“No one person or material thing could ever come close to the feeling I get when the music is right.” This particular quote by Barry Manilow is quite possibly the most accurate depiction of what it feels like for Chicagoland-based drummer Ty Del Rose to play, write, or even just listen to music. And when you get Del Rose behind a set of drums, that's a feeling that he strives to create not just for himself, but for his bandmates, and of course, those in the audience, both on the record and on the stage! Ty Del Rose was born on September 23, 1991 in Joliet, Illinois – where he was raised and continues to reside. Del Rose began his path toward percussion as a career at the age of 9, as a percussionist in the Meadow View Elementary School 5th grade band. Continuing on into middle school, Del Rose received his first set of drums, an 8-piece Ludwig Accent Combo kit, as an early 12th birthday present and a means to practice for Jazz Band auditions at school. Though Del Rose was not selected as drummer for Jazz Band, he continued to further his skills and dedication to drums and percussion by taking private lessons for over two years. Del Rose graduated from Plainfield South High School in 2009 and was voted “Most Likely To Be A Rockstar or Rapper” in his class' senior awards. He went on to attend one year of classes at Joliet Junior College, performing in the school's Concert Band and Percussion Ensemble. As a member of the ensemble, as well as a private Applied Percussion course, Del Rose sharpened his technique and posture, learning advanced snare etudes, 4-mallet marimba, and Brazilian, Latin and Samba grooves on the drum kit. In 2007, at the age of 15, Del Rose co-founded his first gigging band, SKIZM. The band quickly gained a following in the southwest Chicago suburbs in only a handful of shows. After changing their name to Down & Dirty in 2008 and taking on a more rock & roll/glam metal-influenced sound, the band went on to record an LP and even land a slot performing at the “Garden Of Evil” VIP Tent in the campground of Rocklahoma 2009. After many years of gigging in various local bands around Chicagoland, Del Rose was offered a gig with Chicago-based Romantic Rebel, filling in on the band's October 3, 2015 performance at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky (headliners that year included ZZ Top, Rob Zombie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shinedown and Godsmack). With only 6 days to learn a 30- minute set, Del Rose's performance earned him a spot in the band as they prepared for more touring and new music. In late 2015/early 2016, Del Rose entered the studio with the band to track drums for their 2016 EP Begin Again, produced and engineered by Grammy-nominated producer Johnny K (Disturbed, Sevendust, 3 Doors Down). Though the EP saw a very limited release – having only been available at the merch table during the band's final tour supporting Smile Empty Soul – the band's single from the EP, “Too Far”, went on to Active Rock radio, ultimately breaking the Top 50 on Mediabase's Under The Radar chart. Del Rose appears in the music video for this track, and also performed in support of the new single as direct support for Killswitch Engage at the RadioContraband (now known as Kilpop) convention in Las Vegas in 2016. In 2017, Del Rose joined forces with Another Lost Year, an alternative rock band from Charlotte, North Carolina whose 2016 album Alien Architect debuted at #8 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Del Rose's first tour with the band was a 3-week run as direct support for Bobaflex, which included a slot on the Rock Into Spring festival in Las Vegas (with headliners Buckcherry and Sick Puppies). He also contributed drums to the band's self-produced single “Call It Like It Is”, which was released in late 2017 and supported with a music video as well as some radio play and interviews. Del Rose began touring with Smile Empty Soul in August of 2018. Smile Empty Soul is perhaps best known for the singles “Bottom Of A Bottle”, “Silhouettes”, and “Nowhere Kids”, originally released on their gold-certified, self-titled 2003 debut LP and re-released on the 2016 EP Shapeshifter. The band is currently on tour in support of their eighth studio release, Oblivion. Del Rose also enjoys taking on work subbing in with various cover bands in the Chicago area while not on tour. In 2016, Del Rose began working with the Chicagoland-based company Xtreme Cover Bands, performing with the company's bands The Breakfast Club, The Shagadelics, Nerdvana, and many others, as well as offering live band karaoke. In October 2017, Del Rose appeared with The Breakfast Club in two gigs overseas performing on United Nations Air Force bases for troops in Jordan and Qatar. Between touring and local gigging, Del Rose averages roughly 150-200 gigs per year. When not gigging, Del Rose is passionate about songwriting and production/engineering, often working with other local bands in his home studio setup. Del Rose's production credits include a full-length and EP for Chicago band Bullet To The Heart, of which