Rozu

Today we sat down with Tim Graham from the post hardcore band Rozu! We talk inspiration for writing music, advice for other musicians, and of course type of music listening growing up. Be sure to check out their music below after the interview!

Here is the interview:

ANSWERED BY TIM GRAHAM VOCALS

What is your inspiration to write your music? Is it your surroundings?

I think the main inspiration is just the need to write music that is in all four of us, sonically we don’t try and confide ourselves to a box and really do write how we are feeling in that session on that day. Lyrically I just continue to write notes on my phone or in my notebook of how I’m feeling each day or if I get a melody or think of a single phrase.

What type of music did you listen to growing up?

I grew up listening to a lot of rock and metal. My dad was a big rock guy and loved bans like Tool, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, etc. From there I really started diving into hip hop and pop music, and then somebody gave me Underoath’s Their Only Chasing Safety album and the whole game changed for my musical interests and need to write this style.

Is there someone you looked up as a hero?

Spencer Chamberlin of Underoath was and is still my guy! First time I saw that band live I knew I wanted to be like that guy. His stage presence and power he has every performance made me want to be a singer and taught myself screaming by mimicking his style.

If you weren’t a musician, would you be doing today?
I’d still be on the business side of the industry. I started my musical journey off as just a merch guy and tour managing bands, and it’s what I went to school for and still continue to educate myself in. I’d be working at some label somewhere out there (laughs).



What advice do you have for our fans out there that want to create music?
Honestly do it for you! Get reaper and a midi keyboard or guitar and just start writing because you want to. Be honest and genuine and put in the work for your craft. -

Happy Tuesday everyone! Welcome back to another edition of the Band Of The Day Interview! Today we’re going to introduce you to the exciting quartet Rozu, an anthemic post-hardcore quartet from Denver! They tell us about their music, the weirdest thing they’ve seen during a show and their plans for after COVID!

If could introduce yourselves for us, who are you?
Hey guys! This is Tim Graham and I am the vocalist for Rozu. The rest of the band is made up of DJ Sundine guitar, Henry Navarre bass, and Brian Robertson drums.

How did you all meet?
Dj and myself used to play in another band together and we knew Henry and Brian from other bands in our hometown of Denver Colorado. DJ and I started writing some music for this project and knew Henry and Brian were our guys to make this an actual band.

How long have you been playing?
We’ve all been in the trenches with different bands for like 6+ years and we have been in this band for almost 4 years officially.

What three words would you use to describe the music you play?
I’d day Melodic Sad Metal, we like writing sad songs with some angst and aggression.

What are your musical influences?
Primarily for this project we draw influences from Underoath, Wage War, The Plot in You, and Fit For a King. Individually we are really across the board from pop and country to like straight death metal, we love a little bit of everything.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen during a show?
Not weird by any means but, this dude straight up shattered his ankle during a show. It was one of those instances you’ll never forget when seeing some kid getting carried out by his friends with his foot being absolutely twisted around, I have a pretty weak stomach and it took everything I had to not vomit all over the stage (laughs).

Being away from the stages since last year, where is the one place you’d visit when the restrictions are lifted?
Literally anywhere to be honest we just want to get out there and play shows again. It’s been such a weird and hard year that we hope and anticipate a huge boom of show goers when things get back to normalcy. We were working on a UK tour before the lockdowns so hopefully we still get to explore that avenue!

What’s the one record you own but wouldn’t ever admit to owning?
I’m pretty shameless when it comes to my love of pop music but one album I’m always laughing about still having the physical copy is Otown’s debut album.

What have you been listening in the last few weeks?
I’ve been on such a post hardcore alt rock kick lately, listening toa lot of Slaves and Captives. I do listen to Architects new album like once a day since it released, that album is literally so good and inspiring.

Are there any releases you have planned in the near future?
We have a lot of releases coming up however right now all our focus is on our previous release ‘Rue’ which we released a few weeks back on Dreambound. Go check that out if you haven’t - Almost Anything Music

Band Members:

Tim Graham – Vocals

David Sundine – Guitar

Henry Navarre – Bass

Brian Robertson – Drums

Rozu are a Post-Hardcore band from Denver, Colorado and these guys are heavy be prepared for some immense screaming vocals. Although they aren’t just heavy djenty guitar and loud screeching vocal lines they also have this melodic cadence included in their sound. This is especially prevalent in their most recent single ‘Rue’ which was probably my favourite track. I discussed influences and musical composition with their lead singer Tim Graham.

