Interview
"ZONkED!-Fanzine"
Interview
"Banzai-Fanzine"
Reviews
"Enchantment under the Sea"
Reviews
"... gonna break your arsch!"
Reviews
"Let's go Grrrls"
Reviews
"Live-Gigs"
Hey ROSETTES, how are you doing - who is in the band right now?
Hello everybody! We’re THE ROSETTES, but you’d better listen to your ass! The Band is: Betty Brat (vox), Holgi Rosette (drums), Johnny Rosette (guitar) and Toby Rosette (bass). First of all we would like to point out, that our name has nothing in common with any of these vulgar 4-letter-words, you little pigs are thinking of! We named the band after the stone of Rosette, a trilingual inscription, which helped to decode the Egyptian hieroglyphs. We are an intellectual Punk-Band!
Some history - where are you from, when did you get together, were you in other bands before this one?
We started THE ROSETTES with the present line-up in spring 1999 in Münster, which is a city c. 80 km north of Dortmund. Holgi, Johnny and Toby were in a lot of bands before THE ROSETTES, but only three still exist: Holgi plays drums with DADDY LONGLEG, a melodic Punk-Band with fast songs and political lyrics. Johnny hits the drums with THEE EVIL BAD, the missing link between DISCHARGED and HÜSKER DÜ, playing a raw and aggressive sound combined with great harmonies and a radical attitude. Toby and Johnny also do THE ASTRO ZOMBIES, a MISFITS-Coverband, which performs in full disguise.
Are you all the original members?
The original line-up had the wonderful name LUIGI EARTHQUAKE & HIS LATIN LOVERS but never managed to get on a stage. The band started with Luigi Earthquake on the drums, Toby on the bass, Siegfried Roy playin’ guitar and Holgi raping the piano while he was singing. After a while Luigi and Siegfried left the band, so Holgi changed to the drums (he couldn’t play the piano anyway!) and Johnny was asked to perform on the guitar. At that time we all fell in love with the same girl: Betty Brat! The best chance to see her as often as possible was to hire her as a singer.
Where was your first gig (was it fun?)
We played our first gig in an old factory in Münster, called “Sputnikhalle”. There was some kind of alternative band-contest with eleven groups. Every band played three songs including one Cover (we did “Rock’n’Roll Highschool”). The audience had to choose the winning band, which should play a whole set at the end of the festival. THE ROSETTES won, but we only had the three songs, we already played! Fortunately the P.A. broke.
And how many gigs have you played since, and where have you played (just in Germany or other countries too?) - have you had just good experiences, or also some not so good!
We played some gigs in Germany and hope to get to Belgium and the Netherlands this spring. Johnny is a teacher and Toby usually spends his summer-months in Turkey digging in ancient mud, so we don’t have much time to do concerts. Most of the gigs we played were real fun, including free beer-baths, broken amps and bleeding lips. But, that’s P-U-N-K-R-O-C-K!!! If anybody wants THE ROSETTES to come over to the UK, feel free to contact us.
What is the scene like in Münster, are there many other hot Rocking bands, decent venues to play, and cool bars to hang out?
Although Münster is a provincial student-town, we’ve got a good Punk/HC-scene here! There are a lot of great bands like MUFF POTTER, HIGHSCORE, THE GRIZZLY ADAMS BAND, DURANGO 95, DUESENJAEGER and the ones already mentioned. You can see concerts with cool bands from all over the world at “Gleis 22”, “Triptychon”, “Baracke” and “Sputnikhalle”. We also organize D.I.Y.-Concerts with “Das Schwarze Gespenst Infotainment” in Muenster. Write us, if you want to perform with your band! Unfortunately the best bar in town, “Schluckspecht”, closed some months ago, but the “Luna Bar” (an Ex-Strip-Bar!) and “Doc Muellers Raketencafe” still remain. If you’re a music-junkie, you can get nearly every record at “Green Hell” - we don’t tell shit, just because these guys released our Debut-LP! We’ve also got a big anarchist scene here. There were even some squats, which however didn’t last for long.
Do they still have the big Skateboard festival/competition in Muenster every year - are any of you skaters?
The “Muenster Monster Mastership” moved to Dortmund about three years ago. We’re not too much into skateboarding, but they also did a Punk-Festival, where great bands like the BADTOWN BOYS played. Most fun were the riots, the skater kiddies started every year! That’s the reason why the contest moved away.
What is it you really dig about the Garage Punk Rock’n’Roll you guys play?
Fun, Fun, Fun!!!
And tell me about some of the bands who influenced you and made you want to form THE ROSETTES...
