Interview: La Rosa Noir represents the local music scene at Chicago’s Riot Fest

This year, Chicago’s legendary punk rock music festival took place for the 20th year in a row and they were committed to making the year special. Two weeks before the festival, Riot Fest organizers announced that three up and coming local bands would be added to the lineup  – La Rosa Noir being the first of the weekend playing on the Roots stage on Friday at 12pm.

Their draw was inspiring as they played their Midwest Surf tracks to friends, fans, and first time listeners. After their performance, they sat down with Stage Right Secrets and gave some insight into their progress, the writing process as they continue creating their next LP, and the community aspect of Chicago’s local music scene.

Micki Harris: I’m really excited that things are going so well for you all. It’s really awesome to see a local band and a Latinx band here play Riot Fest, and drawing such a good crowd. Can you talk about being asked to play Riot Fest and like what this has been like for you? 

Yeshi Regalado: Yeah. I mean, I got we got the invitation quite literally on my birthday. I was getting my hair dyed. I was getting my touch up, my bleached tiger stripes dyed, which takes a long time, you know how bleaching goes and I checked my email and they were like the “congrats, Riot Fest 2025” and I just started crying because you know, it was it ’s a dream come true. It’s like the epitome of what I wanted to accomplish as a musician. And that’s quite literally how we found out. 

Micki: What’s everyone’s relationship to this festival? 

Christian Ovalle: I’ve been going in and out, like, I skip a couple of years. So last time I went, The Devil Wears Prada was playing, and Slayer. 

Zach Riedler: Last year was my first year ever going to Riot Fest. 

Jannese Espino: I’ve never been. I always said I didn’t want to go until I played there.

Yeshi: I’ve been going since I was about like 16. So probably around the 2011, 2012. Yeah. It was in. So the first year, it was in [Humboldt Park] I went because I was like, well, that’s right by me. I was like, what the fuck this is so cool because I was so used to going to Tinley Park for Warped Tour. The fact there was like a neighborhood rock music festival to that magnitude in my neighborhood, I was like, dude, I gotta go. Cool. And I fell in love with it ever since. 

Micki: You guys put out your new single “Heart on My Sleeve” today! Was it intentional to release the song the day you played Riot Fest?

Jannese: Once we heard we [were set to play] Riot Fest, yeah. We were already recording and we were like, let’s see if we can have it done by the show. It worked out. 

Micki: Can you talk about the new song? 

Yeshi: Yeah, I mean, so Zach – Our new, fresh bassist over here. He was one that pitched the song … This is exactly why we knew he was our bassist because he pitched it like in like maybe, you know, the third month we were practicing as a band. And we immediately just latched onto it rhythmically and everyone, like, I always tell people: I never tell these guys what to write. I never tell them what to do as far as like writing, like, there’s a reason why you’re in this band because I trust you and your musicianship and that’s why you’re here. So anything you create, fuck yeah. 

Micki: So you guys write together, just in general?

Yeshi: Yes. And we can pitch melodies, but then we just build upon it. And Zach really came in. He was like, oh, I thought of a song and I think it’d be cool. And then, immediately we all just like jumped on into it. Christian was a beast immediately caught onto it. Jannese immediately caught onto it. I don’t know what it was, but like, I had some lyrics already ready to go. Like, it was just – It was so easy. So we quite literally wrote this song this year, released this year. 

Zach: From my perspective, it’s really funny, and I’ve talked with our producer about this as well: These guys have a really, really cool sound, so joining the band and then learning all the music, I was inspired by the music, so I ended up writing a riff. And I’m like, oh, it kind of incorporates some elements of this song and then some other elements of this song and then like, this next part kind of sounds like a third song and a fourth song combined. So it’s like, it really just came from inspiration off the album.

Micki: So there’s an album in the works? 

Yeshi: Hell yeah. 

Christian: Yeah. It’s different. It’s good but different. 

Micki: What’s different about it? 

Christian: We’re going for more like a new wave type [of sound].

Zach: It’s dark and dreamy. 

Yeshi: Yeah, because I feel like our original music is so [based off of] our primary bandmates. And they had their own introspective influences onto the sound, which we loved and appreciated at that time. Although, you know, as time passes, things change and our new amazing, beautiful, fantastic, badass bandmates – They have added this completely new elevated layer to the Rosa sound. And it’s crazy to me because I already had been listening to this kind of music. And the fact that they’re coming in either knowing or being inspired or liking that sound, just sort of naturally playing it – It’s such a fucking miracle.

I feel like with “Heart on My Sleeve,” it’s very, very, new wave-y, in my opinion. I’ve listened a lot of Blondie in regards to it, getting a lot of singing inspiration from it. So I feel like we have been definitely geared towards new wave, but I’ve also been very influenced by punk and the heavier rhythms that come with that. But I think that’s just naturally because we like just playing hard, so that’s just going to come out regardless. Even if we do play softer shit, that heavier, harder stuff is going to bleed through because that’s just who we are. And that will be inevitable to come out. 

Micki: So Heart on My Sleeve is a little bit of a taste of like the new sound? 

All: Yes!

Micki: What’s your favorite thing about being a musician and playing in Chicago? 

Jannese: The community, our peers. I really enjoy [other local bands’] music, I go to their shows a lot, I really enjoy what they do. I think it’s really cool that there are so many talented musicians out there that we get to play shows with. Every show feels like an event because of the people there – I really admire them. I’m just grateful for that, really. Having great peers to collaborate with. 

Christian: Every time I see them do something cool, I’m like I want us to do something cool too. It’s like a back and forth. 

Jannese: Yeah, it’s like, like, mutually inspiring. 

Yeshi: Yeah. I am so fucking proud of this city. I love Chicago, – The pride of I have for this city is like insurmountable. I love Chicago and I love the harshness. I love the love that it gives, and one of the main reason because the community of it is so strong. Even more specifically, the Latin American community in Chicago is so fucking strong. The Mexican American community. Whenever you see a brown, Like, you know, it’s like, ¡primo! [Talking with Gabe Saporta earlier in the day] as soon as [Gabe Saporta] was like, oh, yeah, I’m Central American, I was like ¡PRIMOOO! 

But that’s the thing: When you see someone that you recognize whether they either look like you or they’re from the same place as you, there’s like a deeper level of camaraderie. It’s a beautiful thing, and then you add the layer of like,Oh shit, we’re both rocker fools? Yeah, holy shit, we  most likely went through the same thing of like, our parents, like, ostracizing us and being, like, mad that we look how we want and listen to this shit.

But we’re out here doing it because we still so strongly feel that way. It’s just, it’s such an incredible thing. And then again, another reason why I love Riot Fest this much because [being with other people like me] reminds me that I’m not that weird, I’m not that, like… Different. There is a huge ass community that relates to me and feels similarly to me in regards to either being a rocker, being a musician, or so on. 

Zach: Yeah, to piggy back off the community thing: It’s like, these guys have been doing it together for seven years and we joined up more recently, but he’s been in bands before joining this project. I’ve been in bands joining the project. So we’ve all, like, made peers in the scene and it’s just kind of interesting to see, over the years, like, oh, yeah, I used to go see La Rosa when they were playing and they were playing like empty bar gigs to just the bartender. But then like also like friends of ours who are playing in bands started in the exact same position as they’re doing, you know, other cool things in the scene. So like what Janice was saying: Growing with the community and growing with your peers. It’s the growth and I think Chicago is very passionate, so it’s fun. 

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