DOGG FRIENDLY Ask Rosalee when she knew she was a singer, and the one-named performer will tell you she came singing from the womb. Born in St. George, Utah, she moved to Las Vegas after high school to pursue a career in music, and now, her pie-in-the-sky dream is manifesting into reality. “I didn’t have a lot of support growing up,” she explains during a phone interview. “I knew my parents loved me, but they really discouraged me from following my dreams.” Rosalee taught herself how to sing early on, and after moving to Vegas, the soul/R&B vocalist found a companion and partner in Darren Sher, owner and producer at the Omnitone Recording Studios. Rosalee says Sher, now her husband, helped her find the right musicians and producers to take her career to the next level—apparently so. Her most recent single, the silky, jazzy cut “Just My Thang,” features none other than Snoop Dogg.
Rosalee attributes that collaboration to a chance encounter, when Snoop heard one of her tracks at the studio and expressed interest in laying down a vocal track or two. “I’m a huge Snoop Dogg fan. It’s an honor to have him on my album.”
And while that debut LP isn’t out yet—she’s shooting for a late-2016 release—Rosalee says it will explore sounds of the ’60s through the ’90s and incorporate a strong cast of engineers including mixing/audio engineer Jeff Juliano (John Mayer, Paramore) and mastering engineer Brad Blackwood (Against Me!, Will.i.am). Look for Rosalee’s next single, “Electrify,” in March.
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STRANGER STILL Hard rock three-piece Strange Mistress has released a new, self-titled album, which follows its two EPs, 2014’s Anatomy and 2013’s Electric Psychedelic Pussycat Swingers Club. The new LP expands on the group’s heavy, mid-’90s rock sound, bringing to mind Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains, with an additional layer of psychedelic stoner-fuzz that’s all their own. strangemistress.bandcamp.com
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ALSO Continuing the recent string of Bunkhouse tribute nights (The Rolling Stones, David Bowie), singer-songwriter Cameron Calloway will host an evening in honor of Michael Jackson, with proceeds going to Three Square Food Bank. The tribute will take place on March 25, marking the day MJ debuted his signature moonwalk in 1983. So far, the lineup features Calloway, Sonia Seelinger, Jessica Manalo, Barry Black, Pure Joy, Jesse Pino, My Fair Rosalie and more. … Vegas rockers Sin City Sinners released their sixth album, Let It Burn, on Valentine’s Day, celebrating with a performance at Count’s Vamp’d. The LP, which features all-original songs, was released six years to the day of debut album, Exile on Fremont Street. thesincitysinners.com … Cult-favorite burger joint Shake Shack is holding its annual Burger Beats contest, in which bands can enter to be featured on the restaurant’s Spotify playlist and in Shake Shacks nationwide—along with $150 in burgers. The contest is open at facebook.com/shakeshack, now through February 28.
