Rock Monsters Romania

Roca Camp 2025 concludes at the end of this year as a comprehensive mentorship and artistic development program dedicated to emerging bands in the indie, alternative, and rock scenes. Initiated through a national open call launched in August, the project was built around the real needs of Romania’s alternative music scene and proposed a structured, step-by-step journey of training, production, and visibility.

Encore was one of the bands selected for Roca Camp 2025. Formed in 2024 in Chișinău, the band is one of the freshest appearances on the Bessarabian alternative scene and has already made a successful debut on stages across Romania. Encore blends influences from Moldovan, Romanian, and international rock, shaping a sonic identity where powerful riffs intertwine with energy, melody, and emotion through a coherent, modern sound.

The band consists of Soltan Alexandru on lead guitar, Dreglea Ștefan on rhythm guitar, Moiseenco Iulia on drums, and Jorovlea Anastasia on bass.

ENCORE is a recently formed band, established in 2024. How did you decide to start the project, and what brought you together?

ENCORE was initially formed as a project meant to evolve within the 2024 edition of the Rock’n Haret Festival. Following a successful experience, many rehearsals, and after writing our first song together, we decided to transition into a full-fledged band and create our own alternative rock style.

Your music is influenced by both the Moldovan and the international scenes. Which artists or bands have shaped your sound?

Our journey into rock began with bands such as Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Metallica, and Pantera, which awakened our drive and our desire to create something of our own. Bands from the Moldovan rock scene inspired us to sing in Romanian. Gândul Mâței, Alternosfera, Zdob și Zdub, and Snails shaped the sound of ENCORE’s songs and motivated us to approach a style rooted in our local scene.

As a band with relatively young members, how much does your generation influence the themes you explore?

The lyrics of our songs are not necessarily focused on a specific generation. Every person has their own perspective, and there is no wrong interpretation of the message we want to convey. The goal of our music is for every generation to find itself in the themes we address.

How did you end up joining the Roca Camp program, and what motivated you to apply?

At the 2025 edition of Rocanotherworld, we celebrated our bassist’s birthday right in front of the stage, surrounded by the emotions created by the festival. In that moment, we imagined what it would be like to experience something similar from the stage ourselves. Shortly after, the announcement for Roca Camp applications appeared. Without hesitation, we applied and were pleasantly surprised to be selected as one of the five bands to benefit from the program.

After the camp experience, do you feel that your artistic message has been strengthened, expanded, or perhaps even redefined?

The experience we had at Roca Camp certainly had a positive influence on our concept as a band. The songs written afterward were built upon suggestions offered by the mentors. The time spent together across all three cities where the camp took place brought us closer and strengthened our friendship. Roca Camp opened new horizons for us and gave us confidence in what we do.

Roca Camp is a mentorship, training, and artistic visibility program dedicated to emerging bands from the alternative, indie, and rock scenes, organized by the Creative Industries Association under the Rocanotherworld umbrella.

Cultural project co-financed by the National Cultural Fund Administration (AFCN).

This project does not necessarily reflect the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or the way in which the project’s results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary.

Interview by Ionela Barbu