INTERVIEW: From Glens Falls To Nashville: Emmett Rozelle & Rodeo Mouth
Photo by Kathleen Saverino
“I’m friends with Van Coffey, George Jones's last steel guitar player. He played on ‘Leaving For Phoenix’ and ‘Billsboro [Blues],’ and it just made the whole album — he only charged me twenty bucks and a Yunegling, too.”
As robust as the Capital Region’s art and music scene is, we are also the proud home of folks who extend their artistic journey beyond our boundaries, all the while remembering their roots here with us. One such musician is Emmett Rozelle, who grew up in Glens Falls playing drums with his uncle David Rozelle, as well as the formidable force that was Pillowhead, led by Paul Hake. (Yes, Paul may sound familiar, too — he now owns Paul’s Guitar Hideout located in The Shirt Factory). Rozelle now resides in Nashville and plays guitar with Rodeo Mouth who just released their debut album Terrestrial Thrills on May 22 of this year. He took the time to chat with me about that and more.
Rozelle’s journey to Nashville began when he and Pete Piscetelli (bass player of Rodeo Mouth) decided it was time to commit to their artistic dreams and make the move to Nashville. The roommates had played in several bands together — The Mothers of Intention, Squid Parade, and The Mopar Cams — in Oneonta, but yearned for a glimpse beyond the Central New York horizon. Eventually, Rozelle would meet the creative center and vocalist/guitarist of Rodeo Mouth, Paul Howard, in Nashville. However, it was when Howard moved to Rochester that Rozelle would connect musically with him.
“I’d known Paul (Howard) for years, but then he moved to Rochester, NY for about a year. During that time he’d come back to visit and would stay with us in our spare room. We would end up staying up late, drinking, and going back and forth playing songs we wrote, “ Rozelle continues, “His songs were so simple in the best way. They reminded me of John Prine or Townes Van Zandt tunes - who I'd just been getting into at that time.”
When Howard made the move back to Nashville, their songwriting sessions became more formalized and out of that, Rodeo Mouth was born. Rozelle was in the process of digesting the dissolution of his band Greasediver — the first band he’d ever led and wrote songs for, but found solace in this synergistic relationship that was developing.
“He’s from Western New York (Geneva), and I'm from the North Country, so we have a lot of the same mannerisms and similar backgrounds, which makes communication easy — even nonverbally on stage,” Rozelle explains.
That communication went a long way in creating the album, which was recorded mostly live in studio to tape with some overdubs. While the band was able to capture the raw energy and emotion of the songs with that approach, it wasn’t without its trade-offs, Rozelle tells me.
“If you mess up, that’s the take,” he explains. “If everyone else plays great and you’re the one that messes up, you’re the asshole. On the flip side, what you hear on the album is how we’re playing it live on stage.”
While Paul wrote all of the songs, Rozelle contributed lead guitar and helped to arrange a lot of the tracks, especially the track “Better Try Again/Billsboro Blues.” However, Rozelle points to one contribution as being the best thing he did for the album
“I’m friends with Van Coffey, George Jones's last steel guitar player. He played on ‘Leaving For Phoenix’ and ‘Billsboro [Blues],’ and it just made the whole album — he only charged me twenty bucks and a Yunegling, too.”
Rozelle’s feelings are completely on point as Van Coffey’s slide playing is the perfect element to add some new flavors to this Americana/alt-country record. “Leaving For Phoenix” becomes an instant staple as it gives all of the vibes you could ask for from a band out of Nashville. The upbeat tune evokes the image of a smoke-filled honky-tonk erupting with bar fights as the band coaxes the patrons to keep moving to their music.
There’s also songs with an alt-country flare like “There’s A Boot in my Wallet,” offering an anthemic chorus drenched in country rock swagger, featuring Rozelle on lead guitar and backing vocals. With these tracks, you can hear a band that has found their sound, found trust in each other, and dove in head first.
Now, it’s a matter of getting themselves out on the road, something they did this spring when they toured in the South through Texas and Louisiana — a tour that was originally planned for the Northeast, including a hometown show for Rozelle. Though expenses weren’t quite in their favor this time, Rozelle isn’t giving up on the thought. “I’d love to bring Rodeo Mouth home,” he says.
Rozelle still has his ear to the ground locally, remaining in touch with not only his Uncle and Hake, but also someone he’s known since middle school, local musician and writer, Lucas Garrett. With Terrestrial Thrills in tow and the framework for the next record emerging, Rozelle is excited for the future and is hopeful he can bring his sound back to the 518 soon. In the meantime, he’s proudly representing Glens Falls in Tennessee.
Check out the album now at their bandcamp, and follow them on Instagram to keep up with them and when you might be able to see them in the 518.