New Release – Grow (album) by Rose Alaimo
Rose Alaimo is a one-lady band from Ithaca, NY. As a vocalist, guitarist, bassist, mandolin player and percussionist, Rose has performed in bands with styles ranging from rock and blues to metal and folk. Rose strives to make each musical project different from the last.
“I’m super excited about my new solo rock album, ‘Grow’ which releases on October 1st! Like the rest of my solo music, I wrote, performed, and recorded the album myself in my home studio.”
“What makes it special is, first, the tone. I feel strongly about each creative project being different from the last and pushing myself to grow as an artist. My last album was more folk/singer-songwriter based, ‘Grow’ however, is a straight-up rock album with a very big sound. It is conceptual and is based on mental, spiritual, and emotional growth and the struggles we face as we move forward.”
“Lyrically, the songs explore scenarios like the confusion and grief that come after the loss of a loved one in ‘Smoke’, to the pain that comes with watching someone we love suffer and hold themself back (‘Grow’), to struggling to find God in a world where everyone seems to have their own interpretations of how to do it (‘The Lines’), to a song ‘Frozen’ about what it’s like to struggle with anxiety and OCD,”
“I like to think it all ends on a hopeful note however with the last song ‘The Angry Sea’ which is based on a series of dreams. As a very small child and into my young adult life, I was plagued by dreams about drowning in the ocean. About 9 years ago, however, I felt like I was really becoming comfortable in my life and really learning who I was. I went to sleep one night and started having another dream about a fierce, angry sea, and started seeing a giant wave which, in the dream, I recognised from all the other similar dreams I had had in the past. I braced for the wave to fall, readying myself for the impact… but the wave never dropped. I calmly looked above me and the wave was just hovering there, and in the dream I remember thinking, “I don’t want to drown again… I can will that wave to not fall.” Then I woke up. I have literally not had another dream about drowning since. Using this idea for the last song hopefully gives the listener some faith- we ALL struggle, life is necessarily full of it if we are going to change and grow, but hopefully we can make it through some of these trials and find some peace, because that’s always possible too.”
“The other reason this album is so special is that it was made with remote production mentorship from and mastered by producer Jamie Hill (Department of Energy Management, Tacoma WA). While COVID was plaguing the world, I spent every moment I could in my home studio working with him remotely on these songs. It was literally my safety zone and the only way I made it through that year without really losing it. I learned SO much from Jamie about sound engineering and music and life in general. There is no way this album would have ever been what it is without his amazing mentorship and kindness and I am eternally grateful for the experience.”
