Interview- Scarlet's Remains

Jules Cohen: Hi Eve.

Eveghost: Hi, Jules.

Jules Cohen: Eve...who are your biggest influences and what made you and your bandmates want to start Scarlet's Remains?

Eveghost: My influences are relatively broad, but I’d say that the vocalists and songwriters who most effected me were Johnette Napolitano from Concrete Blonde, Robert Smith, Blixa Bargeld, Lene Lovich, Diamanda Galas, Rozz Williams, Mark Burgess, but also those you wouldn’t expect such as Jacques Brel and Roy Orbison. The band as a whole was influenced by Christian Death, Killing Joke, The Chameleons, Crass, bands like that. As for what made us start Scarlet’s Remains…when I joined Scarlet’s Remains it was already well formed for quite a while in various incarnations. Johann and Tony had long been friends and had a desire to work together for a while. It all came together as if a thread of fate was guiding us along. The bottom line is that we’re passionate about this type of music and really wanted to put something out there that would pay homage to our influences while still creating something fresh and exciting.

Jules Cohen: What are your plans for this band?

Eveghost: We will be doing some U.S. shows before we head over to Europe for a tour in November. We’re hoping to begin work on some new material. There’s talk about contributing to a compilation showcasing all the great music coming out of Southern California right now. We’re forward thinking and there’s always new things brewing.

Jules Cohen: It looks like you and your bandmates bring a lot of history to the band in terms of pervious band experience. Can you you tell us what that was?

Eveghost: Johann plays in Mephisto Walz and is a former member of The Web, Shadow Project, and Christian Death. Tony played with Horrorshow, Hatesex and Fearcult in the past and currently contributes to Voodoo Church as well. Benn Ra our new guitarist is the leader of Hatesex and is formerly of Diva Destruction. As for myself, I was involved in a more ethereal folk project called Candleland back in Minneapolis, then some performance art and theater pieces in Los Angeles prior to working with Scarlet’s Remains. Outside of the band, I am working with Bari-Bari of Mephisto Walz and Steve Jennings from 13th Sky on another project which will reflect style very different from Scarlet’s Remains.

Jules Cohen: What bands/singers are in your rotation right now (ipod/discman)?

Eveghost: Right now, off the top of my head, I’m listening to The Sun and the Moon, Lament, Thatch Noir, Pins and Needles, Mephisto Walz, Katzenjammer Kabarett, John Foxx, KaS Product, The Cure, Concrete Blonde, the new Ian Broudie EP, Cocteau Twins, Frank the Baptist, Daniel Darc, The Mars Volta, Veronica Lipgloss & the Evil Eyes, The Holy Kiss and A Spectre is Haunting Europe. I’m excited about all the excellent new music I’m hearing. For a while, I’d abandoned hope of anything exciting coming my way, but things have clearly changed in that respect.

Jules Cohen: Did you always want to sing? your voice is spectacular!

Eveghost: Thanks. I’ve been singing since I could talk and I began performing at an early age. Singing to me feels like flying or an exorcism…it’s a great release, it’s magic. I couldn’t live without music in my life. Of course, I don’t just sing, I’m also a songwriter and I can manage to play 3 other instruments to some degree…it’s just that singing is what I do best so I focus on it.

Jules Cohen Was there anything in your life...an experience/experiences that influenced the songs for Scarlet's Remains?

Eveghost: There’s a variety of things that influenced the lyrics that I wrote. They range from relationships gone sour to watching too much CNN, the state of the world today. Some of the song lyrics were written years ago, like Metall Heiligenschein and Circular Thoughts, which is about eating disorders. There’s some about longing and love as well, it’s not all negativity, there’s a lot of hope in there.

Jules Cohen: Did you grow up in the goth scene going to clubs, etc?

Eveghost: Well I was born in Los Angeles but raised in Minnesota. Minneapolis and St. Paul didn’t have much in the way of a goth scene. I pretty much introduced myself to the music through a curiosity and then pulled other people I knew into it. I’d see photos of people and read articles and make my own decisions about what I liked. There weren’t many goth clubs in Minneapolis, I remember a couple that I liked a lot…although later they tended to play mostly EBM, so I hung out at 80s nights. Besides that in MN you can’t really get into most clubs until you’re 21. I also loved to hang out at Mod 60s Soul nights and reggae or ska shows, so I didn’t subscribe to any scene in particular growing up. I think this is part of what helps me keep a unique perspective and sound.

Jules Cohen: Many thanks and boy is Scarlet's Remains super! https://www.scarletsremains.com