When Rebecca Randall lost her beloved brother to melanoma in 2020 it changed the course of her life.
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Stephen Butterworth was only 30.
The eldest of five siblings, Randall said it was a traumatic experience compounded by the global pandemic playing out at the time.
She said her mortality hit home and motivated her to lean into her music.
"It was heart-wrenching," she said.
"My youngest brother and I had this realisation that life's short.
"I thought I did not want to go to my grave with no one having heard my music.
"Tomorrow is not promised and we should follow our dreams to honour those we've lost."
Randall will release her fourth single since October on Thursday, May 2, which coincides with Stephen's birthday.
It's My Time is a tribute him.
The AlburyCity employee, who grew up at Goorambat, had been working with a Melbourne producer on her songs even before her band came together in late 2023.
Riverina-based Empress + Aces is a five-piece rock outfit comprised of siblings Randall (vocals) and Chris Butterworth (drums) as well as Nikky Thomas (bass), Luke Hoye (lead guitar) and Claudia Grybaitis (piano).
They play a hard rock fusion of emotive ballads and bold rock 'n' roll.
Their first single, Break Me, was released in October 2023, followed soon after by Get Off My Mind and No Thru Road.
Randall said they played a diverse range of songs with messaging that was relatable.
She said Break Me was a nod to resilience and overcoming challenging times.
"It draws on my own experience of growing up regionally and feeling out of place at times," she said.
"Goorambat was even more isolated than Benalla so for a young child with dreams and ambitions, the tall poppy thing comes up."
Randall said every member of the band was multi-faceted, bringing something unique to the outfit.
Drawing inspiration from Heart, Queen and Divinyls, Empress + Aces pushes boundaries and blurs genres to create their sound.
They don't shy away from weighing into politics or social issues either.
Empress + Aces recently supported Birds of Tokyo at Club Corowa in an event that raised mental health awareness through the Black Dog Institute and Daniel Hately from the Fight is Real initiative.
They will showcase their original songs at Arts Rutherglen Rocks Rutherglen on Saturday, May 25.
Randall welcomed the chance to perform their original tunes ahead of an EP due out mid-year.
"It's hard to find events that showcase original music," Randall said.
"It's very easy to go to pubs and play covers."
Rutherglen-based band Lucey will also perform its genre of rock-funk at the event.
Their four-member outfit is inspired by The Beatles, The Eagles and Vulfpeck.
Last year they won the Rutherglen busking competition's best band award, Empire Studios Cool Skools' best mainstream track for their song Drive My Love Away and placed third in the National Busking Competition.
They've released two tracks Stay On and Drive My Love Away with plans for an album.
Arts Rutherglen Rocks Rutherglen will run in the Rutherglen Memorial Hall on Saturday, May 25, at 7pm.
Cost: $25 early bird, $30 at door, $20 for members of Arts Rutherglen, Destination Rutherglen and Indigo FM.
Tickets: trybooking.com/CQMLQ
