Photo courtesy of Will Rose
The Milwaukee music scene continues despite the pandemic, and perhaps is given a dose with drummer Will Rose’s wilful contribution to the local sound. Through drums and songwriting, Rose has created a unique sound for himself and he has been doing so for awhile. Since joining Abby Jeanne and D’Amato'’ bands and recording on his own under the alias Airo Kwil and half of the rap duo Bo & Airo, Rose has been creating a lot of music.
With his latest, Wilted, Rose shows off his experience and shows that he is—underneath it all—really just a well-grown rose. It’s a compilation of his musical gift and stories told through his drumming and lyricism. It’s not an all-out jam session, but the 10-song collection is a mellowed down version of an all-out jam session with the sounds of acoustic guitars behind Rose’s mellow tone. “A lot of it is kind of memoir and a lot of it is playful,” Rose says of his new album.
On Wilted, Rose discusses nature, love and art. Wilted is comparable to Tupac Shakur, whose work included a poetry collection called A Rose That Grew From Concrete. In a sense, Will is the rose and the concrete is the city of Milwaukee where he has crafted and cultivated his art. Also, Eminem’s autobiographical work is in direct comparison.
Rose is inspired by some of these artists. “Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, The Black Keys and others,” he says. The inspiration from other rappers and bands is evident in Wilted and Rose’s other works. The lead single and first track, “Nobody,” is about Rose finally doing his work without the help of others. It seems to be a soliloquy about doing things on your own. The next track actually is a soliloquy, “Wilted Soliloquy.” Two other lead singles appear back to back on the album, “Aces” and “Nothing Is About You.” The totality of Rose’s musical talent and his insight into the music industry which possesses it is evident throughout the album.
|
|
“It’s something I’m proud to put out into the world,” Rose says.
