PDX musician carves own path
In a music industry that has changed drastically in the last 10 years, some of the most successful musicians in recent history have been ones who have paved their own way. Take Radiohead’s pay-what-you-want idea for their “In Rainbows” album, or Trent Reznor giving away Nine Inch Nails’ most recent album, “The Slip,” for free. The importance of the record label continues to decrease, with a lot of musicians releasing their music independently and live shows becoming their primary money-maker.
It is not a business for the faint of heart. It takes dedication, discipline, hard work, vision.
One person who is carving out his own musical path is Portland’s own Scott Brockett.
Winner of the 2010 Portland Idol competition, Brockett has been a part of Portland’s music scene for the last four years with the band Holding Out. Recently, he has started branching out and doing more solo work. He has come up with a new way to do it — a grassroots way of making things happen, with the help of his fans.
Brockett’s musical pursuits began early. Growing up in Prineville, Oregon, he was surrounded by mostly country music influences but was always more interested in soul, blues and rock. Forming Holding Out during his years at Linfield College in McMinnville gave Brockett an outlet for honing his songwriting style. Holding Out produced an eclectic mix of rock, funk and even rap stylings. After years spent gaining a following throughout the Pacific Northwest with the band, Brockett is taking on a solo act in an attempt to showcase the two things he does best — sing and play guitar. He also plans to explore more in-depth the musical genres that have held his interest all these years and funnel them into something unique, and he says his solo album will feature a mixture of instruments, including horn sections, as well as backup signers.
To create that album, Brockett has devised a plan to allow his fans to take part, both in the studio and on the road, by doing something simple yet profound — asking them to fund it.
He is forming something of a fan club with a twist; he calls it his “Kitchen Crew.” People who can be viewed as the magic workers behind the curtain, the ones making it all happen. There will be three levels of the crew, and fans will have the choice of which level they subscribe to on his website. Each level would be a different monthly subscription fee. The names of the levels will be “Bread and Butter,” “Meat and Potatoes” and “Icing on the Cake.”
Whichever level a fan selects, he or she will have exclusive access to things like MP3s and videos, and the higher the subscription level, the more exclusive access is granted. Word on the street is, Brockett himself may even be willing to make personal concert appearances. The proceeds will go directly into helping record the album and to support Brockett while he is on the road promoting the album. Brockett has also said that he would like to spend some time giving back at places like the Portland Rescue Mission.
People who get the chance to work closely with Brockett are always impressed.
“It is not very often you can find a musician with Brockett’s talent willing to give their time for charitable events, but Brockett does so with professionalism and enthusiasm that is unparalleled,” said Collin Davis, Vice President of Alumni Relations at the PSU chapter of AKPsi.
Starting this month and rolling into March, Brockett will be hard at work on his latest album with Cory Knowland and Tim Ellis. The new album will be a mixture of pop, rock and soul styles to create something that will sound truly original. Brockett cites musician Marc Broussard as his biggest musical influence going into the creation of the as-yet-untitled album.
Needless to say, it will be interesting to see the outcome, both of the musical sound Brockett is pioneering and how successful his fan-funding project turns out.
Brockett’s official website is still under construction, but for the time being, you can keep up with him and check for updates at two places at his facebook page and his Reverb Nation page.
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