Issue 103
Thanks to our partnership with ReverbNation (www.reverbnation.com) we are honored to give you a peak at a few of the nation’s hardest working indie artists. Each month we select one entry to showcase for you here. Enjoy! THIS MONTH’S FEATURE:
By Greg Tutwiler
Scott Ivey stone kind of promotion; on-theroad, playing as often as you can, is his preferred method of spreading the word about his music. “I’m constantly reaching out to venues, club managers, booking agents, and other bands,” he said, “trying to set up meaningful, memorable shows. But the reality is, if you don’t have a real presence online, you’ll die of exhaustion trying to make it these days. So I do utilize all the now normal avenues like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc.”
FEATURE ARTISTS
S cott Ivey is an award winning
musician, songwriter, and performer, with three decades of music behind him. He’s been in and out of touring bands, record labels, and solo projects since he was 15. And he’s has earned every accolade thrown his way. His soulful sound and Chris Stapleton sounding voice bring a familiarity to his show from the firs t song. It’s been said about Scott’s music; ‘it’s country music meets blue-eyed soul.” Scott currently hails from Cottondale, AL, about 2.5 miles from Tuscaloosa. But he started out in Atlanta, moved to Nashville, moved back to Atlanta, then to Birmingham, AL, back to Atlanta, then Sacramento, CA, back to Alabama, then over to Houston, then San Antonio, and finally back to Atlanta. “N ow I’m back in Alabama; and DO NOT plan on moving again any time soon,” he said with expression. Scott grew up without much musical influence. “My family was not really that musical,” he said. “Neither my mom or my dad could sing, play an instrument, or find the backbeat of any rhythm. My brother was in a band in college, but never pursued music past those couple of years. My sister sang at a wedding ... once,” he laughed. “Then there was me. Music is, and has always been, my life and passion. Honestly, I don’t know where it comes from though.”
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Scott led music for his youth group and aspired to play anywhere outside of Flatcreek Baptist Church, if he ever got the chance. “When I was 15, I met the best guitar player I’d ever been around,” he recalled. “He was my age, went to my school, and was looking to start a band. We wrote a handful of songs together, and it wasn’t long before the band we had formed, (Cloud Nine) began to come together. By the time we turned 17, we changed our name (SirReal), were playing in clubs and bars that wouldn’t have let us in otherwise, and we began opening for much larger acts.” By the time Scott was 20 they had changed the band’s name again to The Robert Barnes Band, (Robert Barnes Ivey was his father) signed a record deal with Virgin Records, and went on to open shows for Maroon 5, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Everclear, and a whole host of other household name headliners.
A defining moment came for Scott when he was 17. “When I first stepped on a professional stage, opening for Edwin McCain,” he recalled. “There were a couple thousand people there to hear whatever I said, played, and sang. I fell in love with the whole idea of being an artist right there. That’s when I really felt like I could do this for real.” Scott said he really found his love for music in the blues. “When I was growing up, I religiously listened to Stevie Ray Vaughn, Keb Mo, Buddy Guy, Tab Benoit, and a ton more. I eventually graduated to rock music, and then country. Now I find myself with a good, healthy mix of all.” Scott came up in professional music in the 90’s, long before social media and YouTube were a thing, so the nose-to-the-grind-
www.AmericanaRhythm.com
“On my TikTok page, I’ve actually gained quite a following by committing to writing a new song every week for the entire year. As I write this, I’m working on song number 29 of 52. Not all of them are that good, but some are, and the process has actually re-energized my creativity and given me a lot of new material to put out there.” You’ll find Scott playing in one of three iterations these days; solo, duo, and full band. “I play solo mostly, and actually quite often,” he said. “It’s eas iest to coordinate rehearsals and set lists, and calendar availabilities, since I don’t have to run it all by anyone but myself. But I do love playing with others. Sometimes the venue requires a band. Sometimes I just want that lead guitar and full rhythm section behind me.”
www .scot tiveymusic. com