Sub Rosa Sessions: Paper Rabbit & Amanda Rogers

November Sub Rosa Sessions: Revival #6 will feature Paper Rabbit and Amanda Rogers. We sadly had a cancellation by Dans La Lune due to travel and schedule conflict but Sessions Host, Amanda, will fill in as opener for the night which will be a special treat!

Thursday November 21st 6:30pm. Sliding scale ticketing. 

Paper Rabbit Bio:
Mix the intricate counterpoint of The Strokes and the guitar geek grandeur of Weezer with the swooning vocals of Mazzy Star and the angsty folk of Elliot Smith and you have Paper Rabbit, the songwriting project of Syracuse-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Brenna Merritt. Raised on their mom’s rock records and the post-grunge hits of pre-millennium alternative radio, Merritt pens melody driven pop descendent from bright 60’s psychedelia, 90’s Rough Trade acts, and the 00’s Brooklyn indie boom – songs filled with chords that build to a bliss point before cascading into the bittersweetness of this digital age.On record Merritt is joined by veterans of the Syracuse punk/hardcore scene, including Erik Henning of Polar Bear Club, Jon Davis of AnotherBreath, Aaron Geiskopf of Election Day and Teddy Casper of Mayflower.With their debut LP, Havre de Grace, Paper Rabbit takes cues from the peppy melancholy of acts like Beach Bunny, Au Revoir Simone andHospitality while glancing back on the just-out-of-reach memories of youth: Honest fumblings in the backseat of a borrowed car on “Corolla,”the thrilling overwhelm of building a tribe on “Company” and the unavoidable realization of one’s aloneness on “Cathedrals.” Described by Merritt as a “road-trip” record, the album takes its name from the tiny Maryland town situated on the mouth of Susquehanna at the head of Chesapeake Bay– a place that’s confidently idyllic while serving asa waypoint to the promising urban sprawls to its east and west. The characters on Havre de Grace find themselves faced with similar liminal dilemmas; “Tell your neighbors, tell your friends, we were Strangers in the end,” Merritt sings on the album opener, with a voice that lands somewhere between the half-winking sarcasm of Julian Casablanca sand the earnest coo of Camera Obscura front woman Traceyann Campbell. On that song, as elsewhere on Havre de Grace, a uniquely modern irony emerges: Adrift in-between each other, we’re connected without ever really knowing the people who slip into our orbit.

Amanda Rogers Bio:

American Singer-Songwriter, Amanda Rogers, hails from upstate NY where the rustbelt of industry past meets idyllic landscapes. The collision between these two worlds, one of metal and concrete and the other of mud and verdure, was the precise place her sound was forged. A pragmatic daydreaming teenager in the late-nineties, her earliest recordings illustrate this contradiction perfectly as she musically and aesthetically merged classical and punk. Those early albums, released through Brooklyn-based punk/hardcore label Immigrant Sun Records, were often labeled as "lo-fi bedroom ambience" and "chamber-pop.” Her music evolved as she expanded on her musical experiences while touring with indie-rock and hardcore bands, joining a pop-rock outfit, and later touring as part of a grunge-folk-pop duo. Now with 14 solo albums, including her latest 2024 release 52 Hurts, and 2 SAMMY awards for “Best Singer-Songwriter” (2018/2020), her sound vacillates between "gritty blues and folk-pop" and is described as being “intimate, intense, and expressive.” Her live performances are described as "raw and emotional", "haunting", "quirky and delicate as well as powerfully moving.” 

"An accomplished and versatile songwriter and pianist, timid when she takes the stage, her first fragile notes transform into clear soul-resonating melodies".

"Regardless of whether you encounter her live in concert or listen to her recorded songs, Amanda Rogers just may restore your faith in Singer-Songwriters."

"Quiet and somber melodies with introspective lyrics and ethereal instrumentals create an exciting dynamic that Rogers excels at. One can see why she brings audiences to a still awareness and complete hush, as she dazzles the listeners who give her their full attention." 

Amanda has garnered comparisons to contemporaries such as Tom Waits, Heather Nova, Tori Amos, Carole King, Glen Hansard (Swell Season, The film “Once”), Joanna Newsome, Suzanna Vega, Kate Bush, Counting Crows, Elton John, Beatles, Fiona Apple, and Elliott Smith, Damien Rice, and Big Thief.

Sub Rosa, literally means "Under The Rose" and the rose historically used to symbolize secrecy, is a fitting name for these semi-private sessions which limit to 90 guests to attend. Sub Rosa Sessions uphold a truly unique, high-end listening experience since it's beginnings in 2012, when it was founded and hosted by singer-songwriter Amanda Rogers for 4 years at Subcat Studios.

The revival of the monthly series now commences at a new space in Downtown Syracuse, Pink Rock Culture Co-op, where this listening room concert is an immersive experience for the attendees and performers to connect and share in the live concert - hearing music the way the artist intended. Sub Rosa let's the listeners in on the secret of why music moves our spirit to sing, dance, cry, melt, and soar.

Pink Rock Culture Co-op is an all-ages creative community gathering space for artists and the community to connect, expand, experiment, create, collaborate, stretch, learn, and champion each other! A 1350 Square Foot downtown Flex-space for any and all events! Founded and Curated by Amanda Rogers. email her for more information, space usage, and collaborations.

pinkrockcoop@gmail.com