Courtesy of Delta RoseSOUNDS LIKE: Van Halen, George Thorogood
LOCATION: Rosemead, Ca.
WEBSITE: www.deltaroseband.com
According to Delta Rose lead guitarist Forrest Goss, “Without the blues, there would be no rock ‘n’ roll.” Coming from the city of Rosemead 8212; hence the latter part of its name 8212; Delta Rose does an excellent job of combining these two sounds and creating its own genre of rock ‘n’ blues.
The band is led by frontman Spencer Krasch (the name alone screams rock star), whose voice has just that right amount of rasp to be reminiscent of the sultry blues of the South.
But the band’s sound is clearly full-throttle rock. Delta Rose has been together for about three years; however, Krasch and drummer Mikey Herrera have been playing music together since 2004. The band started off on a small scale practicing multiple times a week and eventually worked its way to performing at the members’ high school. The band then moved on to play at more local venues in the Hollywood area such as The Roxy Theater, Key Club, Knitting Factory and Crash Mansion. In time, the band won further recognition and now has a regular spot as openers at the House of Blues Sunset Strip.
The goal of Delta Rose is to make music that people can’t sit still to, according to Goss. While this goal may be ambitious, Delta Rose has the talent and the work ethic to make it a reality. Recently, the band was endorsed by ESP Guitars, which has worked with bands such as Bon Jovi. Because ESP rarely promotes unsigned bands, this was exciting for the boys of Delta Rose. And after stumbling upon the misfortune of having a member’s car stolen with all of the band’s equipment inside, free guitars from ESP seemed like the break it had been waiting for.
Big names in rock such as AC / DC, George Thorogood, ZZ Top, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters and Hound Dog Taylor all contribute to the inspirations behind Delta Rose’s musical inclination. Goss even compares Krasch’s voice to that of David Lee Roth’s from Van Halen. Although its music rocks, what is most attractive about Delta Rose is the charismatic vibes that illuminate any stage it plays, whether in front of hundreds of screaming rock fans or in a local park. All of the band members are highly likable, which also makes any show more enjoyable. The band’s charm is evident in such songs as “Chickapen,” which was the former name of the stolen car with all the equipment inside. Instead of writing an angry hate anthem, songwriters Goss and Krasch put an allusive twist on the situation by trying to get inside the mind of the criminal, referring to it as not their loss, but his gain.
Delta Rose is steadily becoming a reputable name in the Hollywood scene. A listen to songs on its website, MySpace, Facebook or Twitter pages will make it clear why. Rock has never sounded so soulful and blues have never sounded so upbeat until there was Delta Rose.
