Where was everyone? They missed a damn good show!

Friday night, May 24th at The Roxy in Los Angeles was the scene from one of Riverside, California's finest, The Color Red. Originally slated to be on tour supporting the remaining dates with brothers, Alien Ant Farm starting the next day but those plans were nixed due to a serious car crash involving AAF Wednesday, May 22nd in Spain. So, the band unpacked its bags and headed over to The Roxy.

Even though they weren't playing the packed concert venues as anticipated, the band played an impressive last minute set for an audience that seemed pleasantly surprised when they entered the club to find the band was on the bill that evening. They opened their twenty-five minute set with "Everything New," a poignant song that creates a perfect duel between the harmonious guitars and melodious vocals - a skill they have mastered especially with songs like, "The Nothing" and "Cleansing." Bass lines are sharp - guitars are crisp- the music just blends well together- sounding great live. My personal favorite -"Sore Throat," a song you think (in the beginning) will be dawdling with an Incubus type of drone but actually whacks you in the face with a heavy slap of guitars and singer, Jon Zamora doing a noble job in maintaining a firm vocal balance between the songs many break downs. I really enjoy his voice. I feel it is strong and lasting- he can hit the screaming in a fashion that is not ear piercing but actually tuneful and also sing with ear pleasing ease.

I noticed a real maturity in The Color Red from the last time I had seen them which was over two years ago on the sandy beaches of Mexico. Musically and vocally and lyrically - they have gotten stronger with age. A new all out package. The music stays in your head- song after song. I noticed I wasn't wondering when the song will end or what am I doing after the show or who is that standing near the speaker!?! Nope, I was thoroughly enjoying the performance as the band moved around the stage not just brooding over their instruments and making me bored- I felt they had a bag full of good songs. Enough good songs that I noticed I was humming in my head hours after the show- and I was- which is rare for me.

So, point of the matter and my rambling is to go see The Color Red when they finally get to your town. You will enjoy a great performance from a great new band!

The Color Red Interview
4/9/02

The Color Red is not a new band. This group of five from Riverside, California has been playing their brand of melodic guitar -driven rock for eight years now. With stand out vocals, they have been a crowd favorite in So Cal - and are now focusing on a nation wide tour that will take them throughout the U.S. seizing even more fans. We spoke with Jon Zamora (vocals) one of two Zamora brothers in the band to discuss an up coming tour and album.

Jon Zamora: Hello?
Noize Pollution: Jon?
JZ: Yeah
NP: Hey man what's up? This is Suzy and T-Bone of Noize Pollution.
JZ: Hey how's it going?
NP: Very good, so let's just do an intro for the soon to be Color Red fans!
JZ: Right on!

NP: How long have you been together?
JZ: Well, my brother, Mark and I have been in the band for eight years, then Billy has been in for seven years. All in all - eight years.

NP: Your music is guitar-driven melodic rock - how would you describe your sound to someone that has not yet heard it?
JZ: That's a difficult question. You'll have to break it down piece by piece. We have melodic vocals, heavy guitars. We're rock! We play rock songs! Different songs carry different emotions.

NP: Who are your influences?
JZ: Well, for me it's Built to Spill, Jeff Buckley, Chino Moreno of the Deftones- I thought their cover of "Smooth Operator" by Sade is the best cover I have ever heard in my entire life. For the guitar aspect- Quicksand, Radiohead, Helmet - a wide selection that varies.

NP: How do you feel your sound has changed or progressed since the band formed in 1994?
JZ: Drastically. We've always been able to define our sound by the guitars and vocals. You can always tell it's The Color Red. Song -wise, we're way more mature today than ever. Johnny K, the producer of the album, taught us so much. We had the songs and he made them better vocally and musically.

NP: We read there was a drummer change - how do you feel that changed the vibe of the band?
JZ: Without question-he just took over- he's a hard hitter. He changed everything and brought all new songs together with him. That's just how he is. Everything on Clear is brand new- the best twelve songs we've ever written. He completed the circle.

NP: How were the shows with No Doubt, Deftones, and Papa Roach? Are those the shows you feel got the band signed?
JZ: No. They were the best shows we've ever played. Those shows are what made us want to do this and strive to get signed. It made us say, "Man I want this!" What got us signed was a mixture of striving to be a better band and wanting to be like those bands.

NP: When is Clear hitting the shelves?
JZ: June 11th. We're battling Korn and going up against their record. We actually played with them and Jonathan Davis gave me a compliment once.
NP: What did he say to you?
JZ: He said I was a good singer.

NP: With the album not being out until June- what will you do in between that time?
JZ: Touring. We're touring up until the record comes out. We're getting ready to go on the Miller Lite Tour with Trik Turner. We'll be out for a month on that tour starting April 20th in Denver. Then heading to Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego then shoots down to Texas. We'll also be jumping on shows - doing off dates - possibly St. Louis and Chicago. After that tour there is talk about going out with some big names but I can't say who.

NP: What's the first single off Clear going to be?
JZ: "Sore Throat." It goes for adds on April 30th, should be hearing it on the radio soon. Hopefully a lot of people will get into it and request the hell out of it.
NP: What is "Sore Throat" about?
JZ: "Sore Throat" is a personal thing about me being on stage. Painful or not it's just me going out there and doing it. Do it no matter what it takes. Whatever you want to do - go for it- regardless of pain. When I get on stage something takes over telling me not to blow out my voice - but I don't hold back.

NP: Did we hear an orchestra on "Intro/ Season?"
JZ: Yeah. That was Gabriel McNair, the keyboardist from No Doubt- he did that for us.

NP: How did you hook up with Johhny K to produce your album?
JZ: We heard he was an upcoming producer - he was hot from Disturbed. Our A&R; guy and management went over with us a list of producers from all these different bands that we like -from Pixies to Foo Fighters. Someone knew someone and they sent him our material and he really liked it. We met with him and the vibe with him went real well. We had heard the No One album he produced and it was amazing. So we pictured ourselves with him as our producer. I never realized the creativity and construction he brings with him. We were even looking at other producers at the time but if we went with someone else, we could've missed out. I hope we do another record with him.

NP: Wasn't the band apart of SpinRecords.com?
JZ: Yes
NP: What happened with that?
JZ: They went out of business.

NP: How do you feel about the Southern California scene right now?
JZ: Riverside scene kicks ass! Right now, I think there is a lot of really good music coming from everywhere. Look at an EMO type band like The White Stripes that you now hear on mainstream radio - it's weird to see it!

NP: A few days ago, I e-mailed all our street teamers that listed The Color Red in their top ten and I had them send me a question they would like to ask you. I have a few fan questions for you. This question is from
Kelly of Hollywood, CA asks: I have a subscription to Metal Edge and they listed you as a "Band to Watch in 2002." I have to agree. Does that intimidate you at all?
JZ: We're pumped and ready! Guns are loaded! We're so ready and not intimidated ! We're all confident and want this badly! We're ready to go! Bring it on!

Interview by: Suzy & T-Bone