Photo Courtesy of by Marisa Sottos Roe O'Brien
There’s exciting news for Roe Knows Best fans.
The Nutley songwriter and musician, Rosanna O’Brien, has a new four-song EP coming out on June 6.
The body of work entitled “Weekend at Mauchie’s, Vol. 1” was co-written by O’Brien and her friend Max Rauch.
Rauch is a resident of West Orange and releases music under the name MAUCH. He works out of a home recording studio called Domestic Bliss Recording. He’s also well known on the music scene for his band LKFFCT which is pronounced “Lake-Effect.”
O’Brien said she was a fan of LKFFCT. Listening to their recording, “Temporary Parade,” she felt they were simpatico.
O’Brien described working with Rach as “different, fun, and refreshing.”
“I got to collaborate with another songwriter in the moment,” she said. “It puts you outside your comfort zone. This was a lot of fun. I wanted to write with him.”
Together the artists came up with songs within five days. “It was special,” said O’Brien.
Rauch co-runs a record label called Pizza Bagel Records with John Cozz. In early 2021 the label did an open call for songs about soup. They asked local artists to contribute to a compilation, with all proceeds going to NJ Food Bank.
O’Brien saw the announcement on Facebook and sent a song called “Minestrone Zone.” Rauch, and Cozz liked the song so much they used it as the first track.
“We got acquainted that way,” said O’Brien.
Rauch said, “Roe hit us up. We liked it a lot. A fresh new voice I never heard. We kept in contact since then.”
During the writing and afterwards, O’Brien said she felt like a kid again.
“I truly felt that childhood sense of connection and freedom. It is very playful,” she said. “It was really rewarding. Where I’m at in my career, and my own sense of artistry, I’m so open to collaborating with others now. It was a freeing and fun experience.”
Though O’Brien and Rauch have no plans on performing the new material live, they both agree they are open to working with other artists. A “Weekend at Mauchie’s Vol. 2” with Rauch and another artist could be imminent, according to O’Brien.
Currently O’Brien is in the process of putting a full band together. In her spare time, she enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends, reading, going to see live music, and spending time with her dog.
Meanwhile, Rauch, who is a freelance audio engineer, is busy with his two small kids. As someone who has been in bands since he was a teenager, and did a lot of touring in his 20s, he’s now “kind of settled in.” But he is open to the idea of getting a commercial recording space when his kids get older.
Visit Roe Knows Best at: https://roeknowsbest.wordpress.com/
Visit Max Rauch at: https://www.instagram.com/pizzabagelrecords/
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