Local Band Q&A: Umbrellas

Local Band Q&A: Umbrellas

•Why: You may have already heard Umbrellas' song "Ships” and others on popular TV shows such as "Grey's Anatomy.” Now you can hear their smooth pop/rock live.

•When: 9 tonight.

•Where: Opolis, 113 Crawford, Norman.

Q:How did your band get started?

A:Scott Windsor, guitar and vocals: I started out doing acoustic, playing solo. And put out a few records like that and then decided to start a full band with Umbrellas. I was kind of tired of doing the solo thing.

Q:Is it sheer talent or who you know that is key to success?

A:You turn on the radio these days, and it seems like there's a lot of bands that don't have talent. Obviously, who you know can help you out, but a band with a bunch of talent, it's hard to go unnoticed. We're kind of trying to use both.

Q:Are you interested in other areas of music?

A:Not at this time in our lives. The only other aspect is writing songs and getting them on TV shows has kind of been our new angle lately.

Q:What shows?

A:Three weeks ago (Jan. 25), we had a song on "Grey's Anatomy.” We've actually had two on that show. And a program called "Jericho” on CBS and "Alias” and various MTV shows.

Q:How did you get your songs on the TV shows?

A:Our record label, The Militia Group, sends out CDs to agencies that put music on TV shows. We got lucky enough that one of the biggest ones, The Chop Shop, heard our CD and put one of our songs on "Grey's Anatomy.” I now work with BMG Publishing in Los Angeles, and they help to promote Umbrellas songs to all the TV shows. That is how we got the other TV placements.

Q:Have you had a lot of lineup changes?

A:Since I went from doing solo to band, the band kind of started out with me and a bunch of different people on the record. We've had a few changes in touring lineups, but now it's pretty solid.

Q:Do you have any nicknames for your band members or instruments?

A:We call our bass player (Sethy McCarroll) "Grizzly Bear,” because he hasn't shaved his beard in over a year. It's getting pretty long.

Q:How do you get

psyched up for shows?

A:We play a couple hundred shows a year. It's kind of hard not to get psyched anymore. Drink a Red Bull, listen to some jock jams. I don't know if we really pump ourselves up too much before we play. We're kind of a low-key band.

Q:Who do you think has done the most for music in Oklahoma and your band?

A:Flaming Lips kind of put Norman and Oklahoma City on the map. I'd say what's helped us most is a band called Hero Factor out of Tulsa. They played a lot stuff from the Umbrellas records. We didn't always live in Oklahoma; we've only lived here a few years. So they kind of helped introduce us to the music scene here in Oklahoma.

Q:Who would be on your dream tour?

A:Shooting really big would be Coldplay, maybe. Maybe a little more reasonable would be Death Cab for Cutie, something like that.

— Chris Colberg - oklahoman.com