We Speak Rock
ROWSIE release disparaging anti-war single ‘Makeshift Grave’ to address the plight in Ukraine.
ROWSIE, the four-piece band from London known for their thought-provoking, emotive brand of rock n roll, have released a new charity single titled ‘Makeshift Grave’.
The song takes a hard, honest look at the mindless ongoing violence and conflict in Ukraine, shedding light on how the destruction of truth is often the first step in rationalising psychopathic behaviour that leads to the carnage we are blatantly witnessing today.
Recorded at the world-famous RAK studios, ‘Makeshift Grave’ combines powerful lyrics,
“The f~~kers killed my grandparents too”,
and complex melodies, creating an impactful and moving experience for the listener. Topped with a great hooky chorus,
“First you kill the truth, then you kill the people, that’s the only way it works. You gotta do it in that order, so nobody knows what you’re up to.”
Speaking about the inspiration behind the song, vocalist and guitarist Richard Rothenberg said, “I was on my phone looking at the news coverage during the early days of the war. I saw this photograph in a story about the invasion; it was a woman’s legs in black and white stockings, half buried in the frozen front yard of her mother’s house. It turns out that she and her grandmother were watching Russian troops pull into town and were randomly shot – murdered. The story went on to say that the mother did her best to bury them while under constant threat. It moved me at a visceral level. My Ukrainian ancestors had had the same thing done to them after the Russian revolution. I felt compelled to write a song about it.”
For the video the band thought to involve some first-hand witnesses to the recent atrocities produced by Richard with bassist Alan D. Boyd taking on director’s duties. It’s a simple concept with Ukrainian dancer Angelina Lengyel and choreography by Anastasiia Artiushok. Costumes and floral crowns were provided by designers Nataliia Horbenko and Anfisa Polyushkevych. All have been affected by the war in personal ways.
“I left Ukraine at the beginning of the war,” says Anastasiia, “and was looking for a place to stay, start a new life, catch an opportunity to start creating again, after all those horrible things happened. I am absolutely grateful for this opportunity and happy to show it in this music video. I was wondering how such a horrible thing as a war could inspire people to create something beautiful and gather people from different countries to make art together.”
The band’s music has been praised for its unique sound and powerful messaging as magazine Angry Baby pointed out about their previous single ‘Gaslight’ from 2022 “It’s a call out against pure, evil madness being flung into the world by delusional megalomaniacs whose lies and obfuscations mislead us all. The song is a battle cry of the rational mind and is reflected in the onslaught of sound laid down. It’s raw and angry and it’s brilliant.”
ROWSIE are Richard Rothenberg on guitar and vocals, Holly Henderson on guitar and vocals, Alan D Boyd on bass, and drummer Jess Rollason. The track ‘Makeshift Grave’ is available now on all major music
platforms.
Proceeds for the sales of this single will go to the charity British-Ukranian Aid who ROWSIE have worked with in 2022 raising over £10,000 for the charity in a previous benefit concert.
We Speak Entertainment
Lorraine Leckie & Keith Robinson Guest On “If These Walls Could Talk” With Hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss Wednesday, January 15th, 2025
Who else but hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss could “spill the tea” on their weekly show “If These Walls Could Talk” live from Pangea Restaurant on the Lower Eastside of NYC, with their unique style of honest, and emotional interviews, sharing the fascinating backstory of celebrities, entertainers, recording artists, writers and artists and bringing their audience along for a fantastic ride.
Lorraine Leckie and Keith Robinson will be featured guests on “If These Walls Could Talk” with hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss on Wednesday, January 15th, 2025 at 2 PM ET live from the infamous Pangea Restaurant.
Wendy Stuart is an author, celebrity interviewer, model, filmmaker and along with If These Walls Could Talk she hosts TriVersity Talk, a weekly web series with featured guests discussing their lives, activism and pressing issues in the LGBTQ Community.
Tym Moss is a popular NYC singer, actor, and radio/tv host who recently starred in the hit indie film “JUNK” to critical acclaim.
Lorraine Leckie was born on a horse in Northern Ontario. In the 1980’s, she married punk rocker Steve Leckie, of the Viletones, and started her career as a makeup artist. After a decade living in Europe, she put down roots in New York and began working with celebrity clients, including Paul McCartney and Heidi Klum.
At 37, Leckie got a guitar and was soon performing at venues including Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall, and Mercury Lounge with demons Hugh Pool on guitar, Pavel Cingl on electric violin, Paul Triff on drums and Charles DeChants on bass.
Lorraine Leckie & Her Demons (LL&HD) debuted with the album Four Cold Angels in 2008. Leckie’s cover of The Pogues “Dirty Old Town”- a collaboration with Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre – became the opening title track for the acclaimed 2011 film Dirty Old Town.
Tom Semioli, of The Village Voice, chose Leckie’s 2010 solo album Martini Eyes as ‘Best Album of the Year’ in the Voice’s annual Pazz & Jop. She released Rudely Interrupted (2012) with legendary bon vivant artist Anthony Haden- Guest.
In 2014, LL&HD released Rebel Devil Devil Rebel. In the Spring of 2015, Lorraine released The Raven Smiled in Prague with Pavel Cingl. In 2015, after playing the New York album release show, Leckie’s drummer Paul Triff died. This concert, his final performance, was recorded and released as the 2018 album Live At Mercury Lounge NYC. Drummer Keith Robinson began playing with LL&HD in 2016. LL&HD released Razor Wing Butterfly in June 2020. In 2021, Leckie and Hugh Pool released singles “Good Morning Andrew” and “When the War is Over.” On Feb 3, 2023, LL&HD released a single “Blue & Yellow,” which is a tribute to the Ukrainian people. Another single, “Misfits” was released in November 2023.
Lorraine lives in Greenpoint Brooklyn with her husband, Billy Leroy, and a diabolical Irish Terrier whose name is Broghan. She and her demons are working on a full length album to be released in 2025.
Keith Robinson is a drummer, engineer, and producer living in Brooklyn, New York. He has performed on Grammy nominated, Blues Music Award winning, CMT Top 20 achieving, and BangerTV Album of the Year, recordings. He has recorded for labels such as Columbia, Dualtone, Metal Blade and Alligator. He has played football stadiums, basketball arenas, concert halls, clubs and coffee houses; Folk Festivals, Jazz Festivals and Swedish Metal Festivals. His performances have been streamed over 60 million times on Spotify.
Watch Lorraine Leckie and Keith Robinson on “If These Walls Could Talk” with hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss on YouTube here:
-
We Speak Celebrity News7 days ago
Emerging R&B Girl Group PSIRYN Climbs to No. 7 with Debut Single “Sober,” Signaling a Resurgence of Young Female Talent in the Genre
-
We Speak Electronic1 week ago
A Night To Remember: Ari Martin Crafts a Euphoric EDM Masterpiece!
-
We Speak Entertainment7 days agoEmmanuel Gyamfi Set to Release New Single “Release Your Fire” on January 17, 2025
-
We Speak Music1 week agoSwedish Columbia releases new maxi-single of Psych Major’s “Ain’t Nothin’ Change” b/w “About Time”