Hey RoshamFAM!
What a week it's been! Are you ok??? Take a deep breath, right now. No ones watching. In... Hold... Out.
We've been working on a few new songs this week. J's got a new ones just about mixed and finished. Kyle finished some guitar tracks last week and then realized there was a bad cable and all the tracks had a hiss in them. However, they've since been redone and honestly are just better takes anyway so maybe that bad cable was a good thing. It's funny how the universe works that way.
If you've been following us here or on social media hopefully you've seen that we're releasing a single called "Criminal," a song about our frustrations with authority, along with a music video for it. Our subscribers on Patreon had it last month but we're ready to show everyone on 1/20/21!
Someone asked us the other day if they have to sign up for Patreon to see our monthly live studio performances and get early access to singles and music videos or if they can try it out first before they subscribe. We know some people don't want another app on their phone. That's why we made it so you can get everything we put on Patreon sent to your email instead. Sign up below for $5, $20 or $50 one time to try it out or make it monthly to get content sent to your email every month.
roshambeauxmusic.com/donate
What's Up With Kyle...
I had a lesson in empathy last week. As I was driving home from some errands, off in the distance I noticed a tractor driving down the road with a string of cars behind it. This particular stretch was very curvy with a had a double yellow line, so there was no hope for the disgruntled drivers of passing the steel turtle for at least a few miles. I've been in that situation a few times and it only seems to happen when I'm running late.
When I'm in this situation I'm never able to see the driver's face but being outside the situation this time I was able to make out the driver's expression as I got closer and closer. To my somewhat I guess, borderline sadistic delight I noticed him smiling. As I passed him I gave him a smile and a wave and couldn't help but laugh out loud. As I pulled in to my driveway I couldn't help but ask myself, "Am I an awful person?" My empathy for those disgruntled people (a situation I'd found myself in a few times) went completely out the window.
I think part of it is human nature. It's easy to put empathy aside when you're removed from the situation. Granted, I didn't lose a wink of sleep that night but I hope you get my meaning. We're living in a time where we're increasingly removed from each other. We like to say it's from the pandemic but we've been doing it before last year too. It makes it easier to ignore and even laugh at human suffering, even suffering we've experienced. Instead of beating ourselves up over it I think we need to practice empathy like an instrument. Practice creates habit. If you wish suffering on people just because you've suffered it means you haven't healed from it. I'd like to wake up to a morning where I can desire the well being of others not their suffering. It takes conditioning. It's not my default setting.
In a time where we're divided on what seems like what should be universal like "Life Mattering" or what "Constitutes Domestic Terrorism," I hope we can actually look each other in the eye and hope for each other's well being even when we disagree. I think that's what empathy is in practice. I don't think it's enough to just understand pain. I think it's the desire to lessen it.
-Kyle
What's Up With J...
This week I've been finishing up some mixes and working to wrap my head around this next record to it's completion. I truly believe this will be the best record we've ever done. Working through each song mixing and preparing them for the mastering process, I've gotten a lot closer to fully understanding a bridged concept between all the songs. It's like taking a walk through all we've been through the past 2 years. We've really tried to up the vulnerability this time around and put it all on the table.
We will be sharing more of it with you soon as we prepare for the release of the latest song from this collection "Criminal" on Jan 20th. It seems this is the absolute right time for us to release this track and video. When we originally planned to release it, we had no idea the amount of political/social divides that would be taking place at this time. But never the less, we feel it expresses some of our deepest concerns that we feel is agreeable to what ever side of the fence you're on. Kyle told me the other day that he feels a sense of the need to "do something" and in my eyes I feel this song has potential to be just that: An expression of facts and concern that plague us socially, through politically corrupt systems that encourage us to think, not stand idle, and make better choices for the future. I hope you all are looking forward to its release. For everyone that reads this...I love you.
-J
Special Thanks!
We're able to continue making music with the help of our supporters on Patreon. This is how we play live during a pandemic. We do a live studio performance every month based off requests from our subscribers. It's been a really weird time to be a musician but we're glad we found this outlet. Every month we do a studio live performance based on requests from our patrons that donate $5 or more. We've done a wide range of songs varying from Tennessee Williams to Rage Against The Machine. It's been great getting to reinvent some of our favorite songs. By joining Patreon you're helping us keep the lights on but also helping us grow and get new ideas for when we're able to get back to touring.
Special Thanks To: Nancy B, Steve B, Rachel E, Renee T & Nadia M.
JOIN PATREON at patreon.com/roshambeaux
What You Get For Supporting Roshambeaux...
$5- Our latest monthly studio performance and early access to singles and merch.
$20- Behind the scenes access to our workflow, ask us questions, exclusive photos & clips.
$50- Monthly video call where we can hang out just us. We'll even sing you a song if you want!
Don't Want Patreon But Still Want To Support Us?
As we've said before we know Patreon isn't for everyone. Sometimes that one extra app on your phone or subscription to manage just isn't worth the hassle. So we've found a way to get our Patreon content sent directly to your email. Just donate $5 or more using the link below one time to try it out or make it monthly to get content sent to you every month.