#warriortask4

This was stupid. Scarlet had been on tour twice now, going on three times. Not even tour in general, just Warriors Tour and she was still expected to do some dumb video diary about it because of some documentary. She didn’t feel like she needed to talk about it for people to get that she was passionate about the tour as a whole. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t have gone back even after leaving the label. But she got dressed and ready anyway with her signature bright makeup and bright hair and bright clothes because everything she did for the documentary was going to end up being seen and she was always reinforcing her image. She was used to cameras by now and this one was no different. Everything she said was always thought through, the right thing rather than the impulsive thing. It was what you learned to do when you did what she did. “Hey, I’m Scarlet Hayes. This is my post-tour diary.” She said when the camera turned on and she lit up with energy the same way she did on stage, but toned down enough notches for her to be sitting on the blue couch. “2013 was my second year on Warriors Tour, first year as a mentor. I loved competing, I loved mentoring. They’re really different. This year was fucking huge – sorry if I can’t swear.” Scarlet laughed because she tried not to swear too much in front of cameras, but it didn’t always work. “It was a huge thrill, I mean it changed so much for like, literally everyone. I can’t say I’d really change anything. Maybe I’d have rearranged the bus a little.” That sounded funny and she knew it, it was intentional. “Trust me, you don’t want to live on a bus with five guys and a dog unless you’re really organized, and I am not. The whole bus smelled like boy.”

Scarlet was basically gossiping, that was the point, but she wasn’t saying much of anything. It was the truth, at least. “For me the best part of being on Warriors Tour is always just the atmosphere. There’s drama, sure but everyone’s there for one reason: to make music. And if that isn’t why you’re there, it will be before you leave. It’s just totally energized. It makes you grow and feel and think.” Scarlet shrugged and moved to sit cross legged in the chair. “My favourite thing about Warriors Tour is standing on that stage with a crowd of people who love music in front of you, screaming your name and they all move at the same time and you can feel them, you know? A bunch of individuals become something right in front of you, and you know you’re touching everyone out there. I mean, how rad is that? And they touch you too.” Scarlet paused to think about her words for a second. “The fans, they remind you to always be your absolute best and give it literally everything you have. They make you feel things on stage and give them those emotions that the performance needs to be raw and emotional for them too. There’s a piece of all the Warriors Tour fans in every single thing Fallout and Fallout Records puts out.”  That might not have made sense, but she hoped it did. “The worst part is how exhausting that is. Seriously, you don’t know tired until you’re playing shows five nights a week and doing meet and greets before and after. I mean it’s fucking exhausting, you give that performance everything and you ride that high for a while because how can you not, but it’s physically stressful. And then the next day you want to do it again, even though moving is hard.”

That pretty much summed it up. By the end of the last leg Scarlet was so exhausted that she didn’t even want to be on tour anymore, and that was just standard. This wasn’t something new for her, but if it had been a Fallout tour they’d likely have had a longer break at some point so they didn’t burn out. “Since then we’ve been recording mostly. I mean, I’ve got a house, a dog, a boyfriend – Nate – and if any of that is news to anyone I’m so sorry, spoiler alert. It’s been all over the news though so I doubt it. I just feel really comfortable in my space. We’re in a good place, it’s great working with Brian now, he adds a whole new element to the band with the screams. Yeah no, I think everything’s pretty much the same as it was when the tour ended for me. Just settled down a lot, I’m well rested basically.” She laughed lightly, now it almost sounded like she’d put thought into this. Maybe. “Recording is really crazy different from touring though. I mean touring it’s like constant go go go and you have to find time to sleep between meet and greets and makeup and the actual stage time. Recording is a lot of work, but it’s different. You can screw up a note and fix it, although we like to get things on the first couple takes. Going in and resinging one or two notes isn’t a ton of fun. There’s a lot less energy involved and you get to go home and sleep. It’s nice to be home instead of in our home away from home, Bess the Bus. Touring is a lot more creative because you’re out there seeing everything and doing it all, this is more technical, you perfect everything and lay it down so that it’s perfect for touring and the album. But it’s great.”

Oliver struggled to find a comfortable position in the fold out chair he was sitting in. Every time he tried to lean back his weight almost tipped the chair. He normally liked to sit with his elbow or arm resting on the couch back or the chair next to him but sitting in this single chair he had nowhere to put his limbs. It felt unnatural to sit with his hands in his lap but even weirder to leave them hanging down at his sides in a sitting position. Finally he crossed his arms as the reporter waited patiently for him to settle in. “I’m ready,” he said clearing his throat.

