ARTISTS TO WATCH: Fools For Rowan

With fireworks banned due to the drought, this band’s percussive explosions will have to suffice!

I was his life
I was his reason for breathing
I watched him cry
Begging and pleading while I was leaving
I looked into his eyes
And I realized
I killed a man today
Took his life away
I killed a man today and it kills me

Declare your independence from weak-assed rock crap this July 4th with a listen or ten to Fools For Rowan. “I Killed A Man Today” is the perfect rock single, a thundering introduction to their EP Who Killed Amanda Day, out today on ITunes. It’s a gut-punch blend of Paramore and Lady Antebellum, with enough of the band’s Nashville roots shining through even though this is nothing close to country. The video’s a bit overwrought — they put the lyrics into an overly literal situation where the subject of the breakup actually dies in a car accident shortly thereafter. But the lyric itself still holds its raw furious punch when listened to separately, an example of how some decisions in life simply leave no one unscathed. This is rock worthy of massive radio play, and if the band can build on the Kickstarter success they’ve already achieved, they’re going to be one to watch, even if it’s just for those powerhouse pipes Erin Mullins shows off so casually.