Rose Riot performs at Union Stage on Nov. 19, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
Should ever you found yourself in DC listening to a local cover band that isn’t White Ford Bronco, odds are that you’ve been struck by the blonde lightning bolt that is Cathy DiToro. The vocalist and guitarist appears regularly in ’80s coverband The Legwarmers, ’00s coverband So Fetch, and ska partyband Party Like It’s.
In addition to raising money to support women in music as chief of Project HERA, Cathy has been honing some original tunes as a solo artist for a while. So, it’s only natural that she would assemble a band to play more originals. Rose Riot, that very band, started playing around DC in November, and the quartet opened Letters to Cleo at Union Stage recently.
Rose Riot serves as the perfect vehicle for Cathy to spread her wings. At Union Stage on Nov. 19, she was flanked by Zoë Ravenwood on bass and Nicole Morris on guitar, while Cati Sesana set time on drums in the back.
Rose Riot’s first self-titled EP dropped Nov. 29!
Stream RoseRiot by Rose Riot on Spotify:
Their short set apparently consisted of the following songs, most of which appear on the new EP:
B.S.
Give Me a Sign
In My Dreams
Magic Pills
As It Was
Supermodel
Blame
The sound of Rose Riot clearly bore some influence from the sort of bands that Cathy would cover in her tribute acts — notably such ’90s standard bearers like No Doubt and Green Day. The ladies were incredibly polished at Union Stage; listening to them all night would have been perfectly delightful.
While it’s not totally fair to judge from one performance, Rose Riot seemed as if they will manifest as four unique personalities over time — Cathy every bit a glittery lead singer with a winning smile, Zoë a bit hypnotic and haunting, Nicole a dash of punk, and Cati a dose of grunge. The resulting combination made Rose Riot the most intriguing and watchable new DC band to play a stage in quite a while.
The group may not yet have music available online, but you can follow them on Facebook and make plans to catch their next show.
Rose Riot perform next at Gypsy Sally’s on Thursday, Dec. 12. Visit Gypsy Sally’s website for details. We would love to see them early and often in 2020!
Here are some pictures of Rose Riot performing at Union Stage on Nov. 19, 2019, to open Letters to Cleo. All photos courtesy Mickey McCarter.