Uff, that’s hard! Everybody has his/her own background, but we can agree with RAMONES, ELVIS, CLASH, BLONDIE, DACKELBLUT, MISFITS, BARRACUDAS, 999, JOHNNY CASH, NEW BOMB TURKS, MOTÖRHEAD, BEACH BOYS, TURBONEGRO, THE KINKS, CIRCLE JERKS, RAZZIA, WANDA JACKSON, DEAD BOYS, VENTURES, AC/DC, BUZZCOCKS, SUPERSUCKERS, ROSE TATTOO, DEAD MOON, CURE, UNDERTONES, BOXHAMSTERS, GORILLA BISCUITS, CHUCK BERRY, NENA, DESCENDANTS, STRAY CATS, DIE GOLDENEN ZITRONEN, ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT, QUEEN, MINOR THREAT, PIZZICATO 5, CULT, HARD-ONS, HARRY BELAFONTE, SOCIAL DISTORTION, DICK DALE & HIS DEL-TONES, SLIME, BADTOWN BOYS, CRAMPS, DURAN DURAN, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, GENE VINCENT, LOLITAS, ANGRY SAMOANS, NOISE ANNOYS, KISS, SEX PISTOLS, GIRL SCHOOL, BUDDY HOLLY, LEATHERFACE, DAG NASTY, JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS, DANZIG, BAD RELIGION, NOVOTNY TV, LITTLE RICHARDS, BLACK FLAG, POISON IDEA, CHANTAYS, COSMIC PSYCHOS, RUTS, TRIO, HEADCOATS, SPERMBIRDS, JOAN JETT, DEAD KENNEDYS, SNUFF, THE WHO, DEVIL DOGS, SLAYER, JERRY LEE LEWIS, DICKIES, DAYGLOW ABORTIONS, ALL, MARC BOLAN & T. REX, AGENT ORANGE, MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES, BERURIER NOIR, WALTONS, ANTHRAX, DIE ÄRZTE, ADRIANO CELENTANO, IGGY & THE STOOGES, DAMNED, REVEREND HORTON HEAT, SHADOWS, TOY DOLLS, MIKE FLOWER POPS, IDEAL, HÜSKER DÜ, CARL PERKINS or RADIO BIRDMAN just to mention a few…
What's been the most recent record/CD you bought that made you go "WOW!"?
Toby bought KING KHAN & HIS SHRINES’ “Three Hairs and your Mine” and hasn’t listen to any other record in the last two weeks! Betty dies for EL MARIACHI’s self-entitled Debut-LP, while Johnny loves his Copy of ENTOMBED’s “Uprising”. Holgi’s got THE TIGHT BRO’S FROM WAY BACK WHEN’s “Lend you a hand” and can’t get enough of it.
I've only got your Enchantment Under the Sea album, and I don't wanna get you all embarrassed, but I think it's excellent - really raw and powerful. What've the reactions to it been from the general public/fanzines/etc?
Thanks for this competent assessment! Who cares about laymen?!
What is the title of the album about, is it best to listen to it under water??
We hate water, so we haven’t tried yet! The album-title and the photo on the back-cover are stolen from one of our favourite movie: “Back to the future”. Dirk from Raketendesign did the cover-artwork for “Enchantment under the sea” and he did a real good job! You can meet him at www.dirkhesse.com.
I liked the closing instrumental Texel is The Reason - are you Surf music fans?
Yes, although we can’t surf!
Damn, I recognise the opening riff in Devil's Triangle... where did you 'borrow' it?? Please put me out of my misery, ha ha!!!
O.K., we got trapped! The riff is stolen from Carmina Burana, but don’t tell anybody!
What is Devil's Triangle about... Fidel Castro in Bermuda shorts???!!!
Well, after watching a silly TV-feature about planes, which mystically disappear somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, we knew that we had to inform the ignorant public! Our thesis is, that the Cuban army shot down these aircrafts, but the Yankees were too proud to confess, that Fidel Castro is equipped with weapons, which can destroy US-planes thousands of miles away from Havana. So the CIA invented a story about a strange phenomenon around the Bermuda-islands: Devil’s Triangle! To underline this fairy-tale the US-President successfully brought Bermuda-shorts back on the Catwalk. But THE ROSETTES dare to bring the high-explosive truth back to light!
And does Betty really wanna be Chucky's Bride, he's just a sick puppet??!! Are you big horror movie junkies - what have you been watching recently??
Betty’s got a strong maternal instinct - Chucky’s so small and vulnerable! And he’s a good lover compared to Freddy Krüger (just think of Freddy’s scissor-hands stroking Betty’s neck)! We’d prefer the old classics like “Night of the Living Dead”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” or “Halloween”.
Have you any other records out, or planned for the future?
Before we got the LP out on “Stereodrive!Rec.”, we recorded the Demo-Tape “The Rosettes… gonna break your Arsch”, but it’s sold out and we’re too lazy to do new copies. But you can still order the Tape “Das lautlose Erledigen des Wachmanns” on “Falling Down Rec.”! The profit goes out to an anarchist book-shop in Muenster. The Tape features cool bands like PANZERKROIZA POLPOTKIN, THE WEAKERTHANS, …BUT ALIVE, PAINTED THIN, EL MARIACHI, PETROGRAD and of course THE ROSETTES playing “(Don’t be afraid of) 1999”. Hopefully we’ll release a new 4-track 7” this summer/autumn, which will be distributed by "Green Hell”!
Okay, interrogation over - if there is anything else you want to add, or ask me, then go ahead Punk...
Meet us at www.rosettes.de! Here you get tons of Photos, Links, free MP3s and even an animated Video, in which THE ROSETTES appear as plasticine-puppets playing their Smash-Hit “Do me a favour (and die)!”