Scarling

Scarling.
Christian Hejnal and Jessicka 2005
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Noise pop, art rock, gothic rock, indie rock
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Sympathy for the Record Industry, The Committee to Keep Music Evil
Associated acts	Jack Off Jill, Candyhateful, Honey to Ash, Messy, The Cure, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Amusement Parks on Fire, The Ingenues
Website	www.scarling.com
Members	Jessicka Christian Hejnal
Past members	Samantha Maloney Kyle Lime Radio Sloan Rickey Lime Derik Snell Beth Gordon

Scarling. is an American noise pop band from Los Angeles, whose core members are Jessicka and Christian Hejnal-Addams. The band formed in 2002. They have released two albums, Sweet Heart Dealer and So Long, Scarecrow.

The band's name comes from a fictional word created by singer/fine artist Jessicka in 1999. In 2001 the definition appeared on Scarling's website: "Middle English, from Old English scaerlinc, from scar+ -ling, -linc -ling; akin to Old High German von scar, Latin scarnos 1. the smallest mark on your heart left by the healing of a severe injury. 2. he or she who is scarred densely almost emotionless. 3. a mentally challenged/physically handicapped sibling of a normal star. 4. a band from Los Angeles. The "S" in Scarling. is sometimes lower case and the word itself ends in a full stop or period."

Scarling. was formed by singer Jessicka Fodera (known simply as Jessicka) after the dissolution of her band, Jack Off Jill, and guitarist Christian Hejnal. They were introduced by guitarist Lisa Leveridge, and they began rehearsing and recording in a San Fernando Valley performance space; after the pair had written a number of songs together, they began a search for additional band members and eventually cemented the first and very short-lived lineup of Scarling.

In early 2002, Jessicka was introduced to Long Gone John, owner of Sympathy for the Record Industry, by mutual friend Mark Ryden. On March 19, 2003, Scarling's debut single, "Band Aid Covers the Bullet Hole" (produced by Chris Vrenna), was released on the Sympathy for the Record Industry label. Its cover featured an illustration called "Wound 39" by Mark Ryden.

In April 2004, Scarling. released their debut album, Sweet Heart Dealer, a seven-song release again produced by Vrenna and packaged by Ryden. Later that year, Jessicka was featured on the cover of ROCKRGRL magazine's vocalist issue. Scarling was then invited to join the lineup of the Robert Smith-organized Curiosa Festival, performing on select West Coast dates alongside Interpol, The Rapture, Mogwai, Cursive, The Cooper Temple Clause, and longtime inspirations The Cure. Smith described the band's music as "dark, desperate, chaotic, gorgeous pop music, the sound of the end of the world" and nominated "Sweet Heart Dealer" for the 2004 Shortlist Music Prize. While Alternative Press Magazine said Scarling. sounded like, "being French kissed by the most beautiful beings in the world, really alluring yet massive stuff." Three weeks before joining the Curiosa tour, drummer Garey Snider left and was briefly replaced by Samantha Maloney in order to perform live at a group art showing at the Copro/Nason Gallery (Santa Monica, California). Weeks later they found drummer Beth Gordon, who served as Scarling's permanent replacement. Scarling, with the help of friend and fill-in bassist Radio Sloan, continued to play around Los Angeles and San Francisco at clubs such as The Bottom Of The Hill, Spaceland and The Troubadour.