(Order of the) White Rose

Music:

Member Since: 6/30/2005
Band Website: whiterosepunk.com
Band Members: Steve Hart (Guitar),Nate Robertson (Drums), Noah Robertson(Bass/Lead Vocals), Dusty(Guitar)

"You guys are good! Cool Music!" -----Mike Garson, Pianist for David Bowie

"Nicely done, fairly straight-forward political punk with a kind of dark, almost apocalyptic undertone that still holds onto a decent amount of variance between songs. As in, you know who you’re listening to for sure, they never hop genres, but the songs don’t blend into one thirty-minute opera either. Vocally, the guy’s got his screech down, reminding me a bit of the crooner from Leftover Crack, and there’s the added blessing that the dude’s actually singing about stuff and you can make out what he’s saying. The songs, like I said, come across as varied while still keeping consistent hooks and punch in there—each song’s built on a bedrock of catchiness. Mostly mid-tempo, War Machine kicks it up a few times here and there, most notably on “Armchair General” and “Guilty.” As a whole, it’s a decent outing, and one that’s gotten more than a few plays around here". ----–Keith Rosson, Razorcake

"Dear White Rose, Thank you for releasing one of the best demos I've reviewed so far this year. The lyrics are political, well-composed, and- thankfully-original. Their sound is hard to pin down but it floats somewhere between Amebix and East Coast Hardcore; well, let's just go ahead and say it's something all it's own. And, it's great." ----Ariel Awesome, Maximum Rock N Roll, December 2006

"Killer punk that has the impact of a bullet train. Hard hitting, hellishly good drumming, heavy lyrics, and, apparantly, highly Hawaiian."---Rocktober 43

"War Machine delivers intrinsic in your face lyrics, and obviously has rekindled the raw hardcore sound of yesterday that fundamental punk lovers yearn for in todays punk scene... This band has found its niche with hardcore riffs and angst filled vocals. Throw in some politically aware lyrics, with a tinge of world awareness and you have a recipe only known as White Rose and that is the one of the best punk sounds Ive sampled in quite a while. Have a listenbut be ready to buy it because you will. -Jill Janovitz, PunkMusic.com

"ORDER OF THE WHITE ROSE-War Machine (Unitree Recordings, CD) A nice combination of styles -Order of the White Rose are from Hawaii but this ain't no happy-sounding summer music. Politically charged songs, plain-spoken and direct. OOTWR draw from both straight-ahead punk and some of the UK anarcho bands. Burning riffs and haunting melodies, as well, along with the occasional reggae rhythm. No matter the feel of the song, it's angry and impassioned. An impressive debut."----Al Quint, Suburban Voice

"Wow, Hawaiian hardcore!" This band rocks some scorching political hardcore with basic but succinct tunes and lyrics. "White Rose" sounds best on tracks like "In Control" and "Exposed" where they ditch the tried-and-true anthemic hardcore and go for a more darkly tuneful sound, but the straightforward stuff works well too. We hope to see this band come to the continent someday..." ---Paul Curran/Maximum Rock and Roll

"Hawaii is usually associated with cinema images like the sea, the surfers, the traditional music and dancers; it's hard to think about it linked with social tensions and colonialism. White Rose is here to rip the postcard image with a blend of hungry tunes and intelligent lyrics, providing us with interesting and exciting music keeping clear of the usual schemes and cliches. Without doubt, one of those names you should keep in mind and totally support." ----Michele Giorgi, Staff Writer, Audiodrome.it

"White Rose is a rare thing in this or any other scene. More than the sum of their parts they are one of the most promising and uncompromising bands to not only make great music but to also make a stand..."
--Gannon Gilmore, Scumbag Tulip Fanzine, Hawaii

"(Order of The) White Rose Possess the history of Punk Rock and the fertility of youth. Old School meats New School, shaken and cut from the carcass of pain staking realism and social political relief. Assaulting and delivered with vermin and satire." ---Smelly Mustafa, leader of Plainfield/Rudolph/Boom and the Legion of Doom

