NFV Song Spotlight: Emily Rose & the Rounders' Too Much Too

I first came across Emily Rose & the Rounders back in January 2020. At the time, the band was playing under a different name. Like many a Los Angeles band for me at the time, this first encounter occurred at the Bootleg Theater (a venue that unfortunately closed down shortly after the pandemic; more due to partnership disputes than the pandemic shutdown). This night ranked as one of the top music nights of the year for me. Even if 2020 hadn't ended up being a truncated year, it would still have stood out as one of the top nights for me. Why? The night also included performances by Kate Clover and Strawberry Army. Everyone who loves the Los Angeles music scene should know who Kate Clover is. As for Strawberry Army, the band has ended their run, but they burned bright during their time, playing along side bands such as The Paranoyds. 

Emily Rose & the Rounders at Boyle Heights Bar

And hey, that night had a most amusing moment that involved Emily Rose that just has to be mentioned. I was standing next to The 6*6*60s (Brian) at the front of the stage (obviously). As the band was setting up, Brian got Emily Rose's attention and mentioned that he was looking forward to catching her set as he had watched her YouTube videos beforehand. He then said something about her dad having left a comment on one of the YouTube videos. She responded that it couldn't possibly have been her dad, because he wasn't tech savvy enough to have done something like that. After the conversation, he looked over at me and insisted that the commentor had mentioned that he was her father. My response, of course, was I don't know. 

Emily Rose & the Rounders at Boyle Heights Bar

Anyways, it was a hot minute since I last saw the band play (June 2024). I happened to notice that the band was playing a Saturday night set at Boyle Heights Bar. First, I had to figure out where this Boyle Heights Bar was located: for those who want to know, 3717 Whittier Blvd. Now I'm sure I had driven by this location way back when I lived in Montebello and the 60 Freeway was moving too slowly during rush hour traffic and I just wanted to see if there was potentially a faster route to get home, but I basically had no clue where this place was. Second, I wanted to know an approximate set time, which was advertised as 11 p.m. and probably meant more like 11:30 p.m. I'm not someone who stays out late at night so what did I do, I decided to take a late afternoon nap so that I wouldn't be falling asleep during the set. (Hey, laugh if you want, but during the night I did notice one person in the bar who had stayed out way past his bedtime.)  

Emily Rose & the Rounders took to the makeshift stage that was highlighted by two amusing neon signs: PLEASE DON'T DO COKE IN THE BATHROOM and Fuck off. Ha ha, contrast that with the iconic painted sign at the former The House of Machines: DON'T BE A DICK. 

Emily Rose & the Rounders at Boyle Heights Bar

The band has a traditional country sound with a beat that got people dancing in front of the band. Prior to the song "Drifter" a shout out was made to guitarist Vincent Bury who was seen prior to the set hobbling around with a cane as he recovers from knee surgery. The song was dedicated to the lead singer of The Tone Slingers, Alfonso Chacon, who also played the night. (If you so care, you can find a photo I took of the band at Echo Park Rising for Buzzbands in 2023.) It is a song where the pedal steel is the primary driver of the song (other than the country singing) and got loud cheers from the crowd. 

A shout out was also made prior to the song "December" to Emily Rose's grandfather who lived in Boyle Heights. As the first few mournful notes of the song were played, one could hear Grand Ole Country Bunker saying, "This is my favorite song." Of course, a song or two later, he could be heard saying, "No, this is my favorite." Yep it is hard to pick a favorite song from the band. 

Emily Rose & the Rounders at Boyle Heights Bar

It was mentioned that the band loves the punk rock music of X and that the song "49 Spirits" was written after going to an Exene Cervenka estate sale. When I hear, estate sale, I think of a family selling off the belongings of a recently deceased relative. Just for any concerned fans of X, Cervenka is still alive and kicking. I actually took a photo of her recently at a Beyond Baroque gala where she was receiving an award by the organization. The estate sale was her looking to downsize.  

There were smiles all around throughout the night. Emily Rose laughed as her band member took a moment between songs to chit chat with someone in the audience. You also knew who was about to take the instrumental lead as she would back away from the microphone and focus her attentions on that person. For the song "Do Right" a call was made to grab a partner because it was the last chance at a slow dance. Couples took up on the offer. The final song of the night called "Wildfire" was introduced with a, "so blessed to have rain." The night was the start of the first true rainstorm of the Los Angeles rain season. Was it really going to be the last song of the night? The crowd wasn't having any of it afterwards and demanded an encore. The band obliged and closed out the night with a cover of "Thanks a Lot" by Ernest Tubb.    

Emily Rose & the Rounders at Boyle Heights Bar

The song to spotlight is "Too Much Too" which is their most recent release. A music video has the band playing a peep show like venue behind a one-way mirror.   

Was I better from afar
The only girl in a cowboy bar

. . . .  

Was I better on the stage
Singing songs about an old flame

It has all the right country grooves of an Emily Rose & the Rounders song highlighted by the pedal steel and just a bit of a snarl on vocals. When someone comes up with certain assumptions about a musician they see on stage, is there a sense of disappointment when a friendship (platonic or romantic) develops based on that initial encounter? 

Setlist: Static Sky, Leaving on the Light, Drifter, Dime, December, Dallas, 49 Spirits, Too Much Too, At The Bottom, Do Right, Wildfire. Encore: Thanks A Lot (Ernest Tubb cover).

P.S. When did the set end? Around 12:15 a.m. so that nap was important.