Scarlet Crush: The Beat Goes On

OC Power Pop Band Rocks Onward

By Michelle Emard (LIVE Magazine Jan. 2003)

What a year for Scarlet Crush. The reigning "Princes of Power Pop Rock" are perfecting their style and working hard to take it to the top. Taking the road less traveled is no easy task at times. But the path these talented musicians have chosen to follow is what keeps them true to themselves and able to fully enjoy the fruits of their labor. They honor the past, cherish the present and embrace the future.

Scarlet Crush definitely possesses the standard ingredients for success: Amazing harmonies. Hooky melodies. Distinctive arrangements. Lush lyrics. These boys also know how to work a stage. Scarlet Crush has a certain MTV-style that is evident in both their live performances and on their video. Their collective good looks, mesmerizing vocals and solid musicianship present the total package.

Dax, Jeff, Jeff, Brett and John have been on a journey together that has been equally rewarding and frustrating at different points along the way. But overall, each has been enriched by the sum total of his efforts and experiences. Scarlet Crush is patiently pursuing a dream that is kept alive by a burning desire to succeed at fulfilling their obvious destiny: touching many lives through music.

In 2002, Scarlet Crush won two awards at the Orange County Music Awards: "Best Pop Rock Band" and "Best Song" for "Something to Say." Last year the band also beat out 45 other local groups to win the Cool 94.3 FM "Battle of the Bands." A record deal, radio airplay, television appearances and major gigs at prominent venues with bands like the Simple Minds rounded out the year nicely.

Needless to say, 2003 looks bright for Scarlet Crush. A freshly minted CD is nearly ready for release and a national tour is in the works. The band has also accepted an invitation to perform at the 2003 Orange County Music Awards to be held at The Grove of Anaheim on March 29th. Jeff Smetana recently took a few moments to reflect on recent milestones, lessons learned and future plans:

Live: It seems as though you guys have had a pretty busy year. Can you summarize how it went for our readers?

Scarlet Crush: Yeah, it was the kind of year you dream about when you start out doing this. We couldn't have asked for more from 2002! It really started in October of 2001, when our manager was able to connect us with Justin Gray, a very prominent Canadian producer. He came out and met us and checked out our show. And, and the next thing we knew, we were on our way to Toronto for a week to record at Metalworks.

The studio was world class and we came out of there with three killer tracks. So we had this great demo and we started shopping, showcasing, etc. We got to be the first band featured on "Sound Affects" on KOCE, went on KFI radio for a live spot, and got some good reviews. Our first record was named to the top five (5) local releases of 2001 by the Orange County Register, which was cool. We had some label interest, but nothing serious. So, we kept playing as much as possible, working hard. Then in March the Orange County Music Awards came around. We got to perform at the show and went home with a couple of awards ("Best Pop Rock Band" and "Best Song" for "Something To Say").

That was truly amazing! It felt really great to get that exposure and recognition from our peers. From there things got really busy. Cool 94.3 FM started this "Battle of the Bands" competition in April. And by the end of the deal on Memorial Day, we were the winners. That was a lot of work, but it was great because we met so many other O.C. bands and made a lot of friends. We hooked up with the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Tour and became the official band for all of their events. The radio station (Cool 94.3 FM) just embraced us from there.

The contest rules said that the winner would get one spin on the station, but last time I checked, our two singles and a few of our other songs have gotten something like 800 plus spins in the last six months! After that, we wound up recording a full album up at Cherokee in Hollywood with Justin. We were really proud of the record and it made it way easier to shop for a deal. We wound up signing with 2K-EMI Music in July. We tried to rush release the record before the holiday landslide, but we didn't quite make it. So now we are looking at a Spring 2003 release. There is actually a lot of other good stuff that happened - too much to tell right now!

Live: What was the best moment for you last year?

Scarlet Crush: Maybe when they announced us as the winner for "Best Song" at the Orange County Music Awards 2002. Or the night Dax and I finished the vocals on the record. Everyone came in to listen to rough mixes and were just blown away. Too many great moments!

