Rosie and Me isn’t your average Brazilian Americana band.
Actually, Rosie Machado isn’t average at all: as a teenager in Curitiba, she recorded a few songs, but then moved to the U.S. and didn’t think much about music. She returned to Brazil after finishing high school, and it was there that she met Tiago Barbosa (the “me” in Rosie and Me). In 2010, they released a four-song EP called Bird and Whale. The following year, one of those songs made its way onto TV’s One Tree Hill, and an American audience was born.
Rosie and Me (now a five-piece) released a full-length album in January titled Arrow of My Ways. It’s a sweet and sincere effort — the type of music that should renew the faith of even the most hardened indie-rock cynic. A multi-layered acoustic affair, Arrow of My Ways expands upon the band’s debut, but still lets Machado’s mournful voice take center stage. Lyrics like “I don’t take pride in being lonely/But I take pride in who I am/I was born in a Southern home/You just wash off the dust on your hands” aren’t always happy, but they aren’t melodramatic either. The fact that they’re sung in a charming Brazilian accent makes it even easier to fall in love with Rosie and Me.
The quintet is on a brief U.S. tour on its way to South by Southwest. Sadly, the band won’t be coming to San Diego (they will play L.A.’s Hotel Cafe on March 10), but we asked Rosie to do a Poetic Memory list of influences anyway. Check it out below.
Poetic Memory: Rosie and Me
1. Deb Talan: She’s been my greatest inspiration for several years now. Her songs are very heartfelt and honest, without being cheesy or sappy. Have those things combined with a soothing, yet powerful voice, and you’ve got yourself an amazing artist.
2. Bon Iver: I really like the fact that his voice is so different from everything I’ve heard before. Despite of what some people say about his lyrics, I like that they’re so ilusive and obscure.
3. Gregory Alan Isakov: His songwriting skills are incredible. He manages to use a simple vocabulary and turn his words into powerful hooks.
4. William Fitzsimmons: I love his intimate voice, combined with his great guitar skills and poetic lyrics. Every song he writes is easy to relate to, mainly because he often uses examples of common events in his lyrics.
5. Schuyler Fisk: I love that her songs display her down-to-earth personality. Her lyrics also have a southern feeling and I love how it matches her voice.
Rosie and Me on tour
3/9/12 – Viento Y Agua – Long Beach, CA
3/10/12 – Hotel Cafe – Los Angeles, CA
3/14/12 – Rusty’s – Austin, TX (12:30pm)
3/14/12 – Dunn Bros – Katy, TX (7:00pm)
3/15/12 – Opening Bell – Dallas, TX
3/17/12 – St. David’s Historic Sanctuary – (SXSW) Austin, TX