[00:04] Speaker 1: This is Bringing the Darkness to the Light with Katherine Nadal, professional psychic medium.

[00:11] Speaker 2: Today's guest is Michael Saint. He is a vocalist for the band Scarhaven. It is a pleasure to have you on, Michael.

[00:19] Speaker 3: Thank you so much for having me, Kathy.

[00:21] Speaker 2: Oh.

[00:21] Speaker 3: I like how that intro went on bringing the darkness to the light.

[00:24] Speaker 2: Yes, that is my song, and I always uncover some sort of darkness in these interviews, so (laughs) -

[00:31] Speaker 3: It's great.

[00:31] Speaker 2: ... we'll have to see what's going on with you. So I wanted to do a shout-out to Sofia. Sofia is the one that put me in touch with you. Turns out that a lot of people I know know you. My very good friend, Rob Caggiano, he was super stoked to hear that I was gonna be talking to you tonight. He has seen you play, heard all about you guys, and it's really, really great. I was reading online, 'cause I haven't seen you play live, and I was reading online, there's quite a lot of compliments for your band. There's a lot of references that your band sounds like Soundgarden and Autoslave, and actually, there's a lot of talk online that you, in particular, your vocals sound a lot like Chris Cornell. So that's really impressive. I mean, that is really, like, quite amazing. Even though I find that singers sound like someone, you bring your own energy to it, and you bring your own vibe to it. So you may sound similar, but I've listened to it, and you definitely have your own unique twist.

[01:32] Speaker 2: So tell me, how did Michael Saint start?

[01:35] Speaker 3: Well, thank you for having me, Kathy. Um, I'm excited to, to do this interview, and shout-out to Sofia and Rob. They're great people, and I also wanna, like, shout out my label and my band, um, representing them, but yeah, it's been great. I actually... I started out singing in a band. Um, I kind of fell into it, so there's a little bit of imposter syndrome with that. But originally, like, like you were, we were talking earlier, I, I went to school... After high school, I went to school for nursing, um, at University of Pittsburgh, and that was just ridiculously pretty hard, so kudos to all the nurses there. But yeah, I, I left University of Pittsburgh. I came back home for a bit, and I, I've always had, like, this creative fire in me. Uh, I grew up watching a lot of movies, music, everything, drawing, like, everything, and it was a fire that I couldn't really suppress or blow out, so I decided to go to acting school in New York. I graduated Stella Adler 2018.

[02:38] Speaker 3: 2019, I went to film school for a year, but I dropped out because a lot of these things you can learn while doing it. But yeah, that's kind of how it started, and then COVID shut things down in the city while I was really pursuing acting and filmmaking. You know, my family was understandably wanting me to come back home and be safe, and, you know, lockdown was happening, and I spent a lot of time at home. I... There was a guitar in the basement that I kind of taught myself how to play. I wanted something creative to do. Taught myself guitar, and I started doing karaoke for fun just in my car, just, like, on my phone. For the time being, you know, while we were in COVID, I was like, "Let me join a band just for the fun, see where things go." I didn't think anything was gonna happen to it, you know? And that's kind of just, like, how it started, me singing in a band, and...

[03:26] Speaker 2: And that was the band that was formed during COVID or just after COVID?

[03:31] Speaker 3: Formed during COVID. I joined that band. I was there for, like, I'd say, like, eight months. It was, it was a great experience. I, I, I learned a lot. Those guys are, are great guys, and the, the music scene is pretty good there too. But that's, that's kind of the beginning of where I started, you know, really understanding hard rock and, and metal, um, because I kn- I didn't come from that at all. I grew up with a single mom, so I, I, I came up listening to a lot of what she listened to in, in the car and stuff like that.

[04:01] Speaker 2: What was she listening to?

[04:03] Speaker 3: A lot of, like, '70s R&B, soul. She, she was a big fan of the '70s, so, like, I'd say, like, Elton John, Tina Turner, Al Green.

[04:12] Speaker 2: That's great. She's probably a fan, like me, of yacht rock radio (laughs) .

[04:17] Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, definitely.

[04:18] Speaker 2: There's some really great tunes. I mean, they just live on, you know? There's, like, no expiration date for some of those '70s songs. Yeah.

