Biography
It may come as a surprise to hear the
foot-stomping strains of Appalachian bluegrass channeled through a rock
band here in Los Angeles, but heartache, loss and regret have always
been the cornerstones of great music and this city has its share. In a
town better known for porn stars and face lifts, anything as authentic
and heartfelt as Rose's Pawn Shop, is a pleasant surprise.
Singer-songwriter Paul Givant grew up on the disparate array
of popular musical styles any late 20th century kid did. And in that
mishmash of rock, punk, country, pop, rap, and all the rest, it was
American Folk and Bluegrass music that rooted deepest in Paul,
transforming him and his songs. Having played in various rock bands
since early high school, in 2004 Paul decided it was time to take his
growing batch of old style/new school folk songs, and build them into
something greater, more ferocious. The songs were there, volatile,
almost flammable, but if they were to attain their potential greatness,
he was going to need help.
As so many fortuned events unfold, it was through a series of
chance meetings, twists of fate, and Craig's List, that Paul met
kindred spirits in Sebastian St. John, Derek O'Brien, Bill Clark, Derek
Swenson, and John Kraus. And in 2005 they began building the music and
the band that would soon be known as Rose's Pawn Shop. This group of
young musicians combined in their collective musical melting pot the
old style American sounds of Woody Guthrie, Bill Monroe, and Hank
Williams, the high energy punk of The Ramones, and The Pogues, and the
melodic songwriting sensibilities of Elliott Smith and The Beatles.
They were creating something musically unique and yet imbued with a
familiarity and accessibility.
The final ingredient was added one fateful day when Paul's
scorned ex-girlfriend/former band mate in an act of revenge stole the
band's instruments and gear and took them down to the local pawn shop.
Priceless. Rose's Pawn Shop was born... The match was lit.
In spring of 2006 after months of playing live and breaking
ground around Los Angeles, the band recorded and released their debut
album "The Arsonist". The album quickly began receiving critical praise
from print and online publications as varied as "About.com", "The Daily
News", "Miles of Music", and "Music Connection". A month after its
release, Rose's Pawn Shop showcased and won the grand prize in
Billboard Magazine and Discmaker's: Independent Music World Series. And
in the summer of that year, the of Rose's Pawn Shop dared to
quit their day jobs and hit the road, and what had started as a slow
and steady burn, began spreading like wildfire.
They have been touring the United States nearly non-stop ever
since. On any given day you might find Rose's Pawn Shop playing the
Georgia Theatre in Athens, busking the streets of Jackson Square in New
Orleans, opening for Jack White and The Raconteurs at the Henry Fonda
Theatre in Los Angeles, ripping the walls off the club in their month
long residency at the Parkside Lounge in New York City, or hitting the
main stage of Floydfest in Virginia. On any given day they're out
there, growing their music, igniting their ion, and converting an
ever increasing congregation of loyal fans.
In early 2010, Rose's Pawn Shop entered the studio with
renowned producer Ethan Allen (Patty Griffin, Better Than Ezra,
Counting Crows, Luscious Jackson, The 88, Gram Rabbit) to record the
second album, "Dancing On the Gallows." In recording the new record,
Rose's Pawn Shop found themselves rising to new level song craft and
sound experimentation, while retaining the same fiery intensity and
excitement of their early material. The highly anticipated album is
slated for an early August 2010 release.
What do they sound like, you ask?
With an arsenal of banjos, guitars, mandolin, fiddle, pedal
steel, upright bass, and thundering drums, their sound is a wholesome
mishmash of creek mud, rusty nails and your mom's cookin'. It's
sincere, straight-forward and sexy as fuck, effortlessly combining such
disparate musical styles as rock, country, bluegrass, and punk to
create an incomprehensibly smooth and accessible sound for true
believers and skeptics alike.
With wisdom beyond their years, they fearlessly confront
traditional country music themes of loss, lamentation, and redemption,
while throwing in some drinking-songs for good measure. Sure, they're
borrowing pages from the books of Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, and
Johnny Cash, but Rose's Pawn Shop takes those pages, tears them up and
sets them on fire with breakneck speed, bluegrass instrumentation, 3-
and 4- part vocal harmonies and lyrics that'll break your heart.
Whether it's the dreamy snake-charm-thump of "Lone Rider," the
wistful whisky-soaked wisdom of "Down The Line," the honky-tonk ruckus
of "Funeral Pyre," or the Gypsy-infused mandolin twang of "Reckoning,"
Rose's Pawn Shop will hook you. Like catfish from the creek, they'll
reel you in. And they won't let you go.
And you'll be glad they did.
