Revive the Rose

It’s been an incredible year for Welland’s Revive the Rose. Since the release of their album Generation Breakdown they’ve moved from strength to strength, securing a huge amount of radio play and landing some pretty high-profile performances over the last few months. Their single ‘Nine to Five’, re-released last November with a more radio-friendly mix, seems to have catapulted them into the upper echelons of the local music scene, which the five-piece rock act are very deserving of.

Revive the Rose decided to both capitalize on that momentum and give back to their fans this past weekend. On October 20, they headlined the final show of their tour at Moose and Goose. Supported by other local favourites The Lad Classic and Redcoat, the show was an incredible celebration of rock music for Welland and the Niagara Region.



It was obvious from the moment their set started that this was going to be great night. Any band willing to walk on stage to Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’ is worthy of considerable praise, but to cut it off with the deafening roar of your original music is a pretty spectacular power move. Revive the Rose’s set felt like a call to arms and the band led the charge with thunderous bass hooks, powerful guitar riffs and some of the most high energy vocal work I’ve seen in a very long time.

On record, the band most vividly recalls the 90s punk and grunge scene, but their live shows encompass a wider range of styles. Their two guitarists Peter Antoniou and Matt Cookson evoke a 70s vibe as they jump across the stage, headbanging and trading off incredible solos. Their bassist Jake Parotta brings a harder rock element to the affair, grounding everything with bone-rattling riffs that are a surprisingly huge part of their sound.

Their lead singer, Andrew Colonico, brought a fantastic level of enthusiasm to the show as well, getting the crowd going like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Fists were in the air at every chorus and there was even a little mosh pit growing towards the front of the crowd.

Perhaps the most impressive thing was just how willing the crowd was to participate. People began crowding towards the front of the stage almost as soon as the band began to set up. When they were performing, people sang along with almost every chorus and the band was able to back away from their microphones. For a local act playing mostly original songs (with the exception of a cover of ‘Monkey Wrench’ by the Foo Fighters), this is a stellar achievement.

Revive the Rose have worked incredibly hard to be where they are. On Saturday, it became very clear that their work has paid dividends. There’s excitement and momentum around the band right now: people are interested and they want to hear more. One of the things that makes this band so special is that they know that and respond to it in earnest. Several of the songs played on Saturday were introduced as being from there as-yet-unrecorded second album. While the chance to hear new material is exciting, many bands struggle to excite crowds about songs that they don’t already know. Revive the Rose didn’t have that problem at all: their audience rocked as hard to the new stuff as they did to the old.

Their performance on Saturday makes one thing perfectly clear: as exciting as Revive the Rose have already been, they’ve got a lot of energy and they’re ready to get even more exciting. - The Brock Press

If you tune into 97.7 HTZ FM, you may hear Welland band Revive the Rose playing through your speakers.

One of its songs is now included in the station’s regular rotation throughout the day. The single Nine to Five will play between one to three times a day.

“It’s just crazy because we’re unsigned and it’s kind of uncommon,” said lead vocalist Andrew Colonico.

He said the band has gotten airplay on 106.9 The Wolf FM in Nanaimo, B.C., but this is the first time the group has a song regularly on local airwaves.

Having the song on 97.7 means a lot to the group because Niagara is home, he said.


Already there has been an increase in song sales, Spotify plays, YouTube views and Facebook likes for the band. Colonico said the song played at about midnight on one day and he got notifications about people buying the single afterward, which he said is a pretty cool experience.

The single found its way to the radio with the help of both Vancouver-based company LCE Music Management and Custom Merchandise and Street Pharmacy frontman Ryan Guay. Colonico said Guay helped out when he took Nine to Five and remixed the song to make it radio-ready.

“He did a really good job with it and it came out a lot heavier and the message was able to be delivered better with the vibe of the song,” he said.

The song is about working a job you hate.

Revive the Rose did a 13-show southern Ontario tour, including a sold-out hometown set, with Street Pharmacy which began last month. While on that tour, Colonico said the band connected with someone from LCE who wanted to push for Nine to Five to be on the radio.

While the hope is to get more airplay, the band is also focusing on its upcoming album set to be recorded in a few months, with Guay helping again with production.

“We’re going to keep pushing Nine to Five as much as we can, but we’re also looking forward to new material,” Colonico said.

