User:Cgduff

Scott King, 1964 -- Born. Beatles 1st tour of USA. Nice year to be born. 1972 -- First guitar and first guitar lesson ("Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star") with Fran at Sudbury Music, Sudbury, Massachusetts. 1973 -- First drum set, made by Kent. Enjoyed a few days in living room before sent off to basement. 1974 -- First lesson on organ: "It Had to be You." 1979 -- Return to guitar after several years of organ lessons (with John Kiley, organist for Red Sox & Bruins) and drumming on my own. First electric is a black Les Paul copy. 1980 -- Begin jamming with high school musician friends (including Steve Bankuti, later of Tommy Dorsey Band, and Mike Gordon, later of Phish) and join first band, playing 70's Rock classics. 1983 -- Write first few songs; they all suck. 1986 -- Make first professional record in duo with Eric Targan ("Not Built By Human Hands"/Out of print) and play about 11 gigs. 1992 -- Make first solo record ("We Can't Wait to Dance"/Out of print) and tour in Denmark for a year and 160 solo acoustic gigs in churches, coffeehouses, roadside cafes, festivals. 1993/94 -- Play open mikes and openers around Boston, make top ten in WADN-Walden Riverbank Songwriting Contest and Semi-Finalist in Boston Acoustic Underground. 1995 -- Form modern Rock band, Xguru, and begin playing Boston clubs, including The Rathskellar ("The Rat"), Mama Kin, Bill's Bar, and The Middle East. 1999 -- Release "Wonder of it All," recorded at Fort Apache in Boston and produced by Tim O'Heir (Folk Implosion, Sebadoe, Juliana Hatfield), followed by sold-out CD-release show at Bill's Bar on Landsdowne Street in Boston. 2000 -- Quit the band for a woman. Bad idea. 2002 -- Reignite solo career for another woman. Good woman. 2004 -- Release "The Thomaston Sessions" (Out of print) and am introduced to Maine listeners by Maine Public Radio, Portland. 2005 -- Release "Portrait," sell out CD release (Slates Monday Night Concert Series, Hallowell, ME) and play Manchester (NH) Blues & Jazz Festival. 2007 -- Release "Wrecking Ball" and "In Your Head," complete last tour (summer) in New England (Portland, Portsmouth, Boston, Burlington) and NY (Troy & Brooklyn -- CD's stolen in Troy, and friend Nevil is the only who comes to see the Brooklyn gig, but we have delicious chicken at Honduran hole in the wall across the street), finishing on a high with openers for Pierce Pettis and the iconic Jonathan Edwards, only to burn out and drop out shortly thereafter. 2008 -- Open a new MySpace page and declare that I'm back just for fun. SELECT BAND REVIEWS: Metronome Magazine, Dec. 1999 Wonder of it All is a stunning album from one of Boston's finest bands. What makes the music so appealing is their clever command of lyrical imagery and stout, well performed arrangements. Singer-guitarist Scott King has one of those memorable voices that makes these songs come to life while bandmates Jeff Neuman on lead guitar, Chris Rings on bass, groovebox, keyboards and vocals and Bruno on drums and vocals round out this great sounding contemporary rock and roll band. Prime slices of musical bliss include the futuristic "Meteor", the bouncing "Stranger as You Go", "Ghost Town" and the fingerpicking magic of "Mystery". Xguru really hits the mark with their first single. Wonderfully metaphoric and cleverly played, Meteor is a fine foundation for Wonder of it All. Renegade Newsletter -- Industry Edition, Feb. 2000 With a well polished sound and dynamite songwriting, this Boston-based group has all the goods to rival them with the best commercial modern rock radio has to offer. They deftly travel from the syncopated rock of "Meteor" to the politically charged "Beneath the Sacred Sun" without missing a beat (no pun intended). The band also handles a tender ballad extremely well, as "Mystery" will attest. They've been compared to Live and U2, which is pretty strong company indeed. However, perhaps in the near future, they will be the band to set the standard by which others are judged." Soundcheck Magazine, Feb. 2000 The first thing that stands out about this album is its production. It's excellent all around, one of the better sounding CD's I've heard. Another great job by the people at Fort Apache. This is a very good CD with just about every song able to stand on its own. The songs are well written and arranged. Plenty of hooks teamed with good vocals and excellent harmonies. They've also done their work lyrically with good themes and variations thereof. Their sound reminds me a lot of the Gin Blossoms and even Blind Melon (sans the vocals). All fine musicians and writers; I have a feeling that they sound great live. Watch out for this band, they're polished and they know how to write." SELECT SOLO REVIEWS: "Every song feels comfortable, as if King breathes air in and music out." "Although King is no poet, he writes with clarity and honesty, and occasionally throws in a brilliant line or two." -- Northeast In Tune Magazine (2005) "Scott King is a fine songwriter, singer, guitar-player. He is terrific live, is charming with Nordic good looks... naturally, I hate him." --Pierce Pettis (2008) "Most of the discs we receive are hot with main action, to one degree or another, through the first few tracks; and then they run out of steam well before closing. But even way off at the end of King's new CD is to be found one of his best songs, the bluesy/jazzy 'You Stole My Heart.'" -- New England Music Scrap Book (2008) SAMPLE SHARED STAGES: Evan & Jaron, The Watchmen, Angry Salad, Bill Morrissey, Ellis Paul, Brooks Williams, Pierce Pettis, Jonathan Edwards, Jud Caswell, Erik Glockler (Strangefolk) Steve Jones (The Boneheads), Per Erik Hallin, Bob Carlisle, Johnny A, Rick Derringer, José Ayerve (Spouse),