"The pure joy shared to the crowds by the legends of blues. About the future, we not only hope, but truly believe, the blues will remain ”alive and well”, as the great Buddy Guy said it."

The Southern Cockroaches: Blues Stories

The Southern Cockroaches is a Romanian blues band formed in 2014, in the city of Craiova by piano and harmonica player Dorian Rosu. The members gradually came together, with the components now being: Dorian Rosu (”Lazy Red”) on keyboards, piano and harmonica, Bogdan Miscoci Ionut (”The Bearded Man”) – vocals, Dorian Cucu on electric guitar, Edi Oprea (”The Hat Man”) on rhythm guitar, Matei Razvan (”The Teacher”) on bass guitar, Ovidiu Chiva (”The Big Chief”) on drums and percussion and Alina Miscoci on backing vocals.                          (Photo: The Southern Cockroaches)

They first started having gigs at local pubs and from 2017 they hit the stage and began playing at blues festivals around the country. They performed at every ”Open Air Blues Festival Brezoi” editions (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). In 2020, 2021 they participated at  ”Open Air Blues In The Garden” in Darmanesti (Bacau, Romania) and in 2021 they performed at ”Suceava Blues Fest” as well. The band is curently working on their debut album “Whispers of Blues”, a collection of original songs, inspired by artists such as BB King, Muddy Waters and Freddie King. The Southern Cockroaches will be the Romanian participation at the European Blues Challenge, Chorzów in Poland (June 1-3, 2023).

Interview by Michael Limnios

How has the Blues music influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?

Through the blues music we realized the world could seem very small, meeting people that we could not have met otherwise.

How do you describe your sound and songbook? Where does your creative drive come from?

Our inspiration comes from true life stories which we tell through blues.

Why do you think that the Blues music continues to generate such a devoted following in Europe?

The thrill that keeps the blues alive it’s the fact that the music its apparently simple but also very deep and direct, reaching the souls of a large number of people.

What would you say characterizes Romanian blues scene in comparison to other European scenes?

We think the Romanian blues scene has a unique flavor, because of our musical background and traditional music influences.

What do you miss most nowadays from the blues of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

The pure joy shared to the crowds by the legends of blues. About the future, we not only hope, but truly believe, the blues will remain ”alive and well”, as the great Buddy Guy said it.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

We learned to believe in ourselves, to enjoy the journey living every moment like its all that matters.

(Photo: The Southern Cockroaches, Romania)