Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Texas’ metalcore outfit Scarlett O’Hara have been making waves since first bursting onto the scene and are about to bring their sound to an even larger audience as they hit the road in support of A Skylit Drive‘s Wires… And The Concept of Breathing 15th anniversary tour. TGEFM had a chance to chat with Scarlett O’Hara’s vocalist, Moises, about the band, the tour and the importance of diversity within the scene.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, and congratulations on the upcoming tour with A Skylit Drive! What should our readers know about the members of Scarlett O’Hara and your sound?
Well, there’s a large chance I (Moises) may mess up some lyrics in the heat of the moment live, so learn our songs to back me up, haha. We are all very different personalities. I’d say Logan and I are pretty much extroverts and very much into the anime or nerdy side of life, while Alek and Arnie are more introverted. Overall, we are very approachable people, so if you happen to see us while we are on the road, please come up and say hello. As far as sound, Scarlett O’Hara is on a never-ending quest for sonic innovation and musical evolution. We’re not afraid
to experiment with new sounds and styles, drawing inspiration from all genres and musical traditions. From punk to pop, rock to reggaeton, and everything in between, our sound is constantly evolving and transforming.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do”? Not just an influence, but who or what was the catalyst?
I can only speak for myself here. My love of music started back with the Capcom games. Till this day, I love playing the Megaman or Street Fighter games, among many others, because the soundtracks on them are so badass. As far as bands, I was very much a fan of Linkin Park, Breaking Benjamin, The Devil Wears Prada, and others. Lately, we’ve all found ourselves just loving big anthemic sounds ’cause they hit so hard. Simple yet effective. It’s where a lot of our sound has been gravitating towards, and it’s been met with a lot of positive feedback.
You’re a Texas-based act, but also Spanish-speaking, Mexican-American artists with deep ties to the LGBTQ+ community. Despite liberal pockets like Austin, the Lone Star state isn’t known for its accepting ideologies (or maybe that’s just the portrayal we see in NJ). How has Scarlett O’Hara faced the challenges of xenophobia, homophobia, and general intolerance, especially in the early stages of your career?
Oh yeah, we get that comment a lot about Texas. Though from friends of mine that have visited here from places like Nashville or San Francisco, they are shocked at how centered it tends to be. Yes, it is a red state, but it doesn’t seem to be extremely far left or right in the cities. They are usually a bit more liberal, like San Antonio, Houston, Austin, even the South Texas Valley where we live. I’m sure we do have those extremely conservative areas further away from the cities, but like… who visits or vacations anywhere to go to some bland town with no sights,
haha? Maybe if it’s for work or something? I don’t know. Texas is not a very fast-paced place. As far as homophobia, xenophobia, I can only speak for myself as a gay individual, and I’ve never really experienced it personally. I’m not saying it doesn’t exist, obviously there are unfortunate cases on social media, and it sucks. I feel regardless of race, sex, orientation, etc.
People are always gonna dislike you for something or having something to say. Jerks are always gonna be jerks. Life’s too short to just focus that much on the negative. You’re gonna make yourself sick that way. Easier said than done, I know. Life is hard, and sometimes it gets really hard. Keep your loved ones close and remember to have respect for yourself. Treat yourself good. ❤
How important is diversity to the scene and how, if at all, do your backgrounds feed into the songwriting process?
I think diversity is important. It’s essential for the younger generation to be able to look at someone they idolize and see themselves in their shoes one day. They can say that there is someone up there who looks like me, doing it, so I can possibly do that too. I would say, though, that if you don’t see that someone, then be that someone. Our backgrounds do feed into our music. We were very much influenced by Santa Muerte (Lady of the Dead). She’s a
figure of death in Mexican culture most commonly associated with Dia de Los Muertos. It has influenced a more Gothic sound in our latest music.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
I like KDA which is a group formed from League of legends Video game characters. They are voiced by some of the girls in Black Pink. Other than that I’m very into the current types of artists like Billie Eilish, Motionless in White, Falling in Reverse so I doubt it’s anything they have not heard. I have not been digging through to find more obscure artists as of late. If anything I’d rather people pitch me some new bands so that I could check em out.
What’s next for the members of Scarlett O’Hara following this tour?
Writing, writing, writing. We want to keep developing our sound. I think we are all on the same page when it comes to not wanting to be stuck in the same musical bubble, song after song. Also, maybe hit the gym hard as well and become Scarlett SWOLE’Hara. I’ll bring a workout bike on stage and give Ariana Grande‘s “Side to Side” video a run for her money haha.
Thank you again for chatting with us. Before we close out the interview, was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
Thank you for having us on! You can follow us on these social media:
Web Page: https://scarlettoharaband.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ePmU5aXpdUJvBhlzEyjHp
Apple Music: http://apple.co/2rAQNkD
Instagram: http://instagram.com/scarlettoharaband
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Scarlettoharaband
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/scarlettoharaband
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Soh_bandTX
And be on the lookout for a new music video soon!!
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
