So awhile back I was up in LA on one of my music binges with my LMN cohort and came across a new band I fell head over heels for. Normally, I don’t pay much attention to opening bands. I blame it on my youth spent listening to poor openers while waiting for the bands I came to see. I learned how to skip the openers (or ignore them) to get to the good part. I’m the first to admit that only a handful have really caught my attention.

Well, this lovely band definitely made me take notice. They emitted this type of energy you usually don’t see in openers and it was really captivating! At first, Scarlet Grey reminded me a bit of The Academy Is… (one of my favorite bands) but there was something else there I couldn’t pinpoint at the time. After a chat with their merch guy, I found out they had toured with AFI (not on the west coast of course) and that’s when I realized they they were this wonderful hybrid of AFI and The Academy Is… As HitPredictor.com said, they are “Pop… with dirt under it’s nails.” You can check out their interview with Scarlet Grey here.

Even if you aren’t a fan of The Academy Is… or AFI I suggest you take the time to check them out. If you like catchy dark tunes they are worth some investigation. I can tell you that they got me hooked and I’m not the easiest person to impress right off the bat. If I still don’t have you convinced, you can check out their Myspace page and see for yourself if they are your style. Fortunately for you, they have a show tonight (Sept. 9th) at The Roxy where you can check them out in person!

For some curious folk about the band, Scarlet Grey’s frontman Ben Grey wrote an article for Sound Alarm about “Six Things Never to Say on Stage.” Also, you can check out Scarlet Grey on Twitter or follow frontman Ben Grey or both, depending on your style 😉

Enjoy friends 🙂

~Amanda