{"id":20308,"date":"2021-12-14T19:23:11","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T02:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=20308"},"modified":"2021-12-14T19:32:31","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T02:32:31","slug":"scott-mulvahill-web-exclusive-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2021\/12\/scott-mulvahill-web-exclusive-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"SCOTT MULVAHILL &#8211; Web-exclusive Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Musician: <strong>SCOTT MULVAHILL<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h2>Video: \u201c<strong>I Don\u2019t Need Her Love<\/strong>\u201d<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dgq2Kcrfs84\" width=\"660\" height=\"340\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>SCOTT MULVAHILL FEATURED AT BLUE ROCK\u2019S <em>COOL NIGHTS 21<\/em> <\/strong><strong><br \/>\nFINAL TWO NIGHTS\u2014THIS THURSDAY &amp; FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16-17<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Scott Mulvahill, along with Liz Longley and Billy Crockett, will be featured at Christmas at Blue Rock for the final <em>Cool Nights 21<\/em> livestreaming concert series\u2014this Thursday and Friday, December 16-17.<\/p>\n<p>Scott Mulvahill has left his unique mark on the intersecting worlds of Americana, bluegrass, folk, jazz, rock \u2019n\u2019 roll and roots music. He is acclaimed for his work alongside icons like Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby. Encouraged by musical mentor Hornsby, Mulvahill developed a unique approach to his songwriting\u2014one that mixed his chops as an upright bassist with hook-heavy melodies and compelling narratives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor years, I had a split personality to my music career,\u201d says Mulvahill \u201cI was known as a bass player but I was also a singer-songwriter.\u201d He recently toured with multi-Grammy winner Lauren Daigle, did an NPR Tiny Desk concert and performed on the Mountain Stage radio show. He has found a way to combine those two worlds in his new music.<\/p>\n<p>Scott Mulvahill\u2019s upright bass playing is all about tone, his arrangements are creative, complex and fun, and his songwriting opens up the landscape to let the listeners\u2019 imagination soar\u2014while inviting them to dare to dream.<\/p>\n<p>Check out the livestream this Thursday and Friday, December 16-17, at Blue Rock Texas\u2014 where innovation, quality and creativity are evidenced in concerts produced with broadcast quality audio-video from their renowned Texas room\u2014streamed straight to you. Tickets are $25. Season Passholders ($105) have a literal seat in the house\u2014they place your headshot on a seat, so you are literally <em>sitting<\/em> in the room. Go to: <a href=\"https:\/\/bluerocktexas.com\/events\">https:\/\/bluerocktexas.com\/events<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20310\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-01.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-01-300x208.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>SCOTT MULVAHILL <\/strong>Interview<br \/>\nwith <em style=\"font-size: 16px;\">M Music &amp; Musicians<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0magazine publisher, Merlin David<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Tell us about a song you plan to play at Blue Rock\u2019s <em>Cool Nights 21<\/em> (<em>for your Dec 16-17 performances<\/em>).<br \/>\n<\/strong>It\u2019s not my song, but I\u2019m excited to play my cover of Kenny Loggins\u2019 \u201cCelebrate Me Home.\u201d I first fell in love with a live version of that song, which has the most insane arrangement and killer harmonica solo by Howard Levy. Eventually, I recorded a version to pay tribute to it and I put it out last year. Chris Rodriguez is an amazing guitarist who has played with Loggins for years. I had Chris play on my version because I wanted that connection. I play a little harmonica, and it was fun to try to play that solo. I haven\u2019t gotten to perform this song much since then. I\u2019m looking forward to playing the song live.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did the idea of \u201cSay I Love You\u201d come to you?<br \/>\n<\/strong>When I wrote that song, I had several sets of people in mind\u2014friends of mine, people I had been close to in the past. Relationships are hard and that song is just about staying vulnerable when it\u2019s difficult, and choosing to believe in people. I wrote the initial idea and finished it with Beth Nielsen Chapman and Ben Shive, who are phenomenal musicians and writers.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-02.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20311\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-02.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-02-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Are <em>Surrounded<\/em> and <em>Creative Potential<\/em> your two most recent EPs?<br \/>\n<\/strong>They came out some months apart online, but I just put them together on a vinyl record, side A and side B, which makes for a cool listen. One song that barely made it onto the album is called \u201cThe Here and the Now.\u201d It\u2019s a gorgeous tune that I knew belonged on the <em>Surrounded <\/em>EP. I couldn\u2019t hear it on a different project but I wanted to release it. So I arranged the strings in about a day and recorded it immediately\u2014to get it in on time.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em>Scott Mulvahill\u2019s upright bass playing is all about tone, his arrangements are creative, complex and fun, and his songwriting opens up the landscape to let the listeners\u2019 imagination soar\u2014while inviting them to dare to dream.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>What did you learn about yourself after recording these EPs?