"Infectious and aggressive punk rock from the Hawaiian Islands, White Rose slams out politically-charged tunes in the vein of old-skool 80's hardcore. This band doesn't just rock the boat, the blast it right out of the water!" ---T.R., D.J., Radical Noise Addiction, KTUH

White Rose's first CD, War Machine, is an album with a message, with a mission. The lyrics are latent with the themes be aware, question authority, beware of the loss of your freedoms, you are the answer, go out and do something. There is criticism of self-righteous government officials that view other countries as faceless enemies and make greed-based decisions from the comfort of their offices. They warn us not to be distracted by the meaningless frills thrown at us by corporations and governments every day. I am immediately reminded of Orwells Big Brother society in 1984 and the theme that the answer lies in the proles (i.e. us regular people).White Rose's succinct messages are integrated with equally hard-hitting punk rock guitar riffs, precise drumming, and intense scream-singing (or sing-screaming, depending on the song). The album begins with the self-titled song, White Rose, driven by quick-moving, progressive power chords and an equally driving cry to the listener to Open your eyes. Wake up! Wake up! Now that theyve got your attention, the rest of the album delivers its message through tempo-changing punk, slower heavy-metalish rock, and some almost poppy-hooky punk complete with hand-clapping.A couple of songs stand out on this album. No Flags, No Masters is a potent mix of words and music, beginning with a driving verse shouting No Flags, No Masters, what are we fighting for? that melts into a swanky chorus asserting Colors of hate destroy/ God is not a flag Unite. The longest song on the album is the punk epic, Who Would Jesus Bomb?, calling out the government for (erroneously) using Christian principles as justification of war: We are sick of the scandals and the buck is gonna stop with you!/(Criminal, Criminal, You should be on TRIAL!)/ Maybe its you, maybe its me and all the good people say/ Who would Jesus Bomb? Resist Despair is a heavy, yet propulsive song that defies stereotyping-based-on-image proclaiming I am not nothing at all/ I am not who you say I am/ I am more than all of this. The uplifting song feels like its about to break free at any moment, just like the people it represents.White Rose's War Machine will be available soon. It is engineered by Eric Helmkamp, cover art by Winston Smith, and filled with intelligent music by White Rose. What more do you need?----Katie Whitman, 808 Scene Zine

Order of the White Rose -War Machine This is the debut release from this three piece (now four piece) band all the way from Hawaii. There are 11 well put together tracks here that show a good bit of diversity in their musical influences, from raging punk rock/hardcore to some metal and a bit of ska thrown in as well. I definitely see a good future for these guys. ---Ken Ciderpunk, Profane Existence 54

"Melodic punk with good guitar work and sincere political lyrics"----Sorry Trees Fanzine

"White Rose are a three-piece political punk band from Hawaii. Their songs are pretty straight-forward without sounding cliche'. The upcoming CD, "War Machine" should be pretty good."------Slug And Lettuce

"War Machine" CDLP - UNITREE RECORDINGS Until a few months back, if someone had told me that Hawaii had hardcore bands, I would never have believed them. However now, I would, without a doubt, be proven whole-heartedly wrong and thus forced to eat massive amounts of the bitter dish ..."Humble Pie". I discovered the band when a member of theirs, Steve, posted on the Punkmusiccommunity.com forum. He wasn't there advertising his band, he was just there to talk about punk music. It wasn't until much later we all discovered he was in this fantastic hardcore outfit (Order of the) White Rose (Named after a group of students and their teacher who leafleted against Hitler’s dictatorship in Munich and were subsequently arrested and executed for doing so). White Rose are definitely there, on a small island off the main coast of Hawaii and they prove that there is definitely more to the small Islands than grass skirts, Ukuleles and palm trees (although there is plenty of that too). In the vein of bands such as Against Me, Rise Against and to a smaller extent 7 Seconds, they combine hardcore punk with softer melodic vocals but also with the belting, lung-rendering vocals that hardcore fans are so accustomed too. The music is played fast and hard in true punk rock fashion with all the technical ability of Dr. Know of the Bad Brains accompanied by some fantastic drumming and bass lines melding it together into one brilliant album. The album in question is "War Machine" which is 11 tracks of blasting hardcore punk with a political ire that burns deep within your soul. Stand out tracks are "White Rose" "In Control" "Armchair General" "Who would Jesus Bomb" and "Resist Despair" all making this album well with a listen. Their CD is available from their Myspace (being a DIY band) www.Myspace.com/whiterosepunk. Hope at least of you go and get a copy. All in all two thumbs up and if I had more thumbs, they’d go up too!" - Jake Filthy, Beat Motel Fanzine (UK)

