Following a thoughtful study of 1960’s and 70’s improvisational rock and folk rock with 2019 album Songs of Jerry Garcia and Others, Scott Fisher’s latest effort 93 Million Miles sees the artist forming into his own. Consisting of six original songs and three covers, Fisher creates a hybrid of old and new by mixing analog recordings of vintage organs, consoles, and guitars with modern mixing techniques.
The lead single, “The Right Way” deals with all the confusing emotions that were born out of isolation from the pandemic all while searching for balance and one’s purpose in the world. Laidback jazz guitars, subtle organ riffs, and Enrique Gonzalez’s (Los Lobos) steady drumming make for some groove-filled, slow burning folk rock.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Scott Fisher about the latest music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I was raised in Portland Oregon by a Fighter pilot American father from Seattle and a College professor mother from Bordeaux, France. I learned to appreciate both tradition and the freedom to break it.
My musical foundation was classical piano which I studied from the age of 5 to 16. My teacher was this amazing woman Ilse Glassel who was a concert pianist in Germany. Being Jewish, she fled Germany before the second world war to escape the Nazi oppression. She was particularly strict and always forbade me from improvising or being overly playful when I was at the piano. Of course this strict classical approach was a wonderful technical foundation for me, but I started to rebel against it by my early teens. I’m sure my love of improvisational music, jazz and spontaneity grew out of a rejection of this strict musical form.
I love all types of music and have been lucky to work within a lot of musical styles. My last few albums have been based in American album rock highly influenced by 60’s and 70’s psychedelic era. I’ve moved a lot more towards the guitar over the last few records. My classical influences are still there somewhere. I put out a Chopin influenced solo piano LP in 2014 and perhaps I’ll revisit classical piano more in the future. For now, it’s guitar solos, vocal melodies and 60’s inspired Hammond organ.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
I have always had music and it’s probably been the most enduring and ever-present thing in my life. After high school in Portland, Oregon I went to Boston University and studied Political Science and Philosophy. I continued taking piano lessons, but at this point I had rejected classical piano and was obsessed with Jazz and Fusion music. At that time, Boston was a great town for that. I was able to play with quite a few rock pop and especially improvisational bands and projects.
After college I had a“real” job in property management. It was short-lived. I was still playing around in the Portland music scene and at some point I decided to quit my job and make my debut record. I made some ok music and had a few lucky breaks getting my music on “Gossip Girl” an Abercrombie and Fitch ad and a few other tv shows. After that I moved to LA and worked a lot in licensing and tv. There I met my mentor Jesus “ Chuy” Flores who had won several Grammies and was well-known in the Latin and Rock en Español world. He taught me how to produce and mix.
What keeps me going is that I finally have a clear vision of what makes me happy within my own music. I’m working less on projects that I don’t love and I’ve never been more inspired to write and produce.
The goal to make something truly beautiful and inspired ultimately is what keeps me making music.
Also, guitar solos. I love guitar solos.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
My 2019 album was an attempt to re-create the sound of the 1970’s. It was mostly a cover record of Bob Dylan and Jerry Garcia songs made with equipment and techniques from the era. With this new album “93 Million Miles” I wanted to make an album born of old school record making but add a sheen and philosophy of 21st century indie music making. I built a mix room in my home in Los Angeles during the pandemic and the goal was to leave the classic consoles of the big studio where I recorded the songs and bring a hybrid digital and analog mix sound to the table. I use a lot more modern mixing techniques such as vocal throws and layered effects.
While my last record was more of an exercise in chasing a sound from the 70’s, this new album is full of original songs that come from my world in the 21st century.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Obviously the first challenge is making enough money to focus solely on music. Digital streaming doesn’t make up the difference. I’ve had a lot of musician friends who have really suffered during the pandemic from a lack of touring and live work. That’s been difficult to see and experience. I’ve been lucky that I work a lot in licensing and production so I’ve been spared the pain of some of my friends and colleagues over the last couple of years.
The upside of technology for me has to be on the workflow and production side of things.
I can do my pro tools editing on a laptop from anywhere in the world. Also, the advances in mixing are astounding. I work in a hybrid setup so I can mix within pro tools with all of the amazing plugins that exist now, but I run all of my tracks through analog converters to get the color and rock sound of the vintage consoles. It’s shocking how many of the big mixers now are working in a hybrid setup or completely digital.
What was the last song you listened to?
Al Stewart. Year of the Cat.
Somehow this incredible record had slipped through the cracks for me.
I’m over in France right now as I write this and one of my French friends turned me on to it just a few days ago.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
In a perfect world vinyl for sure.
The openness of vinyl is a nice contrast to the brick wall of modern compression.
Cd’s are in second place and then MP3’s in 3rd.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
As an audio person I like to hear things in higher quality streaming if possible. Most of the platforms are moving that direction and offering better streaming quality.
Practically though, I like the ease of Spotify and the basic layout too. Of course playlists are a big part of the business now and Spotify has been at the forefront of that. For better and worse, that’s the service that I use by far the most.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
I’m social media challenged, but the best place to hear the tunes in one place is www.scottfishermusic.com
I’m most active on instagram. @modphonic.
Anything else before we sign off?
Thank you guys very much for talking the time to listen to my record. It’s always a pleasure to meet and talk to people who enjoy and support new music. Feel free to reach out anytime. All the best, Scott.
Ps: We mentioned him in the press release, but I wanted to mention him here as well.
My good friend and an incredible drummer Enrique González (Los Lobos etc..) played all the drums on the record.
His passion and energy a big part of the sound of this project.