<br \/>\n<\/strong>As you listen to those projects, you\u2019ll notice they\u2019re very different. So the whole thing was an exercise in where I could take my sound. The songs all serve different purposes. <em>Creative Potential<\/em> is very bouncy and groovy, while <em>Surrounded<\/em> is more beauty-oriented and introspective\u2014a little darker, overall. It\u2019s not exactly Jekyll and Hyde, but it has different sides of my artistry. Going to all those places makes an interesting ride for the listener. It will help me find the center for my next albums.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who originally inspired you to write songs?<br \/>\n<\/strong>When I was just starting to write songs, I got into a huge Jack White\/White Stripes kick. I don\u2019t think you\u2019d necessarily pick up on that in the music I do now, but those are very brave recordings and songs. The unabashed-ness drew me in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What songwriting tip would you like to offer?<br \/>\n<\/strong>Just keep writing and finish a ton of songs. Your voice <em>will<\/em> emerge. I write consistently, just to keep the muscles in shape.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-03.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20312\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-03.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-03.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-03-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Tell us about a song you do in almost all your live performances.<br \/>\n<\/strong>\u201cBegin Againers\u201d pretty much shows up every time. Part of that is just the way it feels and grooves, but it\u2019s also the message of new beginnings and fresh starts. It feels like a good way to kick things off, and I think most people can get into the message and feel the need for it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did the idea for \u201cBegin Againers\u201d come to you?<br \/>\n<\/strong>The song actually started out with lyrics. In 2015, I had my notebook out on a plane ride\u2014when I was in Ricky Skaggs\u2019 band. I wrote the lyrics and had this bass line. They were independent from each other. I was in my friend\u2019s basement in Washington DC and I had the idea of joining the lyrics with the bass. I finished the song that night and performed it either that night or the next\u2014at that songwriter in the round.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us how the idea of the beautifully powerful \u201cHimalayas\u201d came to you.<br \/>\n<\/strong>I wrote \u201cHimalayas\u201d a long time ago. I was actually in the mountains in Colorado, so not quite the Himalayas, but I came up with the chorus lyric there, and wrote the rest of it a bit later. I always loved it, and knew I wanted to finish the song. The mountains are so grand and they just call to you. They made a good metaphor for finding yourself in adventure. Himalayas is like a mission statement of who I am\u2014captured in a song.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-04.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20313\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"990\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-04.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-04-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-04-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>What instruments<\/strong><strong>\/equipment can you not live without?<br \/>\n<\/strong>My own voice, hands and brain; but I do love my 1950 Kay bass. Last week, I got a very nice Gibson J-45 guitar that I\u2019d fallen for while producing a musician in England. I love to sing live through a Neumann KMS 104. Every session I do on an electric bass is with my \u201973 Precision Bass. I really try not to be too precious about instruments. They are important but the musician makes the music, not the instrument.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us what\u2019s unique about your upright bass.<br \/>\n<\/strong>I have a 1950 Kay bass. My friend Randy Hunt, an incredible luthier, did the conversion for me. When he rebuilt it with a new neck, he bolted the neck so I could remove it easily. Most uprights have set necks\u2014and that makes sense if you\u2019re not trying to fly with it. But mine comes apart and I put it into two cases so that I can fly with it. There are companies that make a folding bass\u2014a travel collapsible bass, but this one is a regular body and wonderfully unique.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Which Top 5 Musicians\u00a0inspired you to become a musician?<br \/>\n<\/strong>Paul Simon, Jaco Pastorius, Ray Charles, Victor Wooten and Charlie Lair\u2014my teacher when I was young. I also love Charlie Haden. When I was in college, I listened to him a lot. He was instrumental to my style now because he could do so much with such few notes. He\u2019s a tone guy. It wasn\u2019t about flash or showing off chops\u2014which he definitely has. It was all about tone\u2014about producing a feeling more than how many notes you can play. Any music lover, not just a bass player, can listen to music that emphasizes tone. I have a slight connection to him. I used to sing a song, \u201c20\/20 Vision,\u201d in Ricky Skaggs\u2019 band. I even recorded it on my album. Skaggs toured with Bruce Hornsby and Hornsby recorded with Charlie Haden (<em>Rambling Boy<\/em> album). We used to play that song live and Bruce told about that bass line and said to just try it and have fun with it. Then, one time in 2014, we were on the bus and Bruce pulled me aside and said \u201cI\u2019m on the phone with Charlie [Haden].\u201d So I got a chance to talk with Charlie and tell him he was my inspiration.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-05-Photo-credit-Adam-Fricke.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20314\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-05-Photo-credit-Adam-Fricke.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"990\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-05-Photo-credit-Adam-Fricke.