"White Rose are a political-punk quartet from Hawaii producing a powerful wave of lyrically intense music. "War Machine" clearly captures the creative vision and core values of White Rose. Firm favourites are "In Control", "Guilty", "Lest We Forget", together with their thought-provoking track "Who Would Jesus Bomb?". Album artwork and band logo is by Dead Kennedys legendary designer Winston Smith." ---Justin Sancivens, Xtrememusic.org

"White Rose is coming from the punk rock, but they execute it [with] a variety of styles...a bit of hardcore and a big ol' handful of hard rock. They play mostly mid-tempo, but sometimes slow-tempo songs, but on the slower songs the instrumentation is deep enough to use the time wisely. The vocals are abrasively sung, which I really like." ---Maximum Rock N Roll

Review of our LIVE ON KTUH CDR

It was already clear that (Order Of The) White Rose had an innovative attitude and a strong will to push their limits. It was clear since War Machine, their last album, able to light our interest on this band coming from the Hawaii. The CD we are going to review is another proof of what I wrote above: it got peculiar aspects able to stress once again the polyhedric attitude of the White Rose. First of all, this is an album not intended to be sold, it's more a bonus the band offer to their contacts and direct customers. It's not even a real live album but more a work in progress obtained by recording new guitar tracks over a live recording at a college radio show. Usually, bands are able to get feedback on new tracks during shows and abroad tours, something a little bit hard for a band living in such an isolated place. So, here it is the innovative idea: to grab feedbacks with a work in progress CD. To add some extras, also the tracks from War Machine were restyled with such method, adding different guitar lines and parts deleted from the final recordings of the album: “Resist Despair” -i.e.- obtains an acoustic guitar line we could call perfect, “Lest We Forget” wear a new suit and “Seeds Of Destruction” is completely dissected and rebuilt, so you can think it's a brand new song. The new tracks offer the picture of a band able to maintain the original trademark, while improving their open-minded attitude. “Sky Breakers” is the winner: a sharp riffing turning into an epic suite and turning again into a punk anthem. “Ghosts Of The Sidewalk” got a real melodic edge and was born for a benefit campaign to help the homeless. “Silent Death” is, maybe, the new tune more similar to the classic White Rose trademark, while “Born To Die” got a noise side, it looks to be next to Amphetamine Reptile 90s releases, while maintaining a strong punk attitude. “When The Levees Break” is the darkest track, a sort of introduction to the dark-side of the Hawaiian bands. An interesting interview is also included as a bonus. A cool appetizer for the upcoming album. Of course, it's useless to rate such a peculiar release.---Michele Giorgi, www.audiodrome.it

Order of the White Rose -Live on Ktuh CDR
This live set was recorded on October 9th, 2006 at the University of Hawaii for a show called, "Monday Night Live." It contains several songs from their debut CD and four songs that were not included on the debut for some reason or another. There is also some interview stuff with the band included as well. Check it out.---Ken Ciderpunk, Profane Existence 5

REVIEWS OF THE GHOST OF THE SIDEWALK/SEEDS OF DESTRUCTION 7 INCH

Jesus noted in the Bible that giving a person a fish feeds them for a day, while teaching them to fish feeds them for a lifetime. But what do they eat while they're learning? Maui-based punk band Order of the White Rose is doing something to solve that problem by teaming up with Jason Miller and Hawaiian Express Records to release this limited-edition 45-rpm vinyl single as a fundraiser for the Hawaii Food Bank on Oahu and Maui. The band rocks hard on both sides. "Ghosts of the Sidewalk" expresses the feelings of a street person who feels the scorn of society but is willing to "... sacrifice my dignity/Just so you'll see me."
"Seeds of Destruction" offers a far more radical message in posing the question, "Who owns the food/While the people are starving?" But is armed violence a viable solution to problems of food distribution?
The vocal tracks for both songs are buried deep in the final mix, but the band helps make the message accessible by including most of the lyrics in the record cover. To order visit www.hwnexp.com." ---John Berger, Honolulu Star Bulletin, 07/27/07

