Career Highlights

Since 2006 Rose's Pawn Shop has toured extensively on five separate national tours, in addition to several mini-tours throughout California and the Southwest. Here are some of the highlights of their show and touring history:

1/8/2010 --Began production of second album at Stagg Street Studios with producer Ethan Allen.

10/11/2009 Joshua Tree Roots Music Festival-- Joshua Tree, CA

8/22/2009 Sunset Junction Street Festival--Los Angeles, CA

7/24/2009 through 7/25/2009 FloydFest 8--Floyd, VA

5/17/2008 Joshua Tree Music Festival--Joshua Tree, CA

7/26/2007 through 7/29/2007 FloydFest 6--Floyd, VA
Rose's Pawn Shop performs all 4 days of the popular music festival in Virginia, including performing on the festival's main stage with an attendance of over 10,000 people.

7/20/2007 Georgia Theatre Athens--Athens, GA
Rose's Pawn Shop plays the famous Georgia Theatre.

October 2006 CMJ Music Festival/Parkside Lounge Residency--New York, NY
Rose's Pawn Shop performs a month long residency at New York's Parkside Lounge including a CMJ Music Marathon showcase.

9/29/2006 Nemo Music Festival (TT the Bears)--Boston, MA
Rose's Pawn Shop is a featured artist at the well respected Nemo Music Festival in Boston.

9/18/2006 The Basement--Nashville, TN
Rose's Pawn Shop featured at ASCAP showcase.

8/3/2006 The Knitting Factory--Los Angeles, CA
Rose's Pawn Shop performs as a finalist and wins the Billboard Magazine and Discmakers' Independent Music World Series, winning $5000 and over $20,000 in prizes. Rose's Pawn Shop was in competition with over 1,200 bands, narrowed down to 6 finalists, and won the 2006 Billboard Magazine and Discmakers' Independent Music World Series.

6/7/2006 Henry Fonda Theater--Los Angeles, CA
Opened for Jack White and the Raconteurs.

In addition to these highlights, below is a partial list of some of the well-respected venues Rose's Pawn Shop has performed at over the last 2 years:

The Troubadour-- Los Angeles, CA
The Key Club-- Los Angeles, CA
Continental Club-- Austin, TX
12th & Porter-- Nashville, TN
The Derby-- Los Angeles, CA
The Rhythm Room-- Phoenix, AZ
College of Santa Fe-- Santa Fe, NM
Arlene's Grocery-- New York, NY
The Living Room-- New York, NY
Mountain Music & Jam Fest-- WV
The Delancy-- New York, NY
House of Blues-- Anaheim, CA
The Hi-Ho-- New Orleans, LA
Santa Fe Bandstand--Santa Fe, NM

Press Reviews

"Not an Empty Seat in the House" Phoenix New Times
"I only want the best," Mallette [of Hillgrass Bluebilly Entertainment] explains, "so if a national act is touring with a buddy band and I don't think the other band is up to standard, fine; I'll pay them $250 not to play."

But there was no need to pay off the opening act for tonight. Los Angeles band Rose's Pawn Shop is a big enough draw on its own, and when the band takes the stage around 9 p.m., there's not an empty seat in the house.

Bass player Derek Asuan-O'Brien is thumping away on his glittery red, double-king-size upright bass, which is adorned with a Hillgrass Bluebilly sticker. RPS's banjo player, "Captain John" Kraus, is not here ("He got scurvy," singer Paul Givant jokes from the stage), but fiddle player Sebastian St. John more than makes up for Captain John's absence, playing a furious fiddle that sounds like the devil went down to Georgia, started a riot, lit the state on fire, and then ran back to hell laughing with all the virgins in the South tucked under his arms.

Although Rose's Pawn Shop is an alt-country band, they play so fast that you could literally bang your head to the rhythms. Aside from strange, fiddle-riddled covers of Another Bad Creation's "Iesha" and The Misfits' "Skulls," RPS's set was met with a roar of applause.

"Hillgrass Bluebilly are good people," Givant says into the mic. "Thanks for bringing us out."

