How I got started...

I've been a singer ever since I was a kid. Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to sing. I wanted to be Elvis (my dad was a HUGE Elvis Presley fan. He practically raised me on his music and early TV appearances). As I got older, I could never find someone to accompany me, and let me just sing. So I learned how to play guitar. I'd heard (and seen in the movies) that girls liked guitars... and they really seemed to like guitar players. Of course, what I didn't realize, was that those guitar players were famous, and had much more self-confidence than I did (or still do, to be 100% honest). So, my quest to meet girls kinda failed. After a few years of playing, (and seeing some improvement) I thought to myself, "Hmmm... Maybe I could get paid for this!". So I started going to local Open Mic nights and learning how to perform in front of an audience (there are recordings... No, I won't be sharing them). I slowly built up my show, and learned enough songs to put together one full set. And then it finally happened: I was asked to play a showcase! FOR MONEY! So on May 26, 1993, at a small bar in Easton, PA, I made my professional debut. My friends came out (all 3 or 4 of them) to support me. I was one of three acts on the bill, and I was paid the princely sum of $25.00. I was in heaven! And, I was terrible. But, I was finally a "real" professional musician.
(The first live photo May 26, 1993 - Porter's Pub in Easton, PA)

Since that first gig almost 25 years ago, I've played all over the country. I've opened for national acts. I've met some of my musical heroes. I've released a few albums worth of cover material (maybe one day an original album will happen...) and I've had a few songs included on some internationally released Tribute/Compilation albums. I've also been in out of several bands (that's going to be talked about more in my next post). I've had major highs, and I've had soul-crushing lows in my career. But there's one thing that has always remained constant over the past 25 years:

I love and live for the performance. To interact with my audience. To feel and feed off the give and take of energy is the greatest feeling in the world. When it feels effortless... when it's pure love...
That's the best part feeling of all. That is heaven.

Until next time... Thanks for reading, listening, and being here!

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 9, 2018 at 6:27 AM

    Very cool to learn a little bit more about your beginnings, Scott. Looking forward to future installments.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reflections on A New Year: A Covid Survival Story (Part 1)

 Well... Here we are friends. January 1, 2021. And yet while many of us talk about it being a "new year" or a "new beginning", nothing has changed. It's just Friday. We're still the same people we were yesterday. We still have the same hopes, the same fears, the same dreams, the same prejudices, etc. We woke up this morning (or this afternoon depending on our level of partying last night) the same collection of flesh, blood and bone we went to bed as the night before. We are who and what we are. Or are we? Each and every single one of us has the potential to be and do whatever we want. We tell each other "2021 has to be a better year than 2020." But the year doesn't owe us a damn thing. The year doesn't have to be better. We have to be better. We are in complete control of what the new year brings. If it's the best year ever, we made it that way. If it's the worst year ever, it's our own fault, and we have only ourselves to blam...
Read more

Thanx For The Ride - An Evening with Michael Nesmith & The First National Band Redux

Image
On Monday, September 17, 2018 I had the privilege of seeing one of my absolute favorite singer/songwriters of all time.   While it wasn’t my first time seeing him (it was my 3 rd ), I think this might have been the most meaningful. But first, a (not so) little back story… If you know me, you’ll know that I’m a huge Monkees fan. I’ve been covering Monkees songs as long as I’ve been playing live.   In doing so, I’d always found myself favoring the songs sung (and mostly written) by Michael Nesmith. Contrary to popular belief, Mike was not the only musician in the Monkees. He was however, the most prolific songwriter of the group. For the most part, his lyrics always seemed more natural than the other songwriters for the Monkees. More personal and heartfelt. I don’t know how to really explain it. His music just always seemed to resonate with me. In recent years, his solo work has affected me even more so. While I’ve been a fan of almost all of his solo output, his first 6 ...
Read more

Little Wing: The Jimmy McCulloch Story by Paul Salley -- A Book Review

Image
  I must admit that I’ve always been a sucker for the underdog. I always root for the supporting character in the story. For whatever reason, those are the people that I find interesting. It’s easy to focus on the central figure. That’s why they’re there. It’s the people on the side, or in the background that very rarely get the acclaim they deserve. Or at the very least, they don’t have enough people interested in their story. Such is the case here. Thankfully, first-time author, Paul Salley took far more than a passing interest in guitarist, Jimmy McCulloch, and has penned a thorough accounting of Jimmy’s life and career in “Little Wing: The Jimmy McCulloch Story” (Lotown Publishing) While most people only Jimmy McCulloch as the lead guitarist for “Paul McCartney & Wings” from 1974-1977 (most prominently featured during the 1975/1976 Wings’ World Tour, and 1976 “Wings Over America” album), Jimmy’s career was rather storied despite his young age. At age 16, he was mentored b...
Read more