Folk Artist Tops ChartsBerto Rotolo Dominates Post Civil War Music IndustryJanuary 12, 4775Berto Rotolo Poses with Guitar Before Show in LeighstownThe civil war has been over for two years now, and Keymon has been going through the painful and arduous process of rebuilding. In doing so, Keymon has slipped further and further from democracy. POWs remain in a state of uncertainty, some of them reportedly being used as slave labor to pick u the pieces of the nation. Though united officially, our nation is still divided just beneath the surface of government, and hatred and suspicion is still prevalent among the veterans of the war's partisanship. Keymon and her people live in a state of post-war malaise.
Berto Rotolo and his music are a product of this state. Having served with the Carluists in the first years of the war, Rotolo has seen the horrors of civil war with his own eyes. In 4769, Rotolo suffered third degree burns on the left side of his body as a result of falling victim to a loyalist napalm strike and was placed on medical leave for a majority of the war. Near the end of 4771 when the Carluists began to use slave labor in their factories and Rotolo had begun to recover, he chose instead to desert the Carluist force and instead enlist with the loyalists rather than continue to fight for slavery. After the war, Rotolo was honorably discharged and was left without work. It was then he started making use of his talent as a musician and a songwriter, and busked in Turtle Bay in order to make ends meet. He became a local sensation in weeks, and was soon offered an album deal by Clevia Records, which was attempting to pick up the pieces of its record label after the civil war.
On February 20, 4774, Rotolo released his first album titled
Blood in the Sand. The album, which had received stellar reviews and outsold all other albums released in 4774, at face value is about Rotolo's experience serving in the civil war as well as his time living through reconstruction era poverty. The song in this album range from
Fiery Wind, a loud and fast paced song about civil war napalm attacks, to
Desolate City, a low and grim song about a man walking down a ruined city street and witnessing begging veterans and starving children. When asked in an interview to explain the overall meaning of the album, Rotolo said simply "War is hell. And that peace that comes after is just as bad."
Following the success of his album, Rotolo went on tour last July, visiting Leighstown, Turtle Bay, Jamestown, and Golden Coast. Each show brought in thousands of concertgoers, making his tour the most successful in Keymon since the war. It also raked in thousands in profits, most of which was donated to homelessness and hunger charities.
When the year came to its end, Rotolo and
Blood in the Sand topped all of the charts in Keymon's music industry, with the album coming in as the most sold not only in 4774, but in the past eight years. Rotolo also won Best Newcomer and Best Folk Artist at the annual Keymon Music Awards. And this doesn't look to be the end of his career, Clevia Records announced that they would be signing Rotolo for a second album to be released in the next few months, and will be scheduling another tour later this year.