Q&A Session With Roses Unread (Jackson/Memphis, TN)

In a time where music is being used even more to connect people together, Allison Purifoyn (Lead Vocalist) from Tennessee Hard Rock band Roses Unread reached out to The Metal Experience page to introduce us to her band and their recent music video release for "The Ugly Truth". I really appreciated her taking the time to find us and send us a message and I asked her if she wanted to do a written review for our website. She was so quick to respond, and I am super excited to share with you our conversation.

When did the band first get together and jam?

The band first got together in 2007. At the time we had different members and throughout our career, more members changed. The only original members include myself, Allison Purifoy, and my husband John, who also plays guitar in the band. We met in different bands and became close friends. One thing led to another, and aww started dating and formed Roses Unread. We then met our bass player, Jed Hood in a band we used to play with called Shive. Shive split up and Jed then joined the band shortly after. We went through a few drummers before landing Rocky Griggs who was also in a band called Prosevere. We played with Prosevere as much as we did Shive. Rocky and John actually knew each other prior to playing shows together. Prosevere eventually parted ways and as it turned out, around the same time we needed a drummer. We asked Rocky if he wanted to join our team and shortly after he became a part of our family.

Do you remember the first song you wrote together?

I don’t remember the first song we ever wrote together, but when writing the Rapture EP, I believe we started rehearsing “Rapture” first as we were getting the songs right and ready for the studio.

How does the writing process work?

The writing process works in mysterious ways. Sometimes John will come up with a cool riff and I’ll write a hook to it, or in some cases, we start off with a synth-type vibe and create a melody and beat to that. I write a lot of poetry and a majority of the time my poems turn into song lyrics. Other times a melody will come to me first and then we create the music behind it. We are lucky to have a home studio where we can expand further on our ideas before we take them into the actual studio. Our producer David Cowell then steps in to help us work out the tweaks and add some polish. He is a fabulous mixer and producer and we are glad he’s on our team.

Where did you record your most recent EP "Rapture"?

We had a majority of the songs written before our current drummer stepped in and added his own flavor to them. Shortly after, we took the new songs to Dave and he helped us structure them better and give them the love they needed. Dave works at a studio in Memphis called Super Nova Sound. I was currently just there helping him and his buddy Chris Grantham work on a song called “Tied to You”. They asked me to be a part of the song, so I went and recorded some vocals there and let me say, it’s a top-notch studio. We can’t wait to start working on new stuff there.

"The Ugly Truth" released earlier last month with a music video. What inspired the song and the imagery behind the music video?

We started working the idea of a music video for “The Ugly Truth” in late December of 2019. We brought aboard two new faces to the project, Alan Ingalls who directed and filmed/edited the video. He also brought aboard his new partner December Rain Hansen to be his art director. We played around with different ideas but every idea we had reminded us of our older song “Better Off”. The songs are like sister songs because they are so much alike lyrically. We knew whatever we did we couldn’t make it anywhere near “Better Off”. December takes amazing photos and her photography portrays a different emotion in each shot. Alan then had a brilliant idea to use her photos to make a music video. We wanted to show the artistic side of Roses Unread. We didn’t want to replicate anything we had done in the past so Alan’s idea was the icing on the cake. Each scene December set up portrayed loneliness. The character in the song is alone because their love has left/cheated on them. They feel empty and betrayed, so we wanted to have an unnerving feeling to add to the aspect we were going for. If you watch the video you will notice different shots that make you feel loneliness. For example, the bed scene where I’m by myself in that big, open field just looks lonely. When you’ve been cheated on you feel betrayed, alone and empty. The dinner scene is a perfect example of that because if you notice, the guys all have full plates and mine is bare. The guys are also wearing masks to show that I don’t even acknowledge or know they are there. For example, they are like “the elephant in the room”.

How did you decide on the music video director?

In the past, we have used a few different directors and we wanted to try someone completely different this go-round. We knew Alan from my cousin Erica who actually acted in a short horror film called Non-Plus with him, which is on his YouTube page. Erica was also in our “Room 312” video as well. Alan asked me could he use our song “Dislocate” in the horror film and we were like “of course”. Haha! Anyways, a few years pass and Alan says he is coming to our Rapture EP release party. He said he would like to shoot our next video and he would film some footage at the show to show us his ability and quality. He showed us what he had captured and we absolutely loved it. Soon after, John and Alan started meeting up for lunch and we started discussing the plan for “The Ugly Truth”.

Where did you film the music video?

We actually filmed the music video in various locations. A majority of the shots were filmed in Jackson, TN. We used a bridge over a park, an old parking lot with a huge field beside it, an old radio station and behind it was a perfect place to set up the table and a beautiful field of yellow flowers. The rest of the shots were taken across the street from my house and in my backyard.

How long it take you to film the music video and then to have it edited and sent back to you all complete?

It took us from 5 am to 6 am to load up props, do makeup and wardrobe. After that we headed to Jackson. We got there at about 7:00 and got busy. By 11, we were done with a few scenes. We packed our lunch so we ate between sets of filming. We continued to move locations, change outfits, set up more props for the next go-round. We got back to the house around 4 and finished up about 6 pm. We made a day of it but got it all filmed. We had an awesome team behind us who was beyond professional, prepared, and driven. Editing took a few weeks, but it was totally worth the wait. Hey, you can’t rush greatness! In all seriousness though, it was finished just the right time before we released the video. Everything went so smoothly. It was a great experience.

How has the response been since it's release?

The response has been great. I’ve been doing a ton of interviews about the video, including this one! Hah! We’ve already hit close to 20k views on YouTube in less than 3 weeks. We have also had a lot of great reviews as well. The fans seem to really like it because they say it’s relatable and catchy. So that’s always a good thing!

