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About the duo About
Scott His musical career began in 5th grade, his first instrument a cello. When asked why he chose a cello, Scott says "it was smaller than the bass, and easier to take on the school bus." While he would later learn to play piano and cornet (it's like a trumpet), it was his return to the cello in high school that led him to the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic Orchestra - an organization that still exists today for young classical musicians in the Los Angeles area. At age 13, his cousin let him borrow a guitar (even smaller than a cello and easier to carry). Scott flipped open his Beatles song book to "Yesterday," put his fingers on the strings where the dots were for the opening F chord, and history was made. He soon bought his first guitar - the 6-string he still uses - from a Van Nuys pawn shop. Scott's first professional shows with an acoustic duo were in 1989, at age 20. (They called themselves Security Blanket.) When he saw a mandolin for sale at a Pasadena flea market in the early '90s, he thought "why not?" and picked that up too, even though he did not not know how to play one, or that it would eventually change his life. In 1998, he joined the Music Perfomance class at Skyline College in San Bruno and met Steve Sage. Three years later, after a switch to the same class at DVC, Steve took one look at Scott and said "there's someone you need to meet." The chemistry was instant - Scott and Mike spent over an hour jamming on whatever songs they both happened to know off the top of their heads - some of which you can still hear them performing to this day. Scott met his future life-partner Erin in high school in 1983, but it wasn't until 2000 that they began dating. They have lived together since 2001. You can come say hi to her at just about every S&M show, usually signing up new fans for the e-mail list. About Mike After graduation, Mike took some guitar, bass and vocal lessons from a talented friend. After rounding out a couple of small electric Bay Area cover bands (the Generics, The Other Kind) on bass guitar and vocals, he decided to sell his bass and concentrate on guitar. Mike’s short-lived stint as a solo singer/guitarist produced two revelations: that his biggest fan Barbara would become his future bride, and that his guitar playing needed a bit more work. It was in the Music Performance class at DVC taught by Bay Area guitar prodigy Steve Sage where Mike met Scott. In their first semester together, they co-founded the vocal-focused group “Mass Appeal.” After four semesters of jamming with various bands both within and outside the classroom, it became apparent to Mike and Scott that their musical progress was most rapid when working only as a duo. Once they had enough music rehearsed, they sought to play anywhere that would have them: coffee shops, pizza parlors, even a library opening! Mike and Barbara were married in 2002. She is still his biggest fan, and attends nearly every gig. Not long after the wedding, Mike renewed his Christian faith and tries to incorporate songs that have as much spiritual relevance as they do entertainment value. Having spent about fifteen years in the restaurant business and yet more performing in nightclubs, Mike is still hoping an acoustic-music-loving venture capitalist will discover him and invest in his dream nightclub. |
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Contact us: |
E-mail us HERE to sign up for the mailing list (or to just say hi). |
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From Scott & Mike: |
Welcome to our home page on the
web. Any announcements that go out to
our e-mail list will probably be posted here too. |
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