Everything You Need To Know About Florence Rose

I spoke with Florence Rose recently about their past and future projects.

Florence Rose is comprised of Braden Norris on vocals and guitar, Conor Gass on drums, Christian “Feddy” Fedrick on bass and keys, and Gage Estes on guitar.

What began as a solo project for Norris under the name of “American Boy,” Florence Rose came to be a group when Norris realized he needed a fuller sound to get anywhere. He met the other three in a high school class they all shared. Upon discovering each others’ musical abilities, the group quickly replaced Norris’s solo project.

They came up with the name “Florence Rose” by basically looking through baby name sites and mashing the two they liked together.

“I wish there was some spectacular deep meaning behind it,” admitted Norris.

They did choose from a cluster of popular UK names, though, as a tribute to some of their favorite bands; so, there is somewhat of an interesting backstory.

Florence Rose’s following is spread out over the country and sprinkled overseas, disproving their title as a “local” band. When questioned about their experience in the Tulsa music scene, it was revealed that they weren’t as active as they probably should be.

“Our hometown following isn’t big,” said Norris. “Right now, we are focusing on our writing and our Spotify presence, so we don’t have much time to work on our live shows.”

That may be the reason they insist, but another glitch could be their difference in location. Norris is currently in Edmond attending the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma. Gass is attending Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Estes still attends high school in Coweta, and Fedrick currently resides in Broken Arrow.

With only two members in the Tulsa area, it is unsurprising that hometown presence has taken a backseat.

They get together as often as possible, and they use text messages and phone calls as communication when away. Their writing process is a little more independent than others, which works well with the separation.

Generally, each member will write a song, comprise a demo, and then introduce it to the group at practice. Then, an open dialogue is formed between members as they each “put their own spin on things.”

A favorite to write was “Growing Pains,” apparently. All of them contributed a lot to it, and they are very happy with the turnout.

However, “No Woman,” a single that will be out on December 28th, is Norris’s personal favorite. The song was recorded only recently with Sam Westhoff and will be somewhat of a mix between “Growing Pains” and “So High Up (Yet So Down).”

The song supposedly shows their “variety as a band” and they are very excited to share it with all of their listeners.

“No Woman” is the first of four songs to be released on an EP with a tentative date in March. After the EP is released, they plan to set up a small tour for the summer – so, keep an eye out!

Florence Rose cites Cage the Elephant, Declan McKenna, Gus Dapperton. and The Neighborhood as some of their major musical influences. Norris even mentioned that, if he could play a concert with anyone in the world, Declan McKenna would be it.

The best concert they’ve played, according to them, was a pool party done at Norris’s house. The turnout was low, but the show was intimate and invigorating. Pictures taken from that night spur the band to keep working and growing, motivating them to shoot for outside of their comfort zone so they can look back on those pictures in the future and see how far they’ve come.

Florence Rose is doing fairly well for themselves. Recent news (as of today, December 5th) reveals that “Growing Pains” has hit 35k streams on Spotify.

Make sure to listen to Florence Rose on all music streaming sites, and check out their social media for updates on concerts, release dates, and more. Remember, “No Woman” comes out on December 28th; mark your calendars and enjoy!

https://open.spotify.com/embed/artist/0ACK5qngKZ9fbtML7yo5mo