What got you into making music?

I started my musical career being a tour manager and doing merch for bands and over time being in that world helped push me to actually making music. I had an opportunity to take over vocals for a period of time with a band I was working with and gave me the confidence to actually start making my own music.

Who inspired you to make music?

From a vocalist standpoint seeing Spencer Chamberlin and Underoath live for the first time back in high school made me want to be a front man. I learned to scream mimicking his style and still practice to their songs all the time years later.

What is your creative process?

The creative process is always a bit different but really we like to just write how we are feeling in that given session. Sometimes it starts with a melody, sometimes a riff, or just listening to artists that get us really excited to spark some inspiration. From there we just write and try not to over complicate and overthink things and just go for it.

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?

We’ve been fortunate to already collaborate with a lot of great artists in the scene, but I think my musical journey will be absolutely mastered if I was able to collab with Spencer and Aaron from Underoath.

What does Your Band Name Mean?

Rozu is the Japanese word for Rose. Our guitarist DJ and I were in a previous band together that was kind of a nightmare, and the rose symbolizes the rebirth of something beautiful with this project and was so fun to work with the rose for branding.

What is your favourite song to perform?

It comes down to Anchor and Rue, I think with Rue finally being out in the world it will take over as the top fav now that fans actually know it.

What are you working on right now?

Right now we are still writing due to this pandemic state of the world. We just consistently write and keep so many songs in the chamber waiting for the right moment. - John's Music Hub

LOMM: Can you give a little biographical and historical info; who is involved in the band, and how did you guys meet up?
Tim Graham (Vocals): Basically this whole thing started at the end of another band DJ (Sundine Guitar) and I were in. We both just started writing music and began working with producer Tyler Ruehl building the foundation of our sound and figuring out what we wanted to do as far as being a band. We sought out Brian Robertson on drums and Henry Navarre on bass who we’ve known within our scene in Denver and made Rozu what it is today.

LOMM: Pandemic has taken an emotional toll on everyone yet the arts have been hit especially hard. The musicians are vulnerable to financial upheaval. How have you guys have been holding up?

Tim Graham: To be very honest this year really sucked and had everything we love just to be taken away for a literal year now, it just sucks. Seeing all of our peers and friends struggling is hard and we cannot wait for this all to be over and go back to normalcy. Personally we just took the extra time away from stages and tried to write as many songs as we possibly could.

LOMM: On the other hand you seem to have had a productive time. Is that right?
Tim Graham: We’ve been as productive as our mental state has allowed us. It’s been weird in the quarantine times, one week we would be so productive and keep the drive and motivation going then the next month would just be shot (laughs). It has given us an open door to finalize our debut album which we got to go back dissect and create what we think are the best representations of what Rozu is.

LOMM: Tell us about your genre, what does it means to you, why did you choose this genre?

Tim Graham: The metalcore and post hardcore genres are just near and dear to our hearts. We all got into the scene when it had the big mainstream boom 10 years ago with the beginning of bands such as Underoath, The Used, Everytime I Die, and Silverstein. Personally for me I just love the absolute passion and energy you receive from not just the music but the live performance settings as well.

LOMM: How did the initial musical and thematic elements evolve?
Tim Graham: Bringing in Tyler as our producer was a big portion of the evolution of the band, like any great producer he helped us get out of our own way with his outside unbiased opinions and helped us hone in our sound. I think once the workflow is established and we just keep working obviously the sound will evolve.

LOMM: Are you happy with your product? What aspects of it do you think you guys nailed, and what parts do you think you could improve upon?
Tim Graham: Absolutely happy with what we are doing! This is the most fulfilling band we have been in and we can’t wait to continue growing. I think we nail it in a way to where every song has a slightly different feel or style but still has a sound that is undeniable to being us. On the other end as a creative we can always improve upon ourselves and our craft.

LOMM: How has the overall reception been?
Tim Graham: So far our reception has been amazing from both fans and musical peers which is extremely exciting, makes us feel like we are on to something and we are truly grateful for everything.