[04:26] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[04:27] Speaker 2: So out of your mom's music, growing up and listening to the music your mom liked, what really kind of, like, propels you now to think back to as maybe highlighted as a artist that maybe you would like to kind of go back and have fond memories of? I mean, Elton John has a million songs. There's so many of them that have so many songs. Who would you say made an early impression on you, maybe sitting in the back seat of the car or something while she was driving you around?

[04:57] Speaker 3: She exposed me to a lot of music, but it was a lot from the '70s, and not too much rock or, or metal of that time. It was just, um, what was popular back in the '70s. Um, the Bee Gees made a big impression. Tina Turner, Elton John. I'm horrible with names. I'm blanking on a-

[05:14] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[05:15] Speaker 3: ... um...

[05:15] Speaker 2: No, no, I totally get it though, you know? The '70s are so iconic for that because a lot of people do not know the name of some of the songs, but you hear a couple of notes, and then you're like, "Oh, that's Barry Manilow," or, "Oh, that's Elton John," or, "Oh, that's..." you know, because it's their sound. And a lot of artists from the '70s had kind of their own rhythm, and once they started putting out albums, they became very recognizable. So I have to give you a lot of credit to kind of, like, kind of dig in and realize that you weren't really happy in that nursing program. To be honest, I was recently in Pittsburgh and never been there before in my life, and I was like, "Wow, it's very quiet here," 'cause I'm a really New York City person, and I was like, "Wow, if I was here, I w- I would struggle," 'cause it seems a little on the quieter side. Coming from DC, you probably had the similar experience, right, that Pittsburgh was a little quiet?

[06:11] Speaker 3: A little bit. I came... Technically, it's Maryland, like the suburbs of Maryland, right outside DC, so take me, like, 15 minutes to get into DC. Pittsburgh was great. I loved Pittsburgh. Um, people there are really... they're great and genuine and-... I enjoyed, you know, that first year of college, that coll- college lifestyle, so, you know, I had a fun time in Pittsburgh.

[06:30] Speaker 2: So, I have to remark, you are young, so when people say that your music is a reminder of Soundgarden, you were probably too young when Soundgarden was making their big breaks, right? 'Cause they would have been breaking in the '90s. So, what is your thoughts of that when you hear these compliments?

[06:50] Speaker 3: Well, I can backtrack a little bit. I, I got into... Probably my first band that I really got into was U2, and that was around middle school, then it progressed a little bit. But coming back to your question about Soundgarden and Chris Cornell, the first time I really kind of recognized the name Chris Cornell was when he wrote that track for Casino Royale. I think it was around 2008, 2007, and I liked that song a lot from the movie. I was introduced to Chris Cornell through that movie, and I was like, "Wow, this is, this song's awesome," and had it, you know, on my flip phone, I think, (laughs) um, at the time, and, um, I didn't think anything much of it.

[07:28] Speaker 3: I just knew Chris Cornell associated with that song from Casino Royale, and then around 2017 when he passed, I was like, "Oh, man, that, that's..." It didn't hit me as hard, because I only knew him off that one song, and of course, it's, it's horrible what happened, and it's, it's tragic, and because I didn't know him, of him and his work of how I know of him now, it didn't h- strike me as hard, and so I go back and I listen, and it k- it did hurt, and, you know, that song was great. But after that, when I started joining the band, my first bandmates were telling me, like, "You sound like Chris Cornell, you sound like Chris Cornell and Soundgarden," and a little bit of Eddie Vedder and all that, and I was like, "Oh, man, Chris Cornell. Wait, that's, that name sounds really familiar," and that's when I really dove into his music, and I was just...

[08:15] Speaker 3: That whole '90s, all rock, that's when I really started diving into rock and metal, and it's like someone taking the flowers from my eyes and really diving in, so...

[08:26] Speaker 2: Yeah, so Chris Cornell and Soundgarden, you know, his voice is like a tapestry through all of those songs, and so much of his lyrics and so much of the band, with the progression of all their lyrics, is so deep, and you really realize, you know, what he may have gone through in his life. You know, there was a lot of things in his background, and a lot of things that he was kind of portraying in singing, that he was really kind of a strong soul of a person, and- and his music, when you s-

[09:03] Speaker 3: Uh-

[09:03] Speaker 2: ... when you hear him sing it, you can't deny it. Like, he was a really strong soul. That, to me, is how I remember him, um-

[09:11] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[09:12] Speaker 2: ... you know, that he was just so strong. And the background to the lyrics and stuff, it just was so perfectly suited, and that's why I think, you know, like many bands that continue to live on, you know? But they also have different sounds to them, like, you know, how I mentioned Soundgarden and then Autoslave, like, those songs, once you play them, people can say, "That's an Autoslave song." Like, you just know it, and that's what I call a recognizable tune, but also a sound for a band. So tell me, how did you meet the guys in Scarhaven?