Order of the White Rose- "Ghosts of the Sidewalk" EP
This is a benefit EP for food banks in Oahu and Maui. Order of the White Rose has been active in their area for some time now and it is exciting to hear this new record. This is a two-song 7" with a really interesting guitar sound that brings early Agent Orange to mind. And Order of the White Rose is out of Hawaii, which in itself is not so ordinary; the liner notes provide a bit of insight into this band and how they came about. A cool release overall. --Martin Sorrondeguy, Maximum Rock N Roll September 2007

Order Of The White Rose "Ghosts Of The Sidewalk 7”

Ghosts Of The Sidewalk is the latest single from Hawaiian punk rock outfit Order Of The White Rose, following up the debut of the epic album War Machine both released via their own label Unitree Recordings. White Rose is a long need breath into the stale lungs of punk rock. Their lyrics are as intelligent as they are heartfelt offering up a sense of political awareness and unity that has since become capitalized by today’s trend setters and record moguls. Which in itself comes across fresh as being fresh and new, offering the listeners a moment of sincerity that plucks our heartstrings and for those of us who have lived it we know now that we’re not alone. The record's title track comes from the experiences of homelessness and the loss of identity that follows, drawing from guitarist Steve Hart's time spent living such a life. The tracks brings to mind the classic Undead 7,” "The Invisible Man." On the flipside they offer us "Seeds Of Destruction," another hard hitting track, which has some of the most amazing drumming I’ve ever heard which gives Black Flags ROBO a run for his money. The song itself can be interpreted as life within an Orwellian-esque society that in turn mimics our own. The band members themselves are making zero profit off of this release stating that it would be wrong of them to profit off of the misfortunes of others, instead all proceeds are being handed over to homeless shelters across the Hawaiian islands. So be sure to add this soon to be classic piece of wax to your collection today and for only $5.00 PPD you can go wrong! -Kevin, Nor-Cal Anarchy Zine

"Its really hard to find fault with a single that not only sports top-notch artwork by Brian Walsby and Keith Rosson, but is also a benefit for food banks in Maui and Oahu (seems that, contrary to a well-ingrained image of it being paradise for the affluent, Hawaii has homeless people, too). It's even harder to find fault with said single when it sports two pop-edged punk tunes that not only know to exchew the "pop punk" but also know to get in there, rock the fuck out, and split before their welcome wanes. Kudos to all involved. -Jimmy Alvarado, Razorcake

Influences: Marginal Man, Die Kreuzen, Raw Power (ITALY), Red Rockers, Mr. Bungle, Jesu, Neu!, Iconoclast, The Ruts, MC5, The Stooges, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, Trey Spruance, Grinderman, Woody Guthrie, David Bowie, Bad Brains, The Wildhearts, Sour Jazz, Earth, King Tubby, Leo Tolstoy, Christopher Moore, Minor Threat, Buddy Holly, Chumbawamba, Eduardo Galeano, Pablo Neruda, Sister Double Happiness, Motorhead, Bedouin Soundclash, Billy Bragg, Ennio Morricone, Steve Earle, Lime Spiders, AC/DC, Radio Birdman, Joe Strummer and the Clash, The Aggrolites, Specials, Sex pistols, Khrinj, Hell caminos, Hank Williams III, Drive-By Truckers, Black Square, Gomega, 86 List, Black Flag, Only Crime, Green Day, Good Riddance, Bad Religion, Snfu, Bouncing Souls, Steel pulse, Ozzy, Dropkick Murphys, Dead Kennedys, Social Distortion, Anti-Flag, The Melvins, Nirvana, Agnostic Front, Rancid, Lars and the Bastards, Rage against the Machine, Motorhead, and Rancid amongst others.

Sounds Like:
Record Label: Unitree
Type of Label: None