The band has been together since 2014 and has had a few changes in members along the way, but Colonico said the members it has now are meshing well and have strong skill sets. They include Peter Antoniou, Andrew Gagnon, Jake Parrotta and Matt Cookson.

Other projects the band is working on include a podcast called Thic and Thin: With Andy C and Andy G, which debuted Saturday. The uncensored podcast features Colonico and Gagnon speaking about various topics with guests.

The band can be found at facebook.com/ReviveTheRose, where there are links to the band’s music, podcast and other projects. - The Standard

For one Welland rock band the year ahead looks to be a good one.

“It’s going to be a good year for the boys,” said Revive the Rose frontman Andrew Colonico, who is staying tight-lipped on some developments for the Welland band. While the year ahead promises some big shows the largest just might come before 2018 calls it quits, as, on Dec. 22 the Welland four piece rock group will grace the stage alongside Crown Lands and, more importantly, Monster Truck.

“They’re (Monster Truck) are killing it right now,” said Colonico, noting the internationally renowned rock group will be a feather of sorts in the band’s cap. The band, he said, is definitely the largest Revive the Rose has opened for.

Colonico was quick to point out the show came about with a stroke of serendipity.

Colonico was lurking on a Glorious Sons fan page one day and happened to meet Jim McKee, just as he was branching out into hosting and promoting rock shows under the flag of Sky Rockers Entertainment.


“I kind of know what it’s like to just enter that world,” said Colonico, who became fast friends with McKee, bonding over a mutual love for straightforward rock music. So when the opener cancelled for one of McKee’s shows, Monster Truck at The Venue in Peterborough, the promoter reached out to Colonico and the Welland band had the gig.

“One thing kind of led to another,” said Colonico, whose band has a history of DIY promotion and networking. A mall stop at an IceDogs promotional booth at the Pen Centre ended with the band penning the OHL team’s new theme song earlier this year.

Colonico said the Monster Truck show, and a string of larger shows in the new year soon to be announced, is a turning point for the band as it attempts to step forward into the larger national and international music scene. The band’s newest single, Bad Blood, landed itself on a notable Spotify playlist recently, All New Rock, alongside the likes of Weezer and Muse.

“We’re the only baby band on there,” said Colonico, who sees the recent attention as a vindication of sorts for the band’s hard work aimed at producing and playing straightforward rock 'n' roll.

“We stayed true to ourselves and it all came to be,” said Colonico, noting the Monster Truck show, on a personal level, is particularly special.

“I’ve been a fan since like high school, so it means a lot to me to share the stage,” he said.

For more information, and tickets, visit the Monster Truck With Opener Crown Lands Facebook event page. - Niagara This Week

Hailing from Welland, Ontario, this four-year-old five-piece has received some airplay love on several medium and small stations across Ontario. Damn good wrestling video to go with this song, too. They enlisted serious help from Crossfire Wrestling to make it as realistic as possible. Best indie rock video of the year? You decide. - 102.1 the Edge

A new concert series will bring some of the biggest hair metal bands from the'80s to Welland next summer.

Rock the Roses, hosted by Rose City Sports and Entertainment, will kick off on June 1 with Crank it Up for Hope, a rock show at Welland Arena featuring Sebastian Bach of Skid Row, Sven Gali and local band Revive the Rose, as well as special guest that has yet to be announced.

The event will raise items for the Hope Centre's food bank. Tickets start at $69,

From Thursday, July 11, to Saturday, July 13, at Niagara Regional Exhibition fairgrounds, is Hair in the Fair. One-day admission starts at $89. Camping packages are also available.

L.A Guns, Ratt, Quiet Riot and Revive the Rose will perform on the first day.

On the Friday. Ricky, Julian and Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys will be joined by Lawless Sons, Sven Gali, Slaughter and Sebastien Bach.

On the Saturday, headliner Vince Neil of Motley Crue wil, rock the stage, as will Autograph, Black 'n Blue, Jackyl, Cinderella's Tom Keifer and will rock the stage.

The Country Rose Jamboree will roll into town July 18, a premiere country music experience brought to the area by Rose City Sports and Entertainment, a "true country hoedown" that will run until July 21.

For more information, you can visit www.rocktheroses.ca. - The Standard