The Rouge is hardly an unassuming band. Frontman Josh Vaught has looks that belong on MTV and a voice that is radio- and arena-ready. Everything about the Denver five-piece is stylish, from their hipster-tight T-shirts to their dance-floor-friendly rock ‘n’ roll songs.
And so it makes sense that, less than two years into playing together, the Rouge is already being courted by major labels. This is a band that has gone from opening weeknight shows to headlining Friday nights in less than a year.
The people have spoken, and they want their Rouge. The band’s all-ages appeal is obvious, with its sing-along lyrics and head- bobbing melodies. The band has also proved its worth among the older kids; the Rouge’s Hi-Dive set at last month’s Denver Post Underground Music Showcase had people abuzz throughout the four-day festival.
The boys have a unique brotherhood, and there’s a reminder of it on drummer Steve Voss’ iPhone: a picture of the band, arm-in- arm, huddled at the base of an empty Red Rocks Amphitheatre, crying. We talked with the guys from the Rouge — which plays Boulder’s Club 156 tonight and Denver’s Hi-Dive on Saturday — about their busy summer, their dreams and their unique living/ practice situation.
Q:You guys played Red Rocks a couple weeks ago in front of Film on the Rocks. Let’s hear the story.Vaught: We backed up into the loading area there, and we got out of the van. We thought we were so cool, but when we got out onto that stage, I looked up and saw the grandeur of Red Rocks and I started crying. Everybody followed suit.
Jack Egan: Everybody was there for “Jaws,” and the experience of seeing the movie at Red Rocks. We get that. But there was a line of kids at the little merch table when we were done playing, and it was great — hugging kids and signing autographs and acting like rock stars for an hour.
Vaught:Little did they know we work at Starbucks and Guitar Center.Q: And then you all were flown out to New York last week for a major-label showcase? Those can be awkward, but how did that feel for you guys?Vaught: It felt surreal. I’m a kid from a pretty small town in Missouri. . . . And then you get a call from somebody that says they want to fly you out to hear music that you’ve made. It was almost one of those things that was like, “Good one, man. Nice joke.”
Q:Now it’s waiting time. And it’s time to keep the right perspective, right?Egan: Yeah, right now it’s all about the mentality of keeping your head on straight, because nothing has happened yet.
Q:You have a tour coming up, and before the New York showcase you all were in L.A. cutting a video and playing some other shows for label folks. Life is good?Mike Griffith: You have to realize that this is more than just guys who get together and work hard at the practice space. We live our life together, in the same house, and I’ve been in other bands where it’s not like this. There’s something special about the brotherhood that exists here. It amplifies everything around it. It’s a deeper level of that emotional journey because you’re experiencing it with people that you truly love.
Q:Sometimes you hate the people you truly love.Vaught: There have been blow-ups and yelling matches. Not any fist-to-fist, yet.
Q:Word on the street says you guys rehearse more than most bands.
Egan: When we’re home, it’s four nights a week — maybe a fifth. Four hours a night.
Q: That’s a huge commitment.Egan: Our ex-girlfriends will totally agree with you.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
THE ROUGE.
Dance rock ‘n’ roll. The five-piece Denver band will kick off its tour and release its video with two shows this weekend.
Tonight: Club 156, Boulder: Free, with the Don’ts and Be Carefuls, and Josephine & the Mousepeople; program
Saturday: Hi-Dive, Denver: $8, with Sick of Sarah and the Autumn Film; hi-dive.com
