Mike Liorti

Rosedale

When did you first get into music?

Me and my brother were really into music at an early age, getting cassette tapes for our birthdays and Christmas. So we started piano lessons when I was seven. I wanted to play guitar but my mom made me get my grade 5 RCM for classical piano first and I’m glad she did. Guitar came a lot easier and I developed a good understanding of music and theory.

Who or What inspired you to pursue a career in music?

It was a lot of things. I was a bit of a gamer when I was younger and the soundtracks on EA sports games and Tony Hawk Pro Skater games got me into punk bands like Sum 41, Gob, Goldfinger, Lagwagon etc. So when I finally got a guitar I became a powerchord junky. I also played a lot of hockey and skateboarded on my street with my neighbors and they’d bring out a boombox from time to time. They showed me Blink 182 and I became obsessed. I met other Blink fans and together we discovered that being in a band was a pretty realistic career.

How has your music evolved since you first began performing?

It is definitely better haha. I mean that can be subjective to a point but as far as quality goes, I guess you can say it is a lot closer to professional standards. I didn’t even know what mixing and mastering was when I first started a band. I just knew somehow computers could record sounds. So, the production has come a long way from the first Rosedale demos. Writing wise, naturally, I channel a lot more influences than I used to. It isn’t just pop punk or emo anymore, there are a lot more genres mixed in there. And it is all more thought out and personal. Me and my old bandmates used to write lyrics that just sounded cool (we thought). Now I really try to dig deep. Even if it ends up being a silly song about wanting to date Taylor Swift, its still honest and transparent.

I’m sure you have shared the stage with a lot of talented artists/celebrities along the way. Would you share 1 or 2 of your favorite stories with us?

I have the worst luck with getting on big bills. Something always falls through. I was supposed to open for Everlast in Colorado Springs (direct support to a sold out show at one of my favorite venues; Black Sheep). Very long story short; he had to cancel due to a snow storm in Wyoming, so I put together a bill with all locals, it went really well, then I blew my transmission slipping up a slick mountain pass. The times I was in the presence of celebs it was kind of forced. I used to play in the parking lots of Warped Tours (RIP) with a very elaborate DIY setup. A lot of cool stories came from that. One time Anthony from Bayside and Ryan from All Time Low watched my set and bought 10 CDs. I’d get a lot of love from some big bands on that tour and eventually Warped gave me a place to set up my merch inside and played some stages.

If you were forced to choose only one, which emotion, more than any other drives you to stay in this tough business? Is it joy, anger, desire, passion or pride and why?

That’s a tough but good question. I guess I’d say passion. I’ve always loved what music does. Its just sound and it can move emotions so drastically. I also like the challenge too. Yeah, its a tough business. So when you work hard and have some success it feels so good. I guess that touches on joy too but its the passion that makes a far-from-joyful 16 hour day feel like 5 hours.

Which ingredient do you think makes you special and unique as a performing artist in an industry overflowing with new faces and ideas?

That’s tough for me to pinpoint. I think most would say that its my height. I’m six foot nine so that stands out. But everyone looks closer to average on stage so a lot of times I hear that me being a one man show is the thing that stands out most. But I think its a subconscious thing; something about seeing and hearing an artist that has put in over 10,000 hours just hits different than the new buzz band. I get the same expressions and reactions when I’m playing with a backing band or when I’m acoustic sitting behind a piano and you can’t tell that I’m extremely tall. So I believe its just the confidence and authenticity that comes from doing this for over half my life and most people just point to the obvious visual things.

What has been your biggest challenge as a singer-songwriter/musician? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

My challenges are always changing. When I was touring 10 months a year the biggest challenge was time. I was filming myself recording all the backtracks, editing all the footage for my video graphics, programming my own light show, setting it up every night meant getting to the venue early and staying very late. And I was doing all the driving. And handling new releases, merch, appointments, meetings, repairs all done in the 2-4 weeks I’d be home from tour. So getting a good night’s rest was hard at home and on the road. I had to be very disciplined with my time and health. So re branding, along with this pandemic, has kind of been a nice reset button for me to figure out what the next chapter is for me as a musician.

A common phrase in the industry is, “you must suffer for your art.” Do you agree with this statement? If so, how have you suffered for your art?

I think its inevitable if you wanna be yourself as an artist. It’s a grind of sacrifice and roller coasters. Sometimes your relationships are gonna suffer, your mental health is gonna take a beating, flexibility doesn’t allow for routine, and people’s support is gonna be inconsistent. It’s easy to take things personally. I write about it a lot in my self titled album and the song Grey specifically has a video of me singing and laughing while getting shot by paintballs.

Photo by Shadow Fox Photography

How do you feel the internet has impacted the music business?

The internet is quite the beast. Not only for the music industry but society in general. For all of its power and convenience there seems to be just as much harm from it. Obviously, it is much easier to get your music heard but it is a lot harder to get it cared about. That adds to the challenge though so I think it has created more great artists taking it to new levels. Also, file sharing is much easier so getting a project complete and released is much more possible. And there are a lot more avenues to make money even though record sales are at an all time low. There is a lot that has flourished for music from the internet, specifically from giant platforms like Youtube, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, all the streaming platforms and now even TikTok. But part of me thinks it is too powerful for our own good for several reasons. And I still really miss where we were at in the MySpace days- Back when music was the most popular thing on the internet. Now it seems like its politics and booty pics- that should be the internet’s slogan - The Internet; politics and booty pics! We’ll see where it all goes though...I hope I don’t get cancelled for my brilliant slogan...

If you could change anything about the music industry. What would it be?

Definitely streaming royalties. At least 1 cent per stream as a start. The whole pay structure needs an adjustment. If you do the math, someone is making a lot of money and its not the artists.

What are the 5 albums that have helped make you the person you are today? And why?

Oh man narrowing it down to just 5 is unfair but here’s a few: Blink 182 - Enema of the State to Self Titled (definitely including Boxcar Racer) Angels & Airwaves - Everything they’ve ever released Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism The Ataris - So Long Astoria The Used - Self Titled to In Love and Death

Tell us about your current project. Are you working on new music? An EP or Album?

I have a lot of songs in the works, some are almost ready to release, but I’m not sure exactly what I’m doing with them yet. I need a new name. There are just too many Rosedales and issues with that name.

What is your baseball walk onto the field song?

Angels & Airwaves - The War

What’s next for you?

Make more music, releasing a series of podcasts I’ve been doing, finishing up an EP with Mainsail. I’m just getting the ducks in a row back in Canada during this pandemic pause. A day at a time.

How can fans-to-be gain access to your career?

www.youtube.com/ROSEDALEexpresstv https://rosedale.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ROSEDALEmusic/ https://www.instagram.com/rosedalemike/

Northern Wolf Photos by Mellyssa Woodward