LOMM: Have you ever been on a tour? Given live performances? Is it tough for you not to be able to do so now?
Tim Graham: We did a few small runs of tours in 2019 and were so excited to get the wheels really turning in 2020. We had pretty much had the whole summer and fall booked then the world ended and that truly was devastating. Hopefully we can continue with the momentum we were building upon when tours begin happening again.

LOMM: What is the next step for you? How is the future looking?
Tim Graham: Finishing this album along with a few more singles to keep us releasing content until we can be back on the road again. The future is looking good due to the amount of content we have just ready to go.

LOMM: Could you tell us about the lyrics / themes /concepts you focus on or plan to focus on? How did the ideas come about, and how do they influence the writing process? Who is writing the lyrics?
Tim Graham: Theme and concepts are just being mad about being sad (laughs). Like we write these super aggressive songs sonically and the lyrical topics are just really depressive in a way. I have always just written lines or complete songs lyrically in journals or on my phone notes and kind of get the vibe from the instrumental and see if past lyrics work or mostly the song just puts me in a mood and write the lyrics during the sessions. I try my hardest to talk about these feelings I have while including a little hope that things will get better and there is an actual light at the end of the tunnel, pretty much my writing is therapy to myself and convincing myself that things will get better.

LOMM: What bands do you draw your inspiration from?
Tim Graham: I’d say the big 4 we draw a lot of influence from is Underoath, Fit For a King, The Plot in You, and Wage Wat.

LOMM: Which is more exciting? Being on the road or studio?
Tim Graham: For me personally I love the road so much more than the studio. In the studio I am always an absolute wreck of a human emotionally and always feel like I shave 2 years off of my life with the amount of stress I put on myself. Touring is the grueling reward we get for those emotionally draining recording sessions.

LOMM: What first got you into music?
Tim Graham: My dad was a big rock guy and gave me my love for the art. Being an artist came from starting as a tour manager for bands and evolved my talents and networks to start actually being a front man in bands.

LOMM: What do you like the best about being a musician? And what is it that you do not like much?

Tim Graham: I like the fact that it helps me get shit off of my chest. For me personally I don’t need this band to be the biggest band in the world and I do this because I want to and express feelings that sometimes are really hard to talk about. I dislike this new culture of a world we live in where people are so quick to completely rip artists down as people just because they didn’t connect with the song or have their extremely negative opinions while never creating a single piece of art in their own lives.

LOMM: If you weren’t musicians, what would you be doing?

Tim Graham: I’d like to think I would still be involved in this industry somehow on the business side or in some sort of sales role.

LOMM: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

Tim Graham: I think we all learned from this past year and pandemic that the royalty structure and overall financial security for artists needs a makeover. Look at all the ‘”Big” bands in our scene and how everyone is struggling financially with shows and tours not happening. Music is the most consumed form of art and yet the majority of artists struggle to pay their bills from art alone and that truly needs to change.

LOMM: What’s more important to you? Catering to the audience or music for its own sake?
Tim Graham: In a band you have to be cognitive of both realms. Artists should be true to themselves and write music that is genuine to them but on the business side of things you have to know your audience and what content has a better shot of “success” within that demographic.

LOMM: What is the most memorable gig that you have played to date?

Tim Graham: I think selling out our first show with this band was a super memorable night. I’ve been very fortunate to play with some big names and be on some really cool tours but having so much love for something so brand new was a truly amazing feeling.

LOMM: When you look back your music career, what do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
Tim Graham: I wouldn’t necessarily say accomplishment but I think I’ll enjoy the connections made the most. Every new fan experience to the friendships made with people you think you’d never meet is such a cool thing to me. Most people will never meet their heroes and it is a really cool feeling to have met a few of mine and becoming actual friends with those people really puts a lot in to perspective.

LOMM: Who would you like to collaborate with?
Tim Graham: Spencer Chamberlin and Aaron Gillespie of Underaoth would be the absolute GOAT of a collaboration.

LOMM: Who would you like to go on a tour with?

Tim Graham: I think an Oceans Ate Alaska Oh, Sleeper and Thousand Below tour would be the best time ever since we have friends in those bands. It would be a BroTour for sure.

