Rogue Rising

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If Avril Lavigne and Slash had a love child, she might sound a lot like Rowan “Rogue” Picard, the singer, songwriter and shredding lead guitarist of the new band Rogue Rising out of Kingston Ontario. With catchy riffs, relatable lyrics, and melodic solos, Rogue Rising’s sound is a fusion of rock, pop and punk. Poised to release their first single, the creative force behind the band can’t contain her excitement, “I feel like I’ve been holding my breath – and I can’t wait to let it out!”

“The song CRUSH was my reaction to a painful experience. It really sucks when someone you love doesn’t believe in you. Everybody needs someone to believe in them… everybody deserves that kind of love,” she explains. “So I went straight to my guitar as a way of dealing with that feeling of betrayal, and this song came out,” she says, clutching the custom red ‘Rogue’ guitar built by her father, inspired by another guitar she designed and built herself at school. “I take this baby with me everywhere.”

The authentic intensity of her songwriting, with its raw mix of optimism and angst, elicits comparisons to artists like Avril Lavigne, Liz Phair, and Alanis Morissette, but Rowan shrugs it off. “I’m just me. That’s all I want to be.” Switching gears, she talks about her experience with a music producer. “When I first brought the song to Michael, I was a little nervous. It was my first time in a real studio,” she says, referring to 5-time Juno award-winner and founding member of Glass Tiger, Michael Hanson. “But he was so patient and open. I learned a lot. It made the whole recording process fun — so much fun that we recorded more songs together!”

Loaded with a set of solid original songs, with some already recorded, Rogue Rising was ready to hit the ground running last summer after only a few weeks of rehearsals. “We played our debut show as a headlining band in Toronto — which was crazy! And our second show was outdoors in front of a hometown crowd of about 500, with a dancing bear beside us as a giant portable movie screen was being inflated!” she laughs, “That’s still my favorite so far!”

In addition to shows and rehearsals, Rowan and her high school bestie, Jackson Baird (bass), new pal Evan Kluwak (guitar), and The Petras’ bandmate Madisen Benoit on drums have been busy in front of the camera in preparation for the song launch. “Evan and I busked downtown in the snow, filming some scenes. We got a few coins tossed our way,” she laughs. “And we threw a big music video shoot, mini concert and pizza party. That was a great night!”

When asked what she hopes people will get from Rogue Rising’s music, Rowan pauses for a moment. “I want people to feel like they’re not alone… maybe inspire them to rise up against the negativity.” With a mischievous grin, she adds, “CRUSH is a big f*** you to the dream killers out there!” With the band gaining momentum, Rowan is eager to take it to the next level, “We’ve got a lot to share with the world. So get ready for it.”

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