PopHorror Let's Get Scared
PopHorror: How long has the band been together?
Mark- The original concept of the band started around 1996. But we started playing together as a three-piece called the Only’s in 1997. Then, a couple of months later, Johnny joined the group. We changed our name to the Rosedales when we got a cease-and-desist letter from another band with the same name.
PopHorror: What inspired your love for the horror genre?
Mark- it started when I was a kid living in Chicago. I remember when I was very little, watching the creature features on Channel 9 and then really getting into The Son of Svengoolie on Channel 32. I loved Monster magazines and comics. Plus, I also loved building Monster models as a kid more than building model cars or airplanes… plus, where I grew up in Chicago, Halloween was always a big deal, and I just loved everything about it.
Christian- Being Mark’s younger brother, I had no choice! As Mark said, Halloween in Chicago was always fun.
PopHorror: You have a different and original sound; how do you compare yourself to other bands in the genre, if at all?
Mark- We just always have written the music we wanted to hear… In the very beginning, we had a couple songs that ended up being considered very “horror rock”. The term horror rock wasn’t really a thing when we started…we naturally gravitated to that monster movie imagery. We have never compared ourselves to anyone in this genre because our lyrics aren’t all about monsters and graveyards. But we love some of the bands that do that. We have so many musical influences in this band…but the one thing we all loved was old-school Monsters and Halloween, and so we got put into that “horror rock” category even though we don’t sing about that stuff lyrically on every song.
Christian – The makeup is what puts us in the “horror rock” genre, but after that, our sound is what defines us. We draw influences from all styles, not just horror rock. Those influences are what separate us from most bands in this genre.
PopHorror: I am a huge Misfits fan, which led me to the horror punk genre. How were you introduced to horror punk?
Mark- I was never really introduced to the genre of horror punk because it really wasn’t a thing when I was younger… But I always say the band that started it all for me was KISS 100%. I was immediately drawn to their imagery, even before I heard a note of their music. When I would go to the record store when I was younger, I would always go and look at the Misfits section because I loved the album artwork…then when I saw what they looked like, I was blown away.
They looked like a bunch of vampires, and I loved it. I got my first Misfits record around late 1984 as a fluke from one of my friend’s older brother that worked at a record store. He came home from the store with a bunch of albums, and he said I could pick whatever ones I wanted. The first one I picked was Misfits Earth AD. I put it on, and I did not like it at all. I wish I had gotten Walk Among Us first! But after time passed, I became a huge fan. The Misfits still, to this day, are my favorite band. I always say the bands that shaped me as a musician the most are KISS, Iron Maiden, and The Misfits.
Christian- The Misfits were my introduction to the horror genre.
PopHorror: You have really strong lyrics and really awesome choruses. Do you feel as if it’s easy to catch a melody as a group?
Mark- All the music we grew up on has always had awesome melodies and choruses. We did not grow up listening to hardcore or old punk really because they didn’t have melody or good choruses. We collectively grew up listening to Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Metallica, Scorpions…the list goes on!
Christian- that’s all, Mark, and RIP! I just play drums 
PopHorror: When tragedy struck the band, was it a unanimous decision to continue on with the band?
Mark- It never crossed our minds not to keep the band together and to keep writing.
Christian- It’s something we will keep doing until we can’t. Johnny’s passing was a tragedy none of us imagined. It made me realize that life can change at any moment. Make the most of it always.
PopHorror: Horror punk seems to be alive and well, and I feel like what separates the band from others is that you are lyrically strong and original. What inspires you outside of the subgenre?
Mark- I think if we wrote about one subject, it would become very one-dimensional. A lot of inspiration comes from reading, seeing a cool movie, and mostly life experiences. Sometimes you could just be out and about and see something that inspires you to write lyrics. Also, hearing something someone might say might inspire lyrics. There are themes to write about all around us at all times. But the one thing we never write about is politics. Because to me that is one-dimensional, and it’s already been done, in my opinion.
