Rocky Votolato

Conventional wisdom says that singer-songwriters need a mythology. We can't supply you with any Lanegan- or Earle-style tales of past drug abuse or Adams-ish anecdotes of self destruction and arrogance in telling the story of Rocky Votolato. But here's what we know: Rocky is a soft-spoken, very sweet, very hard-working 28-year-old father of two, born in rural Texas and raised in the Pacific Northwest indie scene (where he fronted the acclaimed but emo-stigmatized Waxwing). He has matured over the course of three increasingly accomplished solo albums, and writes songs that seem to have been scratched into a boxcar wall by a worn-out and lonesome ghost. Rocky lays out his most intimate thoughts with such honesty that, listening to his words, you don’t feel like a voyeur, but rather an ally, sharing secrets by the dying fire.

Makers' title, whether it references a vague existential preoccupation or perhaps a certain brand of American whiskey, captures the mood of its 12 songs perfectly. Take half an hour in a dim room with this album at the end of a hard day, and read the lyrics while you sip your beverage of choice; it may break you down a little at first, but it will lift you up in the end.

A brief Rocky history:

Following the 1996 breakup of their band Lying on Loot (which included future Red Stars Theory violinist Seth Warren), singer/guitarist Rocky Votolato and drummer Rudy Gajadhar began playing with bassist Andrew Hartley under the name Waxwing. Rocky's younger brother Cody soon joined the band on second guitar, and they recorded their debut 7" for Henry's Finest. In 1999, Second Nature released their first full-length, entitled For Madmen Only. By the time One for the Ride was released in late 2000, Waxwing's profile had grown substantially. Rocky had released a well-received solo record, while Cody's other band, the Blood Brothers, had a strong following of their own. Rocky released two albums in 2002 (his own Burning My Travels Clean and Waxwing's Nobody Can Take What Everybody Owns), and he released his third full-length, Suicide Medicine, in 2003.

Makers will be manufactured and distributed under licensed from, and with the cooperation of, Kansas City’s respected and beloved Second Nature Recordings.