[09:45] Speaker 3: Initially, I met Jared, I wanna say 2021, 2022, when I need a ba- a bassist. But before that, I actually had messaged him around 2018, 2019. For his band, they needed a vocalist. They wanted someone that sounded like Judas Priest. I sent my demo in, and I guess it just didn't work out. My voice didn't suit the style of music they were playing. So, fast forward a year and a half, my bassist drops out, and I remember, I remembered him, like, "Oh, he's in a band, he plays bass, let me reach out to him." So he filled in for a couple shows. He was also in another band at that time, and we were in that project for a bit, very temporarily, and then we both decided, you know, we work really well together, it's not working out with this project, let's, let's do something ourselves as a duo for now.

[10:35] Speaker 2: So that's great. So that is Jared Edson, and that's really how Scarhaven formed together, was really the two of you coming together, saying, "We need to have our own band." Is that correct?

[10:48] Speaker 3: Yeah, so it was us writing a lot of music. We were known as Embassy Row before. We called it Embassy Row because there's a street in DC, and it has, like, a row of a bunch of embassies. They call it Embassy Row because all the embassies are on that street, so...

[11:03] Speaker 2: So once you and Jared got together and said, "We have to form this new band," how did you get the other members to come and play with you?

[11:11] Speaker 3: We wanted to stay a duo for a bit, and we'd have fill-ins when we wanted to play shows come in, and actually, we met Matt Kilroy, our guitarist, and we met him at Dingbats pretty early on. We kinda just kept him as, you know, a fill-in, and same with Shap. We know, we had him fill in for us for a couple shows, and then we just pulled the trigger one day and decided, you know, "These guys are great, they play well, we all get along, we're all brothers now, we're all equal parts of Scarhaven." That's kinda how it happened. They started out as fill-ins, and we just, their energy and their spirit was really there, and they're, they're hardworking, and...

[11:48] Speaker 2: So it's interesting you called him Shap, the drummer is Alex Shapiro, so is sh-

[11:53] Speaker 3: His birth name da- his first name's M- Michael.

[11:56] Speaker 2: Ah.

[11:56] Speaker 3: We just call him Shap. Michael, his middle name's Alex. (laughs)

[11:59] Speaker 2: Oh, all right. Okay, the bio says Alex Shapiro. Okay, cool. How did you come about naming the band Scarhaven?

[12:08] Speaker 3: I, I realized, you know, everyone has gone through things in life, good or bad, and those moments create scars, whether they're good scars, they're bad scars, and sometimes people need a haven for that, to really connect with things they've gone through, and that's kinda how it happened, you know? I was... I wanna kinda go back a little bit to when I was introduced to rock and metal, like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, like, particularly that '90s sound. Like, obviously, it was, it's a massive genre, and particularly, that sound and what these lyrics were coming out of and what these people had gone through, and it really resonated with me. That kinda opened up my world to really digging deep and really connecting...... things that I've gone through, things that people may have gone through that I've heard of, and putting that, that heart and that humanity in the lyrics. I've gotten into poetry because of the rock and metal genre, and I, I love it.

[13:06] Speaker 3: It's like a, it's like an awakened kind of addiction that I never knew I had, like, in terms of rock and metal, because I didn't grow up with that, so now it's just like I love it.

[13:17] Speaker 2: I love that description, because it's kind of interesting that you were introduced to a different type of music, but the music that you end up finding out that you really, truly love is music that wasn't normally played around you, so that's really great. What you had said, though, about writing poetry, to me, is so important, because being a vocalist, you probably feel compelled to write a lot of the lyrics, 'cause you have to have the feeling behind them. Do you find that poetry is easier to write or that writing lyrics is easier to write, because you are the vocalist?

[13:53] Speaker 3: I'd say both. I, I have always loved the creative, you know, English side of school. I always loved writing and reading stories, and I love poetry, I love writing. I love learning lyrics. It comes easy and very natural to me. I also study, uh, like... Well, I wouldn't say study, but I read other poets and, and poetry and, that I really enjoy, and it kind of teaches me in, in a way, even if you sh- read it yourself, you know?

