Candlelight Red’s Jeremy Edge: Satisfaction over Richs

By: Rob Cavuoto

Candlelight Red formed in 2008 and is comprised of four rockers from Pennsylvania. Together the band has been writing songs together and spending time introducing their edgy-yet-melodic sound to clubs all over central PA, NY, MD and Ohio. They’ve released a debut EP available on iTunes and other online outlets. Their debut video for “Closer” can be seen at www.candlelightred.com and the band hopes to record more tracks this fall.

Rob Cavuoto had a chance to talk to Jeremy Edge and see how bright the future is for Candlelight Red!

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Rob Cavuoto: Tell me a little about the band’s origins?

Jeremy Edge: We’re a blend of three other bands out of PA, which had broken up recently.

We were the guys that just couldn’t give up easily and we immediately hit it off as soon as we started jamming. It was a natural fit for us.

Rob: How do you define your music and how do you want it to be classified?

Jeremy: Most people say our music is classified as modern rock, but I think it’s just rock music. I’d say we’re kind of a blend of hard rock and metal with both old and modern influences.

Candlelight Red

Rob: Tell us about the songwriting process for the band? Did each member contribute to the writing of the release?

Jeremy: On the first four songs that we wrote together a lot of it originated from the guitar and the rhythm section came after that, then the vocals were written to a finished song.

But I would say now we’re starting to look at all of the parts as a whole from the very beginning, which we think are going to lead to some even more exciting material in the future!

Rob: Where do you get your inspiration from when writing songs?

Jeremy: Usually it’s just a riff or a chord combination that perks my ear, and then it grows from there into more and more of a song. Then Ryan adds lyric and melody on top of it. He always has something to say and he always draws his inspiration from his own personal experiences.

Rob: What has the highlight been for you in launching your band?

Jeremy: Probably doing some of the bigger shows in front of bigger crowds and seeing the reaction from people. Getting that reaction from fans is the most rewarding thing.

Rob: What do you want fans to take away from your music?

Jeremy: We’re not really a band with a message, we just like to write honest and personal songs and there are a lot of everyday subjects touched upon. Emotions that everyday people can relate to.

Rob: Who do you hope your music speaks to and what do you want them to take away from it.

Jeremy: We don’t really gear ourselves toward a certain demographic or age group. We want them to take away that there is something genuine about the music. Not a contrived effort. Its sounds cliché, but we just want people to hear the music as being honest.

Rob: Any favorite song?

Jeremy: Out of our songs, we have a couple of new ones that will be favorites, but it seems like it always works out that the new stuff becomes your favorite because you aren’t tired of it yet. We’re dropping the tuning from C down to B Flat.

It’s something I haven’t messed with in awhile because so many bands were doing it a few years back. But it’s adding a lot of attitude and fire to the music so I think it’s a good time to introduce some of that back again.

Rob: How did you come up with your name?

Jeremy: I wish we had a good story behind it! But literally we had this list with a hundred names on it, and this was the last one standing.

Rob: What’s next for touring?

Jeremy: Doing some local and regional shows while doing pre-production and recording our new release. Then after that, we may be all over the place.

Rob: What’s your favorite aspect of touring?

Jeremy: Playing on stage. Honestly, the other aspects are not near as exciting. A lot of waiting around after sound check and trying to find some good Pizza. The time spent onstage is what it’s all about.

Rob: What does success look like to you?

Jeremy: The Beatles in “A Hard Day’s Night.” I would just love to make a good living playing music and maybe tour Europe or Japan.

That would be pretty surreal. I’m not really in it for fame and fortune. I want satisfaction in what I do over riches so my idea of success may be a lot smaller than some might imagine.

Rob: How was it to open for Kiss? Any favorite memories or story you can share?

Jeremy: It was incredible. A highpoint was Gene stopping over for a few minutes to talk with us. Our drummer, Josh, met Doc McGee and he actually really complimented our set.

Everyone was so personable and they treated us so well. Something I will remember for the rest of my
life, that’s for sure!