Roses Are Red

Formed in Rochester, New York, toward the close of 2002, Roses Are Red fused the raw edge of aggressive melodic rock with the melodic pull of hook-driven emo. The group first assembled under the name Nobody Cares, yet faced legal complications stemming from an identically titled Columbia Records act that had existed in the late 1980s. Members had already grown weary of jokes centered on the earlier name’s apathetic tone, so adopting Roses Are Red posed no difficulty. The original five-piece consisted of vocalist Vincent Minervino, drummer Michael Lasaponara, bassist Brad Gilboe, and guitar-playing brothers Brian Gordner and Matthew Gordner. Minervino had begun as the drummer but moved to vocals once recording of the first demos commenced. Citing Bon Jovi and Def Leppard as key influences, the quintet issued its debut, the ten-song Handshakes and Heartbreaks, on Enterprise Records in spring 2003. After the album went out of print it was reissued in late 2004. Live dates behind Handshakes and Heartbreaks drew the attention of Trustkill, which signed the band by March 2004. A summer appearance on Warped Tour preceded the September release of the Trustkill debut Conversations. Subsequent road work included a European run with Underoath and a return to the United States for the 2005 Warped Tour. Shared bills with Boys Night Out, Norma Jean, My Chemical Romance, and Story of the Year steadily enlarged their audience, while fall 2005 found them touring with labelmates Bedlight for Blue Eyes. Produced by Brian McTernan, whose prior credits include Thrice and Circa Survive, the next album, What Became of Me, arrived in June 2006. At that point the lineup comprised Minervino and Lasaponara alongside guitarist Tom Zenns, guitarist/vocalist Shaun Murphy, and bassist/vocalist Kevin Mahoney. Summer dates supporting the record paired them nationwide with A Change of Pace, Far-Less, and additional acts.