Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brian Scott. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Brian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I have been playing music for a long time… Toured in bands and “went for it” – always as a guitar player / writer. The band that had the most “success” – whatever that actually means – was called Fall Back Plan. We did a lot of great, fun things – like being selected for MTV’s Spankin’ New Music Week as a Featured Artist, getting to tour in Asia, and playing up and down the Mid-Atlantic with many great bands.
At the time, my entire life was centered on the band, writing and producing songs with my partners in the band, but it was challenging as I was never the vocalist, only writing the musical part of the songs. I’ve always been creative and had an inherent need to create new music. I love playing music, but mostly love making music – the process of taking ideas and turning them into songs.
The difficulty in true “bands” – when you are only an instrumentalist – is that you can only “do” – or go as far as the project will allow collectively – as you are reliant on collaborators to also remain driven towards similar goals or ideas, but also keeping the project prioritized in their lives if it’s going to continue to move forward. That is extremely difficult – especially as you get older and people start families.
When you have kids, your first priority is them, making sure they have what they need – food, shelter, support etc.. – so music often takes a back seat to things that will pay your bills to support your family and provide for them. Which is why the joke goes… “Do you know what ruins bands…? Children!”
About 3 years ago, I decided that I would focus on writing, doing vocals, etc.., and drive the music forward in a way that reduced reliance on others. This is what became Bloomr. It’s all about creating songs.
Fortunately in Bloomr, 2 of my best friends wanted to participate – Kamari (Bass) and Steve (Guitar / Drums), so we’ve been able to have a “band,” but I’m able to ensure that songs get finished and we can still do fun stuff as a group. We recently added a new drummer – John – and we’re releasing a bunch of new music this year.
As far as do I ‘wish’ I started singing earlier…? Yes. But that doesn’t matter. I’m here now, so I’m going to work to keep writing, improving as an artist and making music.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Life is beautiful. My songs are my way of sharing a perspective with the world.
As you get older, you understand the world better and have more experience to draw from. We’re living in interesting times, and people seem to have incredibly short attention spans these days.
I’m a songwriter at my core. I love telling stories and making music that connects ideas and observations about life. Everyone has stories and I’ve lived an interesting life. I’ve been through a lot of evolutions, made some great friends, traveled the world, played music, made a lot of music and art, lost a parent and people I’ve been very close with to tragedies and addiction. I’ve pursued many passions and been a teacher and a student.
I have a family and have been able to find balance in my life – something that takes constant work. I’m still passionate about making music and I don’t think that will ever stop. My hope is that this music will connect with some people and they’ll enjoy listening to it.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
When I was younger, I thought that making music was all about being “cool” and hip and something that young people did and then when someone hit 35, they were irrelevant if they were not an international superstar by that time. I could not understand in my early 20’s why someone in their mid-30’s or later was even still playing in bands.
Then in the blink of an eye I was past that age and trying to rationalize my inherent need/desire to make music with the idea that I was too old for it to matter – so “why” do it. With my inherently anxious nature it’s a constant mental struggle to balance.
What I’ve come to realize is that today – I’m the oldest I’ve ever been – and I have the most experience and understanding in my life that I’ll ever have. That makes for better songs.
And – Songs are ageless. A great song is a great song. It doesn’t matter “who” writes it. So – why not keep making music….?
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
“The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield is a critical read for anyone that is creative. It helped me realize the value of “just creating” as a way of improving as an artist. Songwriters should write songs. Painters should paint. Writers should write. Don’t wait for perfection, or the perfect time to get going. Just go create.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bloomrisaband.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomrisaband/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bloomrisaband/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloomrmusic6293
Image Credits
Benjie Loveless