“It ain’t the life you chose...but after listening to Arrica Rose’s Pretend I’m Fur you’ll realize you’re glad you’re in the thick of it anyway. Pretend I'm Fur started as a fake band. It was simply an experiment. Producer Dan Garcia (David Crosby, Christina Aguilera, Leonard Cohen) and Arrica Rose were playing around with beats, brazilian instruments and a Bee Gees cover at his downtown L.A. studio (Radio Hill Recorders). This experiment was soon to inspire 6 original tunes.
The simplicity of Pretend I’m Fur’s production allows Rose’s luminous melodies to shine. It’s not cynicism or sarcasm that informs her music. It’s the sweet yet iron-will strength of her lyrics that portray a powerful optimism that betrays any of the shortcomings of the people who cross our paths. This is a soundtrack that has the windows rolled down on a long summer ride.” – Amy Shuster, Pop-Rock Candy Mountain
Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York 45 was the first record Arrica Rose stole from her parents – she was 4. As a child she read a lot, mostly mysteries and stories about dead people who lived tragic lives. She liked to write and kept several journals. Occasionally she still draws upon these journals for lyrical inspiration. Rose got her first guitar for her 15th birthday and learned the instrument by playing in an all girl trio that never recorded a single note but opened for the likes of Commander Venus and Jimmy Eat World at small local L.A. venues.
After high school, Arrica Rose took a bit of a hiatus from music and went to USC film school because she loved photography and studying music didn’t cross her mind at the time…although recording it on a four-track on her bedroom floor did, which is where Rose’s foray into music began. At this point Arrica started taking less film-production courses and more sound design classes as well as scoring short films. Eventually she decided to trade in her dreams of writing and directing a film for the stability of the music industry.
Arrica Rose & her band the …’s (the dot dot dots) debut full-length People Like Us co-produced by Larry Crane (Elliott Smith, The Decemberists, Sleater-Kinney) was described as a record that ought to “launch [the band] into stardom, something for which [they] seem destined” (Performer) and a “12-song effort with poetry disguised as lyrics” (Daily Sun). Their follow-up EP Last Night on Earth (co-produced by Jason A. Mezilis) also quickly created it’s own buzz, as did their 2nd full-length La La Lost (produced by Dan Garcia).
Arrica Rose & the ...'s La La Lost, a Paste Magazine recommended album that was featured on iTunes in 12 countries throughout Europe, charted on Italy’s iTunes charts as well as on indie/college radio across the country. Arrica Rose’s song “Uh-huh” was featured on NBC’s Lipstick Jungle. The song was also re-mixed by Jeff Savage (Toby Mac, Jars of Clay) and featured on NikeWomen.com. Citing influences such as Tom Waits, Billie Holiday, David Bowie and Bob Dylan, Rose has one foot planted in singer/songwriter land, another in indie-rock, and an intermittent hand in pop. Arrica Rose's most recent follow-up EP Pretend I'm Fur debuted at #32 on the iTunes charts and was also featured as an iTunes 'New and Noteworthy' release. In addition to her music projects, Arrica Rose is co-founder and director of I HEART (www.iheartinc.com) an artist operated non-profit that raises money for charitable programs and organizations via creative projects and events.
Influences: In no particular order Arrica Rose sites...'Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Tom Waits, The Beatles, Mazzy Star, The Red House Painters, The Lemonheads, Unwound, Three-Mile Pilot, Beat Happening, Sleater-Kinney, Heavenly, Frank Sinatra, Neko Case, Patti Smith, Patti Griffin, Bruce Springsteen, Gram Parsons, Glen Campbell, Elliott Smith, Lucinda Williams, The Cure, New Order, Fugazi, Elvis Presley, Edith Piaf, Iron and Wine, Calexico, The Andrew Sisters, The Care Bears (they put out a great x-mas album).' THE END
