The Scarlet Tree: An Unsettled Song
Christopher Knox and Vanessa Constance Knox merge hearts and musical styles to record together as The Scarlet Tree, a “roots rock” band from coastal South Carolina. The couple’s lyrics-driven melodies meld Americana, gospel and country with their contrasting vocals and instrumentals to create a sound as savory as a lowcountry boil.
One effectively a garage band graduate, the other a classically trained soloist, they play more than half a dozen instruments between them: Christopher guitar, keyboards, percussives, plus the trombone he learned in elementary school; and Vanessa piano, flute and piccolo.
Christopher says, “Our records lean heavily on an Americana sound, with some modest amounts of more recent guitar textures, lending it a bridge from current to the traditional sounds.”
Recording has always been a music high for the two, Christopher says, thanks to an “off-the-charts talented group of musicians,” “We’ve been exceptionally fortunate here, and although I would never want to take all the credit, for this piece I’ll skip the name dropping.” Yet the group includes instrumentalists for a star-studded bevy of Grammy, CMA and Dove Award winners. Vanessa credits her coach on the project with coaxing an even greater richness out of her voice to complement Christopher’s mellow and gravelly, in turn.
Over the past several years, Christopher has completed three albums of originals including Leaving Paper City, whose title song was inspired by the couple’s walking away from successful marketing careers, and the understated Susanville, both by The Scarlet Tree.
Unsettled Country, was completed in 2021 and has achieved significant acclaim as Knox’s definitive songwriting masterpiece. Those three collections along with Making Spirits Bright! all came from what Christopher calls ‘Nashville’ work sessions, “They seem a consistent focus and superior sound.”
The Christmas-themed Making Spirits Bright! was their first commercial CD, released in 2014. The album was picked up by iHeartRadio, and its signature carol, “Angels We Have Heard on High,” featured on Shamrock Media Group’s promotional compilation It’s a Shamrock Christmas, Volume 5. The song has since aired on radio stations throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, hitting number six on the holiday charts regionally in the U.S. It also landed them a home on Pandora.
Earlier, with the self-named band Knox, Christopher recorded and produced three other albums: Music for Pleasure, which was released in 2005; Yule Be Blue Christmas Album, released in 2007; and Lowcountry, which has yet to be mixed. He wrote and arranged nearly all the songs for all three catalogs.
Christopher’s education and career had already taken him from his home state of Washington to Japan, England, and the greater Pacific West, by the time he and Vanessa met, and his music has taken him well beyond the stage to advertising and film. Back in the day, he could be heard on Starbucks’ Hear Music, BBC Canada, iTunes and XM Satellite Radio.
Christopher and Vanessa hope to return to audiences at some point when and if life return to normal. But, if not, “We’ll just keep making more records.” Sounds good to me. J.K. Ellingston
To purchase 'Unsettled Country', 'Leaving Paper City', 'Susanville', 'Making Spirits Bright!' or Knox’s Music for Pleasure or Yule Be Blue Christmas Album, follow the links below.
Christopher is a member of ASCAP.