Red This Ever, rocking Baltimore's art scene and by Baltimore Examiner
June 25, 10:09 PM
By Kali Amburn
In recent years Baltimore is becoming more widely know for it’s music
and arts scene. Though Baltimore Club and Wham City are the most
visible, there are several other unique subcultures hard at work to
bring diversity and notoriety to the city’s nightlife. One example is
synth rockers Red This Ever, who are currently out on a national tour
to support their first full-length album “Selfless.”
“Around 1997 I was a student of art and industrial design, but I could
not kick the songs that would come into my head,” recalls founder Roy
Retrofit. Eventually the persistence of these songs would lead to his
involvement with Tony Calato, and later collaborating with Ada Ruiz,
and Brendan Tobin, finalizing the Red This Ever lineup. Among them
there are a myriad of influences, “It’s funny because to me the
influences are somewhat up in the air until the collaborative process is
over. Some might dominate more than others but in the end I feel like
we always end up with something unique yet familiar. We are like
finding a cute mut in the dog pound, but you can barely figure out the
breeds.” Incorporating guitars, bass, or drums into an electronic act is
far from new, but Red This Ever manages to do it all without ever
overstepping into hard rock and losing the danceable nature of the
songs. This combined with their high profile involvement in
Baltimore’s Electro scene has made them the go-to name of the genre.
“Selfless,” the first full-length album from Red This Ever has been
highly anticipated for quite some time, and after a few setbacks, and re
-recording several tracks, Roy is very optimistic, “all in all, I feel the
wait was well worth it.” The first single “Proliferation” is getting
special treatment, and there will be an additional album of remixes and
acoustic versions of several tracks, although a date for these would not
be named as of yet. With the summer tour and plans of doing videos
on their horizon Red This Ever is keeping very busy. They are also
looking into other multimedia projects down the road, proving that
they will continue to work to bring something innovative and
interesting to their listeners. “I think, now more than ever, we live in a
market searching for creative diversity that is found in the subculture
multiverse. The internet breathes life into the awareness of diversity in
music and subcultures. Like it or not, it has opened the door for many
people.”
It seems Baltimore is a hard working town, no matter what work you
do, and Red This Ever have first hand experience. “Unlike what some
people think, pursuing the life of a musician in a band is filled with hard work, effort and dedication. It’s much more than
writing a few songs, playing them live and then partying like rock stars. It has been mainly successful due to the help of many
super nice people that have connections to help us and the tireless efforts of my
Selfless Review by Synthema.Ru
TRANSLATED FROM RUSSION with FREE EDITOR:
This Baltimore, MD based quintet is making waves along the East Coast much as any good band
does: by playing anywhere and everywhere they can, spreading their music to as wide an audience
as they can. Certainly, Red This Ever has the potential to appeal to all points across the underground
music board, from their enticing synth-driven melodies to their goth rock energy, with just the
occasional moments of grim emotion that would stir even the most hardened rivethead.
Top 5 musical artists to see in Baltimore by
Baltimore Examiner - Candice WBaltimore has some of the most diverse artists around. No wonder Rolling Stone awarded us with the “Best Scene” in 2008. Here is a review of some of the finest in the underground circuit, all of which are worth seeing live...
...
Red This Ever, synthrock/industrial.
Red This Ever oozes with Depeche Mode melody. The lyrics—strangely soothing and catchy—are strewn with lover’s fury and rocker’s angst. But, for such angry lyrics, the band is quite friendly. You can catch them at The Depot on the weekends. Their new album, Selfless, is available now on their website: www.redthisever.net.
Selfless Review by
Regen MagazineBy: Trubie Turner
A strong debut showing significant promise for the future with their mastery of the past.Selfless is the first full length album from Baltimore's Red This Ever. Showing influences from a large spectrum of genres, their gloomy vocals and guitar riffs show a surface kinship to gothic rock, but the addition of more retro-styled synth lines give the act a feel that conjures memories of some of the stronger acts of the '80s, but with a distinctly darker edge.
Showing flashes of acts like the Psychedelic Furs, Oingo Boingo, and Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, tracks like "Default," "Giveaway," or "3 Years" successfully capture the same spirit as these bands, with infectious choruses that ingrain themselves in your memory and inspire singing along with them. While continuously proving themselves to be quite capable of some excellent composition and coming up with very compelling hooks, Red This Ever unfortunately falls a bit short lyrically, at times sounding like a child's poem. The simplistic rhyming scheme employed in tracks such as "Nobody" or "Irresistible" can come across as rather hokey and distracting in songs that are otherwise exceptionally well put together. Thankfully, the rich and warm vocals do ease the pain of the occasionally excessive and somewhat forced rhyming that can make Red This Ever a little harder to take seriously.
