by Kenneth Morton

The Rose McCoy make a joyous noise in the grand tradition of Underoath and The Devil Wears Prada. And judging by what is heard on their debut Wounded Records EP I Won’t Go Quietly, expect The Rose McCoy to break out on their own in a loud and glorious way. Here is a recent interview we conducted with one of the Rose McCoy guys…

Where is the band from and what is the local music scene like there?
We are from Marion, Illinois, which is almost as far away from Chicago as you can get and still be in Illinois. There is a great scene here. Normally 150 kids at a local show, and more for nationals. That’s not a bad number for a town with 20,000 people. It’s hard to get that many kids in huge cities.

Where did you get the name The Rose McCoy and what made you decide to bestow that name upon your band?
The name comes from the famous Hatfield - McCoy family rivalry in the late 1800's. The families lived right across from each other; One fighting for the North and the other the South. Rose McCoy fell in love with one of the Hatfield boys, which was obviously forbidden. Several people were killed, and it kind of became this American Romeo and Juliet story. We just thought that it would be a cool story to tell people about.

How did you wind up signing to Wounded Records?
Our manager at the time sent out several inquiries to labels. We actually had 7 labels interested at the time, and we thought that Wounded had the most to offer, and they are just really down to Earth and easy to talk to. They really care about their bands.

Is there any story or concept behind your EP title I Won’t Go Quietly?
It’s hard to completely describe what this title means, but I will try. This world has been going crazy in the last few years, and it’s really gotten bad in the last few months. Everyone is looking in the wrong direction for everything. People are having hard times in their lives right now, and many of them are turning the wrong way. We have to get our lives straight in the right ways right now. So many people have lost so much hope in God that they have turned to one guy in Washington to completely change their lives. It’s not going to happen that way. There is only one man worthy of us putting all of our faith in to fix our lives. I Wont Go Quietly is us as Christians saying that some people might be loosing sight of what’s right in the world, but we are not just going to stand by and watch people destroy themselves. We have a duty as believers in Christ to do the right thing and try to help those that are in need, instead of turning a deaf ear to the world’s real problems.

Where do you get your ideas for some of your song lyrics? Please cite two songs on your EP and what they are about lyrically.
Most of our lyrics are from things that we have gone through in our lives. The Weather Outside is about our guitar player's dad leaving them when they were young, and how it changed him and affected him growing up. The title track, I Won't Go Quietly is about the struggles of being a Christian in today's society, and how people turn away from God when they need him the most.

How influential is Christianity on your music, and do you consider your band a ministry?
It’s very influential. We try to write all of our songs about real life issues that people face, in hopes of showing people that even though we are Christians we are not perfect. We all go through bad times, but they need to give it to God. We would like to consider ourselves a ministry. Our hope is to bring people closer to God every time they hear our music.

What can one expect from a live Rose McCoy show?
Probably seeing someone getting hit in the face with a guitar. A drum set getting knocked over, or a guitar going through a ceiling. You won't be bored I promise. We try to have as much fun as possible without visiting the hospital too often.

Have you ever played out in the Los Angeles/OC area or plan to do so in the future?
We have never done a West Coast tour, but we are working on getting on some pretty big tours this summer, and I know that if we do we will spend some time out there for sure. To you, what has been the best and worst part about touring and being on the road? Hanging out with my friends all the time. Nothing beats driving down an interstate just having fun with your friends. And we love meeting new people. We want to hang out with everyone.

Are there any The Rose McCoy groupies wandering around the streets of the Windy City or beyond?
Sure. I think we have fans all over the place. They are scattered, but strong in numbers.

What is the most embarrassing song you have on your IPOD right now?
Probably Metro Station or N'Sync. You've got to have some pop sometimes.

How would you describe your music to a sweet elderly church lady who thinks it’s so quaint that you’re in a Christian band?
Well, we scream, which is looked down upon by churches, but if I may quote some scripture, "Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals, Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.” Psalms 150:4-5

Any final words of wisdom?
If you aren't ready to put 200% into your band, don't waste your time. There are too many other people competing for your spot. If you believe in God and the Bible, then do it for God. The number one job of a Christian is to bring others to Christ.

The Rose McCoy links

The Rose McCoy on Myspace: The Official Myspace Page for The Rose McCoy!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!

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