"Club Promoters or Booking Agents in Need of a Vital, Rootsy Rock Band That Puts Out Lots of Energy Can Find it in Rose's Pawn Shop"
Music Connection
... any club promoters or booking agents in need of a vital, rootsy rock band that puts out lots of energy can find it in Rose's Pawn Shop. "Arsonist" and "Funeral Pyre" offer plenty of light and heat, with mandolin, fiddle and a standup bass providing the thumping heartbeat of the music. Vocals by Paul Givant have a combination of strength and sweetness that is consistently appealing.

Disc Makers and Billboard Magazine
Most of you should be familiar with Disc Makers, the company that provides CD replication services to unsigned artists. Recently they held the Disc Makers Independent Music World Series (IMWS) West showcase in Los Angeles.

This showcase was open to bands of all genres and so it's very pleasing to see the bluegrass/rock band Rose's Pawn Shop walk away as the grand prize winner.

Rose's Pawn Shop was one of six finalists competing before a panel of fourteen judges that included Bobby Borg, the author of "The Musicians' Handbook: A Practical Guide to Understanding the Music Business" and instructor at UCLA, Rob Hoffman, a producer and songwriter who has worked with legendary artists like Michael Jackson, The Temptations, Etta James and Christina Aguilera, and entertainment lawyer Owen Sloane, who currently represents Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty, The Pink Spiders and the American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry.

Rose's Pawn Shop is a band of 20-somethings who play bluegrass infused rock with banjo, guitars, mandolin, fiddle, pedal steel, upright bass and drums.

Top 10 Albums of 2006 Jennifer Webb - About.com
1) Keith Urban - Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing
2) Chris Young - Chris Young
3) Rose's Pawn Shop - The Arsonist
Those of you reading this list might say "Who?" when reading the group name Rose's Pawn Shop, but their album really made an impression on me. I can barely tear myself away from listening to their special blend of Bluegrass / Appalachian and "whatever the heck" else kind of music and instruments they feel like throwing in to the mix. The whole album captures listener's attention from the first note to the last. That's what I love about any album.
4) George Strait - It Just Comes Natural
5) Josh Turner - Your Man
6) Rhonda Vincent - All American Bluegrass Girl
7) Jake Owen - Startin' With Me
8) Montgomery Gentry - Some People Change
9) Tracy Byrd - Different Things
10) Julie Roberts - Men & Mascara

"Driving Their Own Van Under the Radar" Pop Matters.com
Hearing a good, well-recorded debut release from an unsigned band always makes me wonder at the volume of such similar acts that must exist across the globe. Probably a great many of them play within genres that either aren't highly marketable or are flooded with other artists who have the right haircut and are more aggressively managed.

Meanwhile, the talented group of musicians and songwriters who comprise Los Angeles quintet Rose's Pawn Shop are driving their own van under the radar.

These 20-something guys actually have the right look; they're just playing the wrong instruments. Sartorially, they suggest urban indie rock; instrumentally, however, the group are decidedly more rural.

Acoustic guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, pedal steel, and upright bass combine with the standard rock band trinity of drums and electric bass and guitar for a new take on the old alt-country idea of channeling roots music through the grittier tones of rock and roll.

On The Arsonist, Rose's Pawn Shop's solid debut album, the stylistic marriage favors the roots over the rock, but the oomph of the latter certainly keeps the former from taking over.

These Boys Might Just Might Be the Guys Who Save Country Music
Steve Werner
Rose's Pawn Shop's brilliant new CD, "The Arsonist" kicks down the door on
what is called country music around here. Deftly and soulfully blurring
elements of bluegrass, punk, folk, alt-country, pop music and even a taste
of Klezmer, RPS lays down a sound as original as it is familiar.

I first heard the song "Deep Red Clay" a couple of years ago played live,
and thought it was some traditional rural standard that had somehow
escaped me. When I learned it was written by Paul Givant I knew I had
stumbled upon a quite formidable new American songwriter. His lyrics and
melodies have the timeless crackle of the ages. Don't however relegate
them to the stagnant backwaters of the bib-overall old-timey crowd because
this album RAWKS.