Red This Ever is obviously a strong group of musicians, very talented at writing memorable hooks and warm melodies that stick with the listener much like the classic bands of the '80s whose work still resonates today. Though some fault can certainly be found in the lyrics at times, the impact is generally modest and does not make the album any less impressive. With the great skill and promise shown in this debut, one can not help but be very anxious to see what comes from Red This Ever next. Irresistible Review by
Regen MagazineBy: Ilker Yücel
Editor Possessing a sound that is equal parts goth rock and synthpop, this Baltimore quintet revive '80s style in fine form.This Baltimore, MD based quintet is making waves along the East Coast much as any good band does: by playing anywhere and everywhere they can, spreading their music to as wide an audience as they can. Certainly, Red This Ever has the potential to appeal to all points across the underground music board, from their enticing synth-driven melodies to their goth rock energy, with just the occasional moments of grim emotion that would stir even the most hardened rivethead. While hard at work on their debut full-length album, the band has had time to hone the songs presented on Irresistible, with the title track being one of their already most recognized songs with Matthew Marzolf's sweet synth leads and morose vocals that will surely transport listeners back to the best synthpop moments of the '80s. The same can be said of "Flashcard" as it blasts out with great rock 'n' roll energy, complete with a guitar solo courtesy of Brendan Tobin. "Giveaway" is one of the more noteworthy tracks with Ada Ruiz's chugging bass line so reminiscent of the best moments of The Sisters of Mercy and twinkling guitar arpeggios; lyrically and melodically, it's perhaps the darkest track on the EP. The acoustic version of "Never Find My Way" is quite the ballad, simple yet powerful in its melodies with sweeping synths and classical style guitar complementing the vocal interplay between front man Roy Retrofit and drummer Tony Calato. If nothing else, it builds the listener's anticipation for an alternate version that may yet appear on their upcoming Selfless album. To round out the EP, the band offers us several remixes to expand their sound even further into club fare, such as on the remixes for "Paranoid Dream Reality" and "Answer to This Call." With nary a bad track on the EP, it's difficult to find fault with Red This Ever's style of synth rock. The songs are well written, well crafted, and well produced... in other words, a very good CD from a very good band. A Different Drum by
A Different DrumRed This Ever “Selfless” $14 — This new release by the self-described synth rock band, Red This Ever, is actually quite strong, sometimes reminding me of Iris’ more recent material, blended with that gothic tinge you’d find with The Cruxshadows. It’s a nice blend of guitars and synth programing and a quality singer that sets them apart as one of the bands to watch in the scene. You can listen to audio samples of all the tracks and order the CD here :
http://www.adifferentdrum.com/artist.php?n=88450114347-9 Synth Pop Sensation: Red This Ever by By Jessica Snow (SceneMagazine
If you’ve never listened to local band Red This Ever, then you are missing out on what is probably one of the hottest synth-rock acts in the Baltimore music scene. On July 5th, these guys, along with the JV Myka Project, played the first show in a series that is being called the SëN Baltimore’s Live Music Summer set. JV Myka opened the show a little after 9pm at The Depot, and played a decent line up of songs. A few covers were thrown in along with some of their own music, and included was a divine rendition of The Clash song “Should I Stay Or Should I Go.” Most memorable, though, were the belly dancer duo—brought out to shake their hips for a single song’s duration, much to the enjoyment of any men (and some women) in the crowd.
The evening’s smorgasbord of 80’s-style music was continued with Red This Ever. Claiming a heavy influence in the new-wave/ synth-pop movement, their set is a powerful mix of body-shaking, danceable beats. Falling somewhere in between the more modern bands She Wants Revenge and Interpol, singer Roy Retrofit picks up an adorable quasi-British accent as he vocalizes. Although their recorded demos sound more fluid and polished, their live performance is what really takes them to the next level talent-wise. RTE seems like the kind of band that always manages to transcend the barrier between performer and audience, and The Depot was the perfect place for their commingling to happen. Maybe it is just the raw energy of being there, live, in front of friends and fans alike—Roy’s use of the song “Giveaway” to hand random things out to people in the crowd was a special touch, and the way that he held the hand of one of his groupies while serenading her and staring into her eyes would have caused any teenyboppers (had they been present) to open a cream factory. By the end of the evening, the floor stage was crowded with bodies, swaying back and forth to rocker chick Ada’s unstoppable bass lines, and head bobbing to Matt’s keyboard stylings. Tony on the drums and Brendan tearing up the guitar complete the five-top ensemble.
Bottom line: these guys rock. Their first full-length album Selfless is in the works, and their next show is on August 29th at Sonar for the E.Joseph and The Phantom Heart CD release party. If this venue was any indicator of the future of Red This Ever, they are definitely worth a watchful eye and an add on MySpace.
Red This Ever Turns Those Conventions Around by
Regen Magazine by Ilker YücelA great deal of synthpop music in this day and age seems to follow a rather simplistic and familiar template, focusing on a very literal interpretation of the genre by using primarily (if not exclusively) synthesizers and pop music structures to create a sound that is instantly recognizable and accessible. Leave it to Baltimore, MD's Red This Ever to turn those conventions around and return to an aesthetic more in line with the genre's beginnings in the '80s. The five members of this band, vocalist Roy Retrofit, guitarist Brendan Tobin, bassist Ada Ruiz, keyboardist Mathew Marzolf, and drummer Tony Calato all bring a wide range of influences, from harder-edged industrial like Ministry and Skinny Puppy to the softer and more melodic sounds of Wolfsheim and Depeche Mode. With each band member contributing to the electronics, creating a collective sound that defies strict categorization. Are they a synthpop band with guitars, or are they a rock band with synths? The answer would be yes: they are these things, and more. One of two bands to represent Baltimore at the first Nuclearfest in July 2007, Red This Ever speak to ReGen about their dedication to their craft as musicians and live performers, the development of their soon-to-be-released debut album Selfless, their love of drinking, and just who they talk to on their Web site guestbook. Blizzards, Bands, Baltimore...Brilliant by Emergenza - By Billy Danforth
‘red this ever’ brought a full capacity crowd for their synth rock set harkening back to the early days with a supreme stage show...
Fantastic Show by Red This Ever by
Midnight by Scott RoyceWell, if you missed the Red This Ever show at Midnight this Saturday, more's the pity; and I'm sure you're going to hear about it. The band was, as always, fantastic; and they brought out a virtually record crowd in spite of the White House's latest attempt to screw up our parking (Bush apparently was making a speech at the same hotel up L Street that hosted Cheney earlier this year--grrrr!!!). We've hosted a number of excellent live acts at Midnight over the years, but I can't recall any that got such an overwhelmingly favorable reception as RTE. Don't be surprised if we bring them back again later this year once they start a tour to promote their first CD... 
