Pop…with dirt under its nails: Scarlet Grey

We want to introduce you to Scarlet Grey, an unsigned band described as “Pop…with dirt under its nails” who our blogger Michelle – aka Your Music Source, recently conducted an interview with. All questions in the interview were answered by Benjamin Grey. After you learn a little about the band and its influences, check out some of the guys’ music in the HitPredictor jukebox as well and let us know what you think!

Band members:

• Benjamin Grey – Lead Vocals/Guitar
• Danny Duran – Lead Guitar/Vocals
• Pete Emperador – Bass/Vocals
• Keith Cooper – Drums

Twitter: @benjamingrey
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/scarletgrey

How did you get started?
Well, I first picked up the guitar in the 6th grade to be able to play in my Dad’s band “Midlife Crisis” to be honest. He wore leather pants, it was crazy. I kicked around in a number of punk bands and it was never really serious until Scarlet Grey started in 2006… It was almost immediate that I knew it was the only band I ever wanted to be in.

Who do you look up to musically?
The Beatles – it’s unbelievable what they did with melody – the staggering creativity and daringness while still maintaining an incredible pop sensibility. They blow my mind… I’m also super into bands from my raucous roots… The Misfits, Green Day, Minor Threat, AFI, Operation Ivy, NOFX etc. And then of course I can’t forget Elvis Costello, Buddy Guy, Joy Division, Metric, Michael Jackson, Bloc Party, Stiff Little Fingers, Rilo Kiley and hundreds of others. Really people who value and push song writing. And I’m big on melody if that hasn’t come across yet haha.

What is your dream venue to play at?
I’ve always dreamed about playing at Shea Stadium, but that’s a pretty tall order. I’ve romanticized playing at the Astoria in London… I basically arbitrarily decided it was the place to play… and until informed otherwise, I’m sticking with it.

What is your favorite song(s) right now?
Favorite song right now is ‘Dominoes’ by The Big Pink.

Any hidden talents?
I’m a chef. I studied in Paris so obviously I specialize in French cuisine/technique, but Cajun/Creole is something I’m also very big on. I was going to be a chef if I wasn’t doing music. I can also hula-hoop really well.

What do your fans mean to you?
Everything. I think we’ve got something pretty cool on our hands. The Grey Family is unlike any other fan base – extremely devoted and close-knit. Most bands have ‘fans,’ but we have family.

Who is your favorite artist(s)?
I’m going to say currently my favorite artist is Bloc Party. Most people think they’re just this dance rock band, but there is real beauty and tragedy in their music. “A Weekend in the City” is an unbelievable album. I also have a lot of love for AFI, but I’m a little biased.

If you could have lunch with anyone dead or alive who would you choose?
Johnny Carson. That guy was brilliant.

How did you feel when you performed your first show?
I was terrified. It was the most uncool show imaginable. We’d had to play a rock and roll version of “Here Comes Santa Claus” for this thing at my Junior High. I was 12. I had a solo. It was intense. Needless to say I nailed it haha. But it funny, the nerves never go away. I’d be worried if they did.

What is your favorite part of the music industry?
The pure parts of it. Luckily we’ve dodged some bullets in regards to falling into the wrong managerial hands or the wrong label. We’ve kept it very DIY for as long as possible. It’s only now that we have to seriously consider outside people for our team. But playing the shows is still pure and amazing. Recording our new record “Fancy Blood” was done completely by us, so that was a totally fresh and great experience. I find whenever we do stuff the results are good. Cross your fingers for us.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to get into the music industry?
Don’t use live auto-tune. People immediately hate you. Be nice to sound guys, they hold your fate in their hands. Make sure you like the people in your band. Listen to music made before 2008. There’s a lot of great stuff.

Any embarrassing moments on stage?
Not really yet actually haha,I just jinxed myself. The most embarrassing things have actually been some of the places we’ve played. We played a nickel arcade party room last year. It was just like… ‘Coooool. Plug in by the clown?’

What was your most memorable show?
Hmmm, we’ve had some pretty unreal moments, but I’m going to say most memorable one of recent memory is when we played my old high school last December… It was a sense memory situation where I was like ‘Oh my God I’m in front of high school kids just like 2001 when I was a nerd…what am I doing?’ But we did really well and the kids were crazy into it! I felt like I finally conquered my old high school.

Who is your celebrity crush?
Alexa Chung.