How Battle of the Bands helped uplift ASU music group
Every year at Arizona State University, student musicians compete in the Battle of the Bands — a competition that highlights the best music acts Sun Devils have to offer. Last year’s winner, Right Rosemary, a six-piece art rock band, opened for Devilpalooza. The band has since developed and fine-tuned their sound, experimented and released more music, and in turn, garnered more of a following.
What started off as a trio jamming at ASU School of Music, Dance and Theatre became a full-force band that performed throughout the Valley-metro area. The band now consists of lead vocalist, Jules Valerie, Riley Blocker (guitarist), Bradley Breen (drummer), Blake Manke (bassist), Danny Brewer (harmony singer) and Erik Unsworth (guitarist). Beyond being bandmates, the members are also peers at ASU. Valerie is currently doing her master’s in music learning and teaching at ASU, while Manke is studying for his bachelor’s in pop music. Blocker is studying guitar performance and audio production and Breen is majoring in computer science.
“We call it art rock because it's an amalgamation of jazz and some grungy, shoegaze elements,” Valerie said. “Sometimes we have some metal influences, and with Right Rosemary, I find Led Zeppelin is something I think about a lot.”
With each member’s unique taste, musical experimentation was inevitable — extending across various genres and times while adding their own unique touch to every sound they use and create. Right Rosemary explores themes within nature and what it means to grow as a human in an ever-changing, technological landscape.
“The ultimate goal is to explore being a human being through the lens of living in a world that both is fighting against and yet cannot help but succumb to organic forces,” Valerie said.
The band’s name, “Right Rosemary,” is inspired by the Victorian language of the use of flowers. During these times, people would use floral arrangements to communicate their feelings toward one another through different herbs and flowers. Every detail was symbolic of something, right down to how they were presented.
“If you gave someone a bouquet with rosemary in your right hand, it's basically telling you that about telling the person I'm loyal to you, ” Jones said.
The band has competed a few times in Battle of the Bands and has decided to sit out this year, but plans on performing again at Change The World.
“We competed twice. We were grateful both times to be landing at Change The World. We got third our first time competing and we ended up winning the last time we were there,” Valerie said.
One of the highlights of Change The World is the community it fosters. Acts bond with each other and create everlasting connections as performers at ASU. Through this venue, they are able to meet and perform together — an opportunity they may otherwise not have.
“We're still good friends with plenty of other bands like Calle Rosa. There's Mellow Toad and Practically People,” Valerie said.
As the time for Battle of the Bands approaches once more, Right Rosemary hopes that other bands continue to flourish and capitalize on the same opportunities they had.
“I do really love how ASU finds ways to still support the arts throughout these events. A lot of other colleges wouldn't have [something like] Battle of the Bands that are so well-backed by different organizations and clubs such as PAB,” Breen said.
ASU offers a myriad of support to its student artists and continues to establish programs that help them go after their business endeavors and expand their education. Thanks to the Creative Spark program, Right Rosemary can get the funding they need to record their EP and for band needs.
“We just had the unique opportunity of getting to apply for the Creative Spark, a creative entrepreneurial grant that we got accepted for,” Manke said. “With the help of ASU, we're going to be able to record our next song and promote it. We will also create merchandise.”
Creative Spark is a program that ASU’s J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute offers to creative students with an entrepreneurial drive. It translates the usual business environment into something that artists can understand and leverage to bring their ideas to life. Alongside various workshops, the program has endowed funds to students and their business ventures.
“ASU Pop Music has so many resources, especially for seniors. Their capstone projects get free hours in the studio with engineers that are being trained to become sound engineers,” Valerie said.
ASU Pop Music has its classes at the Downtown campus in Fusion on First — a residential facility that doubles as the central place for music and fashion students to complete their projects and attend classes. There are various recording studios at Fusion on First, alongside an EQ desk with recording equipment available for rental.
“I've checked out $30,000 worth of equipment to record projects, and it's amazing. Here, you're not limited by the financial aspect that so many artists face, so much of music kind of is,” Jones said.
“They're excited to give us the opportunity to have hands-on training with this equipment and with these concepts,” Jones said.
With such an amazing local live music community and resources, Right Rosemary has been able to flourish in the Phoenix scene. They attribute kindness and generosity to be the key to unlocking musical potential and success for so many years. When so much is given to them, they only hope to give back in any way that they can.
“Be kind and be present. It’s the same thing in any field of work, but the more that you show up for other people, the more they're going to show up for you,” Valerie said.
Engage with Right Rosemary on their website and Instagram account to keep up to date with their live performances and releases.
Photography by Jr De Chavez