LOMM: If you could play any festival in the world, which one would you choose? Tell us why.

Tim Graham: The Impericon Festival is supposed to be one of the wildest festivals for our genre and that would be an amazing opportunity. Really now that the Warped Tour is gone any Euro festival is the goal.

LOMM: What does your collection look like? Mostly Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, Digital? A bit of everything? A total mess?

Tim Graham: I have a little bit of everything to be honest. My first physical copy of any music I owned was a cassette and kept buying into the evolution of music platforms.

LOMM: What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
Tim Graham: We are from Denver Colorado in the USA. The metal scene is always on and off, like a couple years it will be booming and having so much talent and excitement, then it will die down for a year or two and repeat.

LOMM: You can invite 5 people to a dinner party, from the future, the past, rock stars, a movie characters, you name it. Who are you having dinner with?

Tim Graham: Oh man, I’d invite Spencer Chamberlin, Justin Bieber, Keanu Reeves, Dave Grohl, and Jared Leto, just all my favorites in one place (laughs).

LOMM: What is your weirdest memory in your music career?

Tim Graham: It wasn’t truly weird but there was this like 4-month span where we just kept running into Upon this Dawning in different random cities with an old band I was in. We all became bros, saw each other a lot across the US then never saw them again.

LOMM: What is the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

Tim Graham: Anytime a random kid has a dildo at a show is always weird to me. I don’t know why there is this huge passion of dildos within this scene but it is fascinating in a certain way.

LOMM: If you had one message to your fans, what would it be?

Tim Graham: Thank you all so much for sticking with us and we cannot wait to see all your faces on the road again when the world safety permits it.

LOMM: Anything else you think your fans should know?

Tim Graham: If y’all missed it we just dropped a new single titled ‘Rue’ so check that out because personally for me it is my favorite song!

LOMM: Thank you for taking the time! - Lady Obscure Music Magazine

Vocalist Tim Graham from post-hardcore Denver metal band Rozu answered some quick questions for us. Rozu describe their sound as “aggressive melodic music with major post hardcore roots.”

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF YOUR BANDMATES WHEN YOU MET?

Aw man, interesting question! DJ and I were in another band together and when I first met him he was way too quiet for me and how loud I am but, when we had our first writing session together we clicked on a lot of levels.

I met Brian playing a show and knew the kid just had talent and a good head on his shoulders we clicked right away with how genuine of a guy he is. Henry had this amazing beard when we recruited him for the band and DJ was all about him playing bass strictly due to his great beard, then he immediately shaved it off! Henry is just a loud fun character like me and always tries to bring fun good energy to the room.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY PLAYING SHOWS?

Literally just playing shows is my favorite memory, I can’t wait to be out of lockdowns. Honestly, though the first time I heard people singing my words back to me just filled my heart with so much joy that I became addicted to that feeling which makes all the bullshit worth it for that time on stage.

WHAT ARTIST WOULD BE YOUR DREAM COLLABORATION?

Spencer and Aaron from Underoath would be an absolute dream come true to collaborate with, everything they have ever done is pure gold.

WHAT SONG ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF AND WHY?

From our catalog I would have to say our latest release “Rue.” The song came together start to finish in a day and was an absolute blast to get Scott Barnes from In Fear and Faith on it whom I’ve looked up to as a vocalist. We just went all out with that release and I truly love what we did with that song and video.

WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO GAS STATION ORDER?

Turkey Jerky, Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn, and Frost Gatorade is pretty much what I survive off of on the road.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR NON-MUSICAL INFLUENCES?

Golf and life in general (laughs). As an artist I write how I am feeling at that given time of writing lyrics so just my existence influences a lot of our lyrical content. Golf is the only game that truly calms me down and puts me into a very similar state of mind of when I’m writing.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF?

Find the right group of dudes earlier without so much trial and error and work harder when I was younger. Focus on the business before and more than the party!

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE YEAR?

