Rocky Loves Emily is an American

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band formed in

Sterling Heights, Michigan Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan, and one of Detroit's core suburbs. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a total population of 134,346. It is the second largest suburb in Metro Detroit, and the fourth la ...

in 2008. As of mid-2012, their lineup consists of vocalist Brandon Ellis, drummer Pete Kalinowski, guitarists Sean Kick and Andrew Stevens, and bassist Stephen Hull. They released an independent EP, ''The What What What EP'', before signing to

Tooth & Nail Records Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Underoat ...

and releasing a second EP, '' American Dream EP'' and a debut full-length, '' Secrets Don't Make Friends'', which was produced by

Matt Grabe Matt Grabe (born 1985 in Phoenix, AZ) is a record producer based out of Los Angeles, California. Matt studied audio engineering at The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. Upon finishing his studies, he became a member (guitar/piano) of Eq ...

and released on April 24, 2012.

Band history

Formation and first EP (2008-2010)

Lead Singer Brandon Ellis and Drummer Peter Kalinowski co-founded Rocky Loves Emily. They knew of each other in the local music scene but met for the first time while on tour with different bands at a show somewhere in Minnesota. They kept in contact, and when their former bands broke up they started Rocky Loves Emily. One day Pete Kalinowski, Stephen Hull, and Brandon Ellis had lunch together discussing band names. Pete Kalinowski and Steve Hull came up with the band name. "We were talking about old 90's movies that we remembered watching as kids. I remember Steve saying, did you guys ever see 3 ninjas, I immediately started chanting Rocky Loves Emily and paused and said that's it! That's our band name!" -Peter Kalinowski. Taking their name from a line in the 1992 film ''

3 Ninjas ''3 Ninjas'' is a series of action comedy family films about the adventures of three young brothers who are trained by their Japanese grandfather in the art of Ninjutsu. Victor Wong is the only cast member to appear in all four films. Chara ...

''. A debut EP entitled ''What What What'' was released to iTunes in July of that year. The band spent the next several months touring, most notably playing acoustic shows at

Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming, ...

stores, and was a finalist in ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

'''s January 2010 "Hometown Heroes" competition.

Signing and ''American Dream EP'' (2010-2011)

In April 2010, the band had a day off in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

and attended Copeland's Farewell Tour, the band encountered an A&R executive from

and ended up giving him a copy of their EP. This resulted in a phone call a month later and the band's subsequent signing to the label. The band then recorded several demos over the summer before being flown to Seattle to record their second EP, '' American Dream'', with producer Casey Bates. The signing was officially announced in October, and the EP itself was released on November 22, preceded by the single "Clueless". Soon after the band toured heavily being gone more than half of the year on self-booked tours.

''Secrets Don't Make Friends'' (2011-present)

The band performed at the 2011

SXSW Music Festival South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

as part of a Tooth & Nail showcase that also included Emery,

The Almost The Almost is an American rock band from Clearwater, Florida, fronted by Underoath drummer and vocalist Aaron Gillespie. Formed in 2005 as a solo project by Gillespie, the band currently includes guitarist Jay Vilardi, bassist Jon Thompson, and d ...

Sainthood Reps Sainthood Reps is an American indie rock band from Long Island, New York, formed in 2009. Their debut album, ''Monoculture'', was released on Tooth & Nail Records in the summer of 2011 and was produced by Mike Sapone. The band released their seco ...

Swimming with Dolphins The popularity of swimming with dolphins increased in the 1980s and 1990s, occurring in over 65 countries, both as a form of therapy as well as a tourist activity. Proponents of dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) say that interacting with dolphins can ...

, and Young London. Following this and a tour with Freshman 15, Brandon Ellis announced that the band was in the process of writing their first full-length album for Tooth & Nail, stating that it would be "a step in a new direction for us as a band...I feel a lot of growing up has happened in the past year and that will definitely be expressed in the new music. Bottom line, I cannot wait for people to hear this, I've never been more excited about music in my life." A music video for the title track was released on March 14. Following that, a second SXSW appearance as part of an ''

HM Magazine ''HM Magazine'' is a monthly, digital and print on demand publication focusing on hard music and alternative culture of interest to Christians. It is headquartered in Houston, Texas. The magazine states that its goal is to "honestly and accurate ...

'' showcase, and three more singles (one of which was given an exclusive release by

AbsolutePunk ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to fea ...

