Emma Rose has quite a few irons in the fire, the sum of which envelopes all of life’s essentials — love, work, passion, family and money. Born to two “very talented musicians,” she learned at a young age what it means to make a career out of music, as well as what it takes. Through childhood and into adulthood, she has made both a career and a hobby out of making music and is presently celebrating the inception of her newest project, Sound of Honey, along with the release of the project’s first album, the EP Dozens of Colors.
As a kid, Rose’s parents were in a folk band and brought her and her sister along to all their gigs. “Eventually, I picked up the upright bass and learned guitar,” she said, “both of which I started learning around the same time.” From there, she began writing songs on guitar and playing shows on bass. After high school, she moved to Austin for a brief time and started playing in various bluegrass bands. Having spent her time in the Texas capital honing her songwriting skills and participating in open mics around the city, Rose said she returned to Colorado “with a much larger quiver of skills to further my music career.”
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The past few years have seen Rose juggling the two halves of her musical journey — simultaneously working as a bassist, which led to the establishment of bluegrass/old-timey band Big Richard, while also projecting her creative energy towards what she refers to as her “passion project,” Sound of Honey.
Together, those two halves make a whole and fulfilling music career for the guitarist/bassist/singer and songwriter. Being a bassist has been a “gift” to Rose, having played in 15 different projects since she took up the instrument. “I love adding that floor to other people’s music. It’s so fun,” she said. Meanwhile, Sound of Honey feels like her “child.”
Sound of Honey consists of Rose on the guitar, bass player William George Kuepper V and drummer Tobias Bank. The trio recorded Dozens of Colors in 2020 at producer and fellow songwriter/musician Charlie Rose’s house in Lyons. “I just wanted to get my music out there somehow and we all had a bit of extra time on our hands, so we made it happen,” said Rose. She considers the album a jumping-off point for her songwriting career, and it has led to lots of opportunities for the bad as well. For example, they’ll be taking part in FoCoMX, a music showcase at Washington’s in Fort Collins on Friday, April 28.
On top of the all-female Big Richard and the triumphant Sound of Honey, Rose is also making time for a solo career. After the Fort Collins gig, she’ll embark on a tour throughout the Midwest, opening for Daniel Rodriguez’s band. By this winter, she hopes to make a full-length record as the trio. Gracefully juggling these facets of her musical career will keep her busy and keep the name Emma Rose in local circulation for the indefinite future.
Listen to Dozens of Colors on Spotify here.