Our main goal is to finalize and finish this debut album which is just so close to being done. Our plan is to release a couple more singles and hopefully be able to get on at least one stage this year Covid permitting. - Scrunchie Magazine

Tell us about:

Your latest single you have released:

We just released Rue last month and has been my favorite release thus far. The idea behind the song lyrically was how we all kind of collect this baggage after every failed relationship and letting go of that baggage letting the past be in the past. We are very fortunate to have known Scott and have him on the track to give that chorus that bigger than life feel with his voice. We depicted the lyrics with the music video of essentially Tim being the inner demon/zombie and Scott being Tim in a way and easily having that battle within ones-self. This was a super fun release to say the least.

Your first single and how you felt when it was released:

The debut track we released was Dissolve and that feeling was super fun and exciting. We all kind of came together after Tim and DJ’s previous band disbanded and have all been in our scene in Denver for years. The best part was we kept everything super quiet as we wrote the first EP so when we announced the band, members, and dropped Dissolve we were absolutely blown away by the amount of love and immediate following we had from previous endeavors.

Your favourite song that you have created that is an album track:

It’s safe to say Rue is our favorite.

Your favourite song to play live:

Anchor is always fun to play just because it is balls to the wall from start to finish. It is also a fan favorite when shows were a thing.

Your most emotional track:

Rue by far, the vibe and emotion is all over the place in that one.

The best lyric you have ever written:

“Our Nation is moving forward, but our minds our moving back. We must all be stronger.” Isn’t necessarily the best lyric but is one that we all live by. We are by no means a political band but our previous presidency really pissed us off by just the sheer hate that rose in the US against other humans. We live in such a technologically advanced society yet we still have people grasping to the ideology of Hate and racism?? It’s mind blowing to us! We live by the truth of love and love for humanity in all shapes, color, beliefs, and gender.

Describe the feeling you get when you walk on stage to do a show:

It’s been a year now so just trying to remember (laughs). Seriously though it is the greatest feeling in the world and the amount of pure adrenaline is something to live for. You can be having the worst day after a long ass 10 hour drive then take that first step on stage and all the bad vibes immediately leave your mind.

The hardest track to play live:

Faceless is usually our last song and is one we go really really hard for on stage, easily leaving all of us out of breath and winded for the end of the show.

Essential items you always take on tour with you?

Underwear, Toothbrush/paste, deodorant, and baby wipes. Pretty much just self-care products to keep us from stinking on those nights we do the sink showers. Seriously touring bands that think it’s ok to smell like absolute dog shit needs therapy (laugh)

Describe your fans in three words:

Passionate, Loyal, Insane

A song by another artist or band you wish you had written:

Literally any song Underoath has written, those guys just ooze GOAT tier talent.

What we can look forward to from your band this year:

We have a couple singles to still release this year, hopefully we can actually get back on the road and on stages! - Holly

When did you first realise that COVID-19 was going to have an effect on your band?

I knew it was pretty much going to be an issue when I was talking to my friends who were out on tour and they were being told the tour was getting postponed. There was this weird feeling watching all the news and stuff and I knew it wasn’t going to just be a two week delay and then all of a sudden, we got the call that our upcoming tours in the summer were going to be cancelled.



Initially, what was that whole situation like, and how did your band overcome/react to it?



You know it was crazy when this initially was starting, all I felt was empathy for my bros that had to leave mid tours and lose out on money already spent. Had some hope we might still be able to go out in the fall and then when we kind of all knew we weren’t going to be touring for some time we collectively decided to postpone a couple releases and started writing more. We looked at it as “what can we accomplish in this time to come out ahead” and controlled what we could control. I think the best thing we did to overcome our loses we looked to help our community and especially our local businesses with shirt fundraiser campaigns.



How has your creative process changed as a band over the last couple of months?



To be honest not much really changed in the creative process but more so what part of the creative we were working on. It gave us more time to set up our latest release ‘Rue’ and it has given us more time to focus on our album we have been writing. Normally with us we have day jobs and would only be able to write in small bursts together or individually on our own, with covid we had months to sit in our rooms writing and creating content with no day jobs.

What’s been the hardest part about writing/doing music this way?

The hardest part is the burnouts, having this free reign of creative time for sure burnt me out some days. There was a lot of contemplation from a band in our position where we are newer and had some steam going for us to immediately being stopped dead in our tracks, which I think a lot of bands went through. Keeping that hope alive that was very hard when it seemed the world was falling apart around us.

What bands/artists have you been listening to over the last couple of months?

