Red is the color of passion and black is the color of power, and Salt Lake City indie rockers The Red on Black have worked hard to incorporate those ideas into their sound. The band combines influences of rock and roll, psychedelic rock, and folk rock, to bring songs about heartbreak, wild nights, and the end of the world to their melodic and powerful sound. Focused on intricate melodies with driving bass lines and percussion, at their core The Red on Black are four musicians who honor creativity and soul above all: Colin Cronin on vocals and guitar, Brendan Cronin on drums, Eric Lo on lead guitar and keyboard, and Caryn Larrinaga on bass. The Red on Black offers a refreshing take on music in a world over saturated with digital sound. “While still gear-heads at heart, all of our effects are analog that pay homage to homemade vacuum tubes and real tape echoes,” says Eric Lo. The result is a sound unlike any other on the market today, something with real heart similar to the bands at the root of rock and roll. For The Red on Black, music begins with their listeners. Every listener has dealt with pain, heartbreak, redemption, and the need to be better. “All of us are good and evil, and our songwriting tells the story of those two battling,” explains Colin Cronin. To The Red on Black the ever conflicting emotions everyone faces are their muse, and the medium is their music. Like life, The Red on Black’s music is dark but hopeful. Since the release of their debut EP Before the Start in 2012, The Red on Black has steadily climbed the local charts to become one of ReverbNation’s Top 10 rock bands in the Salt Lake area. In 2013 they released their second EP titled Pyramids. Pyramids “represents a bridge between incarnations of the band, and our past and present sounds,” says Caryn Larrinaga. They are set to go into the studio this summer to record their first full-length album, and hope to make 2014 their breakout year. Brendan Cronin views The Red on Black as a band with a mission: “We’ve all heard the saying ‘rock and roll will never die.’ I feel now more than ever, as rock musicians, it’s important for The Red on Black to be a part of making sure rock n roll doesn’t die in the face of today’s extreme pop culture.” Colin Cronin adds, “We want to bring rock and roll back to the next generation. We aren't giving up until we get somewhere.”