Givant's vocals have a sweetness and sincerity that resonates even in the
fastest numbers. It 's more in the neighborhood of Glenn Tilbrook
(Squeeze) than to anyone in the country field which is one more thing that
sets this band apart. There's no bullshit here. It's more downtown than
rural route. For all the steel guitars and banjos, there's no phony
alt-country hee-haw, just the pure voice of a real man singing from the
heart. Whether you're surrounded by cornfields, or concrete, that's
country, my friend.

Fiddler/Mandolinist Sebastian St. John is just a monster. He is some kind
of mutant wunderkind drastically upping the ante on fiddle playing. If
Vassar Clements and Eddie Van Halen had a kid he would be Sebastian St.
John. Make no mistake that this is a giant talent at work here.

The sound of RPS is cohesive, tight and the arrangements well thought-out,
taking the listener on a dynamic roller coaster ride. The wicked fast drum
beats and balls-out playing of barnburners like "the Arsonist" and "Lone
Rider" contrast nicely to slower numbers like "One Man Show" and the
absolutely beautiful "Reckoning." It's an album filled with ghostly steel
guitars, slapping bass, ringing banjos and wild fiddling. It is also chock
filled with some of the most gorgeous harmony singing since the Eagles.
Harmony singing is what separates great bands from good ones. RPS will get
your arm hairs up and leave 'em up.

Pay close attention to these guys. In the age where most country music is
horrible watered down corporate pop crap we need Rose's Pawn Shop and we
need them bad. The door they are kicking down needs kicking down. I've
said it before, these boys might just might be the guys who save country
music.

"Five Stars" About.com
Guide Rating - Five Stars
Bottom Line:
Who would have guessed that a group of twenty-somethings would create such a spectacular collection full of bluegrass & Appalachian sounding music. They are originally a rock band, too. All ten songs were written by lead vocalist Paul Givant & the music was arranged by all members of the band. This group infuses upright bass, drums, pedal steel, mandolin, fiddle, & banjos in an innovative way that is well beyond their years. This album is sure to be a favorite of mine for 2006.

Right off the bat, Rose's Pawn Shop shoots out of the gate with their music. "The Arsonist" is the album's title track and is about a woman who basically set the relationship on fire - and not in a good way. The man wants to let go but he's having trouble doing just that. "Eventually I'll be alright. Not tonight. Not tonight," he sings. Putting on his Sunday best is what the man does before holding a "Funeral Pyre" with all of his good-time friends. They'll set fire to the cans until he falls down on the floor laughing. Wanting to be alone to sort through his pain is what the man sings about in "One-Man Show." "I'm comfortable here on my own" is what he says to the woman in case she is out there listening. From the musical introduction to "Lone Rider," you think it will be a rather slow song until it breaks into the thumping upright bass and mandolin playing.

Another song about being lonely is "Long Way To Fall." The woman had his spirits up so high she would never understand how far he has to go to hit rock bottom. "Reckoning" features a prominent mandolin backdrop before getting a little bit heavier when talking about getting revenge. "My Old Valentine" finds a man thinking about the relationship he once shared with a woman he has a hard time forgetting. "I know you're somewhere out there. You're the darkness in day." I love how "Down The Line" is a bit softer sounding with more focus on the vocals. It really showcases the harmony shared between the group members and shows how great lead singer Paul Givant is at writing. The second song that really features the group's harmony vocals is the last track - "Blood Running Rivers." It is a song leaving the lyrics open to your own interpretation. Instead of the message being clear, you find yourself thinking about what the song means to you.

It's One Church on Fire against the Backdrop of an Entire City Ablaze
Miles of Music
At first impression, Rose's Pawn Shop comes off as a kick-ass bluegrass band of the
traditional variety.

But so many things quickly inform your perception of this Los Angeles area quintet that no one pigeon fits the hole. One thing is certain, though; their warmth and energy is super satisfying.

