As active members of the Phoenix music scene since 2023, Right Rosemary brings the indie music scene to life through their music.
The group of students started as a trio as ASU pop music students, which expanded to a six-piece band made up of Jules Valerie, Riley Blocker, Zoe Nichols, Jacob Treat, Blake Manke and Bradley Breen.
Valerie, the lead vocalist and songwriter of Right Rosemary, is an ASU alumna. They said the band started in 2023 when its members met in the ASU pop music program.
Now, even though some of its members have been swapped out, Valerie said the essence of the band is "still just a bunch of friends working together to make some tunes that they want to share with the community."
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The original name of the band was not always Right Rosemary. Instead, the band's name was Relatable Content before the trio grew in members and the idea of naming it after the ritual of the victorian bouquet came around.
According to the tradition, bouquets were a way of saying yes or no. If a bouquet was handed with the right hand, the answer was yes; if it was handed with the left hand, the answer was no.
"Rosemary" in the band name comes from the deeper meaning of the word itself.
"Rosemary represented loyalty, friendship, connection and community," Valerie said. "It was just a nod to us wanting to build community in the Phoenix scene."
The band has participated in a number of ASU events such as Devilpalooza and Battle of the Bands. They have also participated in a number of local Phoenix events.
"Every time I go to a show, I'd recognize someone in the crowd or on that stage," Blocker, the guitarist of the band and an ASU alumnus, said. "It's a very tight-knit community. It makes me feel like I'm a part of something."
Some might compare their music to '90s bands such as Radiohead or Deftones, but the band believes they have a unique tone that is incomparable to others.
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"I think all music is people copying each other in a way that is original in its own sort of way, and I find that valuable," Blocker said.
Valerie describes their music as art rock since their music moves around between classic indie alternative, jazz and shoegaze.
Not only is the sound of Right Rosemary's music changing, but some of the members' careers are also changing.
Manke, current bassist for Right Rosemary, is a senior studying music. Manke said that the band plans to continue making music after all members graduate.
"Once we graduate, the scope of everything, the stakes are going to change," Manke said. "I'm looking forward to that and seeing where our sound goes."
Live performances offer the band an opportunity to interact with their audience and enjoy their time on stage performing for the community they cater toward.
Blocker said his favorite part of playing live is being able to play a song differently each time. He said his "restless soul" doesn't allow him to play something the same way twice.
Adding individual elements to songs which differ from show to show makes the experience unique to the audience.
"I feel like there's just something important about how every moment is going to be a little different and that informs how the music sounds," Blocker said. "There's some sort of essence to the song that transcends what's actually being played."
Darin Senyk, the producer of Right Rosemary's latest EP, met the band when they were doing an acoustic show at the Rhythm Room. Senyk said he liked their music and then suggested they record an acoustic EP together.
Senyk's responsibilities revolve around the band's sound and offering composition suggestions, but he said he prefers listening to the direction the band originally wants to take the song in before offering his opinion on it.
"We have a unique opportunity here in Phoenix, where you can find people that have been playing in the scenes for decades, and you can find people that started playing here last week," Valerie said. "We all have the same culture of 'we are excited to make music together.'"
Edited by Kasturi Tale, Senna James and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at csfishe4@asu.edu.
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