From the ashes of a former pop-folk act, a tender pop-country act with the name of Scarlett Hill has risen.
After the dissolution of their former band The Goodnight Fields, Ball State alumnus Blake Mohler and senior fashion major Suzanne Dennis formed Scarlett Hill in Muncie. The band released a music video for their song “Burn” in January, in addition to releasing their debut EP last summer.
“What we are trying to do is fill out the middle ground with this huge folk revival ... and country music,” said Mohler, who plays guitar, banjo, mandolin and does vocals. “Probably more on the side of pop-country.”
They recorded their self-titled EP with friend Bianca Russelburg, a former drummer for The Goodnight Fields. With just Dennis and Mohler recording the music, they said attaining their goals on their EP was a painless and rewarding experience.
After completing the EP, the band rounded out the rest of the lineup with senior sociology major Nick Marchi, who Mohler said plays “one hell of a fiddle”, Simon Moriarty on bass and Hunter Gibbons on drums.
The band is influenced by artists ranging from the Dixie Chicks to Bruce Springsteen, and Dennis’ and Mohler’s personal favorite artists represent opposite sides of the spectrum.
“Right now, I’m really into Miranda Lambert,” said Dennis, who does vocals and plays guitar. “Just a lot of the female pop-country vocalists ... lyrics are really important to me.”
On the other hand, Mohler said everybody who knows him knows that his favorite band is Guster. Although he said Scarlett Hill’s music might not show that particular influence, they have really influenced his idea of how a band should work.
Finding inspiration from these artists and within themselves, Scarlett Hill’s drive and dedication went to a new level when Bayonet Media shot a music video for “Burn,” which was based at a Christmas tree farm of a relative of Mohler’s.
“We spent a whole weekend recording it,” Mohler said. “It was crazy, we got like three hours of sleep Friday into Saturday and not much more Saturday into Sunday.”
Previously, the band had recorded a music video for The Goodnight Fields, which they said had gone awry, so Mohler and Dennis had a pretty good idea what they wanted to do this time and worked long and hard to achieve their vision.
“The goal of the music video was to brand us well,” Mohler said. “Like the clothing, the coloring, the things in the background. And we wanted it to be influenced by what is contemporary acceptable.”
Working closely with Bayonet Media on the video, Dennis found herself more than just a band member in a video. Being a fashion major, she was able to contribute to the look and style of the band that was presented.
Bayonet Media worked hard with Scarlett Hill to achieve the group’s vision, and Dennis said the company was on top of it by achieving the goals set by the company and the band.
With all of this, Scarlett Hill has accomplished much in their stay in Muncie, but the band is contemplating a move to Atlanta, where they believe they will have a better chance to be noticed by country music fans.
“The country scene ... isn’t really alive here in the city,” Dennis said. “We visited Atlanta over Christmas break ... and we kind of found a place with the culture we’re looking for.”
Mohler said the city gave off a “real nice Cajun, southern, artsy vibe.”
The band is hoping to get noticed at their performance on Tuesday, April 9 at the Nashville Universe Songwriter Connections Contest. Their song “Burn” was chosen as a top five finalist in the contest, and if they win they’ll be able to make connections in Nashville and record a demo with Toby Keith’s guitar player.
SEE THEM LIVE
Who: Scarlett Hill, Illegitimate Sons, Stampede String Band, White Trash Blues Revival
Where: Be Here Now
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Cost: $6 general admission, $3 with student ID
