Roses & Cigarettes Release Their Final Music Video, “Echoes and Silence” (premiere)

In just about six short years, Roses & Cigarettes have forever solidified their place among Americana giants. From the get-go, the duo’s Angela Petrilli and Jenny Pagliaro shined through in their music with performances that showcased their rootsy grit and natural bond as artists of a feather. After releasing their debut album in 2015, Roses & Cigarettes decided on pursuing a promotional tour to be set during the autumn of that same year. However, it was unfortunately cut short when Pagliaro was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer.

Her sickness later metamorphosed into Stage IV a year later, but even in the face of a life-threatening illness, the duo persisted. Following through with a renewed tour, Pagliaro and Petrilli hit the road, stunning audiences throughout the States along the way while opening for heavyweights on the circuit like Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters, Amanda Shires, and Marc Broussard. Following up on this success, Roses & Cigarettes later released a 2018 acoustic EP, as well as a second full-length production earlier this year entitled Echoes and Silence.

It was a little over a month later that Pagliaro sadly passed away at the age of 35 on 26 March 2019. Still, alongside Petrilli, Roses & Cigarettes have persisted with a presence in roots music to remember. Directed by Freddy Hernandez, the duo’s final music video sees them doing what they do best, playing music, amidst a gorgeous seaside backdrop. Hernandez effortlessly captures the electricity that Roses & Cigarettes are known for, and it is a hauntingly beautiful tribute to the phenomenal highs of their work together.

Petrilli tells PopMatters, “‘Echoes and Silence’ is about feeling lost, like no one can understand you. It explores the feelings you have when journeying through darkness and loneliness. The song started off as a guitar idea I had. I remember grabbing my acoustic guitar late one night after coming home from a gig. The chord structure presented itself to me almost out of nowhere. It had a different vibe from any R&C songs Jenny and I had written previously, but I had the gnawing feeling it was meant to be one of our songs. I sent the chord structure over to Jenny and what she created was such a beautiful melody filled with haunting imagery. We wanted to name the album after this song because ‘Echoes and Silence’ was the song that catapulted both Jenny and me into a new level of songwriting.”

“Jenny was a force. I miss her every day. She was the Mick to my Keith. Performing her songs brought her such deep joy. I am so thankful to have been a part of her journey and that our souls found one another to write the music we did together.”

“This video was shot on location on Cape Cod in Massachusetts in September 2018. Cape Cod held such a special place in Jenny’s heart, and it was an amazing experience to be able to shoot our video there. Our director Freddy Hernandez did a stellar job illustrating the themes of our song in this video!”