The nervous system of the band is decidedly rock 'n' roll, with resounding drums and blazing electric guitars ready to flare.

But the blood is a rural type composed of banjos, acoustic guitars, mandolin, fiddle, pedal-steel, and acoustic bass, which at times carries the groove with tight rockabilly slap action.

Unusual for bluegrass, but perfectly in line here with so many other influences seamlessly infusing the body of their exciting sound; pop, rock, punk, classic and honky-tonk country all work together never leaving a disparate mix in the wake.

Lyricist and lead vocalist Paul Givant offers an inviting focal point with a lilting melodic flair, at times sounding a bit like Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze. But mostly his congenial voice is a warm and sympathetic force - filled with equal parts yearning and wonder - pained just enough to convey the classic themes of heartache that inspire all great country songs.

The band's collectively composed material leaves plenty of room for harmonies, coming from both within the group and from the help of friends.

The chooglin', Western-themed "Lone Rider" has a congregational call and response quality and is an exciting standout.

But then again, it's one church on fire against the backdrop of an entire city ablaze.

"You'll Be a Fan for Life" Joshua Olson, Kill Your FM Magazine
Rose's Pawn Shop brings something new (and quite lacking) to the current musical scene - Originality. Not quite country, Not quite bluegrass, but a wonderful mix of genres that results in a wonderful treat for the ears. The moment I first heard "Arsonist," I knew I'd be hooked for life. Discard what you know, or think you know, about country music and bluegrass and listen. You'll be a fan for life."

"Prize-Worthy in Every Way" Daily News
...this young Pasadena-based outfit sounds like a latter-day Byrds. But there's as much West Virginia as there is L.A. in their hard-driving, eclectic and tightly arranged country rock even when the psychedelic, Celtic and Indian raga elements come to the fore. Inventive songwriting also makes this collection of drinking, stumbling-through-life and, yes, fire-starting tunes prize-worthy in every way.

"Drunken Swagger" OC Weekly
John Kraus is a Fullerton guitarist who's helped shape two of the best bands to arise from the Paris of North Orange County in the past 15 years: Trip the Spring and Bodie. But he's also got this really weird thing for the sea and probably wouldn't mind being kidnapped by pirates.

So, knowing Kraus' maritime predilection, as well as his passion for music, it's not surprising that Rose's Pawn Shop, a rather terrific group of bluegrass-leaning alt.-country types from Los Angeles, chose him to round out their ensemble. After all, it was Anglo-Celtic folk ballads and sea chanteys brought over the Atlantic that birthed this kind of music.

The music comes from instruments you'd expect: fiddle, mandolin, banjo, upright bass, pedal steel guitar and the like. But where a lot of multi-instrument bands overpower their songs through too much sound, the six members of Rose's support and embellish, rather than blaze through, the material. This gives lead vocalist and principal songwriter Paul Givant's genuine sense of melody and songwriting craft room to be heard.

That's not to imply Rose's lacks edge or drunken swagger; any band that covers the Misfits and has a song including a call and response of "I fucked Bill Gates, did you fuck Bill Gates?" isn't sleepwalking through a set. It's just that they seem to care about the songs as much as the delivery. Rather than Bushmill's and sweaty pubs, Rose's is moonshine and the Appalachians. The music can still knock you on your ass, but it's just as good around a roaring fire as it is out of speakers.

"Yeah, We Said Bluegrass" Phoenix New Times
The Weary Boys and Rose's Pawn Shop show is the best double bill in bluegrass for both purists and evolutionists. RPS has a malleable alt-country sound, wrapped up in skillfully crafted songs with vocal harmonies and elaborate instrumentation, like "Lone Rider," which opens with what sounds like a banjo sounding like a sitar and gallops into a wicked, fast-paced country duster. But they still sound civilized. The Weary Boys, on the other hand, are old school right down to the sepia-tinged photo of the big-bearded band on the inside CD sleeve of their latest album, the impressive Jumpin' Jolie. Some of the songs, like the title track, mix blazing bluegrass with back-porch country, causing an uncontrollable urge to roll up one's jeans and dance barefoot, while other songs, like the ballad "Drink On It," just hang out in the room with you like a bottle of good booze (moonshine, probably). But almost all of the songs feature a fiddle. With The Weary Boys' repertoire of smooth bluegrass and old-time country, and Rose's Pawn Shop's mix of mutated bluegrass and catchy country, this promises to be one hot honky-tonk.

