Scarlet & The Harlots

An interview we did with Forshee Media group. - Forshee Media

Introducing Scarlet & The Harlots!!!

scarletandtheharlots@gmail.com - Forshee Media

Interview starts at 2:52! - Micheal Bratton

Trevor Harlot of Scarlet and the Harlots plays guitar during a set by the band from Kent during VexFest 9 on Sunday in downtown Youngstown. Twenty-five bands played on two sites on East Federal Street and at Warehouse 50. - Youngstown Vindicator

Having come from backgrounds studying music at Kent State University, the members of Scarlet and the Harlots are clearly the nerdiest, bad-ass rockers to come from Northeastern Ohio. Skill, desire, and the burning need for good music keeps them together and focused. They get to the nitty gritty, low down dirty core of Blues Rock and top it off with rhythmically strong, vibrant colors.

The core band, consisting of two guitars, bass and drums provides the up-tempo foundation for Scarlet’s powerful lead vocals and passionate, determined lyrics. The horn section adds fullness to their rich and dynamic sound.

A “must see” experience, Scarlet & the Harlots stage show heralds a time in rock history where no holds were barred, everyone was fun-loving and people felt alive. The band recently rocked Buzzbin Art and Music Shop at the CD release of the self-titled debut on December 14th (check out the awesome review by Buzzbin Magazine in our press section of the EPK!). Look for it now on Amazon, iTunes, and CD Baby.

Instrumentation

Scarlet – Vocals
Trevor Harlot – Guitar & Vocals
Ryan Harlot – Guitare électrique
Tim Harlot – Saxophone & backing vocals
Dylan Harlot – Percussion & Drums
Dan Harlot – Bass Guitar for working band
Chris Harlot – Vocals & Trombone
Jessica Harlot – Saxophone & backing vocals - KIT21 Rocks Around The World

Cleveland really does rock...especially when my son Dylan is on stage! :) Friday I saw him play drums with the R&B band he's in called Scarlet & The Harlots. My un-biased review? GREAT SHOW!!! - 98.5 KRZ Rocky

Some people you just want to hang out with and paaaartaaaay. Bex Marshall is one of those people.

The British blues singer who plays Wilbert's at 9 p.m. Friday (following Cleveland's own Scarlet & the Harlots) does it right, up to and including her Las Vegas wedding.

"One of my pet hates about weddings is the people who shouldn't be there, the people who are coming more to observe than to be a part of the celebration," she said in a call to her home just outside London. "You know, the 'nudge-nudge, wink-wink, it ain't gonna last' character."

She and hubby Barry Everitt ended up with a paaaartaaaay -- literally -- of about 30 "of the best, most precious people" at their Vegas nuptials seven years ago.

"We hired a margarita machine that made incredible Patron margaritas, and I got married in a white leather wedding dress, with white leather cowboy boots," she said. "It was great."

Paaaartaaaay!

It all makes sense if you talk to Marshall, whose trans-Atlantic exuberance came through in her voice. The phrase "there's no rules for me" was one that was oft-repeated -- and with conviction.

"Whatever comes first, comes first," said Marshall in describing her writing style. "When I need a tune or I got to find a hook, I go to my iPhone and I check the last 15 or 20 riffs I've laid down."

That iPhone is her lifeline, in more ways than one.

"I may be on a plane and a phrase will come into my mind," she said. "My notebook is FULL of lyrics on my iPhone. Then, when I've got time, I sit down and glue it all together."

You wonder about that time thing. Marshall has a wanderlust that saw her work cruise-liner gaming tables as an 18-year-old croupier, deal illegal poker games in the Netherlands and hitchhike and jump trails along the coast of Australia.

"Growing up, I had a massive passion for travel," she said. "At 17, I told Mum, 'I've got to go. I've got this huge hunger inside to travel. I have to see the world.' "

It's all translated into her music.

"It makes for great experiences and inspires me to write stories and songs," she said. "The characters you meet on the road and the cultures you come into make you think about your own roots, but it makes you accepting of the world."

Of course, some of us old-timers (and parents) might worry. Not Marshall. She tackled the risk and potential dangers of traveling the world alone as a young woman the same way she attacks a guitar and a song -- fearlessly.

"You're always up for an adventure," she said. "I'll try a bit of this or that. You tend to make your own luck and your own adventures."

It helps to exude a positive vibe, she said.

"I never had any problems," Marshall said. "I had a few close scrapes, but it was on that trip that I realized I wanted to pursue a career in music. I knew it wasn't going to be easy."

That's for sure. For this, her third U.S. tour, this time supporting her new album, "The House of Mercy," Marshall is relying on Facebook friends, both for an audience and for places to play. This is her second stop at owner Michael Miller's club -- the last was in 2008, in support of her second record, "Kitchen Table."

This one will be a solo tour, so by nature it will be more of an intimate show than one with a band, she said.

"When I'm on my own, everything is on me," she said. "I'm pretty much showcasing my guitar skills and vocal performance at the same time. With band shows, I get to run around a bit more, be a bit more free. I get to be a little more wanton."

Sounds like a paaaartaaaay waiting to happen. - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Out of Kent, OH comes a rip-roaring supergroup with a big-band blues sound that incorporates an impressive brass section with guitars that drip with classic rock goodness. Bold vocals, killer solos, bright horns and lush, rhythmic drumming make Scarlet and the Harlots a refreshing delight in an age where rock is supposed to be dead. With powerful, Joplin-like vocals, Scarlet leads the pack on the band’s impressive self-titled December release. The inspired 10-track disc mixes the jazzy innovations of Herbie Hancock with the rock-blues of Zeppelin. Although the band is clearly well-versed in the classics, the disc feels surprisingly modern and crisp. The mix is top-notch, but it’s evident as the tracks roll on that this is a band that sounds just as good live and enjoys entertaining the crowd on the lighted stage. “Hard Times” is the album’s standout, with eerie Jefferson Airplane-esque melodies and a darker sort of blues that shakes up the flow of the lively album in a rich and exciting way. The vocal harmonies are smooth, and the melody is an instant ear worm. The deep, tribal percussion and psychedelic guitars stray a bit from the jazzy style of the previous tunes, but it’s a departure that doesn’t stray from the band’s established vintage style. Midway through the release, the band takes a risk with a cover of “Jolene,” a song that’s been endlessly attempted, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Scarlet knocks it out of the park with theatrical vocals that sell Dolly’s sense of longing and desperation. The instrumentation is dark and wistful, with sax that rings on into the night with an air of darkness. The song breaks into jazzy instrumentals that are haunting and recall the Blue Note style. Scarlet & The Harlots are a fairly recent addition to the local music scene, but the band is laying down an impressive foundation for material to come. This is, without doubt, a band that needs to be seen live. Catch them throughout Northeast Ohio in the new year, and pick up the album on iTunes today. - Buzzbin Magazine

Press coming as we speak from Buzzbin Magazine and Cleveland Scene! - Press coming as we speak from Buzzbin Magazine and Cleveland Scene!