Jan. 11, 2026

Songs, Stories, And more Scott Blasey of The Clarks

Songs, Stories, And more Scott Blasey of The Clarks

Send in your music story! A melody can hold a whole life. That’s where we start with Scott Blasey of The Clarks—peeling back the layers of songs that carry grief, joy, and the strange electricity of a room that finally goes quiet. Scott shares how Broken Dove found its shape after a late-night guitar figure unlocked everything, and why Irene needed space, pedal steel, and restraint to let a life story breathe. We talk right-hand rhythm, arranging for emotion, and the art of knowing when to st...

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Season 2

Send in your music story!

A melody can hold a whole life. That’s where we start with Scott Blasey of The Clarks—peeling back the layers of songs that carry grief, joy, and the strange electricity of a room that finally goes quiet. Scott shares how Broken Dove found its shape after a late-night guitar figure unlocked everything, and why Irene needed space, pedal steel, and restraint to let a life story breathe. We talk right-hand rhythm, arranging for emotion, and the art of knowing when to strip a track down to bone and truth.

From the roaring 90s Pittsburgh scene to careful producer touches, the conversation travels through the venues that built loyal crowds, the record-store signings that made releases feel like events, and the long bar nights that sharpened a band’s instincts. Scott recalls writing Hey You on 9/11, a song whose meaning clicks into place once you know the day, and revisits If I Had A Gun, born from the sudden loss of a friend. We hit the bright side too: On Saturday’s playful build, the lyrical puzzle of Born Too Late weaving Hendrix, Elvis, and Garcia, and the steady influence of Tom Petty that still colors heartland rock.

There’s new energy as well: Better Off Without You opening an HBO scene with the Pittsburgh skyline, proof that discovery can arrive decades in. Scott talks openly about family first, slow-and-steady growth, and why new songs remain the lifeblood of The Clarks. If you care about songwriting that feels lived-in, performances that read the room, and a catalog that meets you at every season of life, this conversation is your map.

If this resonated, follow and share the show with a friend who loves honest songs. Subscribe, leave a quick review, and tell us which Clarks track lives rent-free in your head.

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Please give us a quick rate and review. If you enjoyed the audio version head over to our Youtube for video content! Follow the Instagram for special content and weekly updates. Check out our website and leave us a voice message to be heard on the show or find out more about the guests!

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Please give us a quick rate and review. If you enjoyed the audio version head over to our Youtube for video content! Follow the Instagram for special content and weekly updates. Check out our website and leave us a voice message to be heard on the show or find out more about the guests!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCONMXkuIfpVizopNb_CoIGg

https://www.instagram.com/hook_and_bridge_podcast/

https://www.thehookandbridgepodcast.com/

00:00 - Welcoming Scott Blasey Of The Clarks

03:30 - Penny On The Floor And Guitar Rhythm

06:45 - Feathers And Bones Era Context

07:50 - Writing Broken Dove And Losing His Father

13:35 - Irene, Mortality, And Stripped-Down Production

20:20 - Live Etiquette, Listening Rooms, And Solo Shows

25:04 - Rocking Chair, Influences, And Making The EP

32:14 - If I Had A Gun And Violence’s Aftermath

36:44 - Saturday, Producer Influence, And Playfulness

40:14 - Butterflies And Airplanes Backstory

43:34 - Treehouse, Early 90s Guitar Rock, And Growth

46:54 - Hey You Written On 9/11

50:44 - HBO Placement And Pittsburgh Pride

53:04 - History Buff Notes And Born Too Late

58:54 - Career Longevity, Family Priorities, And Slow Growth

01:04:14 - 90s Scene, Venues, And Touring Reality

01:10:54 - Signings, Vinyl, And Fan Moments

01:16:34 - Teaching, Craft, And Voice Over Time

01:19:34 - Here And Now As A Family Love Letter

01:22:04 - Petty, Heartland Influences, And First Concerts

01:28:14 - Sports Memories And Pittsburgh Teams

WEBVTT

00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:31.519
Good evening, everybody.

00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:32.960
Welcome back to the show.

00:00:33.119 --> 00:00:40.719
I am your host, Harley, joined by my co-host and little sister Taylor and an extremely special guest.

00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:42.159
Um excited.

00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:44.719
This has been four years in the making for me.

00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:47.280
This is honestly lifetime.

00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:52.560
You you were when we started the show, you were my second pick for a guest.

00:00:52.799 --> 00:00:55.840
I was like, eventually we will make this happen.

00:00:56.159 --> 00:00:56.880
Who was number one?

00:00:57.600 --> 00:00:59.520
Number one is a band called AJR.

00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:01.439
I'm I'm a giant AJR fan.

00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:02.799
You were number two.

00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:11.280
Uh so please, everybody, welcome Scott Blacey from the band, The Clarks.

00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:18.159
Um, you guys are so kind, thank you.

00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:31.680
Uh, I just want to say that your music has been such a major bonding experience for me and my sister for the last twenty two years.

00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:33.840
Um yeah, so great.

00:01:34.079 --> 00:01:35.599
Isn't that a beautiful thing about music?

00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:37.120
How it brings people together.

00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:38.400
It really is.

00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:58.799
Um I have a ton of questions for you, but I also want to tell you that uh your song Penny on the Floor was one of the first songs that I learned to play on the guitar, and it was the first song that I ever played live uh for an audience.

00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:00.719
Oh, that's so cool.

00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:02.640
Yeah, that's a good one to start.

00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:08.719
It's not too difficult, you know, just three well, G, D, C, and a little E minor for flavor.

00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:09.439
Mm-hmm.

00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:15.599
Uh it's it's like the perfect like uh uh rhythm exercise too.

00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:17.599
You know, it was it was that in December.

00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:19.520
I would do those for rhythm exercises.

00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:20.719
Great.

00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:29.039
Yeah, uh right hand is well, if you're a right-handed guitar player, that right hand is so important, um, you know, to be able to hold down a consistent rhythm.

00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:30.319
That's that's what it's all about.

00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:32.879
That's that's your your hand's your drummer.

00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:35.360
Yes, yeah, absolutely.

00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:44.400
Um, so I I wanna first off just show you a couple of things here as as Taylor and I am are super fans.

00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:51.840
Uh I I will say I have witnessed Harley fangirl a lot on the show, and I've never understood it.

00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:53.439
I'm like, listen, man, just take a breath.

00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:54.000
It's okay.

00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:55.039
I get it now.

00:02:55.759 --> 00:03:00.879
And you you and Todd Pipes have been my two fangirling experiences.

00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:02.719
No, I'm I'm honored.

00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:08.879
So this this first thing I want to show you here is a picture from 2014.

00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:11.520
Um my birthday.

00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:14.080
This is this is Taylor's birthday.

00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:18.240
We went and saw you guys at a little place in Akron called the Musica.

00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:20.240
Yeah, I love Musica.

00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:23.199
We just played there a couple months ago.

00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:29.360
This was right after the release of um is it Broken Dove is the album?

00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:31.439
Uh that's a song that's on the album.

00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:33.199
The album's called Feathers and Bones.

00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:34.479
Yes, Feathers and Bones.

00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:34.800
Thank you.

00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:45.680
Um one of my all-time favorite albums, and I just want to jump right in real quick with a quick question on that album specifically.

00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:50.479
Um, what is the song Broken Bones about?

00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:52.400
That song means so much to me.

00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:54.000
Broken Dove.

00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:55.599
Uh yeah, yeah, sorry.

00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:57.280
Uh Broken Dove, yeah.

00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:01.919
Um it's it's really about my father uh dying.

00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:10.960
Um it's it's uh it's maybe the most personal song I've ever written.

00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:13.280
Uh I'm super proud of it.

00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:20.399
Um I wrote it in a style that is not at all similar to how the recording ended up.

00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:26.240
Um I played it on acoustic guitar and it just wasn't working.

00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:31.040
Um we we tried a couple different things with the band, sort of at rehearsals.

00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:35.519
Um, and then we just put it to the side for a while.

00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:43.519
And it was our producer, Sean McDonald, and I think Rob, um Rob James, of course, our guitar player.

00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:56.639
I think they were sitting around in the studio one night, and and Rob came up with the guitar uh figure that that is eventually became sort of the the bedrock of the song.

00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:03.439
And um and they might have put some basic, just some some basic drums behind it.

00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:06.480
And uh they played it for me and said, What do you what do you think of this approach?

00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:09.040
And I was like, oh, that's that's fantastic.

00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:16.800
And then at that point, I think I don't I think at the up to that point, I don't know if I even had a had the bridge written yet.

00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:19.759
And and the lyrics certainly weren't done.

00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:22.560
I knew what I wanted the song to be about.

00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:28.079
Um and then uh you know they they put that together and and I finished it.

00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:31.600
And then uh I remember building that song in the studio.

00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:38.000
I think we we took Rob's um uh guitar part and then they they put drums to it.

00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:46.319
And it's not a real heavy, I mean there are parts of it that that have full instrumentation, but it's it's parts of it are are kind of spare.

00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:53.199
And uh just built it from there and and you know, bass and then uh acoustic guitar and and my voice.

00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:54.160
Love that song.

00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:56.000
I'm so glad that you connect with that.

00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:59.439
It's that's one of my top five for sure.

00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:08.319
Um I I as soon as you said that, I envisioned my dad was in real estate in Connellsville, where I grew up in Fayette County.

00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:13.199
Um, and he had a building where he had his office and he had apartments above it.

00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:26.879
And he had a you know, this was late 60s, early 70s, and uh I was just a little kid and running around that apart or those those apartments, um, and that office.

00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:38.639
And anytime that song comes up in conversation or or we we perform it, which is not often, um, my mind just immediately goes back to that that time and place.

00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:47.120
And that's another amazing thing about music, it's is its ability to sort of transport you to another place and time in your life.

00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:50.079
Yeah, every time I listen to that song, I cry.

00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:53.199
Like true, like it's so beautifully written.

00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:59.279
Um, I didn't realize that it was about your dad, I just thought it was gener generally about mortality, right?

00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:03.199
Right and and kind of coming to grips with your own mortality.

00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:03.759
Right.

00:07:04.399 --> 00:07:11.759
And I think now that I and I haven't listened, I I it's been a while since I've listened to it, and I you know, I I have a pretty good feel for it.

00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:17.360
But I I seem to recall lyrically, it's not really specific to my dad.

00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:26.720
I think it feels more like a um a romantic relationship, you know, a person losing a wife or a boyfriend losing a girlfriend, that kind of thing.

00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:34.560
I think it was I I sort of um I sort of went down that road with it, but it really is uh very specific to my dad.

00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:39.279
In fact, that album, uh it's one of my favorite Clark's albums.

00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:43.600
It's it's let it go, I think, at the top of the heap.

00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:47.680
Um there's a lot of mortality in that album.

00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:58.800
Um we Irene was Irene's another one, and my dad inspired that one as well, uh, along with Mindy McCready, and we can talk about that too.

00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:10.319
But um I'm trying to think of the time frame that came out in 2000 and let me see, 2000, probably uh 2003, 2014.

00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:17.040
Yeah, between 13 and 14, because magazine was like all over Froggy 104, right?

00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:21.680
Yeah, Froggy Radios or Introduction to Country Radio, yeah.

00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:25.920
Um and we had that album took years to make.

00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:35.840
I mean, we the album before that, um I think was uh Restless Days, and that was probably like 2009 or something like that.

00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:37.279
So it was a long period.

00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:44.720
That was one of the longest stretches, um, certainly up to that point that uh with not having released an album.

00:08:45.120 --> 00:09:03.679
And um so we had a lot of opportunity to write a lot of songs, and and you know, at that three or four year period, um, I lost my dad, I think Rob lost his mother, um, great one of Greg's in-laws, uh, and and and and a couple, one or two friends.

00:09:03.840 --> 00:09:08.320
I mean, there were just it seemed like every couple months or so we were going to a funeral.

00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:14.879
And we were all in our 50s, and it was just that time where our parents were were older.

00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:18.480
And um, you know, I just I love that album.

00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:26.639
Greg's song Feathers and Bones is, you know, it's it's really about timers and um and um to mortality to a gr degree.

00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:33.200
And then Irene, um the country singer, Mindy McCready, passed away in 2013.

00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:40.399
And I was not a huge uh fan of her music, but I I knew she was, and I I thought her story was really interesting.

00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:44.159
She was beautiful and talented, and she was troubled, and she died young.

00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:48.879
And I thought, man, that sounds like a great uh great subject for a song.

00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:51.679
And so I started working on a song called Irene.

00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:58.799
And it was right around the same time my father was, you know, the last weeks, month or two of his life.

00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:14.399
And uh by the time I got around to the third verse, even though um uh um it's it's uh the lyrics are are feminine in nature because but the whole third verse was really, you know, I was at my father's bedside and and the whole thing.

00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:28.720
So that that that is one of my all-time favorite cleric songs, that important, I think of right there at the top where you know, I've written, I don't know, a couple hundred songs maybe over a year career.

00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:34.559
And uh most of them I'm just kind of like, eh, it's okay.

00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:35.279
Right.

00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:37.440
And then then there's maybe 20 or 30.

00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:39.039
I'm like, yeah, that's that's a good song.

00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:42.320
I I I thought I did a good I did a good job on it.

00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:49.039
And then there's maybe a handful that I'm like, man, I just I nailed it.

00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:58.480
Yeah, and I I I said what I had to say, and it it fits that melody, and everything comes just perfectly.

00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:14.080
And usually uh the the the production, the recording of the song has something to do with my favorites because I I love the production on Irene, and it was really um that album was the most stripped-down song.

00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:18.240
It's really just maybe two acoustic guitars, the recording.

00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:27.039
Um I think there's some there's pedal steel on it, and maybe some sort of really subtle rhythm track in there as well.

00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:30.000
I can't really recall, but it's it's very bare bones.

00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:33.759
And it just I'll never forget the first time I heard the the finished version.

00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:37.279
I was in sitting actually right where I am sitting right now.

00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:56.480
And at the time my wife had a a desk here on the other side of the room, and I was listening to it, she was listening to it, and uh by the end of the song, I was just crying, you know, uh really of joy because I felt like I I I nailed the song, Sean McDonald nailed the production.

00:11:56.639 --> 00:12:01.919
Uh Gary Jacob played Petal Steel on it, and his his performance on that is just stellar.

