Last updated on June 6, 2021
Remember, let’s be polite; let’s be respectful, but most of all, let’s be outspoken.
“We all just happened to meet up at the Behshid’s house and played one day and we were like hey we should do this again,” said 18-year-old Langdon Dearborn. “It just turned into a band…The four or five of us kinda got together and played a bit and we realized we had something.”
That’s how it all began. Rose Avenue is a rising band based in La Cañada comprised of teenagers looking to make a difference. Prior to the pandemic, the band performed in multiple places like LCHS and the Highland Park Bowl.
The band has also been working on an original song called “Say Goodnight.”
“The band originally wrote it as a joke because it’s not the most complex thing we have ever written, but when it came to the production and arranging, we definitely made it interesting enough that we are happy with it and now it sounds fantastic,” said Dearborn.
In addition to “Say Goodnight,” the band is working on a sarcastic, alternative rock song called, “Roots” focusing on the male perspective on high school girls. In December of 2018, the band wrote a song called “Flatline” addressing the inaction to gun violence in schools. The album is called This Game We Play.
Recently, the band has taken on a new project: performing live music to their local community. For ten dollars, the band will perform a socially distanced serenade. While primarily alternative rock, the band is willing to play a variety of genres like jazz and blues.
According to 19-year-old Will Chant, their most played song is “I Want It That Way,” “Brown Eyed Girl,” and “Don’t Stop Me Now.” The band has now played well over twenty songs and has done forty shows.
To request for a serenade, you can email them at roseaveband@gmail.com or message one of their social media accounts.
With the proceeds they have accumulated, the band plans on giving back to the community.
“Soon, we will be doing a public donation. We have raised one thousand dollars for Feeding America,” said Dearborn. “Past that, we are going to start allocating the money toward local businesses in La Cañada and as well as giving back to La Cañada High School. “
Their mission is to aid people in dire situations. They intend to help the people struggling during this crisis.
“If we are going to be making a name for ourselves in doing this and being a centerpiece of our community right now, we definitely hold some responsibility to be giving back to the community and the country in general,” said Chant. “We are in such a better state then so many other people so we feel it is important to recognize that and do all we can to help people in a less fortunate situation.”
Author’s Note
In times of isolation, our options are limited. We may succumb to extreme boredom and laziness. Where binging The Office at three in the afternoon wearing pajamas seems like the new norm. Or we could be like Rose Avenue and use our time to constructively help the community.
While I only know a couple of the members, their continuous effort to better the community is inspiring. It is true we can set up charities and volunteer programs, but what Rose Avenue did was bring a community together through music. In times where a crisis has been discouraging, this band has been able to unify a community under the enjoyment of their music.
They can ease the minds of many with soft jazz or excite the crowd with alternative rock. Through their performances, they have raised impressive donations for both the expansion of their music and the contribution to a noble cause. Their intention to lift businesses from the depths of the pandemic is purely benevolent and something we should all work towards.
I would wish this band success, but I already know it is secured.
Their new song “Say Goodnight” releases on May 20th, 2020.
Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Read ABC’s article on Rose Avenue.
Along with Chant and Dearborn, the members include Aram Behshid (19), Iman Behshid (17), Bill Kachoeff (16), and Jordan Stroud (19).
Be First to Comment