Live: What have you guys learned about this business from your experiences?

Scarlet Crush: I think that you have got to remain true to the things that made you start doing this in the first place. I can say that at times I was so exhausted and sometimes frustrated by all of the work, business and politics of doing this that I wasn't able to enjoy every moment. I've had to force myself to concentrate on the love I have for writing and performing, the love I have for my brothers in this band, and on the joy that music can bring into other peoples lives. That's why I do this. Trust me, the business end of this stuff can turn you so cynical, so disheartened, you'll want to quit. The fact is, we haven't really done that much, and yet we've seen the ugly side of the business enough to hate it as much as any other artist.

Live: What advice do you have for other local musicians?

Scarlet Crush: Just be good to other people in the scene. You can never have too many friends or too many contacts. If you want to act like a rock star and all that, go to L.A. Keep your promises, sell lots of tickets, don't be a dick to the sound man, get to sound check on time. Don't play drunk if it hurts your performance. Respect yourself and everyone else.

Live: What do you think is the most important thing to the Orange County music scene?

Scarlet Crush: From what I saw this year, it's got to be radio. 94.3 is gone now, but I saw it bring a lot of people and bands together. It gave local music a mainstream outlet, something to work towards, with the hope that they could get real airplay without having to pay some filthy executive a bunch of payola. The way things are, if you don't have money, it's like you have no chance. I really hope someone steps up to fill the vacuum here. This market is so huge, it would be so sad if there was no radio support. I'll miss everybody at Cool Radio!

Live: What are you guys planning for 2003?

Scarlet Crush: I have no idea. I guess we will keep doing what we're doing. We are sort of waiting on the label to kick it into gear, but I'm not going to say anything is guaranteed. We wouldn't be the first band to wind up on the shelf for awhile. That would suck, but we have no illusions. Our label is great, and we appreciate the fact that things have to go a certain way, so whatever has to happen is okay, you know. But if you think that getting signed is the answer to all your problems, or that it's going to help you reach that next level, you're wrong.

Sometimes it does, and some things do get better. But you also inherit a lot of new problems. The only person you can count on is you and the only way to get what you want is to work for it. I wish that everything was perfect for us, and yeah I guess I envy other bands who have everything they need. But I want to keep myself in a place where no matter what happens, my heart is good and life is fulfilling. I will not turn this into an idol that everything else in my life gets sacrificed to. There is so much more to life...

Live: Like what?

Scarlet Crush: Friends, family, kids, memories. I know so many people who have put off their life or lost someone they love because of this crap. Look, I'm not 18 years old. I'm not in this for girls or drugs or whatever. I wasted enough time living like a barbarian. It doesn't last, it doesn't satisfy. I don't think I need to go into examples of celebrities who are miserable. Personal pain is a part of everyone’s life no matter what. Fame won't make it go away. You've got to find sources of true happiness in this life or you'll look back and realize you've been ripped off.

Live: Isn't that kind of contrary to Rock and Roll 101?

Scarlet Crush: I guess. But don't give up hope kids! There's always going to be a long line of fools willing to burn on the altars of addiction and self-destruction. Wasting themselves for the vampires upstairs who feed on their creativity and energy. Think about it... who really wants to die for this stuff?

Live: Are there any bands that inspire you guys right now?

Scarlet Crush: Not many. The sad thing is that nowadays bands have to conform to the radio format or they get no shot. We have some favorites that either broke up or will never see the light of day because of how things are. We are a little bit of an example of a band that writes radio songs. But the truth is, that's just who we are. We don't really veer too much away from (the style of) "Tune In, Fade Out" or "Something to Say." We do have some new stuff that we are developing that moves in different directions, but our core values don't change that much. Melody, harmony, arrangement. Good songs are always going to get noticed. I admire bands that are more cutting edge and it sucks that they don't get the airplay.

Live: Anything else?

Scarlet Crush: We really want to thank everybody for their support. We love what we do, and it takes a lot of people's help to pull it off. Happy New Year!

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