![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/gold_rose.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt’s not unusual for a singer-songwriter to pen raw and emotionally honest lyrics. But some subjects remain largely taboo. Yet that didn’t dissuade Gold Rose singer, guitarist and songwriter Kevin Fuller from writing and recording \u201cThe List,\u201d a song about suicide sung from a first-person perspective. That track is a standout cut on his band’s debut album, Dust<\/i>. Gold Rose celebrated the album release with a February 23 show at the Mothlight in Asheville.<\/p>\n
Fuller recalls writing \u201cThe List\u201d about a year and a half ago. \u201cThe song just came out of me,\u201d he says. \u201cI think the context of its themes were subconscious; I didn’t realize until months later what the song was about.\u201d Listening today, it’s pretty clear where the lyrics are going. \u201cI realized, ‘Holy cow: this<\/i> is what this is,\u201d he says. \u201c’This is me<\/i>, imagining committing suicide and [then] trying to communicate with people.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe List\u201d shouldn’t be viewed as a cry for help, though. While Fuller shares that he has struggled with mental health issues, for him, songwriting provides a kind of catharsis, helping to put things into perspective. Rather than writing songs to order or deadline, he responds to inspiration when it strikes him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a good ten to fifteen years of not<\/i> working that way,\u201d he admits. \u201cIt was like, ‘Now it’s time to write a song. What do I have?’\u201d He says that method didn’t produce any songs of substance. But while living in Portland, Maine and going through a rough emotional patch (\u201cI almost ended up in a mental hospital,\u201d he says), Fuller found himself moved to write.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t even planning on writing anything,\u201d he recalls. \u201cBut all these songs just poured out of me. I started playing. I had a couple of hooks, started singing stuff, and grabbed a notebook and wrote everything down. Everything had flipped, from ‘I need to sit down and write a song,’ to ‘I\u2019m going to write a song when I have something to say.’\u201d<\/p>\n
When Fuller recorded \u201cThe List,\u201d he posted a clip of it on Gold Rose’s Facebook page. In the post, he framed the song as an opportunity to begin a dialogue. \u201cI\u2019ve seen my mental health diminish lately, and thanks to some friends, I\u2019ve gotten some help,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIf you need help, don\u2019t be afraid to ask.\u201d And he made clear that the offer wasn’t an empty one: \u201cI\u2019d walk off stage to hear your worries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fuller says that the response was uplifting. \u201cI had so many people reach out to me through DM\u2019s, texts and even phone calls, saying, ‘Hey man, we\u2019re here for you.’ That in itself was so heartwarming to me, and it also was part of the original message I was trying to convey: Life is hard, and it\u2019s okay to struggle with mental health issues.\u201d In a sense, the experience of creating and sharing the song brought its composer full circle. \u201cI think that the response that I got from it was the actual message I was trying to send,\u201d he says. \u201cIf that makes any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
The character of Gold Rose’s Dust<\/i> is rooted in outlaw and alt-country styles; Fuller calls it \u201cAmericana deluxe.\u201d And while the music itself is warmly inviting, the songs have a haunted, slightly unsettled ambiance. There’s an introspective and often melancholy vibe to sings like \u201cJesus Saves\u201d and \u201cMoving Day.\u201d Elsewhere, \u201cStuck in Appalachia\u201d strikes a moody Southern Gothic tone. <\/p>\n
An while Fuller found that sharing \u201cThe List\u201d led to a deeper connection with listeners, he says that’s not his primary goal. \u201cI\u2019ve never set out with the goal of doing anything other than expressing myself,\u201d he says. \u201cTo me, music is a sort of therapy. I don\u2019t ever write a song thinking, ‘If someone were to hear this what would they think?’ Or, ‘What would be the message they receive?’ I\u2019m writing for myself. It doesn\u2019t matter if anyone ever hears it.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he doesn’t deny that his songwriting can do more than that. He finds value in \u201cre-purposing these themes and saying, ‘Let\u2019s have a conversation. I\u2019m here. I\u2019m vulnerable. Because it\u2019s okay. It\u2019s okay if you\u2019re struggling. And it’s okay to ask for help.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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