[14:18] Speaker 2: Well, I love poetry, so I'm gonna ask you, who are your favorite poets?

[14:23] Speaker 3: I like Charles Bukowski a lot. I like Sylvia Plath a lot, too. I also like how, like, introspective... I mean, he's a well-known... He's a poet, for sure, but he's mainly known for his music, but, like, Jim Morrison is great.

[14:37] Speaker 2: Absolutely, yeah. I was thinking of the older ones, like Kilmer, Joyce Kilmer. O. Henry. I mean, those are, like, you know, total classics. Very long time ago. But you make a really good point, because someone like Jim Morrison, to me, is a perfect example, because he, too, was a vocalist, and he, too, was a, a born creative. A lot of people talk about him in interviews, that he didn't know anything other than how to create.

[15:07] Speaker 2: It's kind of like he wasn't lost, he was always found, but he was found in creativity, and you-

[15:13] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.

[15:13] Speaker 2: ... sound a lot like that.

[15:15] Speaker 3: Oh, thank you very much.

[15:16] Speaker 2: Yeah. So I wanna start getting into the discussion about your songs. If we mentioned I'm Not Dead, that sounds like a very strong title, so tell me a bit about that song, and tell me a bit of how that song kinda came about, but also what it's like for your band when you play that song.

[15:36] Speaker 3: I'm Not Dead Yet I wrote during a very hard period of my life. So my, my family originally came from Peru. My mom and her siblings grew up in Maryland, in DC, and they had, like, a nanny, and she helped raise them alongside my grandparents. And that nanny also r- helped raise me, because my mom was a single mom, so she was like a second mother to me and raised me, and she passed away in, I wanna say, 2023. But during that time, 'cause we wrote that song in 2023, during that time, everyone was visiting her and pretty much acting like, okay, she's pretty much on her way out. She was going through some health issues, and... But I, I didn't like the feeling like people were already writing her off. She ended up living like another six months, uh, to a, to a year, like... And that's pretty much what the song's about, is I'm not dead yet, so, you know, stop acting like I'm on my way out.

[16:36] Speaker 2: Wow. I'm sorry for your loss. She sounds like a really special person. But also to have the ability to know that she's the nanny, but also, in her natural way, to almost be like a second mom to you.

[16:51] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[16:52] Speaker 2: Yeah, that's great.

[16:53] Speaker 3: That for sure.

[16:54] Speaker 2: Yeah. And the, and the concept of that song is so true, though, and I have to say, you know, as a fan of music, when I listen to music, the lyrics, you wrote that, in particular, for her situation, but that kind of could fit in with other scenarios and other people's lives, you know? Where a lot of times... I have done a lot of work with people who struggle with addiction, and a lot of times, family members write them off. They think they're never gonna stop using or drinking or whatever it is. So in some way, there's this sense of writing them off, you know? Like, kind of giving up hope that that person will not be able to kind of go on.

[17:38] Speaker 3: Absolutely.

[17:39] Speaker 2: Yeah. It's so amazing. You know, it just takes the listener on their own journey-

[17:45] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.

[17:46] Speaker 2: ... uh, which to me, is really super powerful, you know, even though you wrote that with that in mind. How is it to play this song live, like, with your band?

[17:55] Speaker 3: Great. It's, it's a very strong song. It always gives, like, a great reaction when people are first hearing it. But yeah, it's a, it's a great rock song. It's a fun song with just a positive overall feeling, like no matter what you go through, if you think you're at your last moments, there's always a light inside of you that will tell you to keep fighting for your life and, and whatever the situation may be, like, you're not dead yet. Just keep fighting and keep going.

[18:24] Speaker 2: Absolutely. Wow, that's really a beautiful message, and a message of hope, which I really like. So we're gonna play the song I'm Not Dead Yet by Scarhaven.

[19:04] Speaker 3: Faces come and greet with no desire. And they're checking my every hour. And they're flooding my bed with flowers. Assuming as I lie there with no power. I'm coming back to life. I feel I'm still alive. I'm coming back to life. Strangers getting restless in the morning. In the morning. Cleaning eyes that fall still with a warning. I'm coming back to life. I feel I'm still alive. I'm coming back to life. Time will fade it all when it's all over. Feel me burning up. I'm going under. In your arms. Whoa. Yeah. Yeah. I'm coming back to life. I feel I'm still alive.