PopHorror: In 2020, we saw a lot of bands configure their music by sending music tracks to each other. Did you practice in person during COVID?
Mark- During COVID was the time when I felt the most uninspired because it was such a crazy time. All of us in the band were taking care of our families and just trying to see what was going to happen. But after COVID, the ideas started flowing again.
PopHorror: I learned over the years that I experienced “The one who got away.” What inspires the lost love lyrics?
Mark- The way I think about it is if they’re the one that got away, then it wasn’t supposed to be. We have all felt that loss. For me, there are certain things that have happened in my life that I will never move on from… But I will always move forward. There are very awful moments that have happened in the lives that shaped us…those moments, as horrible as they are…are very important. I look at it more as inspiration and how it’s created the person I am today.
PopHorror: In a world of vocalists sounding like Elvis, the band has a strong vocalist; what made you want to separate from the common horror punk “rules?”
Mark- When we started the band, there were no rules. We were just doing what we liked and wanted to hear. I wouldn’t say I am influenced by one vocalist… I am inspired by a lot of them. My voice is what it is. I never tried to copy anyone’s style. RIP’s voice is naturally lower, and he can sing and croon like the old-school guys…plus his favorite singer since he was a kid has always been Elvis.Christian- we never went into this with a list of horror punk rules to follow. We just write what we want to hear. Mark and RIP’s voices pair well together, which makes our harmonies that much better.
PopHorror: There are hints of all kinds of different music that make the band more legit, and not a one-trick pony. What really inspired you?
Mark- As I mentioned before, even though we fall under the horror rock umbrella…we all have all sorts of musical influences. So I think when you blend it all together, it becomes our sound. And I do think our sound is very unique.
Christian- once Mark and RIP have a song idea, I take feedback on what they are wanting to hear and give my own spin on it.
PopHorror: Are you currently working on any tours?
Mark- Nothing at the moment, but if the right shows come along, we will definitely do them! There might be a very small opportunity to do a couple of shows in Europe next year… but we will see what happens.
PopHorror: Your music helped me get over a tragic loss of my first true love. It affected me in a major way, as if to say, “It’s OK, dude, we have all been there”. Is that also a way to cope with the powerful lyrics?
Mark- It makes me very happy to know that our music has helped you through a tough time. Sometimes when you write a song, you have no idea how it’s going to affect different people… sometimes we don’t even think about that. And then you hear about how some fans have really used our music to get over something very difficult, and that to me is unbelievable and awesome.
Christian- I have had people from all over tell me our music means so much to them or helped them through
PopHorror: What inspired you to be different compared to other bands in the subgenre?
Mark- I don’t think we set out to be different… It’s just that our music resonated in this entire scene so differently than we expected. We didn’t even think we were gonna be even a part of a scene when we started… We just wanted to play shows. I can honestly say that even though we have the sort of horror image on stage…our music doesn’t really represent the genre completely. We have our moments and certain lyrics that could be filed under that banner, but a lot of our lyrics are about everyday struggles and things that happen in everyday life.
Christian – Exactly. We never wanted to be different. We just wanted to make our own music.
PopHorror: What was your favorite band to tour with?
Mark- My favorite band I actually toured with was Dr. CHUD‘s X- Ward. Back in 2007, Dr. CHUD asked me if I could play bass on the rest of his Nurses and Curses tour. I filled in for the legendary Sal Bee. It was an absolute blast!
Now, as far as bands The Rosedales have played with…my favorites are Blitzkid, Calabrese, Shotgun Elvis, and The Monster Trux. We have played with a ton of bands, but those were the ones that came to the top of my head.
Christian – we have played so many shows all across the US it’s difficult to name just one band as our favorite to play with. Here are a few in no particular order: Shotgun Elvis, Blitzkid, The Elvi, vacation bible school, Monster Trux, Audio Violence, Calabrese, etc. If I missed one, let me know!
