Los Angeles-based drummer Bosh Rothman kicked off his career in his native St. Louis with brothers Lawrence and Yves in Living Things. The well-regarded punk act’s first few EPs and major-label debut were made with the legendary Steve Albini. After things wound down for the band in the 2010s, his siblings established themselves as in-demand producers, working with Angel Olsen, Charli XCX, Blondshell, Girlpool, FKA Twigs and many others. Rothman, meanwhile, went on to tour and record with the likes of Kim Gordon, Courtney Love and Marissa Nadler.
But things weren’t exactly copacetic in Rothman’s internal world.
“I slipped into a dark place,” says Rothman. “I was eating too much, sleeping all day and living in constant pain—mentally and emotionally. I needed help.”
He found it in the backstories of his two heroes, Ringo Starr and Dave Grohl. Both drummers were able to power through the loss of their legendary bands and move on. Joshua (Broken Sticks) is Rothman’s initial attempt to follow in their footsteps. Co-engineered by brother Lawrence and Jake Supple, the new EP features contributions from multi-instrumentalist Joe Kennedy (Grohl, Gordon), guitarist Sam Stewart (Lo Moon) and singers Lily Elise (Chappell Roan, Don Henley) and Andrea Wasse (Nightjacket). Five of its six tracks are creative covers of songs by Starr (“Photograph”), Foo Fighters (“Big Me”), the Carpenters (“Superstar”), the White Stripes (“In The Cold, Cold Night”) and Father John Misty (“Real Love”). Joshua also features the original title track, a languidly beautiful emotional purging that’s ultimately an exercise in self-love.
“It’s a personal letter to myself,” says Rothman about the song. “It’s me letting out my frustrations with loneliness and feeling used and taken advantage of by people who came in and out of my life. ‘Don’t cry under Missouri skies, just lay under the palm trees tonight’ is a message to everyone that everything will be OK—and that dark times do pass.”
At one point, Rothman had only a verse and chorus for “Joshua” and was searching for a bridge. It came to him in a fluster while driving along Mulholland Drive. “An SUV came flying past me, honking and flipping me off, and the lyrics suddenly hit me: ‘Even if the ghosters, users and abusers let you down, it’s not on you.’” he says. “I used the made-up word ‘ghosters,’ which also ties into the lyric, ‘picking on my grammar makes you feel so right.’ I have horrible grammar, so it’s all meant to be a play on ghosting.”
We’re proud to mark the premiere of Bosh Rothman’s “Joshua” with this live-performance video shot by Michelle Laine at brother Yves Rothman’s Saturn Sound studio.
—Hobart Rowland
