Rosemary Gates Ready to 'Shine'

By Emma Downs The News Sentinel, 10/26/00

The members of Rosemary Gates have a lot of people to thank.

Two weeks ago, the local five member band stood shoulder-to-shoulder at a very crowded Dash-In café announcing the release of their latest CD, "Shine."

"You are friends, fans, family members. You are the ones that show up at the concerts, sing along, request the songs, and give us purpose," said guitarist Mike Archbold. Thank you for your sacrifices; it means more than you'll ever know."

And while the crowd tossed back beers and applauded, guitarist Jim Stocks, acting as the evening's ring leader, announced: "And without further ado…"

What followed was 59 minutes and, according to vocalist Christian Schult, "some odd seconds" of Rosemary Gates' guitar-heavy, eclectic music.

"The CD represents us musically and as a band," said Stocks. "We're a collection of individuals with five different musical influences, and the CD makes all of that come together – funk, folk, rock, heavy-rock, (etc.)."

The band – drummer Jerry Foust, Mike Archbold, bassist B-Funk, Stocks, and vocalist, guitarist and harmonica player Christian Schult – recorded the self produced, 13 song CD at Soundmill Recording Studio.

Rosemary Gates usually mixes original music with covers of songs by groups such as Creed and Pearl Jam during performances. But for "Shine," the band included 12 original tracks and only one cover, "Rosemary," the song written by Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, from which the Fort Wayne band borrowed its name. It will be available at Wooden Nickel Music Stores beginning Saturday.

"This (CD) is the "big daddy. We had a few smaller CDs out, but this is our first full-length album," said Stocks. "And we're pretty happy with the results. The CD listening party is just one big thank-you to the fans."

Judging by the crowd at the Dash-In, Rosemary Gates has collected quite a healthy fan base over its five years together.

"Our fans are friends and family. They're just great," said Stocks. "They travel with us, follow us. Every show I see the same people and the enjoyment on their faces.