00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:07.279
Everything about it came together, and I was I was crying when I went and said, Are you okay?

00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:09.600
I was like, Yeah, that's that's good stuff, man.

00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:15.519
When it can when it can bring you to tears or get you to it well up a little bit and uh get that lump in your throat, man.

00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:17.840
That's that's when you know you've really got something.

00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:24.960
Well, and and I love the line how you start the song off with the white limousine and then transitioning to the black limousine towards the end.

00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:28.799
That was such a clever way to kind of full circle life, man.

00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:31.279
It was it was beautiful in every sense of the world.

00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:46.879
That whole album truly is like um you have a ton of other fantastic albums, but that one to me was the most raw emotional album out of your entire catalog.

00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:48.559
Yep, I completely agree.

00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:57.759
And it was, it was very stripped down, and and uh the whole album in general was very stripped down comparative to your older songs for sure.

00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:09.200
Um, the other thing too is you guys played Irene at Musica that night, and it was the first time in my life that I actually got angry at a crowd.

00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:18.080
Uh you guys kind of started saying, like, hey, you know, we're gonna we're gonna play this stripped down song, it's gonna be just an acoustic guitar, kind of quiet.

00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:19.200
Yeah, exactly.

00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:26.159
Shut the fuck up, and then everybody's drinking and partying in the corner, and I'm like, this is the most emotional song in the world.

00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:26.799
What are we doing?

00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:29.440
Right, that's that's tough, man.

00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:35.039
I we we as a solo performer, you know, that's sometimes that happens, and yeah, yeah.

00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:40.799
You gotta be cool, but there's been one or two occasions where I've said, hey man, come on, people.

00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:48.240
Speaking of of being a solo performer, you want to listen to music, you just want to stand off in the corner and yeah, exactly.

00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:53.039
Yeah, good thing we have front row seats, so oh good.

00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:54.000
We heard everything.

00:13:54.399 --> 00:14:02.639
Honestly, I I really think like uh I've had fans and friends um come up to me and say, Man, I was so mad at so-and-so at this show.

00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:04.240
I just wanted to tell them to shut up.

00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:07.440
And yeah, and I was like, Oh, I I I barely noticed.

00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:12.320
I think sometimes our fans get more mad at that than yeah.

00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:14.399
We're we're kind of used to it.

00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:24.480
Um but you know, one thing with the band, um, you know, when you've got seven, six or seven guys on stage, uh, we can overwhelm everybody with volume.

00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:25.679
Right, right.

00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:30.080
Performing solo, although Irene is it's you know less volume.

00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:39.440
When I'm performing solo, you know, I I have to tailor my show to uh what kind of audience is this, you know.

00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:41.519
And I I I pick shows now.

00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:46.559
I've I'm fortunate the last couple of years I've been able to find venues that are listening rooms.

00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:54.480
There's no TVs, you know, it's a bar and it seats 80 or 100 people, and and everybody comes, they they come there to listen.

00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:54.879
Yeah.

00:14:55.120 --> 00:15:05.759
And uh, you know, those are the kind of shows where you know two thirds or a third of the show is just me talking, um telling stories, introducing songs, explaining where songs come from.

00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:07.039
And people love that.

00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:08.720
And I love to be able to do that.

00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:16.480
But when the opposite occurs, and I'm playing in a bar, or maybe the penguin game is off on in the other corner, and and that's fine too.

00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:17.759
I mean, uh it's all good.

00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:22.720
People uh they want to enjoy their night out, and and I'll I can work around that, you know.

00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:25.919
I get and there's still people paying attention, I'll play to them.

00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:36.240
But then if I feel like oh, I've got an opening here with oh, I got a little people paying attention because I played uh, you know, I don't know, In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel, and suddenly I'm I've captured a few people.

00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:43.279
And then you can okay, I'm gonna play cigarette here because yeah, everybody will be like, Oh, yeah, another song.

00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:49.120
You're solo clear.

00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:54.080
You know how to go down those avenues.

00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:55.279
Right.

00:15:55.519 --> 00:15:57.919
It was rocking chair.

00:15:58.639 --> 00:15:59.519
Oh, yeah, man.

00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:02.080
Such a fantastic dude.

00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:03.679
I dude, I love it.

00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:05.759
You know, you know my solo stuff.

00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:14.879
So I listened to that song, and I was like, this is a combination of like uh Catman Do meets like Billy Idol.

00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:17.360
Like it was like it's so cool.

00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:21.360
It's like rockabilly enough, but like classic rock enough, you know?

00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:24.559
Yeah, it's it's a Bob Seeger report for sure.

00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:26.000
Yeah, yeah.

00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:34.159
As a matter of fact, I don't know if I should admit this, but I wrote it right after I heard I heard uh Benaloo's getting down.

00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:37.919
It's all right.

00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:40.639
Benaloo's getting out to know.

00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:45.200
I came home, I was like, oh I'm gonna write a song that's not like Ben Lu's getting out to know.

00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:47.360
That's that's that's what happened.

00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:48.879
Just turn into a walking chair.

00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:58.240
And the really cool thing about this, it's uh it's on my uh my EP uh here and now that came out a few years ago, if anybody's interested.

00:16:58.399 --> 00:16:59.120
Scott Blaze.

00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:06.000
You can get all that information and download, or not downloads, but streaming and videos and stuff.

00:17:06.160 --> 00:17:11.359
Um but uh I I gave I gave it, you know, I played it for the guys in the band.

00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:17.119
And it's uh it's a real just straight up bluesy bar rock song.

00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:17.599
Yeah.

00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:20.160
And and we call pinky rock.

00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:34.880
Where where you're you're you're playing those uh those blues things and you're you're using your pinky, and uh nobody really nobody wanted to do it the way it needed to be done.

00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:37.680
Yeah, but there's one way to do that song.

00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:44.640
And we were trying, oh let's get, you know, they were trying to get clever with it and and just not playing it straight ahead.

00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:46.240
And it just didn't work.

00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:48.720
And and that's fine, that uh that happens, you know.

00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:51.279
Sometimes it's just not meant to be with the with the clerks.

00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:58.160
And so I sat on it for a while, and I got a friend, uh really great drummer named Matt Muckle.

00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:07.680
Uh Muckle's played, he he he came up in Pittsburgh and he played with uh bands in the 90s, Seventh House, and and um uh I can't remember.

00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:10.160
He's on another band that was signed to Atlantic.

00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:12.319
Uh I'm I'm drawing a blank on their name.

00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:19.279
Nevertheless, he he went to LA and he's just he's played with these big time you know acts, and and and he's just fantastic.

00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:29.920
He's a great drummer, he's really, really good arranger and uh songwriter and producer, and and he's he's just manic, and he's just he's the wild, he's he's a wild dude.

00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:34.559
Um, and I play I knew I was like, oh, Muckle will get this song.

00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:39.920
And I ran into him somewhere and we were just you know, mutual fan club conversation.

00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:41.759
We're like, dude, we gotta work together.

00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:44.480
And I was like, I'm sending them this song right now.

00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:53.759
And I went over to a studio in Dormont with him and uh and another guy, and and uh we just we just played around with it and and Matt played the drums, you know.

00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:57.680
We just laid you know, we just uh built it up, you know, foundation.

00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:02.319
He I played the acoustic guitar part, we found the right tempo and and the structure of the song.

00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:06.880
He just played the drums on it, and and uh trying to think of who even came.

00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:10.880
Oh uh oh man, I'm drawing a blank now on the guys that played on it.

00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:16.319
We had uh uh Vinny Q um played guitar.

00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:26.400
And um and it was in a band called The Zippers, and uh and uh Joe Monroe played Keys.

00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:30.319
And uh Jeff uh Ford Thurston played guitar.

00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:35.599
Ford's an amazing guitar player that lives in Nashville now and plays with a bunch of country cats.

00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:42.640
And and um and they just put it all together, and I sang it in Joe Monroe's studio, and I just sang the shit out of it that one day.

00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:43.279
I was I don't know.

00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:45.759
Some days you just your voice is just it's there.

00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:46.640
It was the middle of the day.

00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:47.759
It's on, yeah.

00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:50.240
Yeah, it was just like I will, you know.

00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:51.279
Perfect.

00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:56.319
And uh it came out on an EP called uh uh Three the Hard Way a couple years ago.

00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:56.799
Thank you.

00:19:56.880 --> 00:19:58.319
I love that song too.

00:19:58.559 --> 00:19:59.599
Um let's go back.

00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:01.279
In time a little bit too.

00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:03.039
Uh if I had a gun.

00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:04.400
Oh wow.

00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:11.759
That song not only is it a great song, but it it almost resonates today as well.

00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:17.359
I'm curious, like when you wrote it, what what was like the story behind that song?

00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:20.400
Well, uh, let me give you the you can go back even further.

00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:26.559
I grew up in Carlsville in Fayette County, which is uh very rural, you know, very uh Appalachian.

00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:29.519
And um everybody hunts.

00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:31.680
Everybody, you know, everybody hunts.

00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:34.640
And everybody had, and guns were just ubiquitous.

00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:35.920
Um all good.

00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:46.640
And then I had my dad had, you know, my dad wasn't a big hunter or anything, but he had, you know, uh guns around and uh not necessarily loaded, but just in the garage.

00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:51.920
Um and um he was a World War II vet, and it was just you know, it's just not a big deal.

00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:57.920
Um and so I I I'd never shot a gun, you know.

00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:03.519
I you know, maybe shot BB guns or maybe 22 or something, but I never really um shot much.

00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:13.119
And then in the early early 90s, I had a good friend uh from IUP that I went to school with, a fraternity brother named Jeff Warnick from Butler, Pennsylvania.

00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:14.799
Sweetest guy in the world.

00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:17.519
Everybody loved him, good-looking dude, and girls loved him.

00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:29.920
I mean, he's just just a sweetheart, and uh was was tragically killed in a road rage incident in Columbus, Ohio in like 1991 or 92.

00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:33.599
Um, and uh it really affected me.

00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:37.119
It was the first person in my life who had ever passed away that I was really close to.

00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:38.000
I was very fortunate.

00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:39.759
You know, my parents were healthy.

00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:46.000
I the my grand I uh you know, I really only knew my maternal grandmother, so and she was still good at the time.

00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:49.920
So I've never had had to deal with death on that level, right?

00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:58.319
And it was so it was so violent and tragic and and and sudden and and just like it just shattered my world.

00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:01.119
Um it was really the end of the innocence.

00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:11.039
You know, I was probably uh 27, 28 years old, and and I remember that being a a line of demarcation of like uh it's uh it's different now.

00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:12.799
If life feels different.

00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:23.680
And uh and so I if I went through a a period where I really struggled with with firearms and just their availability and and and thinking about that.

00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:27.759
And uh and so that's where that title came from, if I had a gun.

00:22:28.079 --> 00:22:32.240
Um I had a reason to shoot, if I had a you know, if I had a reason to kill.

00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:38.400
And uh it just musing on on gee, another song about death.

00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:42.880
Um those are the ones you seem to be drawn to.

00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:45.440
Well, Harley needs terrible.

00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:50.000
Well, we're gonna be diving into those.

00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:54.000
You have you have one breakup song that might be my favorite song of all time.

00:22:54.240 --> 00:22:54.960
Which one?

00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:56.319
Uh Saturday.

00:22:56.559 --> 00:22:57.200
Saturday.

00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:58.079
Yeah, yeah.

00:22:58.400 --> 00:22:59.599
I love that song.

00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:00.400
Oh, that's fun.

00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:01.839
That's that's fun.

00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:04.640
That's the that's the complete opposite of if I had a gun.

00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:06.240
Um but thank you.

00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:14.240
I I I love that song too, and there are definitely people who um love that first solo album called Don't Try This At Home from 1994.

00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:15.279
Yeah, yeah.

00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:22.720
Which you can all all my solo stuff you can stream on all of the major platforms, uh just search corporations.

00:23:51.529 --> 00:24:02.170
Uh so let's talk about um you had an album come out in the 90s that was more of a collection.

00:24:02.330 --> 00:24:05.370
Well, I guess it wasn't the 90s, I guess it was the 2000s.

00:24:05.690 --> 00:24:09.850
Um, but it was more more so a collection of your work.

00:24:10.330 --> 00:24:16.569
I believe it was called uh between now and then is the name of it.

00:24:16.890 --> 00:24:24.170
Yeah, it was a best of it came out in actually 2005, because it came out after the fast moving cars album.

00:24:25.370 --> 00:24:26.009
Yeah.

00:24:26.490 --> 00:24:40.330
Um that album had basically resonated with my childhood, and uh I'm curious on how how did you come about?

00:24:40.569 --> 00:24:43.850
Oh stop everything right now.

00:24:44.090 --> 00:24:44.730
She wants to play.

00:24:44.809 --> 00:24:46.009
I know I don't I don't want to interrupt.

00:24:47.210 --> 00:24:50.090
No, you interrupt, you interrupt all day long.

00:24:51.289 --> 00:24:51.850
What is her name?

00:24:52.250 --> 00:24:53.049
This is Finley.

00:24:53.130 --> 00:25:00.410
She's a beautiful four-year-old uh French bulldog with a heart with a grade five heart murmur.

00:25:00.970 --> 00:25:06.009
Oh yeah, she we we have another French Lulu's, who's a little older.

00:25:06.090 --> 00:25:09.370
Um, and we got her from the same, got them at the same breeder.

00:25:09.769 --> 00:25:24.730
Um after we got Lulu, my wife heard about Finley because she she the woman that uh uh that breeds them has a Facebook page and and uh she couldn't sell Finley because you know she's she's not not the healthiest.

00:25:25.130 --> 00:25:27.289
Um and she was just looking for a good home.

00:25:27.370 --> 00:25:30.009
And she posted on Facebook, and my wife messaged me.

00:25:30.090 --> 00:25:31.930
She said, We have to have this dog.

00:25:34.569 --> 00:25:37.049
I texted back, I was like, Oh my god, babe.

00:25:37.210 --> 00:25:39.130
Uh no, I love Lulu's so easy.

00:25:39.210 --> 00:25:41.529
She's she's house bridge, you know, she's done, she's good.

00:25:41.610 --> 00:25:42.970
Yeah, we don't want another dog.

00:25:43.210 --> 00:25:44.650
So, you know, we got the dog.

00:25:44.970 --> 00:25:46.330
We are dog people.

00:25:46.490 --> 00:25:46.970
We are dogs.

