Rocky Votolato

Burning My Travels Clean

BY Cam LindsayPublished Apr 1, 2002

Hand him a guitar and a microphone and he will melt your heart. This must have been someone’s idea when Rocky Votolato learned how to play guitar at the age of 13. Burning My Travels Clean is an emotional whirlwind of heartbroken ballads and heart wrenching confessions. Like Chris Carraba, of Dashboard Confessional, Votolato (of Waxwing infamy) plays with his heart pinned firmly to his sleeve, sounding vulnerable at all times. The music around him is simple and quiet, never overshadowing his gentle voice. Covering the genres of indie, country and folk, Votolato’s acoustic tenderness on tracks like the slide guitar-filled "Don’t Walk Out On Me” and the quiet "Like Silver” should get Votolato just about anyone, or thing, he wants. Burning My Travels Clean should be a lesson to any lonely person out there: pick up a guitar and write songs like these, because this is the best way to win someone’s heart.
(Second Nature)

Latest Coverage