scott’s bio
Where do we start?
The beginning I guess… As a kid in grade school I was told that I couldn’t sing. I believed it. It was no big deal in my mind, back then there were a lot of things I thought I couldn’t do. Still, I loved to sing, and I did so in private. My voice would crack reaffirming that I wasn’t good, but I sang on anyway. In the meantime I dedicated my life to my passion for music. Music is all I have ever wanted to be a part of, and it has been my honor to help artists bring their story to the masses.
A chance encounter with U2’s touring crew started me on an amazing path. I discovered touring, a magical combination or technology and travel that would culminate every night in the roar of the crowd. It was the sound of joy, and I was hooked. I fineagled my way onto the U2 tour, and then The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Whitney Houston, Paula Abdul and even Ozzy Osbourne. I loved touring with music and making the show work, the work brought me, a farm kid, all over the world.
Then my rock n roll fantasy took a sudden left turn. Alan Jackson hired me to be his video director, and suddenly I was in Nashville, TN. I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to be there at first, but I quickly grew to appreciate Alan and love the city. It seemed to me that there was great opportunity in Country Music, so I decided to make Nashville my home. I started my first business, Moo TV with a recipe of overloaded credit cards and dreams. I grew to LOVE working in country music, and the industry seemed to love me back. Before I knew it, Moo TV was winning awards for being the best video company in the industry. I started a few more companies, Moo Creative to help build show content, The Steel Mill as a large scale rehearsal facility. Things have been great and we have had the honor of helping so many legendary acts bring their show to the people. Too many to list, But Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Dolly, Garth Brooks, Chris Stapleton and Luke Combs are among the well over 100 acts that have let us be on their team, they have all been a privilege to know and work with.
So how the heck did I end up on the other side of the microphone? Long story, but it started years ago in Norway. My friends had a party, and I remember singing Johnny Cash to the radio. The next night they asked me to join them onstage and I was shocked to find that people liked my singing! All those years when I was trying to sing to the radio was to songs that were too high for me. I’m a baritone, like Johnny. My friends have a band called Spinning Wheels, and they ask me to join the band, what? Join a band in Norway? That’s crazy! …so I joined the band in Norway for several awesome years.
I am so grateful that Spinning Wheels included me, flying over there to do gigs was a blast! I never told anyone in Nashville, I didn’t want my clients to laugh at me. Meanwhile we started getting better and better gigs, one day we found out that we were on the main stage at a huge festival, the main stage! We were excited, this would be a big audience as the headliner for this festival is usually a really popular Norwegian band, if so we might perform to as many as 10,000 people.
Two weeks later, I got frightening news... The festival announces the headliner that we will be opening up for, ...and it's Brad Paisley. One of my very best friends, an artist whom I have worked with for close to two decades. My secret is about to be blown!
A few days later the conversation between Brad and I was pretty amazing. He thought I must be kidding. “Why is this funny?” he asked, thinking I was joking. I replied nervously, “It's funny because it’s true Brad, I have been secretly singing in Norway for seven years. It terrifies me that my secret is coming out, and most of all that you will see me perform. Please be kind!”
Like a truly great friend, Brad has been wonderfully supportive. For that matter it is amazing to me how behind me all of my artists have been, as have so many other friends in the industry. Country music is a family unlike any other, full of support and love. Almost everyone thinks it's great. To the few who have kidded me or thought I was trying to make a career of it please understand that I am just having fun. My free time passion project just happens to be my artist's day job.
The impending show inspired me to get serious about my vocals, and I started seeing a vocal coach. I worked hard, and I improved in range, strength, tone, I loved it. When the show day came it was amazing, terrifying at first, but once I got started it was magical. I have, in fact, opened for Brad several times now, some with Spinning Wheels, some on my own in Sweden with a great Swedish backing band, “The Brotherhood”. Next, I will be in Japan traveling with Kinsey Rose, and an all American band. What a blast.
Brad’s producer, the incredible Luke Wooten was also at that first show where I opened for Brad.. Months later, back in Nashville, I asked him if he thought I could do a real album for release? All I wanted was advice, but Luke insisted that he was going to produce the album. I told Luke there was no way I was going to let him do that, I didn’t deserve a producer of his caliber. His reply? “Life is short, and this will be fun! Besides, I am one of the few people that have ever heard you sing. You walked up to that mic in Norway and started belting out Johnny, I was stunned”.
Thanks to Luke and his amazing team at Station West, I started releasing my own music, and I found that I loved writing and recording as much as performing. Recording in Nashville is incredible and, producers like Luke, engineers like Austin Stanley make it seem easy, the legendary Brent Mason is my band leader most sessions. It’s a dream, and I am so proud of what we do, particularly my latest album, “I Hold the Light.”
So here we are, on my “artist” website, casting away all fears of inevitable judgment and snickers. I’m doing something I love, my only expectation is creative fulfillment, and I get that in spades. As a wonderful bonus it seems that some people really like my music, I love them for that.
It’s hard to believe that little old me, the kid who thought he couldn’t sing, the kid who spent his whole life helping others be seen and heard is making albums and performing. How exciting, dangerous… and glorious. It feels incredible to have a voice.