00:25:47.610 --> 00:25:48.090
We are.

00:25:48.569 --> 00:25:49.130
Oh my god.

00:25:50.410 --> 00:25:52.009
Oh, it's my baby now.

00:25:52.330 --> 00:26:03.289
He just, you know, when I go to sleep, she's she's she's like 20 pounds, finds whatever little nook or cranny in your elbow or side or whatever.

00:26:04.490 --> 00:26:09.130
It's like the meme the dads with the dog they didn't want when just snuggling with the dog.

00:26:11.850 --> 00:26:12.970
Nope, I don't want her.

00:26:13.210 --> 00:26:14.009
No, don't play it.

00:26:14.090 --> 00:26:15.450
I've got work to do.

00:26:16.490 --> 00:26:20.730
Um we will talk about on Saturday, which is a song Greg Greg wrote.

00:26:20.970 --> 00:26:30.970
And it's probably our our our lightest, uh, most just boop doop do do do do do do doop.

00:26:31.370 --> 00:26:32.970
And uh people love it.

00:26:33.049 --> 00:26:35.289
I mean, we we played it so good.

00:26:35.690 --> 00:26:38.250
Yeah, I can't get out of the venue without playing on Saturday.

00:26:38.650 --> 00:26:45.210
It's one of those like as soon as it started for me, when you start introducing the instruments and they all slowly come together, man.

00:26:45.450 --> 00:26:48.250
Yeah, that was the first time I had ever heard something like that.

00:26:48.410 --> 00:26:48.730
Yeah, yeah.

00:26:48.970 --> 00:26:50.730
And I was like, this is incredible.

00:26:50.970 --> 00:26:57.610
Yeah, our producer at the time, Justin Nebank, uh really terrific producer down in Franklin, Tennessee.

00:26:57.930 --> 00:27:00.090
Big time, big time dude.

00:27:00.330 --> 00:27:05.690
Um I think there was a lot of his influence on that particular song, too.

00:27:05.769 --> 00:27:10.809
I don't a lot of that I didn't I didn't really uh I can't remember coming up with that on my own.

00:27:10.970 --> 00:27:14.170
I think he said, Hey, introduce things, just talk a little.

00:27:14.490 --> 00:27:21.690
Um and uh but but the um um the little spoken word stuff that happens in the middle.

00:27:21.850 --> 00:27:24.650
Um my wife was calling.

00:27:24.809 --> 00:27:27.130
Um uh I think I came up with that.

00:27:27.210 --> 00:27:29.289
He's like, Oh, I I was like a placeholder.

00:27:29.450 --> 00:27:31.210
He's like, Oh no, no, that's great, keep that.

00:27:31.289 --> 00:27:33.930
Just just talk, just just do that thing.

00:27:34.490 --> 00:27:39.370
So uh hold on one, give me one second.

00:27:39.450 --> 00:27:39.930
I'm so sorry.

00:27:40.410 --> 00:27:41.289
No, no, you're fine.

00:27:41.610 --> 00:27:42.250
Wife comes first.

00:27:43.210 --> 00:27:44.410
Yeah, wife always comes first.

00:27:44.569 --> 00:27:45.130
Oh, yeah.

00:27:45.529 --> 00:27:47.450
Wife and kids always first.

00:27:48.730 --> 00:27:53.610
Well, dog, wife and kids in that order.

00:27:54.250 --> 00:27:57.049
Well, so that was gonna be my question for you, Scott.

00:27:57.289 --> 00:27:59.049
Butterflies and airplanes.

00:27:59.289 --> 00:28:02.009
Oh what is that song about?

00:28:02.730 --> 00:28:07.049
Well, I know the meaning behind it, however, I didn't write it.

00:28:07.289 --> 00:28:09.930
Um Greg wrote it.

00:28:10.009 --> 00:28:14.170
As a matter of fact, Greg wrote the last three songs you just brought up.

00:28:14.410 --> 00:28:21.289
Um and that that's that's the holy trinity of Greg Joseph songs right there.

00:28:21.690 --> 00:28:38.090
Um so, anyhow, uh it's really about Greg's sort of high school experience, just a very broad, broad-based um uh tales from teenage life in in the North Hill of Pittsburgh.

00:28:38.250 --> 00:28:46.809
Um, and and he has you know specific scenarios that that uh he could talk more about, but um that in a nutshell is what that song's about.

00:28:46.890 --> 00:28:47.850
I always love that song.

00:28:47.930 --> 00:28:49.610
I love love the imagery of that song.

00:28:49.769 --> 00:28:51.450
And here's a funny story about that song.

00:28:51.529 --> 00:28:59.210
We recorded that we call it the kneebank trilogy, which is just the kneebank, the three songs or the three albums that he produced for us.

00:28:59.450 --> 00:29:03.610
Yeah, Let It Go, Another Happy Ending, and uh Fast Moving Cars.

00:29:04.170 --> 00:29:09.529
So that so Butterflies is on uh the first one, it was the first time we'd worked together.

00:29:09.769 --> 00:29:11.450
And Greg always sang it live.

00:29:11.529 --> 00:29:14.890
And when we got to the studio, we're like, you know, Greg's gonna sing this song.

00:29:15.049 --> 00:29:17.370
And Justin was not happy about it.

00:29:17.610 --> 00:29:20.809
He he's like, there's that you have a lead singer for a reason.

00:29:20.970 --> 00:29:23.370
Yeah, uh, we're not having Scott play lead guitar.

00:29:23.610 --> 00:29:26.009
You know, why would Greg sing the song?

00:29:26.250 --> 00:29:37.690
And we're like, well, he sings it live and people love it, and and it's it's fun to get the other guys involved in that way, and he very begrudgingly agreed to let Greg sing it.

00:29:37.769 --> 00:29:53.130
And I remember one or two occasions when Greg was doing the vocal, and you know, he never really sung a lead vocal in a studio like that before, and just was struggling with a couple things, and Justin was very disgusted and let us all know that you know he he wasn't on board with this.

00:29:53.370 --> 00:29:55.610
That said, it it turned out great.

00:29:55.769 --> 00:30:07.850
Yeah, I mean it's a great sounding song, and Greg sounds great on it, and it's cool because I do the background vocal, and when we play it live, people love it, and it's it's a live thing for him.

00:30:08.009 --> 00:30:14.330
It gives me a little break uh in the sense uh vocally, so it's it's one of my favorites.

00:30:14.730 --> 00:30:18.569
We play it 80% of the time on yeah, great song.

00:30:18.890 --> 00:30:20.809
How about Tree House?

00:30:21.130 --> 00:30:29.210
That one was another one growing up that was very, very influential in my teen years.

00:30:29.450 --> 00:30:29.850
Uh-huh.

00:30:30.250 --> 00:30:34.410
Um Tree House was a song about growing up.

00:30:34.490 --> 00:30:39.210
Um being a kid, you know, one, two, three, hey Marie.

00:30:39.769 --> 00:30:43.529
And um uh once you climb that tree up to the sky.

00:30:43.610 --> 00:30:51.850
It was just it was just this a rumination on on youth, on being a kid, on being eight years old, ten years old, thirteen years old.

00:30:52.090 --> 00:30:55.529
Um, and uh pretty simple.

00:30:55.610 --> 00:31:01.850
Uh although it's the it's the opening song of the third album, and um it really introduced that album.

00:31:01.930 --> 00:31:03.850
And that was a that was a good album.

00:31:04.009 --> 00:31:07.450
Um, Love Gone Sour Suspicion and Bad Death on it.

00:31:07.850 --> 00:31:10.170
And there were definitely moments on that album.

00:31:10.330 --> 00:31:15.210
There was definitely songwriting growth um from the second album.

00:31:15.289 --> 00:31:19.210
Uh I mean there's some good stuff on there too, but we started to write different styles.

00:31:19.289 --> 00:31:24.330
There's a song on there called Madeline, uh which got a great vibe.

00:31:24.410 --> 00:31:29.370
It got airplay up on a really cool station in in Cleveland called 1079 the end.

00:31:29.529 --> 00:31:31.610
It was like their alternative straight station.

00:31:31.769 --> 00:31:36.410
It's just like this mid-tempo, moody, uh beautiful song about women.

00:31:36.569 --> 00:31:43.130
I mean, it's and and so um treehouse was the opening salvo, and it really set the tone for the album.

00:31:43.210 --> 00:31:48.330
And it it it's very, it's a very very Clark's like song.

00:31:48.490 --> 00:31:52.490
I mean, that's that's kind of what we did, that what we did maybe best.

00:31:52.650 --> 00:32:03.850
We've dabbled in a lot of other things, but that sort of straight ahead rock and roll, what you probably now might call Americana style, uh guitar rock.

00:32:03.930 --> 00:32:12.569
It was it was early 90s guitar rock, uh a lot of the gin blossoms and even the bands that I loved from that era.

00:32:13.289 --> 00:32:29.289
Um the other thing, too, that I wanted to ask you is um this this may be diving back into a little bit of a dark territory, but um is Hey You about somebody that you knew personally?

00:32:30.090 --> 00:32:31.049
Hey You no.

00:32:31.130 --> 00:32:33.610
Uh Hey You I wrote on 9-11.

00:32:33.850 --> 00:32:36.809
I wrote that on really one.

00:32:37.289 --> 00:32:41.049
I had no intention of writing a song, you know.

00:32:41.690 --> 00:32:53.130
And so the night before I went out with a buddy of mine, went out and had some beers, and uh came back early because the the band was rehearsing for another happy ending.

00:32:53.210 --> 00:32:55.210
We were doing we were in what we call pre-production.

00:32:55.289 --> 00:32:58.730
Our our Justin, our producer, was up in Pittsburgh.

00:32:58.890 --> 00:33:04.090
We had a house in Highland Park called the Clark House on Jackson Street, and we rehearsed there.

00:33:04.170 --> 00:33:13.049
And and so uh everybody was coming over Tuesday morning around 10 o'clock or so, or maybe a little earlier, to um to work on songs.

00:33:13.450 --> 00:33:18.009
And uh so the the next morning, about 8:30 or so, my my cell phone rings.

00:33:18.170 --> 00:33:20.890
It was a foot phone, you know, it was 2001.

00:33:21.289 --> 00:33:26.250
And uh my buddy from the night before, and I was I was still half asleep, so I didn't answer it.

00:33:26.410 --> 00:33:30.330
And then he called right back, and I was like, oh, something's something's up.

00:33:30.490 --> 00:33:35.210
So I picked up the phone, he's like, dude, turn on the TV, uh, I'll talk to you later.

00:33:35.450 --> 00:33:39.210
So I think when I turned on the TV, it was me, you know, it was probably 8 45 or so.

00:33:39.289 --> 00:33:43.690
I can't remember exactly what time the first plane hit, but that's where I walked in on it.

00:33:43.769 --> 00:33:47.610
You know, the first plane had hit, nobody knew anything really.

00:33:48.170 --> 00:33:53.289
And uh and I sat there just slackjawed, like what could have possibly happened?

00:33:53.690 --> 00:33:58.490
And then um, and then I can't remember if somebody had come in before the second plane hit.

00:33:58.569 --> 00:34:18.809
I think somebody did, and and we just we all everybody congregated, the four guys in the band and Justin, and we sat there for two or three hours, yeah, that long, and just watched TV and and talked a little bit, but mainly just kind of sat there in shock and watched you know our country being attacked, and then the Pentagon, and then Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

00:34:19.529 --> 00:34:23.610
And uh, you know, as soon as the second plane hit, you knew it was it was terrorism.

00:34:24.090 --> 00:34:25.049
Right, right.

00:34:26.170 --> 00:34:35.609
And finally, Justin was like, Well, we we heard reports, you know, the sky, you know, skies are shut down, there's no no air travel, and Justin had a rental car.

00:34:35.689 --> 00:34:38.649
He's like he said, I'm driving back to back to Franklin.

00:34:38.809 --> 00:34:41.449
His wife lived there, and and they lived there.

00:34:41.609 --> 00:34:46.329
And so he drove back, and and then eventually the guys, I was the last one that living in that house.

00:34:46.409 --> 00:34:49.609
Everybody else was either married or girlfriend and lived elsewhere.

00:34:49.849 --> 00:34:51.769
And so they they all left.

00:34:51.929 --> 00:34:53.929
And it's like three o'clock in the afternoon.

00:34:54.009 --> 00:34:56.730
It's a beautiful late summer day.

00:34:56.969 --> 00:34:59.289
And I went for a roll, I went rollerblading.

00:34:59.369 --> 00:35:02.969
I I got out my my skates and I went downtown Pittsburgh.

00:35:03.289 --> 00:35:08.969
Beautiful, beautiful day, and so surreal because the the streets were empty.

00:35:09.129 --> 00:35:13.289
I mean, there were just no, it was the middle of the day on a Tuesday, and there was nobody around.

00:35:13.529 --> 00:35:31.210
There was a guy selling the Pittsburgh Press, which was a newspaper in Pittsburgh at the time, standing on a street corner with a bag and holding up a newspaper, just very um sort of middle of a century-esque, you know, that that that's how people got their news.

00:35:31.369 --> 00:35:35.449
Um, and still at that time, a lot of people still got their news that way.

00:35:35.689 --> 00:35:42.969
And so uh it was just so strange, and really it was selling to nobody because it was really, you know, again, there were almost nobody around.

00:35:43.129 --> 00:35:45.769
Um, a couple fighter jets flew over.

00:35:45.929 --> 00:36:08.089
I went for a skate, just trying to process, and uh went home, made dinner, went upstairs just to play my guitar just for for comfort, and you know, put the cape on the second front and just started strumming this thing, and and words came out and and the the lyrics are very um they're kind of uh veiled.

00:36:08.169 --> 00:36:17.769
Um you don't know uh obviously I mean the way you just posed the question, if you don't know it's about 9-11, um, you probably won't associate it with it.

00:36:18.009 --> 00:36:28.009
But uh I think what's fun about this, not fun about the songs is is good about the song, is as soon as you know it's about 9-11, all of a sudden like the window opens.

00:36:28.169 --> 00:36:30.009
It's like, oh yeah, yeah.

00:36:30.250 --> 00:36:33.769
I I get it, it's very tailored to that, right?

00:36:34.409 --> 00:36:35.289
Imagery.

00:36:35.529 --> 00:36:39.210
Um, so uh one of my favorite songs, people love that song.

