scott mclaughlin

Scott Mclaughlin was a Business graduate from California State University, Long Beach, who always hoped that he would have a future playing music in front of audiences around the world. After graduation, he left the college life behind and entered the world of reality. He quickly realized that a direction without a purpose leads to unfulfillment: he decided it was time to devote all of his energy into playing music. Throughout college he played with friends in local metal bands, a genre he enjoyed and still has great respect for. It wasn’t until he attended his first Dave Matthews Band concert that he found where he truly belonged in the music community; after the show, Scott's musical tastes were broadened and a whole new world was opened to him. He quickly found that beyond anger and frustration, so many more emotions were capable of being conveyed through this type of music, and in an improvised instrumental genre, such as the one he was witnessing, so much could be said without the singer saying a single word. Having grown up listening to classic talent such as Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, The Doors, and The Allman Brothers Band, all of which were bands that favor extended solos and long instrumental jams, Scott quickly latched on to the sound of DMB and his perceptions of how music should be written and performed were changed forever.

Scott picked up his first acoustic guitar and began honing his skills as a singer songwriter, covering songs by the Dave Matthew Band and various similar artists such as John Mayer and Jason Mraz. At the same time he began writing his own music and getting feedback from his close friends and family. He put a lot of time and energy into his songs, making sure every lyric and chord was in sync. While searching for a bass player and drummer to help record some of his original material, he stumbled on to a Craig’s list add for a Dave Matthews Cover Band that had all of the pieces except an acoustic guitar/vocalist. He auditioned for the band and after a few rehearsals realized he was a good fit. The band was named Big Whiskey and was intended to be a method of building musical chemistry and a fan base around Orange County and its surrounding areas. The band wanted to use the live shows to sharpen their teeth and also test out Scott’s original material that they had been working on. Big Whiskey quickly started gaining traction and within a few months they were playing weekly around Orange County and had several residencies. Even though Scott loved playing in the band, he felt that his ambitions to become his own artist were slowly losing steam, as a result of being placed on the back burner to make room for the amount of time needed to practice and perform with Big Whiskey. He had been writing several songs in his spare time from rehearsing with the band and his day job. After a year and a half, the band started losing momentum due to time constraints. At this time Scott felt he was ready to introduce himself to the music scene as a solo act. Months of preparation and lyrics passed, and soon enough, he had his first acoustic show in Santa Monica, CA. Even though he played to a smaller audience, his next goal was to enlist social networking advantages like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Bandcamp. Through the help of a strong support group of family, friends, and of course, his fans, Scott started attending open mic nights in LA and Orange County, booking small gigs at coffee shops, dive bars, and even setting up space in the parking lots before DMB shows playing some covers, with a few of his own songs mixed in. Caring much more for satisfying his love of performing than for getting paid, he was glad to make use of any forum to play his songs for people. Scott networked with other musicians, trying to find the right vibe that could add to his music. From them Scott tried to create open realms of communication within the music industry. He then created a strong push to getting his first demo out to record labels, just hoping they lend him a listen.

Years have passed since that one Dave Matthews Band concert that changed Scott's music life but his appreciation to music has only strengthened. Through Scott's persistence, talent as a singer/songwriter, and those talented classic musicians who have inspired him, Scott has brought his music to fans all over the internet and around the OC and LA area. As the future is never sure, one thing that he can count on, his music will make for brighter days…