Rose Hill Drive, who only recently came off a support slot with The Who in the US, have also just finished a UK jaunt where they appeared third on the bill alongside Roadstar & The Answer on the appropriately named 'Let The Good Times Role Tour'. As Rose Hill Drive were a relatively unknown quantity in the UK prior to this jaunt, an idiot's guide to the band was the order of the day. HardRockHouse's Jackie Rull was the idiot who spoke with Jake, Daniel & Nate just prior to their performance in Birmingham.

Rose Hill Drive

Hi guys, where to Rose Hill Drive originate from?

Daniel: Boulder, Colorado in the US.

So what's the rock scene like in Boulder?

Daniel: To be honest there’s not really a regular rock scene, it's a lot more of a jam scene.

You all seem like veterans on stage, how much previous touring has the band done?

Daniel: We have been touring now for 3 years with the likes of Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Black Crowes, Government Mule, & QOTSA. In fact we’ve just done three dates with The Who & we’ll be going back to do 4 more dates with them at the end of this tour. The Who were good enough to pay for our flights to & from the UK so that this would be possible.

Wow, how did you get to know The Who?

Jake: Pete Townsend runs Attic TV show on line & we got to know him through that & this resulted in the initial dates, with more added now on our return.

  

To a Rose Hill Drive Novice like myself, how would you describe your musical style?

Jake: A major influence in how the band has developed came from watching the Allen Woody trio on Fox TV & being blown away by the 3-piece sound.

Daniel: It does break the normal mould but we decided that 3-piece rock was achievable as Jake is an incredible bass player & could easily handle the bass duties and the vocals as well.

Jake: I started out playing keyboards but as soon as Hanson came along that was the end of my keyboard playing days!

What would you say would be your perfect show?

Daniel: Something similar to the format of The Zombies Odyssey and Oracle in 1968. We’re also fans of Stone Temple Pilots.

Doing some research your New Year's Eve shows seem to be rather infamous, what's the story with these shows?

Daniel: The NYE shows are a tradition now when the band will cover in full a classic album Dream Theatre style, something that is quite common in the States. We really enjoyed performing Led Zepplin's first album, & this year we’re intending to cover Band of Gypsies. The shows are often taped for fans to share as in the US there’s an incredible network of sharer’s.  This 60's idea of sharing live tapes is where the band comes from, as we believe at the moment it is helping to spread our music. 

How did you get onto the tour with The Answer & Roadstar?

Daniel: We have a very good European booker who got us on to the Leeds & Hyde Park bills & the band then heard that Airborne had dropped out from the tour. We were actually looking for shows to do in the UK & as we had already had built up a good relationship with The Answer it was an obvious tie up.

So how has the tour & the tie up with the other bands gone?

Daniel: It’s been one of the best as the bands have a close enough style for the fans to appreciate the whole show. Our album has sold so well that we had to have more shipped in. I’ve also been very impressed by the response of the fan's & their attention to detail: someone in Nottingham actually noticed that I have a broken control on my guitar!

Why are you bothering with the relatively small UK market?

Daniel: The knowledge of the UK music fans is second to none. Fans show loyalty to a band here & tend not to change as fashion's change.

Jake: We think of ourselves as a forward thinking rock group which seems to apply to the UK much more readily than the US where it seems that rehashed gooey pop is what you will be fed at the moment, & it seems that a lot of US music is linked to US TV shows.

Many thanks to Daniel, Jake & Nate for taking the time to talk with HardRockHouse. Rose Hill Drive's self titled album is out now in the UK through Megaforce and can be bought through the shop link on the news page of HardRockHouse. For more info on Rose Hill Drive you can visit their official website at www.rosehilldrive.com or their MySpace site at www.myspace.com/rosehilldrive