Lifelong Northern Virginia resident began playing music picking out tunes on the family piano and, later, playing the family trombone in the junior high school band. Not long after, he began playing guitar and bass and has continued to do so in various contexts over the past 30-plus years.
Scott spent the '70s playing guitar at high school keg parties and playing bass and harmonica with "country-rock" bands in a number of long-gone and not-particularly-lamented dives around the Northern Virginia . In the late '70's he began a sporadic college musical education that finally resulted in a Bachelor's degree from George Mason University in 1986. During that time he played baritone horn and trombone in symphonic and stage bands and played guitar and bass in various local bands and in the pit orchestra for local theatre productions.
In 1982 Scott played bass with power-pop bands Punch Me Judy ('82-'84) and the Neighbors ('85-'89). The Neighbors played frequently around Washington DC , opening for Roy Orbison , NRBQ, the dBs , and Marshall Crenshaw among others. The band released two LPs, the first being Famous Potatoes, on the French "Closer" label; and the second, Welcome Wagon, on New York's "Upside" label. In the late '90s the Spanish Bam Balam Records label released a (posthumous) Neighbors double CD entitled Power Pop Art in 1997 containing most of the two albums plus ten previously unreleased tunes which had been recorded by Scott in the band's rehearsal studio.
In 1991, Scott formed Naughty Pine - a band that plays mostly songs written by Scott. Naughty Pine exists to this day and makes rare appearances around NoVA and DC.
During the '90s Scott also ran a recording studio-of-sorts - Extremely, Ltd. - in his basement, where he recorded numerous friends, as well as many of his own tunes.
Scott played lead guitar with Kevin Johnson and the Linemen from 1994 - 2001. Scott's years with the Linemen resulted in numerous gigs and contributions to three Kevin Johnson albums ( The Rest of Your Life , Parole Music and Sunday Driver ).
In the mid '90s Scott also returned to playing bass for a short time in an early version of the band Last Train Home. Later, Scott rejoined LTH, first as a substitute guitarist and then as a full-fledged member of the band. Scott continues to perform and record with LTH and has contributed to their True North , Holiday Limited , and Time & Water CDs, plus made contributions to several tribute CDs and their upcoming CD Bound Away .
In addition to playing with various bands, Scott has earned a reputation as a songwriter. Scott's songs have been recorded by Kevin Johnson, the Grandsons, Last Train Home and the Graverobbers . In 2000 Kevin Johnson's Sam Records label released It Works For Me, a double CD containing 45 of Scott's home recordings
In the spring of 2004 Scott got an email from long-time acquaintance (though they still didn't realized they'd graduated from the same high school) Marcus Esposito, announcing the disbanding of Signs Point To Yes. In the email Marcus said he was going to return to his "jazz/funk/R&B roots" and would be playing with a sax player who was "DC's answer to King Curtis." Scott (who is a long-time Memphis R&B fan) emailed back, allowing as how that sounded like a fun thing to be doing. Marcus emailed back, mentioning that the band needed a guitarist. Scott emailed back to say " hmmmm ." And the rest is.
www.scottmcknight.com |
