A place of tranquility. A happy place, as it were. Acoustic/folk/rock quartet Rosemary’s Garden takes its name from such a place, the original garden being singer/songwriter Michael-Louis de Terre’s grandmother’s refuge, his earliest memory of joy as a child.
Fitting, then, that Michael-Louis gave the name to his project. What began as an extremely talented individual’s solo project has morphed into a full-band venture, a group of guys collectively invested in the songs, in delivering them through performance and passion. Following the March 2009 release of the band’s debut album, La musique du Jardin, Rosemary’s Garden will embark on an eight-week tour, the first of many planned for the year.
Still, the story here has to work its way back to Michael-Louis—the beating heart of the band. A graduate of the Musicians Institute in Hollywood for Guitar and Recording Engineering, the guy’s got quite a pedigree of talents. The debut album, in fact, was a product solely of M-L, from songwriting and vocals to piano, harmonica and guitar. Once preserved for posterity, the songs needed players to bring them to life. Enter the members of today’s Rosemary’s Garden: Ben Levy, Andy Johnson and Ekko Gaha.
But first, let’s take another step back. Prior to Rosemary’s Garden, M-L was in another noteworthy Hollywood band entitled Gringo Star. The band achieved some regional notoriety and Michael-Louis even more in the way of discovery by producer Brian Dobbs (Bon Jovi, Metallica, Aerosmith, The Cult).
Yet don’t let that major-label name distract you from the project’s independent roots and perseverance. “I represent the new, emerging, independent, multifaceted artist,” M-L explains. “I am the epitome of an artist who can produce music, package and sell a product, create a brand, book a tour and hire a publicist…all without a label of any kind.”
The result is 14 songs characterized by acoustic guitar, piano, upright bass and M-L’s powerful, commanding voice. The focus here is obvious: melody, harmonies and hooks, drawing influence equally from rock ’n’ roll, alternative rock, pop and folk. The resulting sound is anything but derivative, a distinct voice among the masses.
“I’ll never stop,” Michael-Louis says of making music; “I’ll never be satisfied.” Good news for those of us seeking refuge through music.
Come join us for the 4th Annual 6th Street Smokeout, Saturday, October 17th, at Momo's Club, in Austin! We've got five bands, multimedia light show, and munchies from the Mellow Mushroom!! You can get more info, and tickets to the 6th Street Smokeout here: http://texasnorml.org/?page_id=408
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