00:36:39.369 --> 00:36:49.289
Uh we don't do it live a lot, but every once in a while, um yeah, uh certainly a lot of meaning to that one, probably top 10, top 15 for me.

00:36:49.849 --> 00:36:55.529
How do you feel about the exciting news you guys just put out?

00:36:55.769 --> 00:37:02.489
Um the the new released version of Better Off Without You is gonna be on an HBO show.

00:37:04.329 --> 00:37:08.169
It was last night, it was dude, it was like Christmas morning.

00:37:08.250 --> 00:37:10.809
It was just uh I was nervous beforehand.

00:37:10.969 --> 00:37:13.529
I was just like this is this is really cool.

00:37:13.769 --> 00:37:33.289
You know, tens of millions of viewers, and and the show opens with um the drum intro, and it opens up to the skyline of Pittsburgh as the sun's coming up, and uh one of the sister bridges, and uh a good 30 or 40 seconds of it, very prominent.

00:37:33.609 --> 00:37:35.369
And uh the main character Dr.

00:37:35.449 --> 00:37:38.409
Robbie's riding his motor motorcycle across the bridge.

00:37:38.969 --> 00:37:39.929
And it was so cool.

00:37:40.009 --> 00:37:42.889
We've known it was gonna happen for the last four or five months.

00:37:43.210 --> 00:37:46.250
We weren't sure how they were gonna use it in right.

00:37:47.929 --> 00:37:57.929
But uh I was convinced last night at 8 45 that they were it was all a joke and they weren't gonna use it, and then I was gonna have to explain to everybody why they don't hear it.

00:37:58.329 --> 00:37:59.210
Completely irrational.

00:37:59.689 --> 00:38:02.409
I was just nervous pacing around like, oh, they're not gonna use it.

00:38:02.489 --> 00:38:04.409
This is gonna be a complete disaster.

00:38:04.809 --> 00:38:07.289
They'll they're gonna change their mind last minute.

00:38:08.649 --> 00:38:12.329
Me every day of my life with the imposter syndrome.

00:38:13.129 --> 00:38:14.169
Like jokes on you.

00:38:14.329 --> 00:38:15.849
You're just kidding.

00:38:16.649 --> 00:38:19.849
Um, Scott, are you a bit of a history buff?

00:38:20.489 --> 00:38:22.329
Uh yeah, uh yes, absolutely.

00:38:22.489 --> 00:38:24.009
Loved history and still do.

00:38:24.489 --> 00:38:29.689
And I I was more of a history and English type of guy rather than a math and science type of guy.

00:38:29.929 --> 00:38:32.169
Yeah, uh yeah, like World War II history.

00:38:32.250 --> 00:38:34.809
My father and my uncle in World War II.

00:38:35.129 --> 00:38:39.609
And uh yeah, history, particularly American history, the last maybe 200 years or so.

00:38:40.250 --> 00:38:46.329
There are not very many songs out there that make reference to Thomas Edison.

00:38:47.049 --> 00:38:52.089
Okay, you hold that torch loud and perfect.

00:38:52.329 --> 00:38:53.049
Yes, you do.

00:38:56.809 --> 00:39:01.689
So honestly, I didn't realize this until recently.

00:39:01.929 --> 00:39:05.849
Um, you have that on your first solo album.

00:39:06.089 --> 00:39:07.049
Yes, right.

00:39:07.769 --> 00:39:12.009
Did you do that song before the Clarks?

00:39:12.250 --> 00:39:14.089
Yes, or yeah, yeah.

00:39:14.329 --> 00:39:15.769
Yeah, I recorded it.

00:39:16.009 --> 00:39:30.889
Um I I made a couple solo records with a guy named Rick Witkowski, uh uh was a guitar player in a great band called Prague Band, uh, late 60s and 70s, 70s, called Crack the Sky.

00:39:31.289 --> 00:39:38.730
And um he's a producer and musician, lives in Weirdon, West Virginia, has a studio at his house, and I became good friends with him over the years.

00:39:38.809 --> 00:39:46.809
And I I had some and going back to the early 90s, I I would I would have a batch of songs and I would want to get a decent demo of them.

00:39:46.889 --> 00:39:50.489
I could play them for the the guys in the band and and whoever else.

00:39:50.649 --> 00:39:56.169
And so I would go to his studio and just take an acoustic guitar and we we would record you know decent demos.

00:39:56.730 --> 00:40:06.649
And so I put out a solo album called Don't Try This at Home in 1994, which is we talked about earlier, had it if I had a gun, flame and some other really cool Mercury, some cool stuff.

00:40:06.889 --> 00:40:07.210
Yeah, yeah.

00:40:07.369 --> 00:40:08.569
Mercury was on there, yeah.

00:40:08.730 --> 00:40:08.969
Yeah.

00:40:09.210 --> 00:40:17.049
So in in in 97, we were dropped by MCA, our record label, and we we we were like, Ah, should we even keep going?

00:40:17.129 --> 00:40:49.849
So we made the live record, and over the course of that time, um we were all writing a lot of songs, and I wrote Born Too Late during that time period, and it was always I always had this imagery of uh um uh referencing famous people throughout history and alluding to what they were famous for, maybe only using one of the names and make it a little bit of a uh uh an uh a history exercise or um a puzzle in some way.

00:40:50.089 --> 00:40:52.809
And at the time we had been dropped by a record label.

00:40:52.889 --> 00:40:59.289
I think my girlfriend had broken up with me, and so I was losing things, and so that's where the chorus sort of a hard time leaving this town.

00:40:59.449 --> 00:41:06.889
I felt like the band was spinning its wheels and losing everything that I found, and and that's where that chorus goes.

00:41:07.049 --> 00:41:11.929
But those that those characters uh all started with Jimi Hendrix.

00:41:12.009 --> 00:41:24.250
I was sitting at home uh in the Clark House in Jackson Street, uh Highland Park, and watching a documentary on Jimmy, and I was so inspired, he was so um musically brilliant.

00:41:24.409 --> 00:41:30.649
And uh when the documentary was over, I picked up my guitar and and just kind of started writing.

00:41:30.730 --> 00:41:33.689
Um, you know, the first one's Vincent, will you teach me how to paint?

00:41:33.769 --> 00:41:37.529
And I had already kind of figured out, oh, okay, Jimmy, will you teach me how to play?

00:41:37.689 --> 00:41:40.009
And that's what that's how this is gonna go.

00:41:40.169 --> 00:41:49.689
And then it was just filling in the blanks with with people and and how it would, you know, how those people would rhyme together and who to put in different verses with each other.

00:41:49.929 --> 00:41:51.849
And uh I love that song.

00:41:51.929 --> 00:41:55.529
It's it's it's a definitely a high watermark uh for me as a sonic.

00:41:56.569 --> 00:41:57.929
It's so good.

00:41:58.489 --> 00:42:01.689
So a funny little fact about me on that song.

00:42:01.849 --> 00:42:07.529
Um, until Apple came out with the ability to see lyrics on your phone.

00:42:07.689 --> 00:42:12.089
Yeah, I thought the line was Jimmy, teach me how to play that thing.

00:42:12.329 --> 00:42:15.769
Elvis will I ever be the be a king, and then it will.

00:42:15.849 --> 00:42:19.289
I thought it was and cherish all the love that you bring.

00:42:20.009 --> 00:42:22.730
I didn't realize you were making a reference to Jerry.

00:42:23.289 --> 00:42:23.689
Jerry.

00:42:24.250 --> 00:42:27.449
That's the only one that ever pe people ever really aren't sure.

00:42:27.529 --> 00:42:30.969
Because there's like Jerry Garcia, uh, Jerry Lewis.

00:42:31.369 --> 00:42:34.969
You know, there was a there were a few at the time like Jerry Seinfeld.

00:42:35.210 --> 00:42:36.329
Jerry Seinfeld, yeah.

00:42:36.569 --> 00:42:38.809
Yeah, there were there were a few options.

00:42:38.889 --> 00:42:41.289
Uh I assume it's about Jerry Lewis, right?

00:42:41.529 --> 00:42:42.809
It was Jerry Garcia.

00:42:43.129 --> 00:42:43.849
Oh, really?

00:42:44.169 --> 00:42:54.329
I'm I'm not a deadhead, but at the time I really appreciated uh what he did, and I'd seen some interviews with him, and he's just a funny seemed like a great guy, great hang.

00:42:54.730 --> 00:42:55.049
Yeah.

00:42:55.849 --> 00:42:57.769
I was just like, oh, he's a he's a cool dude.

00:42:58.009 --> 00:43:00.649
And so uh that that's the music verse.

00:43:00.809 --> 00:43:06.649
That one's Elvis, what um uh uh um Jimmy, Elvis, and Jerry.

00:43:06.809 --> 00:43:08.969
So there's no in that one.

00:43:09.769 --> 00:43:21.449
Um, so the last thing I want to talk to you about is um basically you've had this incredible, long-standing career.

00:43:21.689 --> 00:43:24.569
Uh, like I said, you are a Pittsburgh legend.

00:43:24.730 --> 00:43:25.049
Yeah.

00:43:25.289 --> 00:43:30.250
And I moved to Virginia about what, almost eight years ago now.

00:43:30.569 --> 00:43:35.449
And I recently was in Walmart and heard a Clark song on the radio.

00:43:35.529 --> 00:43:41.210
Yeah, and I got so excited, I was I was like, that's crazy.

00:43:41.529 --> 00:43:44.889
And it was one that I hadn't heard before, too, which was even more incredible.

00:43:45.210 --> 00:43:46.809
So I was like, I gotta find this.

00:43:47.049 --> 00:43:56.169
Um, but that brought up a great thing that I wanted to ask you is like, what what does it look like in the next couple of years for the Clarks?

00:43:56.250 --> 00:44:00.649
Like, are you guys pushing hard for a bit more of an expansion?

00:44:02.569 --> 00:44:06.250
Uh no, we're not pushing hard for a bit more of expansion.

00:44:06.409 --> 00:44:14.969
Now, if we could somehow easily expand without pushing hard, without the effort, we would take expansion.

00:44:15.529 --> 00:44:18.969
Yeah, but certainly for the next at least the next couple years.

00:44:19.129 --> 00:44:22.169
My my youngest daughter is a sophomore in high school.

00:44:22.329 --> 00:44:29.929
I have two in college, and my wife and I are just, you know, we're just getting our transitioning our kids into college and adult life.

00:44:30.089 --> 00:44:37.369
And until Graceland at least, you know, leaves for for college in a few years, um, my work here is not yet done.

00:44:37.689 --> 00:44:42.329
So after that, um then we'll see.

00:44:42.489 --> 00:44:52.009
Um if we're all healthy and and feel like oh, it'd be go it'd be fun to take a long weekend and go to play in Chicago and Milwaukee and Wisconsin.

00:44:52.169 --> 00:44:53.289
We just do that all the time.

00:44:53.529 --> 00:45:05.049
We've great fans uh in that part of the country and um go back down to the Carolinas and and to Florida, where there's so many people from western Pennsylvania that have like moved south.

00:45:05.369 --> 00:45:05.689
Exactly.

00:45:06.009 --> 00:45:16.089
So you just go start going down 95 and and you know from from New York to Miami, um, you'll find Pittsburghers, which is awesome.

00:45:16.569 --> 00:45:18.649
Yes, uh we'll see.

00:45:18.730 --> 00:45:19.449
I don't know.

00:45:19.609 --> 00:45:32.329
Uh I I know that writing new material, recording new material, playing new songs is really our lifeblood, and we we continue to do it because we we couldn't do it without uh new music.

00:45:32.489 --> 00:45:41.129
Uh that being said, we're we're we're like this sort of really big uh ship that's kind of slow and it doesn't turn real fast.

00:45:41.529 --> 00:45:46.009
Um it's impressive and it's it's steady and it's not going anywhere.

00:45:46.569 --> 00:45:52.649
But it's not gonna, you know, it's not gonna suddenly, oh go, let's go over here and go somewhere really fast.

00:45:53.129 --> 00:45:54.969
It's gonna take a little time.

00:45:55.289 --> 00:46:07.769
Um, but I we're definitely we'll definitely continue to write uh new songs and and record new songs and and try to play fun shows with with some surprises and songs we haven't played in a long time.

00:46:07.929 --> 00:46:13.210
And um you have to balance you know what you want to play with what you think people might really enjoy hearing.

00:46:13.369 --> 00:46:23.929
So to answer your question, uh no, no no big fast expansion, but hopefully, and and with the pit thing, um, you know, just just a growth.

00:46:24.009 --> 00:46:29.769
I mean, just any kind of growth, just sort of slow bacterial type type growth is fine.

00:46:30.889 --> 00:46:32.489
Just bigger than you were.

00:46:32.649 --> 00:46:32.889
Yeah.

00:46:33.929 --> 00:46:35.929
The tentacles just keep going a little bit farther.

00:46:36.489 --> 00:46:39.689
This person tells that person, and that person turns on this person.

00:46:39.929 --> 00:46:44.169
And eat and that's the crazy that's the beautiful thing, another beautiful thing about music.

00:46:44.250 --> 00:46:50.489
And you know, you can be a 40-year-old band and you're still new to a lot of people, someone, yeah.

00:46:51.049 --> 00:47:01.129
Which is, you know, the certainly the case with the pit, because there will be out of the tens of millions of people who will watch the show, there will be some that'll be like, Oh, I really like that song.

00:47:01.289 --> 00:47:02.169
Who is that?

00:47:02.569 --> 00:47:05.049
And uh, it's not hard to figure those things out now.

00:47:05.129 --> 00:47:13.929
You just search, even if you just search the pit because of the EP that we released, you know, that'll that'll show up in the results and be like, Oh, it's the clerks better off without you.

00:47:14.169 --> 00:47:17.210
So that yeah, that that's great.

00:47:17.449 --> 00:47:17.849
Yeah.

00:47:18.089 --> 00:47:20.569
Um, I will say one of the saddest things.

00:47:20.730 --> 00:47:31.129
So I moved from Ohio to Virginia and then Virginia to Florida, and moving to Florida, I didn't realize it until my best friend texted me about ribs and rock.

00:47:31.289 --> 00:47:35.369
And I was like, Oh, the Clarks are not readily available to me anymore.

00:47:35.689 --> 00:47:38.169
I have been to many of your concerts, yeah.