I’ve been listening to a bunch of nostalgia bands like Crooks UK, older Underoath albums, Akissforjersey, and just shit I grew up listening to. It’s very therapeutic to listen to that stuff that made you fall in love with this music in the first place.

So, what do you think you’ve learnt the most from being a band through COVID-19?

We learned to really become as self-proficient as possible in all aspects of the band. I’ve been doing skype vocal lessons this whole time and have been building my skills in cinematography, DJ has been killing the graphic design game as of late, this gave Brian more incentive to build out a studio at his place and so on. We all have our own little projects that are benefiting not just ourselves but the band in general.

What kind of effect do you think that it’s had on the music industry all together, and how excited are you to see it return to normal?

I mean I don’t want to necessarily shit on the industry, but we have all been 100% exposed to how little the music industry is appreciated. So many artists are struggling without income from tours because streaming payouts and label contracts are not set up to benefit the artist doing the work. You have artists that have taken their lives because they saw now hope, depression is at an all time high. So many independent venues have closed doors or close to closing due to lack of relief benefits for this industry. Like all this shit is so flawed considering music is half of the most consumed industry in the world, and I hope there is some restructuring that takes place. I’m stoked on what we are currently doing, but I won’t get excited until we have tours confirmed and booked with 100% capacity cause our music isn’t meant for people to stand still 6 feet apart (laughs).

What tips/advice would you like to give to other bands who are also going through this?

Utilize this time to get better at your initial craft and learn a new one that helps the band, we really are going to come out of this a better band due to us being all in house now. - Original Rock

Tim - vocals: Man, this whole year has just been eerie and weird. We had a full summer of touring booked along with some stuff in the fall and a few singles to drop, then the world ended. At the beginning of lockdown, we all kind of just took some time off for ourselves and looked at it like we were getting a two-week vacation. When everything we had planned got cancelled, we knew the whole situation was going to be longer than two weeks.

I’d say for the months of March and April, I just lived the best life I could by going fishing and social distanced golfing and kind of utilized my hobbies the best I could while I had the time. The best weekend was virtually playing beer pong over facetime or zoom with other band members around the state - it was perfect for not drinking “emotionally” alone even though we weren’t all in the same room. The band and I talked here and there but for those couple months it was really difficult to have any desire to do anything music related.

It was a feeling of defeat knowing this momentum we had came to a halt with no end in sight and it was hard to think about “What can we do for ourselves?” so we looked at it in a way of “What can we do to help those around us?”. We all had jobs still paying us, so we looked out to our community struggling and especially our good friends at our favorite restaurant in Denver, The Brutal Poodle. We ran a shirt fundraiser for the staff and business with a new design and saw so much love from the community with those and raised some good money for them. That little spark of hope and good in the world kicked our ass into gear.

We had a virtual call and just gave ourselves actual goals to accomplish, and seeing how we had endless time, asked ourselves what we can do to be ahead when the world opens back up. We started working on ways to become fully self-sufficient; I started getting back into video editing and shooting along with setting up a merch system that was way better than what we had. DJ [Sundine, guitarist] started diving way more into graphic design and now does all of our content in house. We were all forced to learn and get better at recording, and we worked our tails off on the release plan for our latest single, “Rue”.

When it clicked, we really dove into our debut album we had been working on pre-lockdown and had this time to dissect, scrap and expand on what we are as a band to create what I believe is a solid freaking debut album. We have so much stuff now ready to go whenever we get the green light, and it is a truly amazing feeling knowing we won’t be scrambling.

We have decided we won’t do shows until it is 100% capacity and people can actually move around and not social distance due to the nature of our music and live show - but for now - learn the words to our latest single, “Rue”, and be ready to sing it back to me when we can finally get back out on the road! - Black Is The New AP Style

Aggressive metalcore melodies from Denver, Colorado – here’s Tim from Rozu…

What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
The latest release was our single ‘Rue’. This song means a lot to me for many reasons, but it lyrically tells the story of putting the past to rest and finally moving on from our own baggage. It was really great bringing in Scott Barnes (In Fear and Faith) to sing on it and give the song a second life having two different perspectives on this story.