“Word of advice, don’t cross your arms like that. You look too guarded,” the reporter commented. Normally she wouldn’t care what he did but she wanted these confessionals to look as if the musicians were exposing themselves and honestly telling the truth. If Oliver was going to cross his arms like that he wasn’t going to look genuine.

“Oh?” he said amused. “What should I do with them then?” he asked shifting his weight in the chair but keeping his arms crossed.

“Try sitting up and resting your arms on your legs,” the blonde suggested. “The camera is only going to capture down as far as your chest so you won’t look strange, promise,” she said flashing a smile.

“Okay then,” he said adjusting to the position she suggested. “How’s this?” he asked as the reporter looked through the camera and gave him a thumbs up. “Alright then let’s do this thing,” he said.

Oliver wasn’t big on interviews. Even when he was in Hitlist Shane handled most of the reporters’ questions and he was able to goof off in the background.  Since joining Indian Summer he didn’t need to give a single interview because the press was mostly concerned with Leslie and Matt. He didn’t mind; this band only existed because of their talent and their music. Normally something like this video confessional wouldn’t worry him but this was going to be his first official interview as a part of Fallout Records and it was going to be recorded. If he messed up there would be no way the PR person could spin something he did or said if there would be physical evidence of it. Fallout Records had always prided themselves on handling responsible artists with clean reputations and his reputation wasn’t exactly the cleanest. He always comforted himself with the fact that Alex and Matt seemed to have worse backgrounds than he did.  Heck Matt had a sex tape out there somewhere and he was still a part of the label.  Normally thinking about that would calm him somewhat but the pressure was still on to represent Fallout Records in the best way possible.

Getting the cue to start Oliver waited a few beats before saying anything. He stupidly hadn’t planned out what he wanted to say and now he was trying to filter through everything before saying anything. “Well…last year’s tour ended a lot differently than I expected it to. At the start of the tour I thought it would end in one of two ways, either with Hitlist winning the contract or losing the contract. That’s not what happened,” he stated.  Talking about Hitlist was always a struggle for him. He didn’t like ignoring the fact that the band existed because it was a big part of his past and it lead him to where he was today. At the same time he didn’t like talking about the band too much because it usually lead to comments about his sister.

“Hitlist started as Shane’s project. She’s a natural when it comes to making music. Originally I wasn’t part of the plan but they needed a guitarist for a gig they were doing so I filled in. After that I did an official audition and made it into the band.”

Settling into his chair he tried ignoring the camera and started talking to the wall behind in. The reporter interrupted him. “Oliver can you speak into the camera please?”

“Oh, yeah, right,” he said sitting up and crossing his arms again before realizing what he was doing and uncrossed them. “Right. No arm crossing. Gotcha,” he winked placing his hands back down on his sides. “Uh, yeah, so Hitlist was my first experience really with playing guitar for a group and writing music of my own and performing it. I never thought it would be something I would be good at, but it was. On the Warriors Tour it was the first time I was around and exposed to signed musicians, and people that were serious about their craft. I think it caused me to work a little harder on my guitar skills.”

“Unfortunately Hitlist didn’t last.  At that point I was friends with Leslie Steele and Matt Johnson and they generously let me go to Europe with them as their rhythm guitarist. I didn’t think it would lead to anything. I just thought it would be a way for me to see Europe and make some money and be able to play in a band as a part of a band again. Christmas I was officially accepted as a part of Fallout Records and Indian Summer.”

“Oliver,” the reporter interrupted turning off the camera. “This is all great, but could you be a little more personal? Talk more about how it felt to be a part of Fallout Records. How you feel about having your sister kicked off the tour. Things that you would change about the tour, what you hated about the tour, how you feel about the gossip about you, Leslie and Matt-“

“Okay, okay, okay. I got it. I’m just new at this,” he laughed, trying to keep his nerves from getting the best of him. Just hit play and I’ll give you the goods.”

“Joining Fallout Records was…a game changer. Going into this tour I wanted that contract for Shane and the band, but towards the end of the tour I wanted a contract for me.  Something changed inside of me on tour.  Music became a part of me. It became something that I never wanted to live without.  It was a relief to be connected to a label, and a blessing to be connected with people I loved.  I get to work with my best friends every single day until, I don’t know, we’re too old to do so.”

Sawyer smoothed her hair and sat up a little straighter as the reporter in front of her was setting up the camera. “So I’m just supposed to talk about my feelings about the tour and the future?” she asked her voice breaking the awkward silence.