Rocky LeRoe on the Culture of the Rock Music Industry

Rocky LeRoe, photo by Lara Blizzard.

A desire and drive to build community among listeners isn’t unusual among artists, but it’s rare that their image and life experience align toward this desire as well as Rocky LeRoe’s do. She describes her music as “trying to keep the spirit of the 70s alive in a country city in an indie world” while performing “rock music with full band instruments”, suggesting inspiration from the groupie era of this time period.

I first heard Rocky’s music at a Belmont University writer’s round in October, and I found her energy aggressive in the best way. It was slightly unserious and super contagious. We talked over spring break, and she spoke about the reception of the aggression of her music, “There [are] people that [try] to pinpoint me to just any woman that sings loud”. Fleetwood Mac and Janis Joplin are consistent examples. Rocky calls Joplin a badass but laughs, “I hope I don’t sound like a smoker.” Nonetheless, female-fronted rock is the muse, which puts a twist on the often male-centered energy of the groupie era. Rocky takes inspiration from talented individuals who made a lot of unhealthy decisions in a less equitable world, so she tries to empower by eliciting healthy feelings.

Live performance is where Rocky shines and hones in on this goal. She explains, “It's so hard to really feel full, [and valid.] And music is such a clear path for people to find themselves in somebody else's words.” Her proudest performance to date was at Belmont’s Rock Showcase, an annual event in which a couple talented students in the genre, selected by a committee, compete with their songs. She explains, “The opportunity to be… a very professional artist thrown into the clockwork of the industry [in such a way]… felt so real. I got to perform in front of 1200 people and get real feedback from industry professionals. It gave my band the opportunity to do our thing [officially].” It was a full circle moment, considering her experience as a freshman at Belmont’s Battle of the Bands (where Showcase winners for each genre compete). She reminisces, now post-grad, “It was flooring. I was starstruck all year by the bands that were on that stage… [and playing Showcase myself] was as cool as it looks.”

Rocky LeRoe playing Rock Showcase at Belmont University, photo by Greer Patten.

Rocky’s next big gig is at Nashville’s Exit/In, in which she’s the closer for Sisters in Song, a show presented by River & Row Management. I ask her what to expect, and she says confidently, “If you're gonna put me as a closer, I'm gonna bring the house down.”

A massive amount of growth has occurred for Rocky between her first Belmont Showcase and Sisters in Song. College was the main inspiration behind her debut album Tambourine, released last year. These stories detail “moving out of the Midwest and chasing a dream, a love interest, and battling with self-worth, while trying to find peace through all of the change”. 

Rocky’s background in the Midwest didn’t make this path super predictable. “I didn't really grow up in a household that had a lot of music,” Rocky tells me. Growing up, her mom primarily listened to “music she loved in college” and her dad listened to Christian radio. College and Christianity are both known for the sense of community they bring people. Rocky has found her own quite successfully! Of the music industry, she states, “Most of the time, it’s not a super isolating industry”.

Rocky LeRoe, photo by Lara Blizzard.

One of the most impactful moments of community Rocky has experienced that inspires her to this day was at a Greta van Fleet concert, “They did the first night [of their world tour] in Nashville, and it was maybe a month after the frontman came out as queer. He came out because the Tennessee laws were changing to take a step towards banning same-sex marriage again… So there was a big old fan project that I got to help with where we [put] rainbow [pieces] of paper over all of our flashlights so it made a rainbow around [the venue], and it brought him to tears.” The sense of support from everyone there, LGBTQ+ or not, was “one of the most beautiful things that I've ever seen in my life.”

She wants listeners to feel like they experienced something beautiful when they leave her shows. Performing unreleased songs and featuring an instrumentalist no one would expect in a rock set at the Exit/In on March 29, the night will be one to remember.

You can keep up with Rocky online at @rockyleroemusic. Stream her debut album Tambourine on all platforms now. Purchase tickets to Sisters in Song at the Exit/In here.