What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
I think the hardest thing was the overall concept of the music video, we really wanted to do something different and turn some heads as opposed to a typical ‘playthough’ music video. Our director Sean Martin and I came up with this inner beast concept that would play very well with the lyrical back and forth between Scott and I then all of a sudden, pieces started falling into place. Big shout out to Cory Bryant for using some old walking dead makeup to bring the monster out of me because that was a serious make or break element to this release.

Who produced the release – what did they bring to it?
Our producer Tyler Ruehl (BlackGate Co) is literally the man! He is not only an incredible producer on the rise but a seriously great friend to all of us and has been there with us in the beginning. If Tyler wasn’t in the picture with us or bullied me into giving music one last shot this band wouldn’t be a thing. He brings out the best of us and enforces our strengths and pushes our boundaries so much, basically everything you want in a friend and producer.

What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
All of our music lyrically talks about struggles that I have gone through in the past or currently dealing with. Underlying in these topics are a feeling of hope and a light at the end of the tunnel that these struggles will get better, all we want our listeners to feel is that they are not alone.

How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
It’s always a little different when we start a song, it can come from a single riff, a melody, or a line of lyrics and we just build off it. The one thing that is consistent is how in the box we are, and we bounce a lot of sessions back and forth with each other. Especially in lockdowns we were always writing even if we can’t be in the same room.

What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
We love the sound of Plot in You, Wage War, Underoath and Fit For a King. We draw a lot of influence from those bands because they write great songs and helps give us a bar to set sights on.

What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
As many countries as we possibly can to be honest, the traveling aspect of being a musician is something we all truly enjoy. I do really want to play some of the Impericon festivals because I know they are just mental to play and be a part of.

If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
I think ‘Rue’ does give the best representation of everything we can offer. It has all the elements we love from heavy aggressive parts to beautiful soft sounds of melody.

What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
At the end of the day I just love creating art and sharing my story through music, for this band we just want to keep pushing and see how far we can actually take the project.

Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
Much love to everyone and thank you for your support! Whether new or old fans this music is as much yours as it is ours because without you all we wouldn’t be able to share the music we share! - ON: Yorkshire Magazine

Feat. Alexandre Mourreau, Costume Designer Justine Seymour, DP Ross Riege, Model Lexi Griswold and more! - Vents Magazine

Live music and touring have been on lockdown and fans as well as artists are going through withdrawals. We wanted to come up with something fun to help bridge that distance between fans and artists right now. What we came up with is something called The Lockdown Lowdown and it's a Q&A session with fun questions for artists to answer. They're not your typical interview questions, so it gives you a peek inside of the artists themselves. We're big music nerds here at I'm Music Magazine and we love learning things like this about the artists that we love. We're pretty sure that you'll get a kick out of these, so we hope you'll take the time to read them. In this installment, we sat down for a fun Q&A session with Tim Graham, vocalist for Rozu.


1. How have you been doing during the pandemic and how are you spending your time?

It has been a strange time (laughs), but I guess it has been strange for everyone. At first it was kind of interesting and loved not having to do my day job and spent a lot of time on a boat fishing. It is kind of a blessing and a curse because we can’t play shows and tour like we want/need to, but it has given us an extended period of time to work on the future of this band.



2. Have you been working on new music?

Yes we have, I think that is the only benefit of the lockdowns is we got to go back into this album we have been writing, dissect, and come out with the absolute best piece of art we can make.



3. 5 albums that changed your life

Pearl Jam’s Ten album was the first cassette I ever had so that’s always up there. Started singing to Tool’s Aenima album. Underoath’s They’re Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line drew me to this genre and formulated my scream, and we can add The Used self-titled to that list as well.

4. 5 artists that influenced you as a musician.

Underoath, The Used, Cartel, A Day To Remember, and Taking Back Sunday



5. Your 5 favorite live albums

Underoath’s Survive, Kaleidoscope

A Day To Remember’s Live in Switzerland

All Time Low’s Straight to DVD album

Metallica’s S&M Album

The Used Live and Acoustic at the Palace



6. Life on the road; 5 of the craziest/funniest/scariest tour stories

Driving through a town in Alabama where there was an actual tornado was pretty terrifying, something about seeing an entire towns power grid go out and the storm sirens is eye opening.

