What is your name?
Scott Fisher
What is your genre of music?
This new track is psychedelic rock and indie rock based. That’s where my heart has been as of late and my upcoming LP is basically that. Producing and mixing quite a bit lately though, I’ve worked in various styles, from Bossa Nova, to outlaw country music, to EDM and latin. Honestly I just love quality music regardless of genre and it’s a blessing to make music. That being said my last several records under my name have been very 60’s and 70’s psychedelic rock influenced and those are the sounds I keep coming back to if left to my own devices.
Give us a little bio about you.
I grew up in Portland OR, to a French mother and an American Father. I started out in music by studying classical piano from exiled German concert pianist Ilse Glassel. My early solo albums range from piano/pop to classical piano to Bossa Nova. My indie/folk and psychedelic rock albums of recent years focus on songwriting, vocals and guitar work. I’ve worked quite a bit in television music and have had songs featured in Shameless, Parks and Recreation, Better Call Saul, Raising Hope, Gossip Girl, Brothersand Sisters, Smash, The Good Doctor and Felicity, just to name a few. As of late my main focus has been mixing and producing for other artists and more importantly working on my original music which is now my main passion.
What made you go into music?
I started playing classical piano at a very young age so music never felt like a choice of any sort. In middle school and high school I always played in bands and wrote songs, although not very good ones. I always knew I would pursue music in some form. It’s been a wonderful, inspiring and scary experience at times to work in music. I was lucky that I got into the licensing side early and realized that owning my songwriting and publishing were the foundational lifeblood to making a living. The advice I give to younger people who want to play music professionally is that most of us need to diversify our skill set. The more things you can do and instruments you can play the better. At times I’ve had to do pro tools editing to pay the bills, song write, arrange, be a session musician etc.. Luckily mixing has been a passion of mine of late and I had an incredible mentor who took me under his wing and showed me how to mix professionally. All these forms of “working in music,” so to say have allowed me to spend time working on my original music and the records that I’m truly passionate about making.
Who are your influences?
Too many to list of course but I would say some important ones are,
Jerry Garcia
J.J Cale
Wilco
Serge Gainsbourg
D’angelo
Sam Cooke
Steely Dan
Bill Frisell
Thelonious Monk
Bob Marley
Chopin
Are you a signed?
This new record will be a completely independent release here in the States through my own imprint, although there are different publishing companies and libraries who will be helping me pitch the songs. I might partner/license with some indie’s in foreign territories moving forward. TBD.
You released your new single ‘Once In A while’, tell us more about the single and the meaning behind the song.
The lyrics are a bit of a word collage. They evoke themes of hope, learning from our own mistakes, overcoming odds and yearning for passion and sensuality, both on the artistic level and in life as a whole. To me the lyrics are an expression of embracing the imbalance and potential manic side of creation that I often find myself in when I’m in a fruitful phase of creativity. Ultimately I have to embrace the obsessive side of creativity to do my best work. Tim Lefebvre (co-producer) and I were listening to the demo before we started recording and he mentioned the 1971 album “Histoire de Melody Nelson” by Serge Gainsbourg. Turns out we are both big fans of this classic LP and the vibe and tones in general. This gave us the jumping off point for the bouncey pick bass sound and some of the single line distorted guitar textures. Although the song sounds very different, there is a general sound and aesthetic we embraced from that old record which lives in the “Once in a While” beneath the surface.
Describe the track in two words.
Bouncey, Spacey
What was the writing and recording process like?
The writing process was very fast which is not usually how it goes for me. I wrote and demoed 12 new tracks in a 3 week period early last summer which turned into to the new LP which will be out in the fall.
Who did you work with on the single?
We recorded the new record at the Sonic Ranch in Texas which is one of my favorite places in the world. It’s the largest residential studio in the world. Tim Lefebvre played bass and Jeff Anthony was on drums. We tracked the basic tracks together live which was key to the whole feel of the record for me. Tim co-produced the record with me. He’s an incredible musician who’s worked with David Bowie, The Black Crowes, Elvis Costello, Sting, John Mayer, Tedeschi Trucks Band to name a few. I was really yearning for a more collaborative record making process this time around and Tim certainly brought a ton of inspiration and wonderful ideas and sensibilities to the table. With the basic tracks recorded, we started to layer the counterpoint synth and mellotron melodies. We even put some distorted single note electric guitar inspired by the French legend Serge Gainsbourg coming in and out of the track as we built. Tim played a vintage Strat that we ran through a small wattage vintage fender Tweed amp from the 50s’ that we had cranked. The result was a bit of a sonic collage with bleeps and blips and counterpoint melodies coming in and out to support the vocal.
Will we see a music video for ‘Once In A While , and if so what can we expect from the creative process like?
I’m actually just finishing editing together a video as we speak. It’s more of a collage of the “making of” with studio and practice footage at the Sonic Ranch rather than a traditional story based video. I always love seeing studio and behind the scenes footage of the creative process from bands and artists. Hopefully the footage has some compelling qualities for people to peek behind the curtain and see us at work in these beautiful spaces.
Can we expect an EP or Album and if so, what can we expect from it.
Yep, we’ll have 13 original songs coming out as a full length LP at the end of September. The tracks are groove oriented, textured and dynamic. I’m proud of the fact that the basics were recorded live in the studio. The rhythm tracks were recorded together simultaneously with Jeff on Drums, Tim on Bass and me on vocals, playing either Guitar, Hammond Organ or Wurlitzer Piano, depending on the song. I really wanted the push and pull of the live collaboration between the musicians to come out on the recordings.
Do you have any live shows coming up?
I’ll definitely play some shows here in LA where I live in the fall and winter next year. Perhaps we’ll do some more extensive touring as well. The songs really lend themselves well to live performance, so I’m excited about that.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
I feel that I’m at a point where there’s been a convergence of my skillsets recently that have allowed me to make some of my best original music to date. Hopefully I can crystalize my skills and vision further to be able to sound even more like myself. It’s taken me a long time to sound like myself.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Miles Davis – “Man, sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself.”
Recently I keep revisiting another quote we’ve all heard..
“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”
When it comes to music and creativity I like to think of it more as “If you’re the most talented person in the room you’re probably in the wrong room.”
If the goal is to make something beyond yourself and to break through your own personal ceiling I think this is a good thing to keep in mind generally.
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
scottfishermusic.com