[22:03] Speaker 3: Coming back to life.

[22:14] Speaker 2: Wow. You know, your music is really amazing. I wanted to ask you earlier, the whole idea for me listening to you, that your life really took a change going through COVID, and seeing the world stop still, but not stopping still for yourself, you know? Because you-

[22:44] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[22:44] Speaker 2: ... really, like, taught yourself to play guitar, which is, like, amazing for me, because I think it's probably a very difficult instrument, you know? So-

[22:52] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[22:53] Speaker 2: ... the, the piece of this is, is that when the world stopped still, you did not, you know? And that-

[22:58] Speaker 3: Yeah.

[22:58] Speaker 2: ... sounds like kind of a mantra that you've had since you were a little boy, you know?

[23:04] Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you. Yeah, um, it's funny. Like, my mind, I feel like never shuts down. Never... It's hard for me to relax. It's, it's hard for me to just enjoy little things. My mind's always wanting to create and wanting to make something, or it's always thinking. But yeah, COVID did, you know, shut the world down for a bit. And, I don't know, I just, I had a fire in me that just wanted to create and make something and teach myself something, learn something new.

[23:32] Speaker 2: The piece of this to me that I, I always say, certain things in life are meant to be. And you said that you would just sit in your car and kind of just sing or do karaoke. Were you using that social media? Like, do you feel that social media got some sort of attention with you?

[23:51] Speaker 3: No, no. I, I'm a very shy person in general. It may not seem like it, because, you know, I'm on stage singing and moving around, or I wanted to be an actor, but being an actor, you always hide behind a role or a character. With singing, it's a little bit more being the front man of the band, like, and they're my lyrics. It's a very honest, very vulnerable situation every time you're on, on stage. So I've learned to just kind of let go and just be true to who I am. With the whole karaoke singing stuff, that was all private. It wasn't on social media. I, I'd call that my training years of really finding my voice. I'd try to sing things of other people, try to replicate what they sounded like and, you know, it was just a learning experience, really, just where my voice went, where it sits well.

[24:42] Speaker 2: To me, that's so impressive. I don't think I could ever be a singer, but there's kind of what you just said is so true, 'cause when you listen to a song, like you do with karaoke, you realize that there's certain parts of certain songs where there are, like, built-in inflections, where you actually have to take a break, or you have to speed up, or you have to kind of, like, wait for the music to play, you know?

[25:07] Speaker 2: So that in itself is training, you know, like someone-We just want to keep singing, and, you know-

[25:13] Speaker 3: (laughs)

[25:13] Speaker 2: ... you have to force yourself to kind of just sing that song. And-

[25:17] Speaker 3: Right.

[25:18] Speaker 2: ... to sing it at the pace of the- m- other instruments is really, I think, the key, 'cause you could see where sometimes you'll go out and see something and you're like, "Wow, they were trying to rush it through." And you can't. With certain-

[25:31] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.

[25:32] Speaker 2: ... songs, you have to follow the instruments and stuff. So when you started out doing your singing, learning the guitar, playing the guitar probably helps you with your timing. Would you agree?

[25:43] Speaker 3: Uh, yeah, definitely, for sure. I mean, I, I learned chords, some basic chords, and would learn basic easy songs like that, so strumming and, and singing kind of came... Oddly enough, it came pretty easy to me and a little bit natural. Again, I have a little bit of imposter syndrome saying all this, because I got in the game way late, you know? I grew up playing sports, and I consider myself the black sheep of the family, because everyone is sports and school and, and college degrees and, uh, I just... Something just in me did not click with that, and I, I needed to create. I think I'm a creative at heart.

[26:19] Speaker 2: But that's why I think this journey for you and the level of success that you're reaching so fast, it doesn't matter when you started your journey, you know? You say late in the game. It doesn't matter, because what matters is now and the impact that you're going to have on the audiences and the impact you're going to have on future musicians, especially future vocalists. I mean, I believe in everyone's kind of living their own life path, and part of your life path may be a silent teacher, where you're literally showing people that you could start at any age and at any stage of life.

[26:58] Speaker 3: Yeah. Thank you very much. Yeah, that means a lot.