00:47:38.409 --> 00:47:42.569
So, like the fact that that's just like I can't just go to Boardman, right?

00:47:42.809 --> 00:47:48.889
You know, I can't just enjoy and I was I was so sad, it was heartbreaking for me.

00:47:49.210 --> 00:47:54.489
Clarks with Clarks withdrawal, it's a real thing, it's a real thing, and I have it bad.

00:47:54.809 --> 00:48:00.089
Oh, we need like franchises like Promantees, like we need to hire like Florida.

00:48:02.009 --> 00:48:03.769
We have the trademark, they're sanctions.

00:48:03.929 --> 00:48:08.169
They're in Orlando and Jacksonville and Tampa.

00:48:08.649 --> 00:48:18.250
Yeah, I don't think I have ever had, and I don't have like parasocial relationships, that's a little weird, but it was one of those things where I was like, Oh, that is devastating to me.

00:48:18.489 --> 00:48:21.129
Once I thought about it, I was like, Oh, that is awful.

00:48:21.449 --> 00:48:22.809
Well, that's that's a beautiful thing.

00:48:23.689 --> 00:48:25.210
You miss your clerks, your music.

00:48:25.529 --> 00:48:27.049
I miss, I miss it bad.

00:48:27.369 --> 00:48:28.009
I'm with you.

00:48:28.169 --> 00:48:31.849
I would miss it too if I couldn't play it anymore.

00:48:32.969 --> 00:48:40.250
Um, so I just I just want to say this interview has been a dream come true, man.

00:48:40.409 --> 00:48:42.489
Truly, like I can't thank you enough.

00:48:42.809 --> 00:48:51.929
Um like your music has helped me through some of the darkest times in my life, in my childhood, some of the most beautiful times in my life.

00:48:52.169 --> 00:49:05.449
And like I'm I'm so excited for years and years to come of your guys' music and your music, and your writing style is just incredibly articulate and beautiful.

00:49:05.689 --> 00:49:12.889
Um, I think that uh you really really put your heart into your your songs and it really shows.

00:49:13.049 --> 00:49:19.049
And I urge everyone, please check out Scott Blacey, check out the Clarks.

00:49:19.369 --> 00:49:22.169
Um, I do want to play this game with you though.

00:49:22.329 --> 00:49:25.769
Um how do you how do you that was that was beautiful.

00:49:25.849 --> 00:49:27.769
I I dude thank you.

00:49:28.169 --> 00:49:30.169
I I try not to get emotional, man.

00:49:30.250 --> 00:49:48.889
I I don't want to cry, but like it truly it yeah that's that's that's uh really that is maybe the greatest thing about music is its ability to to get people through difficult periods in their lives and then um being able to celebrate the the good times in their lives as well.

00:49:49.049 --> 00:49:50.649
Um I I use it too.

00:49:50.730 --> 00:49:55.289
I mean, I have obviously my favorite artists um have gotten me through a lot.

00:49:55.449 --> 00:49:58.569
So I appreciate it and I know where you're coming from.

00:49:58.649 --> 00:50:00.649
Uh so let's play this game.

00:50:01.210 --> 00:50:02.489
So segue.

00:50:02.730 --> 00:50:04.809
Um here's the game.

00:50:05.129 --> 00:50:16.169
Um, so this game basically what I do with artists is I do a lot of research and I create trivia games based off of your life.

00:50:16.969 --> 00:50:23.129
Um so this is gonna be for you and Taylor to play because unfortunately I know the answers.

00:50:24.089 --> 00:50:26.089
Okay, so here's the thing.

00:50:26.329 --> 00:50:32.009
One thing you have to know about me is I'm really bad at these games because something I don't do is research.

00:50:32.409 --> 00:50:33.849
So I'm just putting that out there.

00:50:34.009 --> 00:50:36.250
I'm here for a good time, not a long time, you know?

00:50:36.969 --> 00:50:39.369
Um so best of luck to us.

00:50:39.449 --> 00:50:42.649
I'm sure Scott is going to come out on top, and that is great.

00:50:42.969 --> 00:50:59.769
Well, it is officially time, everybody, for whose musician is it, anyways, where we talk about trivia with our artists?

00:51:00.009 --> 00:51:02.730
Um, so it's gonna go in order.

00:51:02.809 --> 00:51:07.849
We're gonna let Scott go first and then you, Taylor, and I will keep a tally of points.

00:51:07.929 --> 00:51:09.289
Um I can't read.

00:51:09.529 --> 00:51:10.089
That's okay.

00:51:10.169 --> 00:51:11.049
I'll read it to you.

00:51:11.609 --> 00:51:13.049
Um you can't read.

00:51:13.929 --> 00:51:16.489
Scott, this question is for you, sir.

00:51:16.969 --> 00:51:26.730
Which US city is most associated with one of the longest running independent rock success stories of the 1990s?

00:51:26.969 --> 00:51:30.009
Well, I've been guessing it would have to be Seattle, right?

00:51:30.809 --> 00:51:34.089
Ooh, Seattle would be a great guess.

00:51:34.489 --> 00:51:38.009
No, no, no.

00:51:38.250 --> 00:51:42.409
Unfortunately, the answer on this one is Pittsburgh.

00:51:43.369 --> 00:51:44.329
Oh, okay.

00:51:44.489 --> 00:51:48.730
Well, we certainly had a great run in the 90s.

00:51:48.809 --> 00:51:54.089
I won't disagree with that, but uh I don't know if I'm gonna go on Allison Chains.

00:51:55.049 --> 00:51:57.210
Uh that's fair, that's fair.

00:51:58.250 --> 00:52:01.849
See, I wanted to say Pittsburgh, but then I was like, that's too easy.

00:52:02.089 --> 00:52:02.489
Yeah.

00:52:02.730 --> 00:52:21.289
Now at the time, um Rusted Root broke wide open and and Gathering Field did great, and Brownie Mary and the Clarks, and there were there were a lot of uh uh major label releases and and certainly a great thriving uh original music scene in Pennsylvania.

00:52:21.529 --> 00:52:23.449
That was I call them the roaring nineties.

00:52:23.529 --> 00:52:29.289
I mean, especially from 93, 94, uh up through the rest of the decade.

00:52:29.369 --> 00:52:32.489
It was some of the some of my favorite memories.

00:52:32.569 --> 00:52:43.210
I mean, we did big shows uh '96, the summer '96 out at Starlake, uh, us and Brownie Mary and Gathering Field and a bunch of other bands.

00:52:43.609 --> 00:52:51.769
Um did this local music festival, and we thought, oh, we'll get three, four thousand people, and ended up getting uh 17,000 people.

00:52:51.849 --> 00:52:53.129
It was just it was crazy.

00:52:53.289 --> 00:52:57.529
And it was at that point, we were like, wow, there's a real scene in this town right now.

00:52:57.849 --> 00:53:01.529
Yeah, the Pittsburgh scene is still alive and well, too.

00:53:01.609 --> 00:53:14.649
That's that's the crazy part, is that that town like solidified music from I would say like the 80s through like 2007, 2008.

00:53:15.210 --> 00:53:21.129
And that scene has just stayed to that level for through the rest of this decade.

00:53:22.409 --> 00:53:25.529
Stage AE, I think, is a big spot.

00:53:26.569 --> 00:53:27.609
That's a great venue.

00:53:27.689 --> 00:53:29.529
It's it's one of our favorite places to play.

00:53:29.609 --> 00:53:35.929
Uh, the outdoor venue, particularly, is is just no place like it on a on a beautiful summer evening.

00:53:37.129 --> 00:53:39.609
Um, Taylor, this next one is for you.

00:53:39.849 --> 00:53:40.730
Oh no.

00:53:41.369 --> 00:53:43.769
I don't know geography, I don't know history.

00:53:44.089 --> 00:53:44.969
That's okay.

00:53:45.289 --> 00:53:47.609
Before streaming, and this one's multiple choice.

00:53:47.769 --> 00:53:55.849
Before streaming, what was the most important way for a regional band to build a loyal following in the 90s?

00:53:56.089 --> 00:53:59.609
Your choices are a lot of choices.

00:53:59.849 --> 00:54:01.449
Yeah, it's A through D.

00:54:01.609 --> 00:54:15.210
You've got A radio countdown, B touring relentlessly, C MTV rotations, or D, major label signings.

00:54:16.569 --> 00:54:21.529
What's crazy is my answer is not any of those, so now I don't know.

00:54:22.169 --> 00:54:26.730
My answer was just standing on the street and handing out CDs and hoping for the best.

00:54:27.129 --> 00:54:27.769
You know what I mean?

00:54:27.929 --> 00:54:29.369
Like day in and day out.

00:54:29.689 --> 00:54:31.449
Um, I'm so sorry.

00:54:31.609 --> 00:54:32.889
What was A again?

00:54:33.210 --> 00:54:34.329
Yeah, no worries.

00:54:34.730 --> 00:54:37.529
A is radio countdown shows.

00:54:37.769 --> 00:54:46.730
Okay, B is touring relentlessly, C T V rotations, or D, major label signings.

00:54:47.210 --> 00:54:51.129
I want to go I want to go touring relentlessly.

00:54:51.929 --> 00:54:56.730
It is in fact B touring relentlessly during the 90s.

00:54:56.809 --> 00:54:59.129
That did provide the Scott, thank you.

00:54:59.529 --> 00:55:06.649
The most uh loyal fan bases before streaming.

00:55:08.329 --> 00:55:12.409
Um so why didn't Scott get an A through D?

00:55:13.129 --> 00:55:15.449
Uh that question just didn't have one.

00:55:17.609 --> 00:55:20.169
Um Scott, this one is for user.

00:55:20.649 --> 00:55:28.489
What genre dominated alternative radio in the mid to late 90s alongside post grunge?

00:55:29.049 --> 00:55:31.449
You do have multiple choice on this one.

00:55:31.849 --> 00:55:32.889
Okay, go ahead.

00:55:33.210 --> 00:55:43.049
A Brit pop, B, Indie Rock, C, New Metal, or D pop punk.

00:55:45.529 --> 00:55:46.809
Late nineties.

00:55:48.250 --> 00:55:49.609
Can you give me those again?

00:55:50.009 --> 00:55:51.049
Absolutely.

00:55:51.289 --> 00:56:03.129
Uh that would be A Brit Pop, B Indie Rock, C New Metal, or D pop punk.

00:56:05.289 --> 00:56:05.609
Man.

00:56:07.049 --> 00:56:08.649
I don't think it's pop punk.

00:56:08.809 --> 00:56:14.329
I think that kind of, although Green Day was around then, I think that got a little more popular a little later on.

00:56:14.569 --> 00:56:22.009
It can kind of almost be, you know, I don't know enough new metal to really comment on when that was popular.

00:56:22.089 --> 00:56:28.809
I mean, I guess it was around the same time, late 90s, like lint biscuit and and corn and stuff like that.

00:56:29.769 --> 00:56:35.369
Um you know, and I think it's uh in indie rock.

00:56:36.250 --> 00:56:39.129
Um and and the so what was the very first one?

00:56:39.210 --> 00:56:41.049
I'm gonna go with the I'm gonna go with A.

00:56:41.689 --> 00:56:43.449
A Brit Pop.

00:56:44.169 --> 00:56:55.289
Um, you know, Oasis was really big and and um that's kind of my that's kind of my that's kind of my favorite.

00:56:55.369 --> 00:56:57.609
So maybe it's just because that's what I was listening to.

00:56:57.769 --> 00:57:06.809
And you know what else was really popular in the late night mid to late 90s was like uh you know hip hop, gangster rap too was still still going really strong.

00:57:06.969 --> 00:57:07.929
I mean, that was Dr.

00:57:08.089 --> 00:57:13.129
Stray and Snoop and Tupac and Biggie, and that was huge then.

00:57:13.769 --> 00:57:18.409
Well, this question is relating to alternative radio, so those alternative.

00:57:21.129 --> 00:57:26.409
Um I'll say Brit pop.

00:57:27.369 --> 00:57:29.769
The answer is a Brit pop.

00:57:30.250 --> 00:57:31.769
All right, all right.

00:57:32.329 --> 00:57:36.489
I think there was pulp and blur and all those one name bands, Oasis.

00:57:37.369 --> 00:57:40.329
Oasis kind of led the revolution on that one.

00:57:40.489 --> 00:57:43.849
Uh Blur was uh statistically second.

00:57:44.009 --> 00:57:52.809
Um pulp was also on this list, and then um a band called the Manic Street Preachers.

00:57:53.369 --> 00:57:54.569
I remember that band.

00:57:55.129 --> 00:57:55.769
Yeah.

00:57:56.250 --> 00:57:59.449
Um Taylor, this next one is for you.

00:57:59.689 --> 00:58:01.769
Can you guys hear the dogs barking?

00:58:02.089 --> 00:58:02.889
Uh no.

00:58:03.289 --> 00:58:03.929
Oh, cool.

00:58:04.089 --> 00:58:05.369
Okay, okay, I'm ready.

00:58:05.609 --> 00:58:06.649
Hey, hold on one second.

00:58:06.730 --> 00:58:08.489
Hey Grace, Grace.

00:58:08.730 --> 00:58:09.529
Uh, never mind.

00:58:09.609 --> 00:58:11.289
I gotta figure out where Finley is.

00:58:11.609 --> 00:58:13.449
Speaking of dogs, Finley is missing.

00:58:14.250 --> 00:58:15.289
Yeah, give me one second.

00:58:15.529 --> 00:58:15.849
Sure.

00:58:16.009 --> 00:58:16.969
Yeah, stand by, stand by.

00:58:17.210 --> 00:58:18.569
He was in here and then she left.

00:58:18.649 --> 00:58:19.449
We're not gonna be bad.

00:58:19.609 --> 00:58:21.289
We can't let Finlay be alone.

00:58:22.329 --> 00:58:24.009
So, how's everyone's day going?

00:58:25.129 --> 00:58:26.250
Fantastic.

00:58:26.569 --> 00:58:27.289
Mine too.

00:58:27.529 --> 00:58:28.969
I'm chilling.

00:58:29.849 --> 00:58:32.489
I picked all the skin off my fingers though.

00:58:34.329 --> 00:58:36.250
Sorry, should I not put that on the internet?

00:58:36.649 --> 00:58:38.169
That's a stress factor.

00:58:38.489 --> 00:58:42.969
It really is, and now my finger hurts really, really bad, and I'm just kind of fighting through it.

