Single-mindedness pays off for the group Roses Are Red

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Dec 10, 2004 by Scott Iwasaki Deseret Morning News

Guitarist Matthew Gordner says his band Roses Are Red was signed to a recording contract because of its single-mindedness.

"We all got together and asked each other if we were dedicated to the band," Gordner said by phone from Rochester, N.Y. "Some quit their jobs. Some lost cars. And we all moved back in with our parents so we could focus on the band."

Gordner and his brother Brian, who also plays guitar, along with drummer Michael Lasaponara, bassist Kevin Mahoney and vocalist Vincent Minervino, all put their heart and soul into the band -- and it paid off.

In 2002, the band signed with Trustkill Records. "We wanted a record label that would put as much work in the band as we did," said Gordner. "I think the hardest thing for us was to get signed. We worked our tails off, played anywhere we could."

The band -- whose musical influences reach back to Def Leppard and Bon Jovi -- wants to reach as many people as possible, said Gordner. "That's what Bon Jovi did. The song structures and melodies aren't aimed at one particular demographic. They appeal to everyone. And, while it sounds bad in a few music circles, isn't really a bad thing.

"We want to become famous and bring music to everyone."

Roses Are Red's debut album "Conversations" went through some changes, even after working five months on the songwriting, said Gordner. "We knew we wanted to make a good album, so we wrote the songs and actually had a pre-production session and demoed (made a demonstration tape of) the whole album. We used that as our guide, and when we went into the studio to record the actual album, we had a guide to follow."

However, said Gordner, songs did change from the demo to the finished product. "We changed verses and choruses. When you record an album, some things that sounded good before or looked good written- out don't have the same quality you had in mind. So we changed some songs. There were some, however, that stayed the same."

Last summer, the band embarked on the Vans Warped Tour, a major highlight in Roses Are Red's career. "I used to go to the Warped Tour to see the bands," said Gordner. "And then, this past summer, I was onstage playing for kids who were like me when I was younger.

"It is hard to put in words what that felt like."

If you go

What: Roses Are Red, Boys Night Out, Emery, From First to Last

Where: Lo-Fi Cafe, 127 S. West Temple

When: Monday, 7 p.m.

How much: $10

Phone: 467-8499 or 800-888-8499

Web: www.smithstix.com

E-mail: scott@desnews.com