Because something happens when you hear these songs. No matter
how low you've sunk, something in the music finds you. It picks you up
and carries you home. (Rose's Pawn Shop)
foot-stomping strains of Appalachian bluegrass channeled through a rock
band here in Los Angeles, but heartache, loss and regret have always
been the cornerstones of great music and this city has its share. In a
town better known for porn stars and face lifts, anything as authentic
and heartfelt as Rose's Pawn Shop, is a pleasant surprise.
Singer-songwriter Paul Givant grew up on the disparate array
of popular musical styles any late 20th century kid did. And in that
mishmash of rock, punk, country, pop, rap, and all the rest, it was
American Folk and Bluegrass music that rooted deepest in Paul,
transforming him and his songs. Having played in various rock bands
since early high school, in 2004 Paul decided it was time to take his
growing batch of old style/new school folk songs, and build them into
something greater, more ferocious. The songs were there, volatile,
almost flammable, but if they were to attain their potential greatness,
he was going to need help.
As so many fortuned events unfold, it was through a series of
chance meetings, twists of fate, and Craig's List, that Paul met
kindred spirits in Sebastian St. John, Derek O'Brien, Bill Clark, Derek
Swenson, and John Kraus. And in 2005 they began building the music and
the band that would soon be known as Rose's Pawn Shop. This group of
young musicians combined in their collective musical melting pot the
old style American sounds of Woody Guthrie, Bill Monroe, and Hank
Williams, the high energy punk of The Ramones, and The Pogues, and the
melodic songwriting sensibilities of Elliott Smith and The Beatles.
They were creating something musically unique and yet imbued with a
familiarity and accessibility.
The final ingredient was added one fateful day when Paul's
scorned ex-girlfriend/former band mate in an act of revenge stole the
band's instruments and gear and took them down to the local pawn shop.
Priceless. Rose's Pawn Shop was born... The match was lit.
In spring of 2006 after months of playing live and breaking
ground around Los Angeles, the band recorded and released their debut
album "The Arsonist". The album quickly began receiving critical praise
from print and online publications as varied as "About.com", "The Daily
News", "Miles of Music", and "Music Connection". A month after its
release, Rose's Pawn Shop showcased and won the grand prize in
Billboard Magazine and Discmaker's: Independent Music World Series. And
in the summer of that year, the of Rose's Pawn Shop dared to
quit their day jobs and hit the road, and what had started as a slow
and steady burn, began spreading like wildfire.
They have been touring the United States nearly non-stop ever
since. On any given day you might find Rose's Pawn Shop playing the
Georgia Theatre in Athens, busking the streets of Jackson Square in New
Orleans, opening for Jack White and The Raconteurs at the Henry Fonda
Theatre in Los Angeles, ripping the walls off the club in their month
long residency at the Parkside Lounge in New York City, or hitting the
main stage of Floydfest in Virginia. On any given day they're out
there, growing their music, igniting their ion, and converting an
ever increasing congregation of loyal fans.
In early 2010, Rose's Pawn Shop entered the studio with
renowned producer Ethan Allen (Patty Griffin, Better Than Ezra,
Counting Crows, Luscious Jackson, The 88, Gram Rabbit) to record the
second album, "Dancing On the Gallows." In recording the new record,
Rose's Pawn Shop found themselves rising to new level song craft and
sound experimentation, while retaining the same fiery intensity and
excitement of their early material. The highly anticipated album is
slated for an early August 2010 release.
What do they sound like, you ask?
With an arsenal of banjos, guitars, mandolin, fiddle, pedal
steel, upright bass, and thundering drums, their sound is a wholesome
mishmash of creek mud, rusty nails and your mom's cookin'. It's
sincere, straight-forward and sexy as fuck, effortlessly combining such
disparate musical styles as rock, country, bluegrass, and punk to
create an incomprehensibly smooth and accessible sound for true
believers and skeptics alike.
With wisdom beyond their years, they fearlessly confront
traditional country music themes of loss, lamentation, and redemption,
while throwing in some drinking-songs for good measure. Sure, they're
borrowing pages from the books of Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, and
Johnny Cash, but Rose's Pawn Shop takes those pages, tears them up and
sets them on fire with breakneck speed, bluegrass instrumentation, 3-
and 4- part vocal harmonies and lyrics that'll break your heart.
Whether it's the dreamy snake-charm-thump of "Lone Rider," the
wistful whisky-soaked wisdom of "Down The Line," the honky-tonk ruckus
of "Funeral Pyre," or the Gypsy-infused mandolin twang of "Reckoning,"
Rose's Pawn Shop will hook you. Like catfish from the creek, they'll
reel you in. And they won't let you go.
And you'll be glad they did.
Because something happens when you hear these songs. No matter
how low you've sunk, something in the music finds you. It picks you up
and carries you home. (Rose's Pawn Shop)
