How did you guys become a band? What inspired you guys to start your music career?
Florence Rose began during the start of our senior year in high school (which was this year). Luckily, we all had a class together at school and began talking to each other because of our interest in music and decided to start a band together. All four of us have a huge love for music and have all been musicians for a few years now.
How did you guys come up with the band name Florence Rose & what’s the meaning of the name?
The meaning behind the name is quite funny. Braden, the lead singer and guitarist, has a love for the UK and is very inspired by the country. So, he googled “top british male names” and found the name Florence. After we had the name Florence we somehow decided that if we added “Rose” to it, it would sound even better. I wish we had a deep extravagant meaning behind the name but it is all from google.
Can you tell us a little something about each of you?
Braden Norris (lead singer and guitarist) has a guilty pleasure for 80’s pop music. Conor Gass (drummer) loves to bowl and is minoring in jazz drumming at college. Gage Estes (lead guitar player) loves to skateboard/longboard/penny board.
What is it like being in a band?
Being in a band is one of the most fun things we have each done. You have an immediate bond with each member and it is almost like a little family. Before this year, we barely knew each other but we are now all best friends. Performing our songs live is what we live for. We love seeing people sing along to our songs and having a great time, it is one of the main reasons we write songs.
How would you describe your musical style as a band?
If we had to use 3 words that described our style I would use “nostalgic bedroom rock”. Hopefully that can sum it up pretty well! We have a very wide variety in all of our songs.
What artists/bands are you influenced by?
We all listen to a variety of artists. Braden is mostly inspired by Declan McKenna and other alternative/indie rock bands. Conor, our drummer, listens to a lot of jazz and big band music. Gage, our guitarist, loves rock such as Metallica and The Strokes.
What’s the difference from your band and all bands that have come before you?
I think what separates us from other bands is our creativity. We all have creative thoughts and contribute 100% when it comes to writing our songs. And since we have a variety of influences, our music is never confined to one certain style or genre. We have always had trouble classifying our genre because we are constantly evolving and mixing things up which is something different than what other bands do.
Did you have a break out song that started things for you?
I would say that our single “Attention” gave us a lot of attention and got people talking. It is by far our most streamed song but we have a feeling that “Growing Pains” might give it some competition. We also began to break out when we won Battle of the Bands at the historic Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, OK. It gave us quite a bit of attention in the local scene and we met a lot of the people we work with now through Battle of the Bands.
We are so excited to be premiering your new single “Growing Pains”. How did the idea for this song come about?
The first idea for this song was the guitar riff you hear in the first verse. I was riding in a car on the way home from a trip and just started randomly humming that guitar riff and when I got home I recorded it and sent it to Conor and Gage. The next day they came over to my house and we wrote the song in about 30 minutes. All of the ideas just came flowing out and we couldn’t believe how much we loved it.
Can you tell us the meaning behind the name “Growing Pains” ?
The meaning behind “Growing Pains” is pretty simple. We’re all in our last years of being teenagers and are going off to college really soon. This can be a pretty scary but exciting experience. The chorus talks about still being able to dream and having those inspirations, even though we’re nearly adults. I think the song talks a lot about questioning yourself more and more as you grow up. The song also sheds some positive hope on all those worries and gives some assurance that everything is gonna turn out alright.
Any fun moments while creating the song?
There were tons of fun moments while writing this one! Like we said earlier, it only took about 30 minutes but that was one of the funnest times because we all just had so many ideas and loved playing the song over and over. And it’s always a blast recording the song because we all hang out in the studio for nearly 12 hours straight for 2 days in a row. It’s always great getting to see the song come together and seeing what it turns into.
What’s the process of writing one of your guys songs?
The process usually begins when one of us have a small idea whether its a melody, a drum beat, or a guitar riff. We usually text all of our ideas to each other and then elaborate on them. Once we have an idea we love, we try turning it into a full song and record a demo, then take it to our friend Sam Westhoff who produces our songs.
Any other fun things in the works you can tell us about?
We always have tons of songs in the works and many ideas! Right now we’re planning out an EP and also will have a music video with the EP. We’re always trying to stay active with our releases so who knows, we could release a few more singles before the EP!
Do you have any last things you want to tell your supporters?
We’re so thankful for anyone reading this and anyone who has listened to us! We would never have thought we’d have as great as fans as we do, we are so thankful. Florence Rose is just getting started and we hope you stick around for the long run!
