Frankie Rose has run the indie rock gamut.





As a key member of several cherished bands (Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts) that helped to reinvigorate guitar rock in the indie scene of the mid-to-late 2000s, her career has borne witness to no shortage of changes in the music scene. The rise and fall of the mp3 blog, shifting ways in which people consume music, and the necessity of touring have all been relevant factors in her continued presence. The good news is, she happens to be an exceptionally talented artist; an indie rock lifer whose continued presence is assured by the vital quality of her continued musical output.





This year, Frankie Rose released her first album under her own name, Cage Tropical. The record is a slick collection of ten songs, each endowed with their own propulsive momentum. Roses' clear voice finds a home amid crystalline synths and slinky guitar lines, anchored by 1980s drums. The effect in aggregate is another gorgeous addition to an already intimidating output.





With a show coming up at Barracuda with Tres Oui and Suburban Living on September 20th, we spoke to Frankie Rose about stealing mozzarella from a shitty job, playing fourteen shows at SXSW, having the internet explained to her, and more.





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Do512: What's the most exciting thing happening for you right now?

Frankie Rose: I'm excited to go camping in the Redwoods during our two days off. It's on the beach basically, and I'm really excited.





Are you a frequent camper?





Frankie Rose: I wish. I used to a lot as a kid and I just stopped. I'm also scared of ticks.





What's your most memorable experience in Austin?





Frankie Rose: I love Austin. I remember one year doing fourteen shows at SXSW in the span of like four days. Totally manic and memorable. It was with two different bands that were going to SXSW and had records out. I don't even remember what year it was but it was way too many. I have so many good memories in Austin.









Photo Credit: EREZ AVISSAR









What's your least favorite song from an album you love?





The Cure's, "17 Seconds". That's a cool record with a couple of losers on it. That song, "Third" could've just been skipped. Finding full albums that I love from beginning to end is tough for me.









What are you good at but hate doing?





Frankie Rose: I'm really good at cleaning. I'm so good at cleaning and organizing stuff but I hate it. I can organize the shit out of your closet. My mom is a wizard at it, too.





What is the worst job you've ever had and did you get fired?





Frankie Rose: Oh, man... I've had a lot of shitty jobs. What I've found is that the worst jobs are the ones with asshole bosses. It can make something that should be a totally fine job, like working at a pizzeria a total nightmare. I was a waitress at this restaurant in San Francisco and the bosses were really cruel. Like, they may have had hostages in their basements, that's how cruel they were. I was also really young, like 19 or something. I quit because there really was abuse going on there. I cleared out their entire walk-in into a cooler and we had like huge blocks of mozzarella in this punk house I was living in. It lasted us like six months.









Photo Credit: EREZ AVISSAR









What moment in your life do you wish you had taken a photo of?





Frankie Rose: The day I was born. Coming out of my mothers... If not, it would be a photo or video of an unsolved mystery. Specifically, I'm obsessed with this Russian case of these backpackers going through the snow and dying. Dylatov Pass, or something. Was it aliens or a Yeti or something? It's so spooky. I really wanna know what happened.





What is your first memory of the internet?





Frankie Rose: I didn't grow up with a computer, I'm 38 now and didn't get a one til I was like 27. I distinctly remember being in the Apple Store in San Francisco getting my first computer and having the guy explain what the internet was. I couldn't grasp the concept at all. I just didn't understand it until I was actually on there.





What's the worst night's sleep you've ever had?





Frankie Rose: I imagine it was probably when I had the flu or something. I think I've had a few bad ones when I've been stuck in an airport.









Photo Credit: EREZ AVISSAR









If someone was writing the Frankie Rose biography, what would this chapter be called?





Frankie Rose: "The Cage Tropical Saga"





What gets an unfair amount of hate?





Frankie Rose: The last two Alien movies. The CGI aliens kinda sucked, but I like movies about AI and that's what they were. It was also about creation, which is totally in line with all of the movies. It just wasn't totally about the aliens anymore. It was about Michael Fassbender being a babe android and wanting to create the perfect being.