[27:00] Speaker 2: So tell me about your song Changing. What is that about?

[27:04] Speaker 3: Changing is about pretty much changing, and if you're not careful what you're changing into, you might regret it. And it's also just, you know, it's pretty self-explanatory in the title, but it's about change and changing for the better, and if you're not careful, you might change for the worse. But yeah, that song came to me when I was actually... I was watching The Lost Boys and the whole change that, you know, the main character goes through of becoming, like, a vampire kind of really resonated with me at the time. But in, in a deeper meaning, it's just change, overall change. Anyone can change, and if you're not careful, you know, if you're not growing into something positive, you can end up changing into something ugly. But yeah, that, that song's just about overall change and growth as a human being.

[27:51] Speaker 2: Yes, and it looks like your life has really truly changed and that you've been through a lot of change. The unique thing about talking about this song for me is that I believe, as your life was changing, you were kind of realizing that your life was changing. Did you see that you had to structure your life a different way when you got more involved in music? Like, did you lose any friends over it, or did you find that you gained more friends over it?

[28:22] Speaker 3: I found that I gained more friends from it, because I really embraced and I really was honest with myself about me being a creative person, a... being an artist and really diving into music, and I just... I learned that I gained more of a friendship with people when you're just kind of true to that, true to yourself, because you'll meet other like-minded people that like what you like. And that goes with anything in life. Just be true to yourself, and don't worry, you're not the only person that likes this one thing. The world's a big place, so it's important to just always be true to yourself, wear your heart on your sleeve, speak from your heart and respect everyone, have love, but also just... Yeah, that's the overall message with that.

[29:04] Speaker 2: So great. So what is it like to play Changing? Like, how does that differ from I'm Not Dead Yet, for the audience sake?

[29:13] Speaker 3: Changing is great, and we typically play that, that song last on our set list. It was our first single and it just means a lot to us, and it's a very high energy, like, powerful song as well and the audience really likes it. It's a good reaction we always get from them.

[29:27] Speaker 2: That is so great. So we're gonna play Changing now by Scorahaven.

[29:32] Speaker 1: (heavy rock music) Breathing moans. Revolution has begun. Gold skin grows. Blood is all I hunger for. I've changed in tone. My soul has grown. Passion, pure and eternal light. I'm changing. Do you know what I'll become? So don't save me. 'Cause you know that I ain't done. I ain't done. Dream all day. It's only in the dark we play. Anecdote.Our soul is grown. Our children must eternal lie. I'm changing. Do you know what I'll become? So don't save me. Because you know that I ain’t done. Ah, yeah. Done. There’s cold down, I’ll show you where I’m living at. There’s cold down, I’ll show you where I’m living at. Ah, yeah. There’s cold down, I’ll show you where I’m living at.Ah, yeah. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.

[32:17] Speaker 1: Let's slow down, I'll show you where I'm living at.Let's slow down, I'll show you where I'm living at.I said I can't feel itLet's slow down, I'll show you where I'm living at.Come on, come on, come on.BecauseLet's slow down, I'll show you where I'm living at.Didn't mean itLet's slow down, I'll show you where I'm living at.Had feelingLet's slow down, I'll show you where I'm living at.Making myselfBe calmCrumbling apartLet's slow down, I'll show you where I'm living at.ChangingDon't understandLet's slow down, I'll show you where I'm living at.Felt too lostCan't believe itLet's slow down, I'll show you where I'm living at.See the lightCome on, come on, come onLet's go down. Let's go down. Let's go dowwwn. Wow. You know, it's such a pleasure to talk to you, because so many people in life say they follow their dreams, but you actually are following your dream. How does it feel to do an interview, or how does it feel to, like, play on a stage?

[33:07] Speaker 1: Like, are days you wake up and you're like, pinch me. Like, is this really happening? (laughs) Hmm.<|agent|><|en|>

[33:13] Speaker 3: I'm very fortunate. I'm very happy that people, our team, and, and, uh, the label, and just everyone who's worked with us gave us a chance, and really believed in us from the start. So I'm very grateful to the very early, super early beginnings of Jared and I's career, just starting out at the band and, you know, we met guys like Joe Guzik, who saw us play, and he gave us what we called a, a come to Jesus moment, because he gave us so much positive advice and things that we need to change, things that we need to do to fix ourselves. And we took that and we ran with it, and we really worked on that. And when we also met our producer, you know, Jim Kaufman, he really saw there was something in us that he believed in, and he helped us with this whole EP and further music. There's so many people that have been on our team that really believe in us. Jennifer Johnson, Matt Swanson, that took the risk in really half opened up their, their whole rock label.

