Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Jernej Vene, Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Trieste / Macaki klub / Italy
Interview date: 31.10.2013
Darren James Smith is the drummer of Canadian melodic hard rock greats Harem Scarem. The band officially announced its retirement after releasing its farewell studio album “Hope” in 2008. But after practically “furious” demands from fans around the world, these melodic rock heavyweights fired up the engines again earlier this year and decided to re-record their classic album “Mood Swings”. It came out this October in an updated version under the title “Mood Swings II.”! And Harem Scarem hit the road again for a new European tour. Luck was on the side of the band’s Slovenian fans too, because the seasoned Toronto quartet stopped by Trieste for a show, where we managed to catch Darren for a few minutes. Right before the band hit the stage, he swapped a few words and thoughts with RockLine.
RockLine: Harem Scarem have reactivated again, five years after the official announcement that the band was calling it quits?
Darren: Yeah, yeah. That’s true. If I’m just speaking for myself, I’ve actually come back to Harem Scarem after 20 years. We did exactly this kind of tour with Harem Scarem 20 years ago, and the last gig I played with Harem Scarem before this tour was way back, 14 years ago. Even after I left the band, we always stayed friends and stayed in touch. I also appear on every single Harem Scarem album. Maybe I skipped just one or two. I’m really happy we’re back together. We’re having a blast.
RockLine: You also played at this year’s edition of the famous Firefest festival in Nottingham, England. What were your impressions?
Darren: Ah, it was crazy. 3 days of crazy partying, loads of booze. It was a weekend, so of course it was time to switch off completely. Total party. They invited us as headliners. It was a special experience.
RockLine: You’ve just re-released your classic studio album »Mood Swings«. You recorded it completely from scratch and renamed it slightly, so now it’s called »Mood Swings II.«?
Darren: Yes. So we could get the rights to the material, because the label we released the album with in the nineties didn’t want to give the rights back to us.
RockLine: How did you approach this project? How did the process go?
Darren: We really didn’t want to change anything. We wanted to stay as close as possible to the original released in the nineties. At the same time, we didn’t want it to sound dated. So we adapted to modern studio technology. I can say we wanted to add even more liveliness, and this time the band really breathed in the studio like one body. All four members. It’s one of the most important albums of our career, and our biggest fans expect to hear these songs live. Now it’s much easier for us to put together a setlist. We don’t have to stress about it. We all love this album because we know how strong it is in terms of the songs. That’s why we decided to play it in full on this tour.
RockLine: In one go?
Darren: We play the album in full. But not in the order of the tracklist. We’ve mixed the songs into the set, so we jump between different periods of our whole career.
RockLine: What are your musical influences? What inspired you as a young guy to become a musician, in your case a drummer?
Darren: Hmm…. These days I actually haven’t just played drums for a long time. I play all the instruments, and I do a lot of singing too. Before this tour I flew to Las Vegas to shoot a video for Red Dragon Cartel, which is Jackie E. Lee’s new band. So I’m involved in the upcoming studio album from this new lineup of his. I’m also in Heavens Fire, where I sing. The album we’ve already recorded and that’s about to come out is called »Judgement Day«, and it’s a lot heavier and more wound up than what we’re doing with Harem Scarem today. I wrote everything for that album myself and sang all the lead vocals myself too, so I’m really proud of it. I also contributed backing vocals to the First Signal album that came out in 2010. It’s hard to give you an exact answer about influences. I love all music. From punk to classical, funk, Motown and so on. It’s hard to pick one genre, put it in first place and say it’s my favorite. As far as I’m concerned, that’s actually impossible.
RockLine: Harem Scarem also made use of your big vocal talent on »Mood Swings«, where you sing lead vocals on the song Sentimental Boulevard?
Darren: Yes. I contributed vocals to that song again this time, when Harem Scarem re-recorded the album for the re-release. And that’s also my only contribution to the re-recording of »Mood Swings«.
RockLine: So, are Harem Scarem perhaps thinking about recording and releasing another studio album?
Darren: We’re talking about it, we’re talking. When I think about today, about the lifestyle each of the members lives now, I know we can’t stop making albums. All four of us are caught up in a whole bunch of projects. We’re constantly active musically. So that will keep on happening. But I can’t tell you for certain yet that we’ll record the next Harem Scarem album together.
RockLine: You’ve put out a solo album too.
Darren: Yes. But that was ten years ago. It was originally supposed to be called Black Star, but then the label decided to release it under the name Darren James Smith.
RockLine: And what’s the next step for Harem Scarem in the near future?
Darren: It’s hard for me to say I’ll stick around. If I can fit it into my schedule, then yes, but otherwise I’m tied to a 10-year contract with Red Dragon Cartel, and that’s the band I’ll be focusing on 100% from now on when it comes to my musical activities. We’ll see what time brings.
RockLine: How do you experience your own popularity today, I mean Harem Scarem’s?
Darren: Obviously melodic rock hasn’t died yet. Sure, it’s nowhere near as popular as it used to be, but still. Back in the nineties, »grunge« kicked all of us to the curb, meaning everyone with long, pretty hair, ha ha ha… It nearly destroyed us completely. I wasn’t even surprised by the situation back then. I just laughed at it. I was simply forced to make some adjustments. I started doing other projects. I started playing guitar more seriously and singing a lot more. I hadn’t touched drums for about ten years until this tour. I actually had to start learning them all over again. But clearly, there are still enough melodic rock lovers out there who want to see us on stage, enough that we could even think about a new tour. And here we are.
RockLine: Canada has always been seen as a breeding ground for great melodic rock bands?
Darren: Yeah, yeah. All those bands, Honeymoon Suite, Loverboy, Brighton Rock and so on. Those bands are constantly touring Canada. Even today. And I can’t forget my good friend Nick Walsh and his Slik Toxic, as well as the phenomenal Famous Underground. They’re from Toronto too, just like Harem Scarem. As you can see, we’re all still here and kicking harder than you’d think. At least for now, ha, ha, ha,…
RockLine: The nineties were tough times for Harem Scarem, as you mentioned yourself. You temporarily changed the name from Harem Scarem to Rubber. Why?
Darren: Looking back, it was the wrong move. We wanted to survive, we wanted to adapt, to get away from the pretty, long hair. Besides the band name, we changed our musical style too. But that move didn’t pay off at all. Melodic rock had basically lost all its popularity back then, and we lost our bearings. We didn’t know what to do anymore.
RockLine: What can we expect from your show tonight in Trieste?
Darren: A real adrenaline bomb! Full of sweat and energy. Nothing less.
RockLine: Anything important you’d like to add to wrap up?
Darren: I’d like to thank all the melodic rock fans who haven’t lost faith. Without you, this Harem Scarem tour wouldn’t be possible, and the scene certainly wouldn’t have lasted as long as it has.
translated and edited by: Aleš Podbrežnik
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik and Jernej Vene
You can read RockLine’s full concert report from the Harem Scarem show (with opener Perfect View from Modena, Italy) on 31.10.2013 at the Macaki club in Trieste HERE!
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