The Painted Roses return to Logan City Limits
A band who got its start in Logan is returning this year for the annual Logan City Limits concert. The Painted Roses find their sound somewhere within alternative country and folk-psych rock and roll to blend twang, haze and rock into something uniquely their own.
The Painted Roses formed in 2018 while band member Cole Stocker was in the last year of his undergrad at Utah State.
“I had a lot of songs that I’ve been writing and really wanted to start performing. I had a friend at the time that wanted to do the same, and so we got some gigs at Jack’s Pizza and the Factory, and kind of started playing a lot of covers to people that were too drunk to be listening to music, probably,” Stocker said.
The band has grown and changed in the eight years since its founding but has kept a core group of members from its early days. Now consisting of Stocker on guitar, Abby Lee on keys and vocals, Lucas Nivison playing bass, Allie Harris singing and playing the guitar, Alex Schneider on guitar and Ari Calles playing drums, the band make music about identity and the introspection of early adulthood.
“It’s kind of like that 20-, 30-something confusion of like, ‘Who am I and where do I belong?’” Stocker said. “That’s coming out a lot more, a lot of listlessness, maybe a little bit of nostalgia, but it’s definitely a lot less heartbreak songs, and a lot more about heartbreak — it’s about the philosophy behind that.”
Those emotions are reflected in the band’s sound, which blends elements of folk, country and psychedelic rock.
“There’s a lot of harmonies. We have a few rock solos here and there. There’s a lot of acoustic moments. So, it’s kind of that mixture of things,” Lee said.
Lee talked about where the band takes inspiration from, including names like Fleetwood Mac and Pink Floyd alongside newer artists like Sierra Ferrell and Adrianne Lenker.
“We kind of do incorporate a little bit of the Pink Floyd psychedelic kind of vibes in our more recent songs. I would say we’ve got a little more atmospheric,” Lee said.
Stocker named some of his own inspirations as a songwriter and guitarist of the band, naming musicians like Sturgill Simpson and Wilco.
“I think they’ve inspired our sound, and I think we’ve all been able to come in together based on artists like that,” Stocker said
Lee discussed why the music scene in Utah — Logan’s music scene, in particular — is so unique.
“In Logan, there is a really interesting high amount of musicianship that is just randomly present in this little northern part of Utah that has been amazing to get to work with,” Lee said. “There’s a really amazing jazz program up there, so you get some jazz influence, you get some country and folk influence, you get a little indie. It’s an interesting melding of lots of different genres, which I have really appreciated getting to be a part of.”
The Painted Roses will be back in Logan on Saturday, April 11 at the Carol and Jim Laub Plaza as part of Aggie Radio 92.3 KBLU-LP’s Logan City Limits — a concert celebrating local music. Joining them in this year’s concert lineup are musicians KIN, Hatchback, Sky Olson & The Valley and Saemore.
The Painted Roses can be found on music streaming services, including Spotify and Apple Music, as well as on Instagram @thepaintedrosesband.