Dill: Is there anything on your gear wish list?
Scot: Gear? Oh, well, ya gotta have it. There's a couple things I need in the near
future, the most important of which is a huge software upgrade to PT12, most likely.
It's what everybody else uses, obviously, for a reason. Speaking of Reason, I want to
go ahead and buy the newest version of that software, also, and learn to utilize it. I
have all the guitars, basses, amps, mics, synthesizers anyone could need. My wish
list I guess therefore concentrates on studio software and higher-end processing
type gear.
Scot Stoddard
This is the first interview to be posted on the website and not within the confines of the magazine. It is a change of pace that will continue from this point forward.
Killerbeat Dill took some time to catch up with Scot Stoddard, an extremely talented singer/songwriter hailing from upstate New York.
Dill: When did you decide music was the direction you wanted to go in life?
Scot: I got my start in music at a very early age, as both my parents were musicians and met at music school (Crane School of Music, Potsdam, NY). By the age of 14 I had had a taste of playing gigs with my father already in a duo with dad on keyboards and singing and me on drums. We played a wide variety of styles, including big-band jazz, swing, light pop/rock and Top 40 (think AM radio top 40 in those days). So after experiencing this kind of success as a freshman in high school, and making damn good money for that time, sometimes doing two or three gigs on a weekend, I was pretty well thinking that: Hey, maybe I should be a musician when I grow up -- This stuff is cool!
Dill: What artists/bands would you consider to be among your biggest
influences? Also, who are some of your favorite artists/bands?
Scot: ​Bands that were influences. Hmm, again, I've been around a while so
this is gonna be a crazy list to some of you. My earliest influences were Top 40 AM/FM crossover artists like Simon & Garfunkel, Elton John, Carlos Santana and such, until I developed a great taste for rock music. So starting around the early '70s when such great bands as KISS, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith were just cranking it up, I was there and all over that scene. Then one day somebody turned me on to this Canadian trio called Rush, and I instantly became a prog rock fan, then delving into artists such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, YES and Genesis (and all the off-shoots). This lead into the '80s, where I appreciated all the "hair bands", but I was still more into the metal/prog side, so naturally jumped onto Queensryche. I did enjoy all the grunge bands in the '90s, such as Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots (my two favorites, I'd say) but then got turned on to Dream Theater, and jumped right back into my prog rock bailiwick. Lately I'm also heavily into European metal bands also, preferably with female vocalist (just like that contradiction there) such as Delain and Amaranthe. To list an all time favorite, I would have to say the incomparable Steve Vai. What can you say about that dude that he doesn't say with his guitar?
Dill: You are a multi-instrumentalist, what are some of the instruments you play?
Scot: I played drum first and have an associate's degree in percussion performance. I sang in the choir and various ensembles in high school, also. I picked up a guitar at about age 15 and decided I liked that, too -- never took a lesson (might be time now; huh?). In music school I learned piano, keyboard harmony and music theory. Then upon starting my recording career I decided bass didn't look that hard after playing guitar for years, so that was a natural. Didn't have to hire a bass player or wait for anybody to come over and record, so I did that myself, too. So drums, guitar, vocals, keyboards, bass at this point. I really want to learn violin next, so I can play some on my more symphonic works.
Dill: Tell me about your songwriting process.
Scot: I do not have a song-writing process. Okay, that may sound flippant, but I really don't. It all depends on what I have in my head. I have started songs with a guitar track, a melody, a lyric (rare, but it happened), a piano part or a drum loop. Sometimes I'll write the entire song in my head before turning the DAW on or, conversely, I'll just turn the machine on and play whatever comes out and record it, save a riff or two, start on something. So no process that's standardized.
Dill: What are some of your lifelong goals/dreams that you are willing to share?
Scot: I am LIVING my lifelong dream right now. That is to entertain people. With the release of my second full album, I have more than accomplished my goal of: Let's do an album with all me. That's not gonna go away, but I've also recently regained my interest in being an actual musician out and entertaining in a live setting. I have to thank Jenni Leigh Petrie, who asked me to join her band, now an acoustic duo with the two of us. Jenni has helped re-instill that passion in me that kinda got snuffed out through too many cover bands that were unsuccessful and a crappy local music scene. I needed her fresh approach to get back into the local scene, and we hope to provide a ton of great music to the Syracuse, NY area! We're just taking it on from a different angle. I got tired of crappy gigs for little pay (or none at all) and know there's more to being a musician. If you're not loving it, why the hell do it? And I totally enjoy performing with Jenni. A lot of the hassles of a band, we don't have with just a duo. And it opens the doors to different types of venues.
Dill: How has the response to “Transcend” been so far?
Scot: The response to my Transcend album has been okay. I am very happy with the album myself, but have gotten behind in doing some of the promotion I should have been doing, advertising, networking, social media, all the hype I could have had potentially generated due to the recent death of my wife two days before the album release
and the condition of her health for the months leading up to release. My duties
and obligations were to the lady who loved and supported me for years, and I do
not regret that. So now I'm just trying to pick up the pieces and move forward
the way she wanted me to, and we'll get back into the swing of things. I need a
few more things to get a leg up on a more professional appearance for my
website, my graphics, photos....everything. For their unbelievable help in this
regard, I must thank my dear friend Cat Corelli, who has helped immensely to
rebrand me as an artist, along with the talents of her brother, the amazing Alan
Matthews. Our art studio company, Tintette, is a wonderful thing to watch develop,
and to have the talents of these two very amazing artists working with me is
priceless. I still believe, with the help of Tintette, the Transcend album has quite a
good future ahead of it.
Click the album art to check out our review of Transcend.
Dill: What is your favorite food? Ideal beverage?
Scot: Food? Well, now there's something I can discuss intelligently. I love Italian food the best, I guess. Fettuccine Alfredo with sauteed or grilled chicken is probably tops in this category. But some days in the summer I just eat a big garden salad. I try to avoid red meat whenever possible. Fruits and vegetables are hugely important, but overall balanced diet is a must. As far as beverages, it's coffee. Whatever flavor you got, gimme it. And I want brown sugar with that, please; you can have that white processed crap, thank you.
Dill: Feel free to share any comments you have for Killerbeat’s readers.
Scot: I'd like to thank the readers of Killerbeat and Dillon Torok himself for this opportunity! Please, folks, help Dillon get the word out about this VERY cool publication. Recommend it to a friend, share some posts, make a tweet, whatever is your style. I think this is the type of publication that is SO relevant to the industry as it is today!
Dill: What is Team Musician?
Scot: Wow, somebody finally asked that question? Team Musician is basically a Facebook group created by Weston Simonis that helps independent artists to promote themselves. Our FB group page is a wonderful place for musicians to exchange songs, ideas on gear, production values, the pros and cons of social media, and any related topic under the sun. The group is fundamentally adept at sharing. Team members act like cell phone antennae, bouncing posts to the next redundant array. It's a fantastic way to get the word out, as members share outside of the group on their own timelines and support other members' posts and efforts. Weston also hosts radio shows on various online AND FM radio stations, so we can offer
member airplay on those stations. In recent months, Team Musician has developed a website where we have a wide variety of features for member, including the Forum app, which is like a Facebook type app inside our own site. I am however underwhelmed on the members' utilization of this resource, and may have to revisit the whole site in general. I think it needs a makeover badly. Team Musician is a good concept that I think just needs to be developed further.
Dill: Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to participate in this interview.
Some links for Scot...