), the album, '' Secrets Don't Make Friends'', was released on April 24, 2012. Also in April 2012, the band toured with Sandlot Heroes and

The New Amsterdams The New Amsterdams is an American band featuring Matthew Pryor of The Get Up Kids. In a certain sense, they represented the acoustic counter-project to The Get up Kids. In contrast to The Get Up Kids, this project features acoustic guitars, the ...

. Then toured with For The Foxes for a month and Joined up with Phone Calls From Home for a month and then Later in the year, they joined

Sparks the Rescue Sparks the Rescue is an American rock band from Maine. They formed when members of three high school bands, Pozer, Short of April, and Two Girls Later, converged. Their debut EP, ''Stumbling Skyward,'' was released independently in 2005 with McA ...

's "Surrender Your Booty" tour and closed out the summer touring with

Allstar Weekend Allstar Weekend was an American pop rock band based in Poway, California. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel television network. The band consisted of lead singer Zachary "Zach" Porter, bassist Cameron Quiseng, drummer Micha ...

and

Honor Society In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy Sc ...

. After a break/hiatus the band decided to work on a second full-length record. The album, titled ''Miserable Love'', was released on June 22, 2016.

Musical style and influences

Rocky Loves Emily has most commonly been identified as

, with comparisons including The Maine, Hit the Lights,

The Morning Light The Morning Light was an American pop rock band based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The group was signed to Fearless Records. History The Morning Light formed in 2006 after the breakup of local group Transition. Transition's bassis ...

Jack's Mannequin Jack's Mannequin was an American rock band formed in 2004, hailing from Orange County, California. The band originally began as a solo project for Andrew McMahon, the frontman of Something Corporate. The band was signed to Maverick Records and re ...

, and

All Time Low All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band too ...

. Matt Collar of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described '' Secrets Don't Make Friends'' as containing "

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

-influenced

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

tunes" and a delivery that matched the band's "

emo-pop Emo pop (also known as emo pop punk and pop-emo) is a fusion genre combining emo with the melodies of pop punk and/or pop music. Emo pop features a music style with more concise songs and hook-filled choruses. Emo pop began in the 1990s with ban ...

aesthetic". Drummer Pete Kalinowski has defined the band's sound as "pop, rock, with just a pinch of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

." He also revealed that the band originally started with a "weird grungy/

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

sound" before settling into pop, admitting that they "didn't really know what we were trying to go for" at the time.

Influences

Brandon Ellis has said that his songwriting is influenced by

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...

and

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...

: "I really like the songwriting structures...the way their guitar riffs and vocals fit together. I think they set the tone for a lot of bands today whether

hose A hose is a flexible hollow tube designed to carry fluids from one location to another. Hoses are also sometimes called ''pipes'' (the word ''pipe'' usually refers to a rigid tube, whereas a hose is usually a flexible one), or more generally '' ...

bands realize it or not." Kalinowski lists

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yamamo ...

, and

Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), a ...

among his personal influences. Ellis has also noted the influence of the band's collective

Christian faith Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global populat ...

: "I do think that because I’m a Christian and we’re all Christians, regardless of whether we try not to make our music

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

...it just bleeds through because it’s who we are. I feel like it’s going to happen regardless of what I try to set out to do because God’s in me. I think it is in there, but you just have to look for it."

Members

*Brandon Ellis -

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Pete Kalinowski -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

*Andrew Stevens - guitar ;Former *Ryan Ellis - bass guitar (2008–2009) *Sean Kendall - guitar (2009) *Wood Simmons - bass guitar (2009–2011) *Stephen Hull -

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

Discography

''What What What EP''

''The What What What EP'' is the debut EP by Rocky Loves Emily, and the band's first official recording. It was released independently through

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

on July 21, 2009. The song "Name of the Game" was reused for the band's follow-up EP, '' American Dream''.

Track listing

#"Getaway" #"Engines to Coast" #"Name of the Game" #"What Makes This So Hot" #"Cali 'N' Monica"

Personnel

*Brandon James Ellis - vocals *Ryan Ellis - Bass *Pete Kalinowski - drums *Sean Kick - guitar *Andrew Stevens - guitar

With Tooth & Nail

* '' American Dream EP'' (2010) * ''Secrets Don't Make Friends'' (2012)

Independent

* ''Miserable Love'' (2016)

References

{{Authority control American pop punk groups 2008 establishments in Michigan Musical groups established in 2008 Musical groups from Michigan