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Blurring the line between aggressive melodic rock and hook-driven emo, Roses Are Red came together in late 2002 in Rochester, NY. Initially called Nobody Cares, the band ran into legal issues due to a late-'80s Columbia Records act of the same name; they had grown tired of the apathy-oriented jokes directed at them anyhow, so changing to their current moniker wasn't a real problem. At the time, Roses Are Red comprised vocalist Vincent Minervino, drummer Michael Lasaponara, bassist Brad Gilboe, and guitarists (and brothers) Brian Gordner and Matthew Gordner. Incidentally, though, Minervino was originally the band's drummer, but switched to vocals at the start of recording their first demos. Claiming influences like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, the quintet debuted in spring 2003 with the ten-song Handshakes and Heartbreaks on Enterprise Records. (The album went out of print and was reissued in late 2004.) Touring behind Handshakes, the guys soon caught the attention of Trustkill and had sig...