Today we’d like to introduce you to Felipe Rosales.
Hi Felipe, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thanks for having me! My name is Felipe Rosales aka Flip! Freshly graduated from music school, I found myself with this crazy thing called “free time” and wanted to get back to my roots of why I fell in love with music in the first place. That being ska and punk music. While I was drumming for a few bands, I didn’t have a group where I was the main creative force. So, in 2014, I started getting involved in the local ska and punk scene which led me to my friend and frequent collaborator Eric Daino of The Holophonics. Over the next year or so, I started writing music, and when I felt like I had something worth recording, I brought it to Daino, and he produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered my first EP called “The Last Three Years EP” which blended my love of hip-hop into my adoration of ska. Leading up to its July release, I got together a band of friends from college, and we played our first show on the 4th of July 2016 at a house party in Denton, TX.
Since then, we have been graciously welcomed into our local Texas ska community as well as the larger community as a whole. To date, we’ve released 1 full-length, 2 EPs, and a handful of singles. We’ve been fortunate to play many Texas ska festivals like SkaWest and SPI Fest, as well as some out-of-state shows in Colorado, South Dakota, and Illinois. We’ve also been blessed to share the stage with incredible artists like The Toasters, Scott Klopfenstein, and Dan Potthast.
As the years have gone on, our show has evolved into one of sincerity, cheesiness, and lots of crowd participation. This current iteration of our show features songs about butts, folk dancing, and me running around the stage like I’m trying to get my 10,000 steps in during our set.
On top of all that, I also am an elementary music teacher, hence music school. While I love performing, I also adore lighting the spark for the next generation of musicians. That part of my life has definitely bled into my art as well with the release our EP “Hi, is this Ska’s mom?” in 2022. What I love about my band is that it is fully who I am in all aspects. I am so grateful that I can let these two aspects of my life become one in my art.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to where we are today has been relatively smooth, but there are a lot of things to work through as a 7-piece ska band. One of the hardest things is getting everyone in the same room for a rehearsal haha! We all have jobs and families and live all over the DFW metroplex, so that makes it quite a feat! But what’s been amazing is that we still find ways to make it work, whether having just horn or rhythm section rehearsals or zooming in to a rehearsal to play along, we always find a way. Definitely helps that I have incredible musicians backing me up!
Balance is something that I am continually working on, and being in a band AND being a music teacher can be a struggle. There have been many a day where I’m teaching kindergartners on two hours of sleep because our buddies from Brazil needed an opener for a show the night before haha! But I’m so grateful that I am able to do that, live my best band life, and still be a force for good at my school.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Something I love about leading my band and working as a music teacher is that I get to be an advocate for music in all aspects of my life. It also leads to a very eventful life. During the day, I’m preparing my award-winning choir to sing in front of a thousand people, while at night, I’m starting mosh pits and getting my lyrics yelled back at me. I think that is one of the things that sets me apart; I practice what I preach to my students every day.
One of my goals in my classroom is to encourage music-making outside of my music room, and when I’m on stage, I’m encouraging people to do just that. Part of our show is the idea of communal music-making, not just watching us on stage. Music is one of the things that makes us human, helps us connect with each other. And I want to be a force for all the good music can do.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Oh man, just freaking do it! The best time to start was yesterday; the next best time is now! Don’t let anyone gate-keep you from doing what you want to do! There’s always going to be a nay-sayers, but just ignore them and MAKE YOUR ART!!! Find other people that want to do what you do and do it together!!! Find your tribe, your community, your partners, and MAKE COOL STUFF!!!
When we were starting, I wish I had known how powerful being a presence of social media would be in our success and connections. Use these algorithms to your advantage!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/flipandthece
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flipandthece/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flipandthece/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlipAndTheCE
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSr0iOzmLH51kU61rJPQAGQ
- Other: https://flipandthece.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
MK Photography
Shaun Alvarado