We stayed at the spookiest farmhouse in Iowa one time with this band from the UK, it was their first-time state side and day 2 of tour. They got to see what middle America is kind of like and the looks on their faces were priceless.

Craziest was getting to open for the Rise Records tour on my first week of shows as a vocalist instead of having an off day. First time in Canada we played this awesome house party show on some dude’s farm in the middle of nowhere, a lot of people and just a crazy ass Canadian party. One of our members dislocated his shoulder that night and was just crazy.

Randomly playing blackjack with Tillian and Jon Mess from Dance Gavin Dance at a casino in Chicago on separate tours was a super fun night, drunk Jon Mess is probably one of the funniest experiences of my entire life.



7. 5 favorite movies

Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift, The Godfather, any John Wick, Star Wars Return of the Jedi, Scarface.

8. Best and worst advice you ever heard.

Worst advice ever was sticking with something you hate and are not having a good time even though it can potentially further your musical career. Best advice ever was to remember that the only thing we can control in life is our perspective and response to any situation. Much like this last year we could have walked away from music easily but instead we decided to work harder than ever writing.



9. Strangest thing you ever autographed

Some fan wanted my sweat towel and for me to sign it, along with a lot of dude’s hairy chests.



10. If music was over today and you had to go into professional wrestling, what would your wrestling name be?

My wrestling name would be Timb and that would be an awesome bucket list item (laughs). - I'm Music Magazine

Every band, group and artist has a name - what is the story behind yours?
We wanted a name to actually mean something for us, and with Rozu being the Japanese word for ‘rose’, it emulated our message of wanting to make something beautiful through our work blooming and growing from dirt.
How did the band/group get together?
In the beginning, it was just me and DJ working with our producer and good friend, Tyler Ruehl, just writing as much music as we possibly could. When it felt like we got to a solid point in the project, we had a lot of talks with Brian and Henry to join up and give us that full band feel. The awesome thing was when we brought those two in, we meshed well and have just been constantly writing.
If you could describe your group/band in three words what would they be?
Sad melodic metal.
Tell us about your latest release - what makes this project different?
The latest release is our single ‘Rue’. [It’s] easily one of our favorite songs as a band as it has an incredible feature with our friend Scott Barnes, previously of In Fear and Faith. This song was different for us because it was the first time we really went all out with the budget for the song and the music video. For me, I think the combination of the story, authentic Walking Dead makeup and music have set the bar for the next chapter of the band as we go into our debut album.
Nothing in music is ever new but how do you try to keep your music, artistry and vibe original?
I think as long as you stay true to yourself and [don’t] write words or songs just because they sound cool is the truest form of artistry. Because we genuinely love the music!
What would you say are your inspirations in music?
We all come from the golden years of metalcore and post-hardcore, growing up with bands like Underoath, The Used, Every Time I Die, and Chiodos. We’ve evolved with the music, not only just as a consumer, but also instrumentally with our crafts. For this project, we listened to a lot of Underoath, The Plot in You and Wage War - especially when we need that extra spark of creativity.
How do you remain motivated to create and do you have any tips for budding artists?
For the most part, we’ve just been in this industry and tirelessly hauling for so long that we stay extremely motivated, but with this project, to reach heights we fell short of in previous endeavors was a driving force for us as a band.
Tips for budding artists is to do something else within the same realm of the music industry so you don’t burn yourselves out too soon focusing solely on music, while still keeping the creative juices flowing. I manage bands and direct marketing campaigns for bands [while] DJ is a graphic designer and has been tirelessly working on recording etc. Just have that extra side hustle to give [yourself] a break but also stay in the same world.
Did you always want to do music and when did you start to take music seriously?
I did always want to do music in a way, but never really took it seriously or had a serious band that did well (laughs). I started my musical career on the business side [with] marketing and being a tour manager or merch guy to just keep me on the road as much as possible.
I just love being on the road and over time, I actually had an opportunity to fill in as a vocalist for one of the bands I was working with. That changed everything for me! The rest was history and led to this project.
What should we expect to see from you in 2021?
We are in talks about potentially doing a livestream event when we release these next few singles we have for the year. Other than that, we are just finishing our debut album and writing for another series of EPs. - Voice Magazine