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-05-Photo-credit-Adam-Fricke-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-05-Photo-credit-Adam-Fricke-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>What are your Top 5 favorite albums of all time?<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>Graceland <\/em>(1986) \u2014 Paul Simon<br \/>\n<em>Grace<\/em> (1994) \u2014 Jeff Buckley<br \/>\n<em>Elephant<\/em> (2003) \u2014 White Stripes<br \/>\n<em>Icky Thump<\/em> (2007) \u2014 White Stripes<br \/>\n<em>A Show of Hands<\/em> (1996) \u2014 Victor Wooten<br \/>\n<em>Blue <\/em>(1971) \u2014 Joni Mitchell<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the best advice someone has given you?<br \/>\n<\/strong>Bruce Hornsby said to really dig down and find a sound and style that was my own, and not settle for copying other people.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best advice you\u2019d like to give upcoming musicians?<br \/>\n<\/strong>Along a similar line\u2014I would tell them, \u201cYou are enough, and the good stuff is in there. You\u2019ll probably have to work really hard to unearth it, but it is in there and no one, no one, can tell you that it\u2019s not.\u201d<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-06.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20315\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"990\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-06.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-06-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-06-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>What unique about playing at Blue Rock?<br \/>\n<\/strong>It\u2019s an amazing space with top-of-the-line gear\u2014microphone choices and the Neve desk that\u2019s incredibly rare. Not only the really cool pieces of equipment, but Billy and Dodee and their commitment\u2014make it a special place. The location is in an area that I used to go on vacation as a kid and I spent so many summers out in the hill country with that magical landscape. Being in that environment\u2014looking out the back into the gorge\u2014is truly beautiful.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us a \u201cpinch me\u201d moment when you thought \u201c<em>Wow, this is really happening to me!<\/em>\u201d<\/strong><em><br \/>\n<\/em>I used to play in Ricky Skaggs\u2019 bluegrass band, Kentucky Thunder, which is a world-class group of musicians. I was in the band for five years, and that was its own pinch me moment. It gave me a lot of opportunities. Probably the most fun was touring with Ricky and Bruce Hornsby\u2014those shows were some of the most fun I\u2019ve ever had on stage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you stay hopeful in this unique socio-political climate?<br \/>\n<\/strong>It\u2019s been tough. Even people who consider themselves optimistic, need to figure out a way to keep things fresh and alive. I have to believe that given the evidence from daily life, rather than the news, that people are genuinely good, they\u2019re trying to do their best and trying to do good to the people around them. There are obviously exceptions to that, but most people are cool. If you notice that simple fact, it gives you hope. From a spiritual side of things, I do have faith. I believe we are taken care of. Thankfully, it\u2019s not all up to us. And all that helps. It\u2019s all in how you look at things. If you look at the bad, you can lose your mind. What do we choose to focus on? Some may say there are as many good things as bad. I believe there is more good than bad. We just have to choose to look at the good.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can new fans get more info and stay updated?<br \/>\n<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ScottMulvahill.com\">www.ScottMulvahill.com<\/a><br \/>\n<u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.Instagram.com\/scottmulvahill\">www.Instagram.com\/scottmulvahill<\/a><br \/>\n<\/u><u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.Twitter.com\/scottmulvahill\">www.Twitter.com\/scottmulvahill<\/a><br \/>\n<\/u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.Facebook.com\/scottmulvahill\">www.Facebook.com\/scottmulvahill<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.YouTube.com\/ScottMulvahill\">www.YouTube.com\/ScottMulvahill<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.TikTok.com\/@scottmulvahill\">www.TikTok.com\/@scottmulvahill<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-07.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20316\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-07.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-07.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Scott-Mulvahill-07-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Musician: SCOTT MULVAHILL Video: \u201cI Don\u2019t Need Her Love\u201d SCOTT MULVAHILL FEATURED AT BLUE ROCK\u2019S COOL NIGHTS 21 FINAL TWO NIGHTS\u2014THIS THURSDAY &amp; FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16-17 Scott Mulvahill, along with Liz Longley and Billy Crockett, will be featured at Christmas at Blue Rock for the final Cool Nights 21 livestreaming concert series\u2014this Thursday and Friday, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":20321,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[13182,13183,13184,13185,13181,13186,13141,13187,13188,13189,11256,13190,8271,8368,3658,11644,11616,9481,12499,11385,13191,2430,13192,13193,13033,13194,13195,13196,9490,2845,13197,13198,13199,3235,9755,12297,7858,13200,7971,13201,13202,11646,13203,13204,13205,3408,13206,994,6922,991,13207,13208,13209,13210,7742,13211,13212,13157,13213,7566,3010,7978,13214,13215,13216,12705,8811,13218,13217,1857,13219,13220,3263,2504,13221,13170,13222,13223,13224,13225,13226,5212,13227,776,13228,13229],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20308"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20308"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20323,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20308\/revisions\/20323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}