[34:12] Speaker 3: Um, they made a new rock label at Riser House, took us in. So I could list so many names that I, I would love to, but I don't wanna take up the time here.

[34:21] Speaker 2: No, it's all right. No, but I think that is really great, you know. And that actually is statement, an impressive statement, that they did that, that they dedicated a whole label. And that's, like, an example of how people believe in you. I feel that you could probably wake some days and feel like you'd pinch yourself, like, is this really happening? Still kind of taking it all in, like, you must be still in shock, you know. Your life, it's only six year ago. I mean COVID this week is literally six years ago, to the almost day. And that's only six years. That's a big change in your whole life. Must be a little shocking somedays.

[35:01] Speaker 3: oh, for sure, yeah. I'm just super grateful though. I'm very grateful, and I wouldn't do anything to change all the work that we've put in and meeting everyone. Uh, there's nothing I would change.

[35:12] Speaker 2: Absolutely. wow. You're in very good company. Your band must be very excited. So tell about what's coming up for all of you. What is the plan?

[35:21] Speaker 3: our EP is pretty much gonna come out soon, with, there's a last song that's on that EP. It, it'll be a total of six. So we're gonna be trying to promote our first EP, getting on the road, um, playing a couple festivals hopefully, and getting on a couple tours, is, is the goal for this year. Right now our next show's in April. Yeah, just really promoting our music. Playing towards many people and places that we, we can play.

[35:47] Speaker 2: so this will be a very exciting year for you. What have been highlights for you that you've done with the band over the past year oder two?

[35:56] Speaker 3: Are we talking 2026 so far?

[35:58] Speaker 2: well, yeah, sure, like this year, and then going back to 2025, or 2024. Like, are there any events that stood out for you that you're like, oh wow, we did that show. Or you have ,like, funny stories about things, you know?

[36:13] Speaker 3: ever since we got officially our other two members, Mat and Chap, things have been on fire, kind of like making music videos with our director, Matt Elkanah, having created... Like, his version's great. That's always a highlight honestly, because we have so fun on set, and his works always turns out amazing. Meeting the label for the first time in Nashville was awesome. Their whole team is great. Uh, it's funny, wh- when we first met them, it was walking into a sorority house, because it was a bunch of girls and four rock guys that came in. And, yeah, Jason Martin, he's kind of our A&R at the label, but kind of took us under his wing. It was great. Just h- a couple highlights there that were awesome.

[36:51] Speaker 2: that's really great. well, because you had studied film, and you also had studied being an actor, tell us a little bit about the musics videos that were made. Was there one in particular that you can kind of set the stage for us?

[37:05] Speaker 3: all of them are, are honesty awesome. .Some tell more of a story than others. Others are more, just more performative. Having gone to film school for, like, a year, I feel like I learned more, honestly, being onto set with Matt Elkanah, with lighting and, you know, the gear that they use. SO that's awesome. And then when we talked about upcoming music videos, its' aways fun talking with him and building a story about relating to the lyrics, and building kind of a, a world, building a brand for us. And Sofia also helps us out with that. ... like building a brand for Scarhaven, and, uh, building a world for us.

[37:43] Speaker 2: That's so good. Wow. That is really great. Well, I have to check out your music videos. I have to check out more and more of your music as it starts rolling out. As we get towards the end of the interview, I wanted to mention the song Drowned. Can you tell me more about that song?

[38:01] Speaker 3: Sure. I, I wrote that song also when it was just Jared and I pretty early on, and that song's just about, you know, you can be, whether it's in a relationship, in the same room with family or friends, you can feel so surrounded by people that may love you, but sometimes you just feel so alone, whether that's you suppressing feelings or just not connecting with the outside world, being present. That's, that's really what that song's about. Someone who maybe not understand you or may not understand what you're going through and you're just kinda putting face to just, just to get by in life, but honestly you're just feeling very alone.

[38:38] Speaker 2: Wow, that's a lot of heavy emotion, you know?

[38:41] Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.