00:58:43.210 --> 00:58:45.289
Um, because it's like picked raw.

00:58:45.689 --> 00:58:47.129
And I like broke my nail.

00:58:47.210 --> 00:58:48.089
It's kind of a whole thing.

00:58:48.169 --> 00:58:49.529
My fingers are a wreck right now.

00:58:49.849 --> 00:58:53.289
Man, with my new job though, I can get my nails done.

00:58:53.529 --> 00:58:56.250
Oh my gosh, we haven't told the podcast, guys.

00:58:56.409 --> 00:58:59.689
If you're still listening, Taylor got a new job.

00:59:04.009 --> 00:59:04.569
Finley.

00:59:05.049 --> 00:59:05.689
Finley.

00:59:06.250 --> 00:59:07.210
Okay, there we go.

00:59:09.369 --> 00:59:10.169
Oh, of course.

00:59:10.329 --> 00:59:11.449
No, no, I don't mind.

00:59:12.009 --> 00:59:14.009
I got them entertained, don't worry.

00:59:14.250 --> 00:59:14.489
Okay.

00:59:15.449 --> 00:59:17.289
Uh Taylor, this one is for you.

00:59:17.449 --> 00:59:26.089
Um which factor most helped regional bands survive without major label support during the 90s?

00:59:26.409 --> 00:59:37.289
Um, a merchandise sales, b strong local venues, c word of mouth, or D, all of the above.

00:59:38.569 --> 00:59:40.169
That feels like a trick question.

00:59:40.329 --> 00:59:49.529
That feels like a trick, and I don't like tricks, but I am going to say it's either the venue one, but I'm gonna go D all of the above.

00:59:50.329 --> 00:59:52.409
It is D all of the above.

00:59:52.730 --> 00:59:53.609
Let's go.

00:59:53.929 --> 00:59:54.569
Let's go.

00:59:54.889 --> 00:59:57.689
Right before you said all the above, I was like, oh, it's all those things.

00:59:57.929 --> 01:00:00.809
It's all that's yeah.

01:00:00.969 --> 01:00:03.369
Um there it has to be all of the above, right?

01:00:03.529 --> 01:00:03.769
Yeah.

01:00:04.009 --> 01:00:12.569
Well Scott, what was a a venue early in your career that kind of stood out as like uh, oh, we we love this place.

01:00:13.369 --> 01:00:15.049
Uh it was called the Decade.

01:00:15.129 --> 01:00:19.210
It was in Oakland, in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, where the University of Pittsburgh is.

01:00:19.289 --> 01:00:27.049
So, you know, around a lot of college students and uh a really famous uh rock and roll bar, um Spring.

01:00:27.609 --> 01:00:35.289
Scene, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the police, um uh you two, um, just you know, huge acts.

01:00:36.089 --> 01:00:40.169
Played their Bon Jovi before they were really, really big.

01:00:40.569 --> 01:00:42.489
And so it's kind of legendary.

01:00:42.649 --> 01:00:45.529
And we started playing there in probably '88.

01:00:46.009 --> 01:00:49.529
Um, so we you know, late 80s, early 90s.

01:00:49.689 --> 01:00:51.529
Um, that was the spot.

01:00:51.689 --> 01:01:05.689
And then there was another club in in North Oakland called uh Graffiti, which was more of a showcase, more like 600 people and bigger room, but you know, it wasn't the the great bar vibe, um, but still a great place.

01:01:05.769 --> 01:01:09.769
And and a lot of bands in Pittsburgh played either or, or you couldn't play both.

01:01:09.849 --> 01:01:10.809
And we're like, why?

01:01:10.889 --> 01:01:15.369
Because the owners don't want bands you know cross-pollinating with the people.

01:01:16.009 --> 01:01:17.769
That's that's silly.

01:01:18.009 --> 01:01:24.329
And yeah, look, and we just said to the club owner, we'll play a show at the decade to the guy, Tony at graffiti.

01:01:24.409 --> 01:01:28.250
If if you don't want to book us, uh, you'll still sell your show out, you know.

01:01:28.329 --> 01:01:30.089
If you don't want to book us, then don't book us.

01:01:30.250 --> 01:01:31.689
But we're not gonna play this game.

01:01:31.849 --> 01:01:35.449
And we said the same thing to Dom at the decades where we're gonna play a graffiti.

01:01:35.769 --> 01:01:49.369
And and and finally they were just like, Yeah, and once they realized uh playing in one venue uh and then a couple months later playing in the other one and still doing well in both, they didn't they didn't care as long as they're making their money, it didn't happen.

01:01:49.609 --> 01:01:49.769
Right.

01:01:50.250 --> 01:01:55.529
The decade was was the really the the proving ground for the first couple years of the band in Pittsburgh.

01:01:55.689 --> 01:02:12.889
That's where we we really cut our teeth, um, playing long sets, you know, three to four hours, playing from 10 to 10, you know, taking a break, and drinking and smoking, and just partying, young, early 20s, um having a ball.

01:02:13.689 --> 01:02:28.169
I I yeah, I feel like you know that you've kind of hit success because when when I used to play out, like doing those three hour sets as a solo guy is the worst.

01:02:28.569 --> 01:02:34.169
But I feel like you know you're getting success when you're like, oh, we only play an hour.

01:02:35.929 --> 01:02:39.929
Yeah, the shorter your set gets, the more, the more successful you are.

01:02:40.250 --> 01:02:46.250
The higher up the rope you're yeah, those three hour nights were rough, man.

01:02:46.409 --> 01:02:51.289
Yeah, we played long band sets, and uh, but but that was good.

01:02:51.369 --> 01:02:57.849
I mean, that's you you got you get good um just playing all you know all night and you do it every weekend, yeah.

01:02:57.929 --> 01:03:04.329
And then you start playing other places during the week and quit your day jobs, and ball starts rolling down the hill.

01:03:04.649 --> 01:03:12.889
I I remember like being at uh uh a little place in East Liverpool, Ohio, playing a set, and I was like two hours in.

01:03:13.049 --> 01:03:18.009
And I said, Well, does anybody want to hear Hotel California again?

01:03:18.969 --> 01:03:21.529
I was like, I I've got nothing left.

01:03:22.730 --> 01:03:24.009
I have no other material.

01:03:25.129 --> 01:03:26.250
I'll done.

01:03:27.449 --> 01:03:30.809
All right, so this next one is for you, Scott.

01:03:31.529 --> 01:03:41.449
Admittedly, I I tried to give Taylor a little bit of uh the easier ones, um, just because she doesn't know these answers much.

01:03:41.609 --> 01:03:43.689
Um I'm just a baby, guys.

01:03:44.569 --> 01:03:50.009
Uh in the 90s, what format helped albums feel more like an event?

01:03:50.169 --> 01:04:01.129
Uh, this would have been during not vinyl, obviously, but uh they they used to hold events that uh kind of helped album sales.

01:04:01.449 --> 01:04:02.009
Yeah, yeah.

01:04:02.169 --> 01:04:04.889
Well, we used to do uh record store signings.

01:04:05.049 --> 01:04:12.169
We we'd go to every record store uh in person and you know just sign C at that time CDs.

01:04:12.409 --> 01:04:19.769
Yeah, 90s were the the golden age of so that's the I mean that's the format that got big in the 90s.

01:04:19.849 --> 01:04:37.289
I mean, we we released uh our first album was 88 and it came out on vinyl and cassette, and then the second album came out in 91 on CD and cassette, and then it was CDs um, you know, up through 2000, late 2000s.

01:04:39.210 --> 01:04:41.609
That that yeah, that is the answer.

01:04:41.689 --> 01:04:48.329
Uh it is CD CD signings or or band signings, CD slash band signings.

01:04:48.730 --> 01:04:54.169
We would go to record stores and you would play a couple songs, you'd bring some acoustic guitars and you play a couple songs.

01:04:54.969 --> 01:04:55.849
Really, I didn't know that.

01:04:56.089 --> 01:04:59.049
Oh, yeah, well, we did, and I I think a lot of bands did.

01:04:59.129 --> 01:05:01.129
I mean, that was just like you know, why wouldn't you?

01:05:01.210 --> 01:05:02.250
You're you're there.

01:05:02.489 --> 01:05:06.169
Um, might as well play just a handful, you know, three or four songs.

01:05:06.329 --> 01:05:26.809
It wasn't a lot, but um, yeah, we did one at uh it was like a Borders bookstore in Northway Mall in 2002 or something when our uh another Happy Ending album came out, and it was just it was huge, and there were people everywhere, and there were free, so everybody came and there was an absolutely no room.

01:05:27.049 --> 01:05:34.169
People were outside the windows and along out in the road, and it was just a it's kind of a disaster.

01:05:34.569 --> 01:05:49.289
Um but most of them are manageable, but that one started out as being like super packed, but yeah, that that was every album, multiple record stores for a week or two after the release.

01:05:49.529 --> 01:05:52.649
We would be somewhere promoting now.

01:05:53.210 --> 01:05:56.009
Now, did you ever attend as like a fan?

01:05:56.329 --> 01:06:00.409
I know I can't ever recall going to a record store to see somebody now.

01:06:01.369 --> 01:06:10.569
I I've never been to a record store to see a person, but as a vinyl collector, I do attend album release parties for vinyl.

01:06:10.889 --> 01:06:12.809
Oh nice, yeah.

01:06:12.889 --> 01:06:18.489
I I actually you guys put uh between here, uh between hold on.

01:06:18.649 --> 01:06:25.289
I I always mess this title up between now and then on vinyl a couple of years ago.

01:06:25.609 --> 01:06:28.250
And that's that's like my golden goose right now.

01:06:28.409 --> 01:06:30.009
I got I gotta find those.

01:06:30.969 --> 01:06:33.449
You guys only did them in person, right?

01:06:33.529 --> 01:06:39.289
And and I don't think we have any more of the uh the first between now and then we did two of them.

01:06:39.529 --> 01:06:44.329
Yeah, still have some vinyl in the second one left, but I think all the other ones are gone.

01:06:44.569 --> 01:06:57.609
Vinyl's expensive to to produce and um or to manufacture, and uh you know, you have to yeah, you really have to order X amount, and I don't need to have five thousand.

01:06:57.769 --> 01:07:03.929
We we might have gone through five hundred or a thousand um albums, but yeah, uh vinyl's great.

01:07:04.009 --> 01:07:15.289
I've got I still have all mine from when I was a kid, and then Rob, our guitar player, he he gave me all of his at one point because he just had nowhere to put it and kept you know having to transport.

01:07:15.369 --> 01:07:18.250
He's like, here man, just just take my art once you want.

01:07:19.369 --> 01:07:20.089
That was awesome.

01:07:20.329 --> 01:07:22.089
My collection like doubled.

01:07:22.329 --> 01:07:22.889
Yeah.

01:07:23.129 --> 01:07:25.769
Suddenly I had every Van Halen album.

01:07:28.089 --> 01:07:29.849
I uh I have a fun album.

01:07:30.169 --> 01:07:32.730
I had one or two prior, but now I had all of them.

01:07:33.049 --> 01:07:34.009
All of them.

01:07:34.889 --> 01:07:38.569
Fun fact about it oh sorry, go ahead.

01:07:39.449 --> 01:07:51.210
I'm just reminiscing now, and I'm like, oh I'll like great 70s Z top albums like uh um The Guelo and all those given to you.

01:07:52.009 --> 01:07:53.689
Oh man, they had great taste in music.

01:07:53.769 --> 01:07:59.049
I'm sure that I know there's a there's probably at least a couple Aussie Osborne albums in there.

01:08:00.329 --> 01:08:02.409
Probably through some great phases.

01:08:02.569 --> 01:08:04.089
Um, I like that stuff too.

01:08:04.169 --> 01:08:08.969
I was big on Crazy Train, but I never, you know, I never bought an Aussie solo album.

01:08:10.009 --> 01:08:11.609
Black Sabbath kind of guy growing up.

01:08:12.969 --> 01:08:15.609
Come to appreciate that stuff later in life.

01:08:17.130 --> 01:08:20.329
Um fun fact about CD signings.

01:08:20.489 --> 01:08:27.210
My first actually, my first signed CD, and I think my only signed CD happened at your show.

01:08:27.529 --> 01:08:28.810
Yeah, it's rewind.

01:08:29.210 --> 01:08:29.609
Yeah.

01:08:29.770 --> 01:08:34.569
And it was um my first, it was my birthday, my 13th birthday.

01:08:34.649 --> 01:08:36.890
Um I had just had knee surgery, so we were up front.

01:08:36.970 --> 01:08:38.010
I was in a wheelchair.

01:08:38.170 --> 01:08:40.730
Um, and it was a little family event at a bar.

01:08:40.970 --> 01:08:44.409
And I believe it was the Ohio weather band opened.

01:08:45.050 --> 01:08:45.529
Opened.

01:08:45.769 --> 01:08:48.010
And they signed their CD for me.

01:08:48.090 --> 01:08:49.929
It was was it their release party?

01:08:50.250 --> 01:08:50.889
No, no.

01:08:50.970 --> 01:08:52.409
Um it was the Clark show.

01:08:52.489 --> 01:08:59.609
They opened, they had won the ability from from something, some contest they did to open for the Clarks.

01:08:59.769 --> 01:09:00.010
Yeah.

01:09:00.250 --> 01:09:06.489
And and they wrote me a little happy birthday note, and my it's my first ever signed CD.

01:09:06.569 --> 01:09:08.569
And you guys told me happy birthday on stage.

01:09:08.809 --> 01:09:11.449
That was actually that's the greatest moment of my life.

01:09:11.689 --> 01:09:12.409
We love to do that.

01:09:12.569 --> 01:09:13.130
It was really good.

01:09:13.449 --> 01:09:16.729
And then uh that was I bought your your rewind album.

01:09:17.050 --> 01:09:18.010
My rewind album.

01:09:18.090 --> 01:09:19.130
Yeah, yeah.

01:09:19.689 --> 01:09:21.050
Oh, 10 out of 10.

01:09:21.130 --> 01:09:21.529
Anywho.

01:09:21.849 --> 01:09:26.970
Rewind, isn't that the that's the album that you did the cover of uh Paint It Black, right?

01:09:27.210 --> 01:09:27.849
Yes.

01:09:28.250 --> 01:09:29.609
Fantastic cover.

