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By KRYSTINA GRANDMOND
Staff Writer

Just when you think you've heard it all (a thousand times over), something new comes along that sparks your interest and curiousity so much that you have no choice but to stop and listen. Which is exactly what occurred when I stumbled across the Toronto-based, all-female metal group, Scarlet Sins.

After conducting an extensive search for Soundline's relaunch feature, I happened to land on a website that definitely intrigued me. After making contact with the band and receiving a CD for review, I knew that there was no doubt the Sins would be the cover faces of Soundline for the next month.

The band is comprised of four, in-your-face, wildly outgoing women. Band founder, and rockin’ guitarist, Cristina Bishop first contracted the distinctive vocals of front-lady, Sylvya NuVynska, through an online ad.

“I found Sylv within 5 minutes of posting an ad and since I’ve always loved unique vocalists, as soon as I heard her voice I knew she was the right singer,” says Bishop.

Bassist Tanya Nicklaus, and drummer Elie Bertrand were both added later, also through the help of modern technology and the ever-growing internet. “I knew Cris from back home in Ottawa and I joined about 3 years ago,” says Nicklaus.

Bertrand’s father found the band’s page on MySpace and noticed that they were looking for a drummer. “I checked them out and, to be really honest, I was really skeptical because it was an all-girl band,” she says, “until I heard the first two bars of Strangelove.”

“Gotta love the internet!” chimes in NuVynska.

Internet or not, finding the right members to fill all of the band’s positions was not an easy task.

“Putting the band together and finding the right members was definitely a big hurdle,” says the singer.

“Took almost three years,” adds Nicklaus.

But since the coming-together of the band’s current members, they’ve worked hard and reaped the rewards and success that comes with dedication and persistence. Bishop describes the band’s greatest achievement as “getting on the Grammy shortlist four times,” a feat not easily accomplished by independent artists of any genre.

“Without any kind of financial support, no promotion, no label, no management,” says Bertrand. “We got that on our own. How many people can say that?”

Not many. But it pays to be passionate about your goals and aspirations. Bishop’s belief is that the music speaks for itself. “Just focus on writing good songs that you like. Then everything else will fall into place.”

And it has. Starting at the bottom is never easy, but with hard work and the support of the fans, this group was able to quickly claw their way up the music chain, adding gig after gig in larger and larger venues. “There are so many options on the Internet. You can live the rest of your life without having to listen to commercials between songs or songs you don’t like. We reach out to our fans to help spread the word,” says Bishop.

Drummer, Bertrand, remembers one of the smallest shows they ever played, “London, Ontario in some club. There were about 12 people, one broken monitor and the best part was the motel room we stayed at!” But not everything is bad when you play a gig that completely blows, “We sold a lot of merch that night though.”

Working your way up pays off. By gaining experience, fan support, and confidence, they were able to fully enjoy one of their biggest, and favourite, shows to date.

Nicklaus: “Opening for Mötley fuckin Crüe at Sarnia Bayfest!!”
Bishop: “Motley Crue, 16 000 crazy fans in Sarnia!”
Bertrand: “A big ass stage, 16 000 people, and four icons of rock watching us rocking on stage!”
NuVynska: “It was awesome to see so many faces in the crowd … We want more shows like that!”

With the work that each member is putting into the promotion of the band, it’s quite possible that more shows of that magnitude are in the Sins’ near future. Bishop describes the band’s goals for the next 12 months as “recording the 2nd album, releasing at least a couple of videos this year, launching SinnerTV and touring internationally,” the last which is already a reality, an Australian tour set for Fall 2009!

Having the same goals and desire to make this project a huge success are part of the reason that they are doing as well as they are. “When I first spoke with Cris we both knew we wanted to do this full time,” says the singer. “We never looked at this as just a hobby or weekend thing.”

Combining parallel goals and similar tastes in music, the band always works together to write their songs, with each member contributing in their own way. A method that is sure to create a set that each can play with as much fervor on stage as they did while writing it. “We start out with guitar or bass parts, sometimes a whole song, then we all sit together to jam out parts, write melodies and lyrics, so it’s a very collaborative process,” says Bishop.

NuVynska adds that songs generally come off the top of her head, “but driven by personal experiences.”

With a sound as creative and original as their name (it came from a church billboard, believe it or not), they're not a band that passes by unnoticed. Their distinct style is influenced by a variety of sources that include classical music, metal, hard rock, grunge, industrial, and even some older pop, just to name a few. “I love songs that are powerful, emotional, melodic, and sometimes melancholy. I try to paint a picture with every note,” says the band’s guitarist.

Nicklaus adds, “We create music that we would enjoy listening to. We draw inspiration from bands we like, but we definitely have our own sound.” Based on the music I’ve heard personally, this is a technique that definitely works for them. Far from your current “trend music”, the Scarlet Sins create a sound that cannot be compared to the likeness of any mainstream artist. They are a band that stands out from the crowd, and it’s surprising they haven’t been picked up yet.

Perhaps it is the stereotypes that make it more difficult for this group to get noticed by the big shots. As much as I doubt anyone with ears would turn away without wanting to hear everything they have to offer, being an all-female group in the world of hard rock & metal is not an easy feat. “You hear a lot of crap. The best I heard so far is that hard rock/metal is testosterone-driven music and women can't pull it off. Bullshit! Some women have more balls then men. We chose to ignore it and continue doing what we do,” says the Sins’ singer, NuVynska.

“No matter what we do, some people will love it, some people won't and that's it. All that matters to us is to have fun doing what we do and staying true to ourselves and not listening to all the people out there that are trying to bring us down or change who we are,” adds the enthusiastic drummer, Bertrand.

Staying true to themselves and playing shows that kick serious ass are what this band does best. With the gigs getting bigger and the crowds more packed, they’ve kicked themselves into high gear, but still stay level-headed and even a little nervous before some shows.

“I would say I’m more excited than nervous, but I still get butterflies before we hit the stage,” says Bertrand. “I guess you could compare it to a runner's high; it's something I can't explain. It's just so good and amazing. There’s a big rush that goes through my whole body.”

With so much adrenaline, how do they keep themselves in the right frame of mind to perform?

Bishop: “Tune guitars. I like being away from people to get in the right frame of mind and focus.”
NuVynska: “I like to be alone and go through the show in my mind.”
Bertrand: “We gotta sing some French songs at some point before we go on stage!”
Nicklaus: “Jager shots.”

Well girls, when I get to make it out to a show, the first round of Jager shots are on me!

Visit www.scarletsinsonline.com to sample music from the girls, keep up to date on upcoming shows and more!