[38:41] Speaker 2: Um, I really believe that lyrics and storytelling in lyrics really helps so many people. Sometimes it doesn't hit them right away. Sometimes they listen to the song two or three times, and then they really realize, "Wow, this song is talking about me," or, "This song is talking about someone I live with." So that's why I feel like your life path is really innately a teacher in some way.

[39:06] Speaker 3: Thank you very much.

[39:07] Speaker 2: So do you feel songs popping out of you all the time?

[39:11] Speaker 3: Yeah. I, I, I, I tend to sometimes, like, annoy Jared or the rest of my bandmates with ideas sometimes that I send, because they're just kinda ... I just pop 'em out and, you know. Some may be good, some may be horrible, some will never see the light of day, and I hope they don't. But in terms of, like, poetry, I, I do also try to write every day. And music and poetry, uh, it's a form of therapy for me sometimes, I like to believe, because ... And I'm sure for many other people, like, it, it does help you through life. It makes life a little bit easier.

[39:42] Speaker 2: Absolutely. Well, I spent a year in Iraq, and I could tell you that if it wasn't for music, I don't know how we would have gotten through it. Even sometimes when we couldn't play music, we would talk about a song, or we would say, "What's the song of the day?" And we'd try to, like, match up a song for, like, you know, "You Dropped the Bomb on Me" or something (laughs) like that, um, because they were doing that when we were there. Music does help sometimes during difficult situations, or, like you said, relationships.

[40:11] Speaker 3: Uh-

[40:11] Speaker 2: I mean, that is such a big button with people, and it could be family, it could be friends, it could be a significant other. Sometimes it's those relationships that are really hard to figure out. Like you said, sometimes people go through things alone, even though they're with someone, or-

[40:30] Speaker 3: Correct.

[40:30] Speaker 2: ... even though they're part of something. You could feel like you're drowning even in a band if you don't share your feelings, you know? So it's really, really amazing what you're talking about here.

[40:42] Speaker 3: Thank you.

[40:43] Speaker 2: Yeah. It's ... I'm very impressed, I have to say. I really am very impressed. So I think you have a big, bright future, and-

[40:50] Speaker 3: Oh, thank you.

[40:50] Speaker 2: ... I'm very excited. I wanna hear all about it, so just plug your social media, and we're gonna roll out with your song Drowned.

[40:57] Speaker 3: Yeah. So you can find us on all social media and streaming platforms @Scarhaven, full word, one word, ScarHaven. Uh, you can find the bands' individual pages through our Scarhaven page, because we tag ourselves and we also tag anyone we're working with.

[41:13] Speaker 2: Okay, great. So we'll be looking for your upcoming dates, your upcoming tours, and all of that. We're gonna roll out with Drowned by Scarhaven. Thank you again, Michael Saint. It's been a pleasure.

[41:24] Speaker 3: Thank you, Cathy.

[41:25] Speaker 2: Thank you.

[41:27] Speaker 1: (instrumental music) I'm tired of being alone. With no one else to hold on. Weight is on my bones. Now I'm breaking. You left me on my own. It's tearing up my soul now. Reveal the truth so I know why you did it. Talk to me. Won't you talk to me? Alone. I'm alone. Will you talk to me? Can you hear my voice? Alone. I'm alone. Yeah. (instrumental music) You let me drown alone. The truth is all I've ever known.Talk to me. Won't you talk to me? Not alone. Not alone. Will you talk to me? Can you hear my voice? Not alone.

[44:27] Speaker 1: Not alone. Hey. (instrumental music plays) I'm tired of being alone with no one else to hold on. The wait is almost upon us, now I'm begging. You left me on my own. It's tearing on my soul now. I feel the truth you know why you did it. Talk to me. Won't you talk to me? Not alone. Not alone. Will you talk to me? Can you hear my voice? Not alone. Not alone. Hey. (instrumental music plays) Let me drown the love. The truth is all I've ever known.

[47:25] Speaker 1: Shame is in your eyes now it's living. Talk to me. Won't you talk to me? Not alone. Not alone. Will you talk to me? Can you hear my voice? Not alone. Not alone. Hey. (instrumental music plays)

[48:58] Speaker 4: You have been listening to Bringing the Darkness to the Light with Catherine Nadal, professional psychic medium, Dream Central Station, LLC. My audio editor is Al Henberger at the Loft Recording Studios in Bronxville, New York. This is WNEW 102.7 FM Radio.