Check out our latest single "Chapters A to Z" and a b-side "Safe Word" off of our upcoming full length album, due out in Spring 2010.  We truly hope that you enjoy the songs and share your thoughts with us.

Happy Holidays! 

Love,
Scarlet Room

Hello darlings! We just want you to know that our EP is now available for purchase at CDBaby.com, so please feel free to purchase it, review it, recommend it to others, or just become our friend:) Soon it will also be available for digital download on Itunes and Amazon as well, so stay tuned!
SR-
 

In the last few years there has been a slew of bands who've take on the moniker of "punk cabaret". While the term cabaret is generally fitting the usage of the word "punk" is misleading at best. Most of those artists have little or no rock influence, much less punk. It's as if "rock" is a bad word, something they choose to distance themselves from. Not so with Seattle's Scarlet Room. As you can hear on their new EP (and first CD) they are proud to marry cabaret to their foundations in rock. Cabaret rock? Cabarock?

Forget the terminology, these four young, talented musicians are canny enough to see the commonalities between rock and music theatre. Both have frequently explored the darker corners of life, you can hear it in the works of the Doors or performances like "Sweeney Todd". Both rock and musical theatre aren't afraid to be bombastic in the best sense of the word. Both can be grandiose and still be compelling. Scarlet Room are wise enough to realize that rock is epic theatre. That there's nothing contrary about combining rock with cabaret. It's not contradictory, as heard on this CD, it may be compulsory.

Lyricist and drummer Eloise Govedare knows how to evoke a stage setting. Of the six songs found on this EP four of them reference performances or performance locations. You've got the movie set of "Lights! Camera! Action!", the courtroom of "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Cold Blooded Jury", and the puppet pageant of "Marionette". I'm not sure why the circus and sideshows have become such a metaphor for the dark underbelly of America (especially to generations that have grown up without traveling seedy shows) but Scarlet Room conjures the claustrophobic roller coaster of the decaying big top nicely on "Welcome to the Musical Circus".

Govedare's talent as a lyricist is on display with the song "Marionette". Anybody could write Pinocchio with a female protagonist. Govedare isn't just interested in a toy who wants to be "real". It's the WHY they want to be real that excites her. Pinocchio wanted to be real so that he could be loved and belong. The heroine of "Marionette" doesn't want to be real just so she can run back to the arms of her "Father" she longs to be free. She wants to be untethered and unrestrained. She wants to be more than a puppet and more than a child.

Vocalist Aleksandra Weil is the group's central attraction. She (like Govedare) is a classically trained pianist and her skill and talent shine on each song. Vocally she's also the show's acrobat. When you listen to her sing your head will duck and twist trying to keep up with her. It's beautiful.

It's the boys in the band (guitarist Robert Reis and bassist Kris Darr) that provide the ROCK. They bring a meatiness to the songs where the threat and thunder of electric guitars counterpoint the piano and vocals nicely. The guys aren't all force and volume. There are nice moments of subtlety in their performances as you can hear on "Marionette" with its has a lovely guitar sound reminiscent of the Doors' Robby Krieger.

It's good for a band to have diverse influences but that doesn't mean the concept always works. Have no fear, it works amazingly well here. Scarlet Room have perfected a unified sound. This is not x meets y, it is not cabaret meets rock. It's cabaretrock. The chemical wedding is complete. This EP is well worth your time and attention. It can stand up to any of the neo-cabaret recordings release in the last decade.

Visit the review online: http://sepiachord.com/sr.htm

Thank you so much to everyone who made our CD release party a success!  We really appreciate all the fans, friends, and family that came out to the show and supported us.

Special thanks to the Sunset Tavern for hosting the show, keeping us all tipsy, and making the stage sound great; Michael Vermillion & his band for bringing the roots; and Bad Dream Good Breakfast, all 10 (11?) of you, for filling the room with sound!

Extra special thanks to Fuschia Foxxx, and Rainbow, Ben, and John from the Castaways for making the show something really special!  Big ups to Can Can Chris for letting us "borrow" them all for the night, and showing up to boot!
 
A few quick, final shoutouts:
Ivan for making our fantastic banner - alas, gravity was not with us.
The Govedare and Weil clans for all your continued support.
Brent for all his hard work on the booking & promotion.
Doug and Wendy, who came all the way from Hawaii!

We love you all - we couldn't do this without every single one of you.

See you next time!

-Scarlet Room kids