Scarlet INside

A most gracious and sincere thank you for returning to this space once again fellow progheads!  As the sands of 2015 begin to run swifter through the hourglass, the Concert Closet is making every effort to unearth as much great progressive music as possible.  The Gift was a great seven days spent, but with only so many weeks left on this year's calendar the search for all things prog is forging
ahead--400 miles north--to Glasgow, Scotland and a visit with Scarlet INside.

Scarlet INside pushed my curiosity sensor into the red with this nugget; "Scarlet INside...record and play a broad mixture of sounds ...experimental style and stage show mentality...often using bizarre instruments..."  Their bio also included this gem about the prog genre; "What's possible is possible..." which means there is no way the Concert Closet cruises past that flashing neon sign without at least tapping the breaks...so Glasgow here we come...

The first selection from what I foresee as a most delectable buffet is of the deep thought variety called "Here to There."  Listen carefully as the song opens, lest you feel as though you are caught in an old "Twilight Zone" episode.  The steady pulse leads to intricate, almost veiled acoustic guitar reminiscent of Al DiMeola.  Scarlet INside goes for the jugular right out of the gate; you can feel yourself being taken under--but the pull is so smooth and easy you surrender without a fight.  The sound builds as vocals cut deep, and the steady bass line accompanied by that caramel smooth guitar fills your head with a warmth usually reserved for the familiar scent of home cooking...

Scarlet INside has strong aromatics of early Pink Floyd and Genesis melding beautifully with the latter day sounds of Atlas Volt, Beardfish, and Under the Psycamore.  The music stands out like a stream in the desert yet flows as effortlessly as that same stream during rainy season.  Scarlet INside is the thinking person's prog band and that point is made crystal clear with the second cut I lined up; "We Cry Alone."  The soft opening forces you to listen closely to what solitude and loneliness sound like.  Searing vocals never crept through the headphones so stealth-like before.  Scarlet INside found that spot in the prog garden where David Byrne, Roger Waters, and Peter Gabriel go to write those deep cutting lyrics.

Liner Notes...Living in the aforementioned Glasgow, Scotland, Scarlet INside is Kevin Kennie. Originally a "real band" with other members, by 2011 Kevin was a solo act.  Several musicians have retained their Scarlet INside membership status and/or perform with the band as the mood and opportunity strike.  Brian Johnstone is credited for keyboards, piano, synthesizers, tech, and computer, while Jerry Good is listed as drummer and performer of percussion and noises.
Meanwhile, Kevin plays guitar, percussion, assorted acoustics, synthesizers, instruments, and noises. In short; Kevin Kennie IS Scarlet INside.

Scarlet INside have several releases for your listening pleasure and  one would be wise to give a healthy listen to them all.  Scarlet INside is that big, burly uncle who comes off as dark and foreboding until he speaks...and you begin to realize there are so many unpeeled layers to that onion. My third selection from the buffet helps put this in perspective; an emotionally gripping piece called "Dungeons and Fishtails."  Stronger and a touch darker, this song has a "Robin Trower meets Seven Impale" feel to it.  The guitar cuts through you like a howling arctic wind as the vocals wrap themselves around your mind like a silk scarf.  Scarlet INside isn't happy skimming the surface--they plunge fathoms below, hitting nerves previously left unscathed...

For your listening delight this week I have posted a haunting song called "Nightwatch."  Kevin fills the room with layers of intricate, delicate sound fragile as antique crystal yet strong enough to pierce your skull with the finesse of a skilled surgeon.  Scarlet INside crawls inside that secret place and begins to exorcise the demons using their own darkness as a scythe, cutting them down with the precision and meticulousness of a detective drawing a confession from a hardened serial killer.
Crawl into the world of Scarlet INside at https://sites.google.com/site/scarletinsidesin/; you will gain a much stronger taste for the music and a sense of what goes on behind the curtain...of course there is always Twitter to keep up with the latest musings and outbursts, @ScarletINside, and the ever popular Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ScarletINside/?fref=ts.  Once you start down the rabbit hole, you won't want to turn back lest you miss the next quiet outburst...

                   

Well fellow progheads, the curtain is quickly closing on 2015--and what a year it's been!  Bands like Scarlet INside have made this year's search for all things prog one amazing 52-week odyssey into the unknown and previously unexplored.  Digging deep has afforded me all the riches the prog garden has to offer.  Progressive music has many faces, personalities, and emotions.  Scarlet INside reminds me to never let up; never assume I have unearthed all there is to find...

Sometimes the best part of the journey is the next leg of the journey...which will be two weeks in the making as the Concert Closet take a seven day respite to enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.  I will be back in a fortnight to continue winding down the 2015 search for all things prog and raise the bar for 2016.  Progressive rock is more than just music--it is an evolving, growing, tangible thing that persists in the hearts of those who appreciate what it has to offer...until December first...