically beyond Minnesota, so we plan to spend the festival season traveling near and far, refining our sets, and building the best shows possible by weaving Bluegrass, Old Time, and Folk tunes and songs to delight our audiences. Here’s hoping!
Mostly Minnesota 