Buzz Blog

For 10 years, Esther Rose called New Orleans home. And even a quick look at the video documentation of the singer-songwriter’s time there shows how immersed she was in that city’s music culture. It wasn’t until the pandemic’s arrival that she was ready to tackle a move—one that would take her to Taos, New Mexico, where she and her new(ish) band reside.

“I really didn’t anticipate moving away, ever,” she says. “If you follow my music, I sang about New Mexico a lot and it’s mentioned in a lot of my songs. I’ve had a love for the place and the people already and the pandemic eased me out of New Orleans. It finally kinda felt possible that I could move away from the city. It had been the center of my universe. And my universe now has now become more internal, due to COVID and the quarantine.

“At this point, I can write songs anywhere,” she says, having released three records in her career with a fourth already recorded. “I’ve written on the road for many years. I don’t have to be anywhere particular to do that. But being in a beautiful environment, around nature, it does help. It makes things a little quieter. The most-interesting thing to happen was forming this incredible band. There were all these musicians hiding out in the hills and I just had to find them. The band was assembled one-by-one. And we’ve found this incredible camaraderie and respect for one another. It’s so new and fresh and loving and groovy.”

In New Orleans, she says, “nothing had tied me to home except for my ties to the music scene. You’re just going from band practice to three gigs of your friends. I miss that inspiration. But I’m slowly poking my head around New Mexico, hoping to develop those connections.”

Over time, Rose’s music, rooted in country with hints of other genres, has won her plenty of fans. Not only among listeners, but among top-flight musicians and booking agents, who’ve paired her as a support act with a wide variety of acts. Prior to the pandemic she was on quite the touring spree and she’s shared stages in recent years with artists as diverse as Nick Lowe, Pokey LaFarge and the Cactus Blossoms. Her current tourmates are the rising bluegrass stars Lil Smokies, who team up with her on a double bill that arrives at The Commonwealth Room (195 W. 2100 South) on Friday, Feb. 18, with Rose taking the stage at 9 pm.

The show will be her second time onstage in Salt Lake City and it promises to be a little less adventurous than her debut here last summer, when “there was this crazy rainstorm and it got super-cold. But everyone there had their REI rain gear on and had a commitment to stay and endure it and to have fun.”