"Uncovering Hidden Gems in Rose's Pawn Shop"
By Chris Parton, CMT.com, July 16th, 2009
I went to see Rose's Pawn Shop Tuesday night (July 14) at the 5 Spot not knowing what to expect, but left impressed and with a copy of their 2006 CD, The Arsonist. Singer-songwriter Paul Givant leads this L.A. based band and gave the audience a look at his interpretation of modern folk rock - mainly that it should be fast, danceable and alternate between gritty and pretty sounding. Thinking of a way to describe them, I came up with the energy and rhythm of the Pogues (if they were a bluegrass band), Charlie Daniels fiddle and sensitive vocals that reminded me of Ben Kweller's recent Changing Horses. The up-tempo tracks like "Lone Rider" were standouts in the bar setting, but check out my favorites "Funeral Pyre" and "Down the Line" to see what I mean about the Kweller comparison. With ringing steel guitars that don't seem an inch out of place, I would love to hear a whole album of tracks like those, but for the time being I'm happy to have stumbled on these hidden gems.

"Bluegrass out of California? You can find it at Rose's Pawn Shop"
By Steve Wildsmith, The Daily Times, July 9th, 2009
No doubt, bluegrass godfather Bill Monroe had no idea when he helped start the genre that it would have the reach that it does today.

Take Paul Givant, of the Los Angeles-based band Rose's Pawn Shop, for example. A typical California boy, he found his way to roots music first through the Grateful Dead. But it was Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky" that struck a chord within him that continues to resonate today.

"There's a sound to it that just really drew me in, and I started listening to a lot of old, traditional stuff," Givant told The Daily Times this week. "I also started listening to more modern Americana, like Gillian Welch. What I love about the music, both traditional and new, is that the songs -- to me -- have a timeless aspect. It doesn't sound dated.

"It sounds old and new at the same time, and I really kind of strive to write material like that. It speaks to a universal human experience rather than songs about the latest dance craze, or whatever it might be that you get from pop music. It really draws you in."

Growing up in California's San Fernando Valley, Givant was exposed to a melting pot of modern music -- punk, country, rap, pop and rock. In high school, he joined a number of bands, but by 2004, he had gravitated toward a more folk-oriented sound, and a year later, he was part of a band that would morph into Rose's Pawn Shop. Like The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show and The Felice Brothers, Rose's Pawn Shop combines old-school sounds with youthful energy and rock 'n' roll attitude, a marriage that makes for a feverish, spirited live show that veers from raw and wild to transcendent and ethereal.

"When I first started, I had been writing songs for a while, but not in that style," he said. "When I really got the spark to write in that folk/Americana way, the first few songs came pretty easy. I even took some songs I'd written before and put some old-style instrumentation to them, and I found that when I took them and played them that way and added some harmony vocals, they fit nicely.

"Songwriting is such a fickle process. Sometimes it's really, really easy; sometimes, it seems impossible. What I try to do is write about experiences in my own life but also take some of the imagery you find in American folk and applying it to my own personal experiences. I defitely don't try to write like I was born in the Appalachian mountains, because that's just not true. But I do take some of the imagery from the old folk songs and blend them into events in my own life."

It's been an organic process, he added, and it seems to have paid off -- the group released its debut album, The Arsonist, in 2006, receiving accolades from online and print publications. A month after it came out, the band showcased and won the grand prize in the "Independent World Music Series," sponsored by Discmakers and Billboard magazine. That summer, the members quit their day jobs and hit the road, touring across the United States. (They come through East Tennessee once a year, and Barley's usually features them on the bill -- as the venue will do Wednesday night -- during their stopover in East Tennessee.)

