I'm a Graphic Designer by trade and a hobbyist mixer. I currently dabble in Garage Band

Formed in Lawrence, Kansas in 2005. They've released 7 albums, 2 EPs, 2 Splits, and a butt load of other songs. Most famous for their President songs and for drinking water on stage. They have been based out of Manhattan, KS, Omaha, Wichita, and Kansas City, but now somehow made their way back to Lawrence. They often get compared to They Might Be Giants. They average about 2 shows a year. They don't get out much.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7FWoJmjaZwtidHPIi4h0er?si=XuvXYvj_RwCr7Rc1P86ivA

Singer/songwriter/guitarist making alt-folk, baroque psychedelia & art rock. Neurodivergent, optimist, anarchist, avid gardener, former graphic designer & aspiring sound engineer. 

Combining 60s psychedelia, alternative folk, art rock, baroque pop and gothic post-punk, The Mad Pride has been described as haunting & ominous like a Tim Burton film soundtrack made by Syd Barrett & David Bowie. Reviewers have made comparisons to Radiohead, Midlake, Meat Puppets, David Sylvian, Erik Satie, Frank Zappa, Nick Cave & even Leonard Cohen. 

The Mad Pride is a reference to the movement “MAD PRIDE” which aims to increase awareness about neurodiversity, the mental healthcare system, psychiatric survivors and the rampant epidemic of ableist abuse targeting vulnerable people.

It began as a fun idea to make demo recordings of my original songs in case I forgot them. Slowly it transformed into a solo home recording project that allowed me to explore a mysterious and exciting place. An almost physical place that is beyond “sound” and “music”. Beyond the superficial vibrations forming the medium and through the emotional catharsis that makes up the message we find ourselves arriving at the only logical conclusion. That only one path leads away from a devastating nightmarish future. It doesn’t lead to riches and it doesn’t lead to Rome. It leads to a revolution of love.

I don’t know the landmarks (or genres as you call them) but I’m certain we can build something wonderful there. I lack the music theory that empowers and homogenises so many others but it’s alright because I’ve made my own. It doesn’t have words, just feelings. A sprawling landscape of emotions that I can scarcely even describe – except through song, My real name is Rowan Galagher but feel free to call me Rosie. 

My first 4 albums are free to download on Soundcloud. I’m currently finishing my 5th album, an endeavour which was delayed for over a decade while the rental crisis vanquished the physical spaces I would have used to write and record. Despite the greed-fuelled delay, I’m finally back in my happy place. A happy place built out of excessive trauma and hopes for positive cultural change. It’s like a messed up “Koom by yah” accompanied by a wood-chipper and a sad clown with a kazoo.

"If you mix the elements from Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Syd Barrett and Radiohead, you’ll get this music, in the most creative way." 
- acuvi - acuvi.org

“Psychedelic 60s gone noir cabaret with 80s goth production: watery guitars, icy keys and vintage Bowie-esque vocals.” 
- Delarue - New York Music Daily

“I recently came across some incredible stuff… The songs bear some resembles to Syd Barret, Tom Waits, Nick Cave or Cohen, this is interesting stuff for sure… I’m posting this because I think it’s worth it.”
- Netanderthalian – Grateful Breed Blog – A Psychedelicious Corner

"The Mad Pride is a good example of Folk Noir (“dark folk”) that also plays with some late 60′s dark psychedelic folk melodies. Galagher has been compared to Syd Barrett and the comparison is apt." 
- Matt Coleman - The Music Court Blog

“The variety here is amazing. The songs run the range from soft, almost acoustical to moody and experimental enough to be the sound track to a Tim Burton movie. They each push the limits of their genre. Be sure and listen to them all as they are very different and there is sure to be something you really like.”
- Jane W – fanrealm.com

“Rowan Galagher’s music is amazing. One minute it has you thinking “Pink Floyd” the next something entirely different. There is an ebb and flow to it that makes The Mad Pride beautiful to listen to.”
- Paddy – Only Australian Music Blog Archive

“Touches of the fragile detachment of Radiohead and a spectrum of dramatic emotion all take up residence under an ominous sky."
- Mr Atavist – Sunrise Ocean Bender

Chad Thomas Johnston is a writer, blogger, artist, singer-songwriter, and publicist who resides in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife Rebekah, their daughter Evangeline, and five felines.  He is represented by Seattle-based literary agent Jenée Arthur, who is currently shopping his manuscript, "The Stained-Glass Kaleidoscope: Essays at Play in the Churchyard of the Mind," to publishing houses. He is a regular contributor to IMAGE Journal's "Good Letters" blog at Patheos.com.  He has also written for The Baylor Lariat, and contributed a feature to ex-Melody Maker music journalist/Nirvana biographer Everett True's CollapseBoard.com.

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