a few tracks have received airplay on Crest Hill, Illinois' Q Rock 100.7FM, a major Active Rock radio station. Del Rose was featured on Modern Drummer's “On The Beat” online blog in August 2016. He was also voted one of the top 10 “Drummers of the Year” on Rock Rage Radio's 2017 awards. Though best known as a rock/alternative drummer, Del Rose loves and has experience playing pop, indie, blues, R&B/soul, country, disco and oldies/classic pop and rock. This love and appreciation for a wide variety of genres of music gives Del Rose a vast array of influences to incorporate into any playing situation, while creating a feel and groove that's just right for the music being performed! Del Rose's biggest influences include Neil Peart (Rush) for his technique and creative approach to composition, John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) for his power, groove and finesse, Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam) for his effortless ability to play odd time signatures fluidly, Dave Abbruzzese (ex-Pearl Jam) for his extremely hard-hitting style and energetic sound, and Tony Royster Jr. (Jay-Z) for his impeccable chops and exciting drum solos and arrangements. Del Rose strives to take influence and learn from every drummer he sees, all the while remembering that his job on stage is to entertain! Del Rose plans to stay just as busy in the coming years, and doesn't have any plans to slow down any time soon! He looks forward to continuing to tour with Smile Empty Soul and take on session/fill-in work in between tours. With a valid passport handy, and a penchant for touring and performing music no matter who's listening, Del Rose looks forward to continuing to push forward with his music career, for decades to come!
It gives me life. Music is literally everything to me. It's the oxygen I breathe. Music gives me true happiness.
I just want to be able to make a living and support myself as a musician and/or working in the music industry to some other capacity. I want to continue to play and create music for as long as I'm physically able to!
Making people a little nicer and less violent, and more grateful for the things that they do have!
I did karaoke for the first time at the mall at the age of 3, singing my favorite song at the time, "Oh Mickey" by Toni Basil. Actually, I pretty much just hummed and mumbled the words instead of singing, lol :P
I love so much music I don't even know where to begin. Rush and Led Zeppelin are definitely my two favorite bands and biggest influences as a drummer. I grew up on classic rock, 90's, country, and then pop and modern rock growing up. Some of my favorites include Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, The Police, Live, Three Days Grace, Shinedown, Godsmack, and so many more.
ANYTHING and everything! If I can feel something, I can write a song around it. If I randomly sing a phrase or two in my head, I can write lyrics to a full song around it. If I hear a nice beat in my head or a guitar riff I really like, I can write music around it. It all depends on what I'm feeling in the moment. I find that my favorite songs come out when they're not forced and it's very much on the spot, and sometimes I'll even finish writing and recording the whole thing in a matter of a few hours!
I just want to make people feel something. Whether it's what I have to say or if it's just as simple as feeling the beat or feeling the music, the important thing is that it feels good to listen to.
Like I'm on top of the world.
The reality is, it's very hard to make a living these days as a musician. Music has definitely become devalued in today's industry where streaming and social media have very much changed the game. I think in order to maintain success and self-sufficiency in this industry you need to be creative and think outside the box to create as many sources of income around your brand as possible. We as a music scene simply need to learn to adapt to what's already changed, while continuing to try to influence future changes for the better.
I think it's awesome! I've definitely discovered some unknown artists on this platform and it's pretty cool to be rewarded for checking out others' music and leaving detailed song reviews.
How divided the music scene has become. Too many people trying to work against each other rather than with each other to promote a common interest. I wish people were able to work together in good faith without the drama or without greed and selfishness. Also, writer's block is frustrating sometimes too!
Of course I do! I go to as many shows as I can afford to when I'm not playing one of my own shows, and I offer my recording services to bands I believe in and work as a stage hand at my local music venue when I'm not on tour!
Strong marketing and social media skills are a must these days, and you have to be creative in your approach to find ways to reach people!
Some of my recent finds that I really enjoy lately are Deap Vally and Ruby The Hatchet, and most people probably haven't ever heard of Mew or Rubblebucket, those are probably some I'd recommend :)