You guys come from a huge city that loves music and performing. You have also won a couple of awards as a band, which is super exciting! So how do you do it? How does Roses Unread stand out in that crowd?

We really give all we have to this. When we are not doing our day jobs we stay hustling and try to do the next big thing we can. We thrive on being the best we can be despite what life throws our way. We have the mentality of, “How can we top what we just did”? It doesn’t matter how well it does, we always try to one-up ourselves. When we play live, we give it all we got. We play like it’s the last time we will ever be one stage. We take this is as serious as we can, but at the end of the day we are a family and we take time to enjoy each other. We love our fans so much as well as they are a part of this family too. We couldn’t do it without them. We want them to feel like they are part of this journey, which we are all on together.

What do you find to be the most challenging in the music business?

The most challenging for me is staying on top of everything. I’m so involved in so many things creatively that go hand in hand with this band. I have a Patreon page and it takes a lot of time but it’s totally worth it in the end. It’s very gratifying, but also a challenge Our Patreon family is growing so I have to stay on top of my game. I also want to give a special shout out to those amazing people Without them we couldn’t do what we do! Another challenge is an organization, but I’m working on that one!

I know COVID-19 was a huge blow for a ton of bands and their plans for 2020.

You guys too have had a cancel shows and put things on hold until things get better.

What do you plan on doing in the meantime?

We had a few shows booked, one with Sons of Texas, which I was extremely excited about because those guys are awesome. I will admit though, I was a little scared to play although I wanted so badly. The venue we were going to play with was very small, so a lot of people there would not have been the safest idea. In the meantime, we have been rehearsing for a live stream gig we will be playing on July 25 at the new High-Tone in Memphis, Tn. The only people allowed are the venue workers, us, and our crew. The venue just opened so they want us to test it out. It should be a fun time for sure. We’ve also been writing a lot of new music and we hope to get a new song done in early Fall.

Being a female in a stereotypical male-dominated genre, what advice, or suggestions would you offer other female musicians?

It’s getting to be more common to see more females fronting bands. I say, do what you do, and who cares what people say. Music brings people together and it should never feel like a competition.

What advice would you give to someone who is serious about wanting to join a rock/metal band in general?

Just know it takes a lot of patience, but you should never feel like you owe anyone anything to play music with you. Find people you jive with. It may take time, but don’t settle for someone who you know will cause problems in the long run. I learned that the hard way. There were times I didn’t think I was good enough and had to settle. Believe in yourself and know you can do what you want to do without someone holding you back or being a crutch.

Are there any bands that you would like to share the stage with one day that you have not yet have had the opportunity to do so with?

My favorite band is Sevendust. I’ve seen them over 20 times, but playing with them would be the greatest thing ever.

What show do you feel has been your most memorable and why?

A show I’ll never forget is when we played with Stitched up Heart in this tiny venue in Memphis (the one I mentioned earlier that got canceled). Well, they put us in the smaller room in the venue, because it’s split into 2 parts. The tiny room was crowded and we had to share equipment but it was totally worth it and such a fun show.

Do you get nervous before you perform? Or have you ever?

When I was younger in my first bands I would get nervous, but as I’ve Matus’s I’ve grown more confident. I get up there and say to myself “own this.” We also pray before we play so that helps the butterflies as well.

What has been your most embarrassing moment on stage?

One time we played a show in Memphis and it was outside in the summer and we were surrounded by asphalt. Which made it even hotter. Well, during the third song the hear got to me and I passed out on stage. They had to bring me water, Gatorade, and cold rags to bring me back. Well, as I’m coming back to life the guys didn’t know what to do, so to save set time they just keep playing. Well, our next song then comes on which was called “If It Wasn’t For Me”. There are lyrics in the song that say “spin around, spin around” in them and at the moment all you can hear are my backing harmonies and no mains because well I was passed out. I finally come back to life and look up and my mom is on stage dancing and spinning around in circles while the backing track lyrics say “spin around”. I wanted to get off that stage so fast, but I had to stop her so I got up, took a deep breath, and finished the set. I didn’t give all I had though because I didn’t want that to happen again.

What has been the biggest compliment that you have received from a fan or fellow musician?

Lajon from Sevendust saw me upfront one time at a show screaming the lyrics to their songs. After the show, we got to meet them in the parking lot outback of the show. He saw me and said, “Hey weren’t you that little girl in the front screaming with me?” and I said yes. He said, “The angrier you got so did I.” And then he said, “Girl you were my inspiration.” I will never ever forget that moment.

When you finally get to play shows again, what venue are you looking forward to playing the most?

Any venue at this point, let’s be honest!

Is there a place you would like to travel to play a show that you have not been to before?

Yes, I would love to play in California just because I’ve always wanted to go. I am a huge O.C. fan. I literally watch the show every summer, so I’ve always wanted to go. If I got to play there, I’d be very happy.

What does the future hold for Roses Unread?

We hope to start playing shows again when we are able. We want to write the best stuff for our fans that we can. I believe if we continue to always count on our hearts and soul we can go places unimaginable.

Any last words for our readers?

Thank you for taking the time to read. If you enjoyed this interview, please visit our website which will take you to all of our media.

www.rosesunreadofficial.com

If you have not already checked out Roses Unread's music video for "The Ugly Truth" we have posted it below for you to watch. It is beautifully shot and such a fantastic song. Be sure to follow and subscribe to the band on their social media pages so that you can keep up with everything new that they are doing. When concerts are allowed again, hopefully in the near future, I really hope Roses Unread can make their way to Chicago so that we can see them put on a stellar show. Thank so so much again to Allison for reaching out to us and being so sweet and patient. It was a pleasure getting to talk to her about her music and the passion that the band has. I am looking super forward to seeing what they come out with next.