Musician Anthony Rosano is focused when he performs and he artfully blends traditional blues with roots elements and gives a modern rock delivery to his audiences and in the recording studio. And according to Rosano on his website, I want to be an on ramp to the Blues.” He continues by saying “You see all sorts of music fans at the shows, from Blues Aficionados to long hairs with Metallica T-shirts. If I can get that dude in a Metallica shirt to listen to Muddy Waters, I feel like I am working off a debt to the genre.” Rosano has performed at the Western Maryland Blues Fest, and Madison Square Garden. He has opened for artists such as Samantha Fish, Tab Benoit to Bob Seger, ZZ Top, and Gov’t Mule.

Jupiter Index: What first drew you to music?
Anthony Rosano: Music was always on in my house growing up. My earliest memories all have a soundtrack, but I remember hearing “Black Dog” for the first time and it resonated with me. I knew that I needed to do THAT in some capacity.

JI: How has the summer tour gone thus far for you while you toured with the Conqueroos?
AR: It’s been Great! We are making lots of new friends, the band is playing well, and the Hang with Tab and his band has been a lot of fun!

JI: Which artists did you discover that were important to you? And what did you discover in their playing styles?
AR: One of my biggest discoveries was Rory Gallagher. When I first heard “Irish Tour” it changed my life and my approach to music. He was reckless with his emotion and played everything from the hip. He also wrote some great songs, and had a way of incorporating his blues influences into his own voice without sounding derivative.

JI: Do you think Blues is about melody or about impermanence as you developed your own playing style?
AR: It’s all feel to me, it’s playing with soul and being ok with being imperfect if that works for the song. I would much rather hear someone create a vibe and a feeling than hear someone do a flawless technical thing. I want to feel what you have to say.

JI: Can you talk about the composing process for you in music, and what is the creative process like when you think of the group work with fellow artists? Can you give an example of this?
AR: I don’t really have a process, I just try and create. It could be one line or a riff, sometimes they turn into songs quickly sometimes the idea gets recorded and may turn into a song weeks later. Rosalita was written in one setting, I was reading about how sailors would bring musicians to the new world to keep their people entertained. I imagined their will to create and perform was probably strong enough they would take a chance and travel to some strange land, leaving love behind, hoping to send for them later to build a new life. Sin City was based around a riff I recorded on my phone, I was writing some lyrics about addiction and how it always pulls on you. How sometimes that little voice is like “JUST DO IT” but ultimately you can “move on from Sin City”.

JI: Do you have a personal goal for yourself at this time?
AR: I would like to get out and play for as many people as possible. I LOVE having a life in music and touring is like living for me.