Cuckoobird.net Music Blog by Matthew Price
I recently came across an amazing bluegrass, rocknroll, western, rockabilly, punk band from L.A. called Rose's Pawn Shop. Their sound is very famiiar yet completely different from anything I've heard before. Rose's Pawn Shop does a wonderful job of taking aspects of all sorts of styles and making something that is new and all their own.

I was so impressed after streaming songs of their Myspace I immediately bought their album
The Arsonist from iTunes. The banjo, fiddle, upright bass, drums, guitar, accordion, mandolin and bouzouki all complement the vocals and make for a huge, energetic sound. But above all else, the inspired songwriting is what really makes me like these guys.

Rose's Pawn Shop will be playing SXSW next month and Floyd Fest in July. If you want to listen to some music that will get your feet moving and your blood flowing, check out Rose's Pawn Shop.

Get Out! Amarillo's Entertainment Guide -- Rose's Pawn Rocks With Bluegrass by Brad Newman
The shenanigans of an ex-girlfriend didn't stop Rose's Pawn Shop from playing its style of bluegrass rock

Before the group had a name, Rose (who was dating frontman Paul Givant at the time) sold all the band's gear to Los Angeles-area pawn shops after a disagreement with Givant.

"We had to drive all over town trying to find our stuff," Givant said. "It was a mess."

The incident, now a laughable memory, inspired the band's unique name, Givant said.

The band, which formed in mid-2005, will play at 10pm today at Hoot's Pup, 2424 Hobbs Road.

The concert will be the group's first Amarillo gig.

"We've driven through Amarillo several times on previous tours," Givant said. "This time, we made a concerted effort to play there."

The band (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, upright bass, fiddle and drums) will perform its unique blend of bluegrass, punk rock and country music.

"Our sound has a bluegrass foundation, but once the drums and electric guitar gets in there, it takes a different turn," Givant said.

The band released its first and only album to date, The Arsonist, in 2006. A follow-up record is in the works. The band will perfom songs from its album, plus new material and a few cover songs.

"We're always aiming to give everyone a good time," Givant said. "Our shows are high-energy and packed with real dance-able music."

AOL's The Boot
New Faces: Rose's Pawn Shop
By Vernell Hackett, November 18th, 2009
www.theboot.com/2009/11/18/roses-pawn-shop/
ARTIST: Rose's Pawn Shop
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, California
SOUNDS LIKE: Del McCoury meets Mick Jagger
CURRENT SINGLE: "The Arsonist"
WHY WE DIG 'EM: Rose's Pawn Shop use basic bluegrass and country instruments but infuse their tunes with a rock edge that keeps heads bobbing throughout their live shows. Leader Paul Givant grew up surrounded by the sounds of everything from punk to country and rap, but fell in love with American folk and bluegrass. The band's debut CD, The Arsonist, with its combination of banjos, guiatrs, mandolin, fiddle, upright bass, pedal steel and drums, has brought immediate critical acclaim. The guys quit their day jobs, hit the road and never looked back. And if you're curious about the name, it's right out of a country song. Paul's ex-girlfriend and former band mate stole the band's instruments and gear and sold them at the local pawn shop. What else could they do?!

Rose's Pawn Shop
By Jason Heller, February 25th, 2010
www.westword.com/2010-02-25/music/rose-s-pawn-shop/
Rose's Pawn Shop may forever attract cheap punchlines about the aptness of its name; after all, the group sports more insturments that the back room of a run-down secondhand shop. But a fair listen to the music should put a dead stop to any assholery. Amid the banjo, upright bass, fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki, lyra, pedal steel and accordion is a rich, riveting body of songs that balance hill-steeped rootsiness and a peripheral worldliness. Not that the Shop's bluegrass-tinted debut, The Arsonist, will ever get confused with Gogol Bordello -- though there is a similarly rousing feel to both that bridges the gap between folksy depth and ass-shaking frenzy. The Shop's new full-length, Dancing on the Gallows, is due this summer, so expect plenty of road-testing at this 3 Kings hoedown.