Rosemary Gates
Prepares For the Release of Myth & Judgment
After five years in the making, independent rockers Rosemary
Gates are set to release their sophomore effort, Myth & Judgment (King James Records) on
Formed in 1996, Rosemary Gates
are Fort Wayne Music scene veterans. They exploded onto the scene in 2000 with
the release of their independent debut album Shine on King James Records. This led to the band's first single,
"Free," being released on local radio. The success of
"Free" in turn led to sizeable record sales, 65 shows played, and
record label attention (Universal, J Records, Atlantic, Epic, among others), in
addition to more radio play in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Atlanta,
Houston, and New Mexico. In 2006, Rosemary Gates continues to boast one of the
scene’s most loyal followings.
Setting the Standard: Since the release
of Shine in 2000, the band has gone through a rollercoaster ride of highs and
lows. “When we released Shine back in 2000, we had no idea how
successful the record would be,” said Michael Archbold, guitarist for the band.
“The radio play we received with our first single ‘Free’ propelled us in ways
we could not have expected. All of the
sudden we were selling out of CD’s, every venue under the sun contacted us, and
then the record companies started calling,” recalls Archbold. “By the summer of 2001, the band had sold out
of two pressings of the CD and a second single (Shining Rain) was released to
radio. In August we were approached by pop
radio station WMEE who had tested our song ‘Fallen’ on their station. The song had done well enough that they
planned to put it into their rotation.
We really felt at that time that having a third single released on pop
radio would put us over the top,” Archbold added. On the verge of their third release from Shine hitting the airwaves, world
history unfolded on 9/11 and a change of focus resulted. “Everything just stopped, and understandably
so” said Archbold. “It’s just one of
those things… you accept it for what it is.
After a successful record and
some 70 dates played in support of the disc, including a date opening for
The Genesis and Completion of Myth
& Judgment: During the band’s period
of success in 2001, the members quietly began writing and recording the follow
up to Shine. Basic tracks were laid for the songs “Home Again,” “Lady,” “Gnosis,” and a
cover of “Crazy” by the artist
Seal. “In early 2001, we headed back to
the studio,” said Archbold. “We had
already released Shine the prior
October. We had such a good experience
in the studio that we couldn’t wait to get back.” “The studio is where the band really shines,”
added
With the decision to finish the
album solidified, the band decided the best approach for not only this album,
but for subsequent projects was to invest in their own studio. “I went out in the fall of 2004 and just
started buying as much studio equipment as I could,” said Archbold. “It just made sense from a financial and
creative standpoint to be able to record when and wherever we wanted as opposed
to paying a studio.” Thus King James
Studios, a subsidiary of King James Records was born. King James Records and Studios were created
by Michael Archbold to promote and distribute the music of Rosemary Gates. “At this point in the game, it’s all about
controlling our own destiny. If you want
things to get done, you have to do it yourself, and rely as little as possible
on other people. That’s the one thing we
have learned in all the years of doing this.”
2005 was spent finishing the
tracks already begun in 2001 and laying down new tunes written since then. “B, Christian, and I spent a lot of nights up
in Christian’s attic laying down tracks.
It was some of the most fun I have ever had as a musician. We just gelled on a creative and musical
level in a way we had never accomplished before.” “It was a surreal in many ways,” added
Christian Schult, vocalist / guitarist for the band. “We really feel like we
honed our craft during those sessions.
We know each other’s writing styles and who brings what to the
table. Most importantly, we three
(Christian, B, Mike) know how to be critical of each other without taking it
personal… it’s all about making the best music we possibly can.”
After all the tracks were
completed in late 2005, the band decided to go to Sweetwater Studios in
In addition to assisting the
band in mixing and mastering Myth &
Judgment, Liepe was instrumental in the vocal arrangements on the
record. “This album has some of
Christian’s best vocal work to date. A
lot of the credit for why Christian sounds so good is because of Liepe’s help
with arrangements and effects. Liepe is
the kind of engineer we like; he gives good solid feedback and genuinely cares
about the music.”
Myth & Judgment the Album: “Myth & Judgment is a different kind
of RG record,” says Bankson. “Although
it still has many of the same elements as Shine,
it is a much darker album and a bit more experimental for us.” Archbold added, “It is less
“This album is also a departure
from Shine in that it is a bit of a
concept album,” said Archbold. B (Bryan
Bankson) and I had this loose based story line in mind when we developed this
disc. As the songs came together, the
story line tightened.” Bankson added,
“At first listen, some may mistake the album as a protest record, but it really
isn’t. It is more of a snap shot of what
is going on in the world right now and less of a protest. It is very matter of fact.” Archbold added, “Tracks like ‘Around the
World in 100 Years’ and ‘Gnosis’ really explore the state of affairs in our
world today. The concept of the album is
the story of a soldier returning home from war and dealing with integration
back into society. It explores a gamut
of emotions from the elation of being home again, to relationships that have
been affected by a long absence, to contemplations of suicide, to redemption
and finding peace in his circumstance.
We feel so strong about the storyline of this album that we are in the
preliminary process of creating a DVD version of the album to combine visual
elements to audio. We’ve also added lots
of little Easter eggs in the art work and in on the album… the little things
that make an album fun and interesting.
It really is our most complete effort to date.”
Going Forward: The departure of guitarist Jim Stocks and drummer Charley
Shirmeyer prompted the band to find replacements. “This album is so rich and lush that we just
aren’t able to do the songs justice with a four piece. We really felt that we would benefit from the
addition of another guitarist,” stated Archbold. “Anyway, we had such a good experience with
(Sweetwater Sound Engineer) Chris Liepe that we asked him to play with us. Liepe is not only a great guitarist, but he
also brings his vocal ability to the band which is an element we have never had
before. It is very exciting.” Taking on drumming duties is Fort Wayne Music
scene vet, Chuck “Animal” Thomas (Migraines, Grave Robber, Rudisill, Jacob’s
Well). “We feel like we have a good team
behind us now and are ready to move forward in support of this album and beyond.
The CD release party is at