Q&A: Band on the Run

Kimberley McGee

Sunday, June 4, 2000 | 8:52 a.m.

Rising rockers descend on Las Vegas this week to mingle with record industry executives at the third annual Emerging Artists and Talent in Music (EAT'M) conference, held Wednesday through Saturday at venues around Las Vegas.

The three-day event peels back the layers of the music business and exposes its inner workings while showcasing unsigned bands.

Las Vegas rock group Inside Scarlet is one of about 33 local bands and 186 bands from around the country and even around the world that made the cut to be a part of EAT'M this year. This is Inside Scarlet's second trip to the Las Vegas conference, where they hope to glean business savvy from the suits, and for the suits to get a glimpse of their talent. The group performs Thursday at the Beach.

Three band members -- Heather Tampa (bass and vocals), Sharay Larsen (guitar and vocals) and Mike Cromer (guitar) -- sat down with the Las Vegas Sun to talk about what music conferences, such as EAT'M and others, have done for aspiring musicians. (The band's drummer, Brian Festone, was unavailable for the interview.)

Las Vegas Sun: How has your participation in the EAT'M conference affected your career?

Heather Tampa: We've made a lot of good friends in management and some in (music) publishing and other bands. We swapped (information) with bands we've met. It's definitely more about the business.

Mike Cromer: It's a shot in the arm. You see all these bands from around the world come here just to do exactly what you are doing in your own hometown. They are paying expenses to get here hoping that the two or three people they had contact with (in the industry) are going to be at EAT'M and come to their show.

You have to take advantage of everything that might be an opportunity. One person who meets you and likes your CD, and possibly knows somebody else, can make the difference in your entire career.

Sharay Larsen: It has nothing to do with music or art. It's all business.

Sun: What innocence have you lost since learning about the music industry?

Cromer: We've gotten rid of that dream that somebody is going to walk into a bar and see us and sign us on the spot.

Tampa: We've cried.

Larsen: I struggled with my faith about the whole thing. I was questioning why I was doing this. That (business) part of it is so ugly, tasteless and it's everything I don't believe in. But it's a necessary evil to do the thing that I believe in. That is my purpose here.

Tampa: It's important to really know the business so that you can maintain a certain amount of control rather than have everything you've gained taken away from you.

Larsen: Also, there are a lot of industry and radio people that I talk to that think these music festivals are a joke, a reason to party. I think it's what you, the artist, make of it.

Sun: What did you gain from performing at EAT'M last year at the Hard Rock hotel-casino?

Larsen: You only get so much time, but 30 minutes is cool because you have enough time to settle in. You can calm down and lock into the crowd and each other.

Cromer: You are setting up really quickly. There's not a lot of time in between bands. It's not like you are walking on stage ready to go. You are undoing cords, making sure you are plugged in and hopefully everything works.

Tampa: And that (chaos) comes across.

Larsen: But it was one of those moments (when) there was so much positive energy in the room and you could feel it from the people, and we had to totally rise to the occasion and we did.

Cromer: There were a couple people from Atlantic (Records) and somebody said, "We want to manage you guys, and we love you." And then you never hear from them. Then there was the lawyer, he's (singer) Bryan Adams' attorney, and he took us out to breakfast the next day to talk about stuff. Later we learned once you get closer to a deal the lawyers come out of the woodwork.

Sun: How is EAT'M different than North by Northwest, the Portland, Ore., music conference you attended last year?

Cromer: EAT'M is a bit more organized in the sense of having industry people see you.

Tampa: Last year we went to the conferences (and) they were good, we learned a lot. It touched (on) a lot of subjects.

Cromer: A lot of things like publishing, the way the corporate structure works. Recording, producers -- people kind of know that (side), but it's still a kind of mystery.

Tampa: (EAT'M) is more oriented toward the business (angle).

Cromer: They'll tell you you've got a showcase and now it's up to you to get out there (and make it happen). It's a lot of work. When things start taking off you've just got to live those 15 minutes.

Sun: What has the availability of Inside Scarlet's CDs and songs on the MP3 Internet site done for the band?

Cromer: I think we've received a check for 16 cents.

Larsen: Running our band, it's a two- to three-person job full time. Things fall through the cracks. We have e-mails that are opportunities that we don't jump on because we are so (overwhelmed).

Tampa: It's been OK. Hopefully someone has seen us on the site and will come see (the band) at EAT'M, too.

Sun: Have all the sweat and tears been worth it?

Larsen: If people had any idea what musicians sacrifice and what goes into what we do, I think they would have a whole new appreciation for what we do.

Cromer: You've got to have a passion for it because it's a stupid thing to do.

Larsen: It's the most nonlucrative thing to do.

Tampa: But when you flick that switch (on the amp) and hit the first note it is the biggest rush.