01:09:29.929 --> 01:09:43.769
All covers from stuff that we we played when we were just starting out, when we were playing three and a half hours a night, and we had to fill the set out with songs from the 70s and 90s.

01:09:47.929 --> 01:09:50.729
Oh Taylor, this one is for you.

01:09:50.889 --> 01:10:01.529
Which activity is which activity is commonly pursued by musicians who enjoy shaping the next generation of artists outside of touring and recording?

01:10:04.409 --> 01:10:06.889
Standby and it's not multiple choice.

01:10:06.970 --> 01:10:08.170
I just hope for the best.

01:10:08.489 --> 01:10:10.329
Uh yeah, this one is not multiple choice.

01:10:10.569 --> 01:10:11.130
Oh, cool.

01:10:11.289 --> 01:10:12.010
I can read.

01:10:12.329 --> 01:10:12.649
Okay.

01:10:12.970 --> 01:10:18.489
Um the question itself kind of gives it to you.

01:10:20.649 --> 01:10:21.849
I don't know.

01:10:22.889 --> 01:10:31.130
Interactivity is commonly pursued by musicians who enjoy shaping the next generation of artists outside of touring and recording.

01:10:33.769 --> 01:10:35.210
Can I throw it to Scott?

01:10:35.449 --> 01:10:36.569
I literally don't know.

01:10:38.889 --> 01:10:41.369
I don't even know if I have the answer to that.

01:10:42.010 --> 01:10:44.889
What do you well, we can't both not have the answer.

01:10:44.970 --> 01:10:46.170
You're the musician.

01:10:47.449 --> 01:10:53.449
Well, I you know, commonly pursued by musicians now.

01:10:54.090 --> 01:11:04.090
Um I don't know, you know, maybe uh you you know, guitar tutorials or YouTube stuff, putting things on YouTube.

01:11:04.409 --> 01:11:04.809
I don't know.

01:11:04.889 --> 01:11:05.449
What what is it?

01:11:05.529 --> 01:11:06.090
I'm I'm curious.

01:11:08.090 --> 01:11:10.170
Well, Scott, you you're basically there.

01:11:10.250 --> 01:11:13.609
The the answer is teaching, the greatest gift that you can give to the next generation.

01:11:14.329 --> 01:11:18.569
Oh there was no way I was gonna get that.

01:11:18.970 --> 01:11:23.050
So I I actually had to to Google this uh to to get this question.

01:11:23.210 --> 01:11:33.769
So basically, the statistic is 78% of artists, recording artists today also tutor.

01:11:34.329 --> 01:11:35.929
Wow, that's a lot, that's a big number.

01:11:36.010 --> 01:11:37.369
I didn't think it would be that high.

01:11:39.769 --> 01:11:43.769
You also enjoy teaching musicians, right?

01:11:44.489 --> 01:11:45.929
I don't do it formally.

01:11:46.090 --> 01:11:56.170
I'm happy to jam with people and play with people and advise and collaborate and all that stuff, but uh I've never taught a lesson.

01:11:56.489 --> 01:11:57.369
Oh, really?

01:11:57.849 --> 01:11:58.649
No, no.

01:11:59.130 --> 01:12:09.449
My daughters, um, you know, they all sing, and there are times when I'm sure they're learning stuff from me, but it's never very it's never a conscious do this.

01:12:09.689 --> 01:12:13.609
Um, not that I couldn't do that, I just it just never happened.

01:12:13.929 --> 01:12:14.409
Huh.

01:12:14.889 --> 01:12:18.170
Yeah, I thought that was a wild fact as well.

01:12:18.649 --> 01:12:19.529
78%.

01:12:20.170 --> 01:12:20.889
That's a lot.

01:12:21.130 --> 01:12:25.529
Well, I I can tell you this, like I'm not a good enough guitar player to really give guitar lessons.

01:12:25.609 --> 01:12:36.409
I mean, I could I could you know help somebody out and get them started and show them concords and stuff, but I I don't have the the guitar uh talent to to be a guitar teacher.

01:12:36.649 --> 01:12:45.609
Um and vocally uh I would leave that up to the the sort of the experts, the people who are are sort of trained vocalists.

01:12:45.769 --> 01:12:55.210
Like it's very difficult for me to try to advise somebody on um vocal technique or or how to because we're also different.

01:12:55.289 --> 01:13:09.130
And now I know what works for me, and I could you know relay that information, but it would be very difficult for me to um uh hold a formal lesson in with anyone or or singing.

01:13:09.929 --> 01:13:12.970
Speaking of easy when you're naturally blessed.

01:13:13.609 --> 01:13:15.130
I I I thank you.

01:13:15.289 --> 01:13:19.849
I I just I love what I do and and I've gotten better at it over the years.

01:13:20.010 --> 01:13:26.010
I mean it's just it's it's a t you have to have some sort of innate ability, you have to have some musicality.

01:13:27.289 --> 01:13:29.929
But um, you know, singing can be learned.

01:13:30.170 --> 01:13:36.010
And uh I've always had an ability to um to sing, but I I've seen way better now than I used to.

01:13:36.250 --> 01:13:39.369
I I know that I know the spirituality of it.

01:13:39.529 --> 01:13:46.170
Um there's a lot that goes into it that you sort of discover over many one of the benefits of doing it a long time.

01:13:46.250 --> 01:13:48.809
You um you just get good at it.

01:13:49.929 --> 01:13:54.170
Uh speaking of your daughters, uh correct me if I'm wrong.

01:13:54.250 --> 01:14:04.809
Um, on your newer EP, the song Here and Now, that was written not for your daughter per se, but like around the time that your daughter was born, right?

01:14:05.130 --> 01:14:08.569
Yes, that was that was definitely a love letter to my family.

01:14:08.729 --> 01:14:20.970
Uh my kids at the time I was uh we had two very young daughters, probably you know, three years old, one year old, and and we're expecting, you know, at least planning for one more.

01:14:21.050 --> 01:14:29.689
And and uh had just moved back to Pittsburgh from Dallas, Texas, and uh was happy to be back in western Pennsylvania.

01:14:30.010 --> 01:14:36.649
Um and just uh yeah, just wrote a a very open sort of love letter to my family.

01:14:36.729 --> 01:14:38.010
I was very happy at the time.

01:14:38.170 --> 01:14:46.970
And um one of my favorites came out with the on that aforementioned uh EP called Three the Hard Way.

01:14:47.050 --> 01:14:50.329
And and there's a really cool video uh with that.

01:14:50.409 --> 01:15:00.569
If you if anybody's interested on my website, scopplayc.com, you can you can find your way around um to to that material, but love that song, love that video.

01:15:02.489 --> 01:15:06.329
So this next one, I believe, is for you, Scott.

01:15:06.809 --> 01:15:18.970
Um, which band is often cited as a major influence on the Heartland roots-leaning alternative rock artists from the 1990s.

01:15:19.609 --> 01:15:25.689
The nineties, Heartland and Roots-leaning alternative rock artists.

01:15:27.689 --> 01:15:30.649
Oh, cited as a major influence.

01:15:32.970 --> 01:15:42.729
Oh a major influence on roots leaning alternative rock in the nineties.

01:15:46.329 --> 01:15:49.449
Man, which band?

01:15:51.050 --> 01:15:53.369
Oh man, the Eagles.

01:15:54.329 --> 01:15:57.769
Oh, that that's a fantastic guess.

01:15:58.090 --> 01:16:01.769
Um but no, not the Eagles.

01:16:02.809 --> 01:16:05.369
Uh Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

01:16:05.609 --> 01:16:06.489
Yeah, I could see.

01:16:06.970 --> 01:16:08.010
Yeah, yeah.

01:16:08.489 --> 01:16:09.289
Love Tom Petty.

01:16:09.769 --> 01:16:10.809
Heartland threw me.

01:16:10.889 --> 01:16:15.210
Like I don't I might initially I was like, well, John Mellencamp.

01:16:16.250 --> 01:16:21.289
Yeah, John Mellencamp, Springsteen, and Springsteen to a certain degree.

01:16:21.529 --> 01:16:24.649
Um, but yeah, I I I totally agree with that.

01:16:24.809 --> 01:16:27.449
Tom influenced a lot of people, including me.

01:16:27.929 --> 01:16:31.210
Yeah, uh you're a pretty big Tom Petty fan, right?

01:16:31.289 --> 01:16:34.090
You you kind of love like a lot of that classic rock.

01:16:34.409 --> 01:16:37.769
Well, for sure, that was what I cut my teeth on as a kid growing up.

01:16:37.929 --> 01:16:48.250
Uh Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were was my first uh concert, my first live music experience, 1980, uh Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, damn the Torpedoes tour.

01:16:48.329 --> 01:16:49.609
I was probably 15.

01:16:50.010 --> 01:16:53.050
And that album was just so good and so visceral.

01:16:53.130 --> 01:16:57.609
And their their live show by that point was so on point.

01:16:57.769 --> 01:17:14.569
And he was still, you know, still had a lot of vim and vigor and energy and and and sort of anger, and and he just they they were they were the thing for me at that point in my life, like 19 late 70s, early 80s.

01:17:14.889 --> 01:17:17.369
Do you have a favorite Tom Petty song?

01:17:17.689 --> 01:17:38.409
Um, yeah, I mean I so many of them to try to pick one is is a little bit of a challenge, but it would probably be it would probably be something like uh Shadow of a Doubt, a complex kid from from like a radio single or anything, but it's just such a great straight-ahead rock and roll.

01:17:39.130 --> 01:17:41.609
Mine's um Learning to Fly.

01:17:41.769 --> 01:17:43.210
I've always loved that song.

01:17:44.649 --> 01:17:50.489
I mean Wildflowers, I mean there's just so I mean it's just it's crazy.

01:17:50.649 --> 01:17:56.409
And and breakdown and you know the classics and so much good stuff.

01:17:56.649 --> 01:17:57.210
Miss Tom.

01:17:57.769 --> 01:18:06.250
Oh, um uh You Don't Know How It Feels is another yeah that whole album is is stellar, yeah.

01:18:06.649 --> 01:18:07.130
Pardon me.

01:18:10.329 --> 01:18:12.649
I think I only know one Tom Petty song.

01:18:12.970 --> 01:18:17.529
Freak Fallin' Now Wam, Freak Fallin' Now Wam.

01:18:17.849 --> 01:18:18.250
Thank you.

01:18:18.409 --> 01:18:19.529
Okay, sorry.

01:18:19.769 --> 01:18:20.809
Oh, you're fine.

01:18:21.050 --> 01:18:22.329
Just checking on the dogs.

01:18:22.409 --> 01:18:24.090
It's got a little too quiet.

01:18:25.210 --> 01:18:27.769
Um that's a dangerous game to play with dogs.

01:18:28.569 --> 01:18:30.329
You have to know what they're doing at all times.

01:18:30.649 --> 01:18:33.289
Uh yeah, yeah, with with Finley for sure.

01:18:33.449 --> 01:18:35.050
Lulu's a baby.

01:18:35.369 --> 01:18:40.170
Lulu, you could walk out of the house and be gone for six hours and come back, and she's just chilling on the couch.

01:18:40.250 --> 01:18:43.769
But Lulu, um, shit would be destroyed.

01:18:45.369 --> 01:18:47.769
Uh Taylor, this one is for you.

01:18:47.929 --> 01:18:50.090
Uh I don't know what a World Series is.

01:18:50.329 --> 01:18:52.409
Okay, we're gonna pass this one over to Scott.

01:18:53.849 --> 01:18:59.849
Well, that's that that was that's that's about as easy a one for me.

01:19:00.010 --> 01:19:02.649
Uh yeah, I know you're a big sports guy.

01:19:02.970 --> 01:19:06.729
Well, and and the Pittsburgh Pirates won the 1971 World Series.

01:19:06.809 --> 01:19:11.210
That iconic picture of Steve Blast uh jumping in the air.

01:19:11.449 --> 01:19:16.649
You know, just uh I was I was let's see, I was six years old at the time.

01:19:17.369 --> 01:19:20.409
Um going on seven.

01:19:20.729 --> 01:19:22.010
Uh I played baseball.

01:19:22.090 --> 01:19:30.409
I played like at that age, it's called we used to call it instructional league and the minor leagues and then main major league by the time you're 12 years old.

01:19:30.489 --> 01:19:34.809
So baseball was everything to me um at that age.

01:19:35.050 --> 01:19:37.449
Yeah, that was the that was my sport.

01:19:38.010 --> 01:19:44.090
And um the the 71 World Series was the first World Series to have uh night game.

01:19:44.250 --> 01:19:45.289
I don't know if they had one.

01:19:45.609 --> 01:19:47.130
They might have there might have been two.

01:19:47.289 --> 01:19:54.329
It was the first time I night uh ever played a game at night in the world, and it's now it seems crazy to think about that, but they were all day games.

01:19:54.489 --> 01:20:04.970
And I was in first grade at Southside Elementary School, and I would run home uh from school at 3:30 to catch the last couple innings, you know?

01:20:05.210 --> 01:20:05.449
Yeah.

01:20:14.489 --> 01:20:17.449
I mean, I could name I literally could name the starting line.

01:20:19.929 --> 01:20:25.769
Um so I when I lived in that area, I worked for Ogden newspapers.

01:20:25.849 --> 01:20:26.649
I was the advertising.

01:20:27.050 --> 01:20:27.289
Oh, wow.

01:20:28.090 --> 01:20:28.729
Yeah.

01:20:29.050 --> 01:20:29.449
Yeah.

01:20:29.609 --> 01:20:34.010
So I I've I've seen my fair share of pirates games.

01:20:34.329 --> 01:20:34.649
Right.

01:20:34.809 --> 01:20:35.769
Oh, that's great.

01:20:36.250 --> 01:20:38.010
I wish they I hope they get good again.

01:20:38.329 --> 01:20:40.010
I'm a little more optimistic this season.

01:20:40.329 --> 01:20:40.489
Yeah.

01:20:41.449 --> 01:20:42.489
They signed a few bats.

01:20:42.649 --> 01:20:43.369
We'll see what happens.

01:20:43.609 --> 01:20:43.929
Yeah.

01:20:44.170 --> 01:20:50.889
I will say, so I'm I'm a Pirates fan, I'm a Penguins fan, but I am a Dallas Cowboys fan.

01:20:51.050 --> 01:20:53.369
I I know we were we were on such a good track.

