Interview with Rose Ranger

Jarod Smith

Jul 25, 2022

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

My mom put me into ballet lessons when I was four years old which pretty much involved me running around the room in a leotard and tights, so I guess you could say I started performing young. Dance is all about rhythm and moving where the music takes you so I was initially influenced by music through dance. When I was fourteen I went with my friend to a studio in Vancouver on a Friday night called the Power Plant. It was originally Studio 86 that started at Expo 86 and then continued operating under a new name. They would let anyone pay to record a cover of poplar hit songs. My friend and I recorded two songs “More Than Words” and “That’s What Friends Are For” and we called our band Spirit of the Singing Earth, lol. We harmonized together and I remember feeling like my worries were on pause and everything was alright. So around fourteen I guess I knew I had found something special and by twenty I knew I was going to make an album- even if it turned out terrible and nobody listened to it- I was still going to do it. If I wasn't doing music or acting I'd likely be a tour guide for global adventure travel or an activist on the field saving animals and the environment.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

I love to travel around the world and go on adventures to experience other ways of life and spend time in outdoors and natural environment.

How long has your band been around?

Since I released my debut album, exactly twenty years ago, in 2002.

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

Currently, Vancouver, BC.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

It was either going to be Rose Ranger or Rose Rogers.. but Rogers was already taken by a horse riding gunslinger.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

I once performed in Whistler for Tony Robbins (the self-help guru) final celebration night on the top of a mountain. We rode up in ATV’s. That was fun. Another time I was performing on a cruise ship in Miami and R Kelly pulled up in a wheel chair with a sprained foot and said “wooowheee” as I sang and then stayed for my entire show. I did a show where there was a schizophrenic man in the audience who pretended to shoot a gun at me during my entire performance. It was memorable mostly because I was scared he might have a real one. Years ago when I used to busk at Granville Island I had stalker who would stand directly behind me as I played my guitar. Not weird at all, right. I guess he preferred that view.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

I’ve performed on the Orpheum and Queen Elizabeth stages which are beautiful. I would like to perform at The Greek Theatre in LA and of course Coachella and Glastonbury would be amazing!

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

The Police, Daft Pink, Sheryl Crow, Fleetwood Mac, Dolly Parton, Willy Nelson, James Taylor, Lady Gaga, John Mayor, Ed Sheeran. Then they would all become my band when I got on-stage to play!

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Do what you love. Walk away if you need to. Never stop learning. It’s never too late.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

To allow more time for things to develop. Not to expect myself to be perfect. The people who love you and want to support you don’t want you to be perfect and in fact they love you already how you are. And that’s why they connected with you in the first place.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

They all have a special place or meaning in how they originated. My latest songs “Confession” “Power” and “Hurts” mean a lot to me right now. There’s the expression “digging yourself out of a hole.” That’s what these songs represent one hundred percent.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

Probably all the ballads from my albums... “I Will” (Replies), “Hero” (Bloom), “It Don’t Feel Like Christmas” (Winter Town), “I’m Your Friend” (Fall Into You), “Beautifully Broken” (Roses), “Hurts” (Confessions)

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

My songs teach me. It’s like having dream where you think, “how did I know that in my dream when I don’t know that in my waking life.” This sounds so cliche I know, but the best songs are a lot like whispers from God or the Universe letting you know you’re not alone. Sort of like the movie Field of Dreams but instead it’s Field of Songs, lol.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

I guess whatever messages people want to get out of them. I hope they inspire and heal people which is something our world and humanity really needs right now.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Yes I have disagreements with myself almost daily, haha!! I work with different people in my band so my band mates change based on what city I am in. They are usually top notch musicians and people luckily.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

My new music video “Power” which is my second single from my new album Confessions. It was filmed at the Warehouse Studios which is a music studio in Vancouver owned by Bryan Adams. “Power” is about speaking truth to those who abuse their power from the personal to the collective. The single is about justice and standing up for oneself. It’s about transforming the pain of oppression into something that is empowered. I think of Nelson Mandela’s speech about there being nothing enlightened about shrinking yourself into a less empowered version in order to belong or fit the mould.”