01:20:53.849 --> 01:20:55.689
Yeah, we won't hold against you.

01:20:56.090 --> 01:21:14.409
You should I actually went to uh uh uh you know and I I I don't I don't hate the Cowboys like I I sort of dislike some other teams, but when I I lived in Dallas for almost four years and went to uh one of my most memorable experiences was going to see the Steelers play at Cowboys Stadium in Irving at the time.

01:21:14.569 --> 01:21:16.970
It was before the the really big new stadium.

01:21:17.210 --> 01:21:17.849
Yeah.

01:21:18.250 --> 01:21:21.449
And and we won, and it was just a great experience.

01:21:21.609 --> 01:21:25.769
My wife and a couple friends from Pittsburgh uh that lived down in Austin.

01:21:25.929 --> 01:21:27.609
And so uh yeah, yeah.

01:21:27.769 --> 01:21:29.769
Uh I'm I'm a huge Steelers fan too.

01:21:29.849 --> 01:21:42.489
You know, when they won the first uh Super Bowl, the their first Super Bowl in 74, you know, I was probably about 10 10 or 11 years old, and then they went on that run through my teen years years.

01:21:42.809 --> 01:21:46.010
It was just every it seemed like every year the Steelers were winning the Super Bowl.

01:21:46.090 --> 01:21:48.170
And how could you not just fall in love with that?

01:21:48.250 --> 01:21:50.809
So obviously I became a huge football fan.

01:21:50.970 --> 01:21:55.689
And then and then really, now that we're talking about sports, uh, ended up playing basketball.

01:21:55.769 --> 01:22:02.329
You know, that became uh played baseball through sort of mid-teens, but then basketball sort of took off.

01:22:02.409 --> 01:22:12.170
I was tall, I was really good at it, I could jump, I was pretty fast, had good hands, had a great high school team that I started on and uh loved basketball for many, many years.

01:22:12.409 --> 01:22:16.889
Saw the uh ABA team, the Pittsburgh Condors play at the old Civic Arena.

01:22:17.130 --> 01:22:17.689
Yeah.

01:22:18.250 --> 01:22:20.649
Probably early 70s.

01:22:20.970 --> 01:22:24.970
Um so yeah, lots of good, lots of good sports memories.

01:22:25.369 --> 01:22:26.489
Yeah, I sports.

01:22:26.970 --> 01:22:33.609
I I know Taylor's not super into sports, but I I have a I love it for you guys.

01:22:33.849 --> 01:22:38.170
I have a very special place in my heart for sports from that area, you know what I mean?

01:22:38.409 --> 01:22:39.369
Yeah, sure.

01:22:39.609 --> 01:22:40.729
Especially the penguins.

01:22:40.809 --> 01:22:47.050
I I saw a ping uh the penguin game where Sidney Crosby got his tooth knocked out, saw it fly right over the glass, man.

01:22:47.210 --> 01:22:48.010
It was crazy.

01:22:48.250 --> 01:22:49.289
Oh wow.

01:22:49.689 --> 01:22:52.010
Oh, I love the penguins too, man.

01:22:52.889 --> 01:22:57.449
So this one is technically for you, Scott, because Taylor passed her question over to you.

01:22:57.529 --> 01:22:58.809
So I think Scott's winning.

01:23:00.090 --> 01:23:04.170
It's crazy you wouldn't give me a sports game or a sports question.

01:23:04.329 --> 01:23:05.050
That's wild.

01:23:05.609 --> 01:23:14.569
Um, which Pittsburgh Steelers head coach led the team through the majority of the 90s and guided them to a Super Bowl appearance during the decade?

01:23:14.889 --> 01:23:15.849
Bill Carr.

01:23:16.489 --> 01:23:17.609
Bill Carr.

01:23:19.449 --> 01:23:20.489
Bill Carr.

01:23:21.130 --> 01:23:33.849
You know, I I I'm living in Virginia now, and I recently ran into um coach uh uh he went to William and Mary College.

01:23:34.010 --> 01:23:35.529
What the heck is his name?

01:23:36.010 --> 01:23:37.769
Oh, you mean uh isn't that Tomlin?

01:23:37.929 --> 01:23:38.489
Didn't Tomlin go?

01:23:38.809 --> 01:23:40.010
Yeah, yeah, yep, Tomlin.

01:23:40.329 --> 01:23:41.449
Yeah, yep, yeah.

01:23:41.529 --> 01:23:43.609
I recently ran into him uh a few weeks ago.

01:23:44.010 --> 01:23:44.649
That's cool.

01:23:44.889 --> 01:23:47.849
Yeah, he was having a slice of pizza.

01:23:48.090 --> 01:23:50.809
Oh wow, and in just a normal setting, how cool.

01:23:52.889 --> 01:23:53.529
I'm sure he is.

01:23:53.849 --> 01:23:55.849
He seems like he's he's he's a cool dude.

01:23:56.329 --> 01:23:58.090
Yep, yeah, he he was very nice.

01:23:58.329 --> 01:24:01.050
I I went over, I didn't ask him to sign anything or anything.

01:24:01.130 --> 01:24:07.449
I was just like, hey, just want to let you know I'm from that area, and I really appreciate everything that you do for the Steelers.

01:24:08.569 --> 01:24:09.769
Oh, that's cool.

01:24:10.090 --> 01:24:14.250
Um, so this one is for you, Taylor.

01:24:14.569 --> 01:24:28.889
Which Beatles song opens with a brass band style introduction and serves as the fictional welcome to an anthem of an alter ego band, setting the tone for one of the most influential eras in rock history.

01:24:30.250 --> 01:24:34.809
I know it's about I know three Beatles songs.

01:24:36.250 --> 01:24:41.529
Um, and this one probably isn't right, but the only one in my head is Here Comes the Sun.

01:24:42.889 --> 01:24:46.809
Ooh, that is not that's not even close.

01:24:48.489 --> 01:24:51.449
Uh I mean it's relatively close.

01:24:53.449 --> 01:24:55.289
I'm trying to think of other ones I know.

01:24:55.609 --> 01:24:56.569
Blackbird.

01:24:57.369 --> 01:24:57.689
No.

01:24:58.489 --> 01:25:00.170
That's such a good song.

01:25:00.729 --> 01:25:01.529
I really like that song.

01:25:01.849 --> 01:25:02.729
Finley knows that one.

01:25:02.809 --> 01:25:03.210
Come here.

01:25:04.489 --> 01:25:05.929
Finley, can you sing it for me?

01:25:07.609 --> 01:25:08.889
Oh, she's so sweet.

01:25:09.050 --> 01:25:09.289
Come here.

01:25:09.769 --> 01:25:10.889
Come here, let me see it.

01:25:15.449 --> 01:25:17.449
Finley Finley knows the answer to that.

01:25:19.289 --> 01:25:20.809
Finley, I'm tapping you in.

01:25:21.210 --> 01:25:21.529
Come here.

01:25:21.849 --> 01:25:23.050
Come here, come here.

01:25:26.010 --> 01:25:28.010
Oh, look at that little face.

01:25:30.170 --> 01:25:33.689
We're Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart Club band.

01:25:34.649 --> 01:25:37.210
We'd like to take you on again.

01:25:37.369 --> 01:25:40.250
Or like to take you to the show.

01:25:41.689 --> 01:25:42.729
That's gotta be it, right?

01:25:43.210 --> 01:25:44.250
That is absolutely it.

01:25:44.329 --> 01:25:46.489
Sergeant Pepper's lonely hearts club end.

01:25:46.889 --> 01:25:48.809
I have never heard that song in my life.

01:25:49.289 --> 01:25:51.369
Oh, it's such a great song.

01:25:52.250 --> 01:25:53.449
Oh, yeah.

01:25:54.250 --> 01:25:54.729
Right.

01:25:55.050 --> 01:25:57.929
That was the last question, guys.

01:25:58.250 --> 01:25:59.529
That was really good, buddy.

01:25:59.689 --> 01:26:00.409
Good work.

01:26:01.449 --> 01:26:04.649
So I think it's pretty obvious Scott won that one.

01:26:04.889 --> 01:26:06.250
Oh, yeah, no, for sure.

01:26:06.329 --> 01:26:07.449
And I love that for Scott.

01:26:07.929 --> 01:26:10.809
I actually I was going easy on him, to be honest with you.

01:26:11.929 --> 01:26:13.689
You know, you were being a good host.

01:26:13.929 --> 01:26:15.050
I was being a good host.

01:26:15.130 --> 01:26:16.489
I can't win all of them.

01:26:16.809 --> 01:26:20.649
So look at that little dog.

01:26:20.970 --> 01:26:25.529
Oh man, I'm as soon as the show's over, I'm going to give him my big old great Dan a hug.

01:26:26.729 --> 01:26:28.090
You are perfect.

01:26:28.970 --> 01:26:29.449
Isn't she?

01:26:29.529 --> 01:26:30.010
She's so good.

01:26:30.250 --> 01:26:31.449
Her coat is so beautiful.

01:26:31.529 --> 01:26:33.130
She's just kind of beautiful.

01:26:33.289 --> 01:26:35.769
Oh, she's the prettiest dog I've ever seen.

01:26:36.489 --> 01:26:37.609
She's kind of little.

01:26:38.250 --> 01:26:39.769
Oh, she's your best friend.

01:26:40.329 --> 01:26:41.210
My wife wants a friend.

01:26:41.369 --> 01:26:42.329
She's so bad.

01:26:42.569 --> 01:26:43.289
Oh, that's Lily.

01:26:43.529 --> 01:26:45.210
Lily finally introduced herself.

01:26:45.609 --> 01:26:45.849
Lily.

01:26:46.250 --> 01:26:46.729
Lily Bird.

01:26:47.050 --> 01:26:47.130
Hi.

01:26:47.449 --> 01:26:50.010
I was I wanted to ask about you the whole time.

01:26:50.489 --> 01:26:51.130
Yeah, yeah.

01:26:51.210 --> 01:26:54.889
We have a little bit.

01:27:05.929 --> 01:27:09.609
And uh we used to have a bearded dragon, but he's got a cat.

01:27:10.489 --> 01:27:12.250
And we used to have a Dalmatian.

01:27:14.329 --> 01:27:17.289
He's a beautiful 12-year-old companion.

01:27:20.569 --> 01:27:21.289
Oh my god.

01:27:24.970 --> 01:27:27.210
Ah, well, I have to go get an animal now.

01:27:27.289 --> 01:27:32.250
I don't know what animal it's gonna be, but tomorrow I might be coming home with something I have to take care of.

01:27:32.649 --> 01:27:37.050
I really I mean, I I didn't have a lot of animals when I was a kid growing up.

01:27:37.210 --> 01:27:41.130
Or when I was, you know, traveling with the band, you just couldn't have a dog.

01:27:41.289 --> 01:27:41.529
Yeah.

01:27:41.929 --> 01:27:42.250
Right.

01:27:42.569 --> 01:27:43.609
Or really even a cat.

01:27:43.689 --> 01:27:46.170
It's at a certain point, we were just gone all the time.

01:27:46.489 --> 01:27:46.729
Yeah.

01:27:47.289 --> 01:27:48.889
Um, but yeah, they're they're great.

01:27:49.130 --> 01:27:50.729
Hey guys, this has been fantastic.

01:27:52.010 --> 01:27:52.809
Yeah, thank you.

01:27:53.369 --> 01:28:00.090
You had some great questions, great history, and certainly knew uh a lot about the songs and and the band.

01:28:00.489 --> 01:28:00.970
Thank you.

01:28:01.289 --> 01:28:03.210
Yeah, thank you so much for coming on, man.

01:28:03.529 --> 01:28:06.250
Is there anything you want to promote before we hop off here?

01:28:06.649 --> 01:28:09.449
Uh come to one of my shows, scopblesi.com.

01:28:09.529 --> 01:28:13.449
I usually list the shows that I have coming up for the next month or so.

01:28:13.769 --> 01:28:15.769
And there's links to social media.

01:28:15.849 --> 01:28:19.529
Um, follow me for information and where I'm playing and what I'm doing.

01:28:19.609 --> 01:28:25.529
And there's links to the videos and the songs and the albums and streaming and stuff.

01:28:25.689 --> 01:28:26.729
So check it out.

01:28:26.889 --> 01:28:30.889
Clarksonline.com is the band's website and uh come to a show.

01:28:31.050 --> 01:28:31.689
Say hi.

01:28:32.010 --> 01:28:32.729
Absolutely.

01:28:32.809 --> 01:28:39.529
Yeah, everybody go check out Scott Lacey and check out the Clarks, and truly thank you so much for your time, man.

01:28:39.609 --> 01:28:40.250
I really appreciate it.

01:28:40.729 --> 01:28:41.050
Thank you.

01:28:41.289 --> 01:28:43.050
It really was a dream come true.

01:28:43.529 --> 01:28:44.569
Much love to you both.

01:28:44.889 --> 01:28:46.729
Have yourself a wonderful night, sir.

01:28:46.809 --> 01:28:47.609
Please come back.

01:28:47.929 --> 01:28:49.529
We will see you.

01:28:49.769 --> 01:28:50.729
See you later.

01:28:51.050 --> 01:28:51.689
All right.

01:28:53.130 --> 01:28:56.889
That was the Clarks interview, everybody.

01:28:57.289 --> 01:28:59.769
It's a long one, it's a good one.

01:29:00.649 --> 01:29:03.529
Yeah, that was absolutely incredible.

01:29:03.689 --> 01:29:07.050
Sorry, I am going to text Lindsay real quick.

01:29:07.210 --> 01:29:08.970
Oh, yes, Harley also has a wife.

01:29:09.050 --> 01:29:10.970
I too should text my wife.

01:29:13.449 --> 01:29:15.929
Text, text, text, text, text, text, text.

01:29:16.489 --> 01:29:19.289
So, as always, do all of the stuff, you know.

01:29:19.449 --> 01:29:22.329
Follow, like, subscribe, all of that.

01:29:23.210 --> 01:29:24.889
It has been real, everybody.

01:29:25.050 --> 01:29:26.889
I gotta get the heck out of here.

01:29:27.050 --> 01:29:28.649
Yes, that was awesome.

01:29:28.889 --> 01:29:30.090
It's been real.

01:29:30.569 --> 01:29:31.369
Peace.

01:29:33.130 --> 01:29:36.809
Thanks for listening to the Lincoln Bridge Podcast.