Today we’d like to introduce you to Kasey Scott.
Hi Kasey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in a musical family and I have been surrounded by music since before I was even born. My grandfather used to perform once a week with his chicken picking buddies and my dad was the lead singer and bassist for a pretty popular country cover band in my hometown of San Angelo, TX. Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing the subs vibrating my whole body at live music shows with my family.
My start of playing music was when I would pull out all the tupperware containers from the cabinet and make a makeshift drum set on the kitchen floor played with wood spoons. I desperately wanted to know what it was like to make music and found any way that I could do that. When I was four years old, I was messing around on my dad’s drums out in his “practice room” in the backyard while he mowed the lawn. I decided I was tired of just playing around on the drums and wanted to play something for real, so I just gave it a shot. I had seen my dad cross his right hand over his left to hit the hi hat and somehow knew to hit the kick and snare on different beats. I played a real drum groove for the very first time. I’ll never forget my dad shutting the mower off and running in there in pure excitement at what he was hearing. From that moment, I got a feeling that making music was what I was meant to do.
I was lucky enough to have a dad who was a worship leader at our church, and when I was in third grade, the church band just so happened to be lacking a consistent drummer. But that point, I was good enough to play songs and learn parts, and because of my dad’s position, I got the opportunity at around 8 years old to occasionally be a real drummer on a real stage.
Over the years I fell more and more in love with the drums. I played in church every single week as I got into middle school and high school. I learned how to play musically and fit in with a band. By college though, I was ready to do more.
My best friend and I started writing songs together. We were inspired by The 1975, Young The Giant, Walk The Moon, and lots of other artists in that indie vein. We definitely ripped off a lot of guitar tones and drum parts from these bands, but we wrote some dang good songs if I do say so myself. We put together a band and quickly started performing at local shows.
One thing you have to understand about San Angelo is that there is not a lot of diversity in the music scene. The main music venues booked country acts and 90s cover bands, and the smaller venues were filled with metalcore and pop punk bands. An alt-pop band was a brand new concept. Needless to say we didn’t really fit anywhere. Despite the lack of a clear cut path for us though, our fresh sound drew an audience and we gained a local fanbase. I learned how to engage with any crowd during those few years in that band with my college buddies, and I’ll forever be able to point back to that time as when I became a true performer.
As time went on, people started getting married and finishing school, and the band just kinda fizzled out naturally. I still loved writing music though and wanted to continue to have an outlet for that. Growing up around country music and living in west Texas, I felt the draw to lean into the environment and try out a country direction. It came to me pretty naturally, and in 2017, I released my first solo single.
I was very immersed in Christianity and church, and my first several releases were Christian Americana songs. Worship songs with a folky/country bend to them. It was received really well by most everyone I knew. I loved making that kind of music, but things started to change in my mind a little and made it hard to keep going that direction.
While I was recording my album “Ancient & New” in 2019, I started to question things about my faith. I started pulling threads that quickly made the whole thing unravel. Mind you, I was a full time worship leader at a church during this time, which meant that my personal AND professional foundations were shaken up. I fought the feeling that I didn’t believe in what I used to, and bore down pretty hard to push it to the back of my mind so I didn’t have to change everything about my life. And then 2020 came.
Like everyone else, COVID really accelerated a lot of life change. I was forced to sit with my thoughts and come to terms with my doubts about my faith. Luckily for me, I had a lot of time and a guitar. My album “Before It Piles Up” was written entirely during the lockdown, and was a way for me to at least get my thoughts out of my head and into something I could process. The songs on that album are all about faith and doubt and what I was experiencing in real time with all that 2020 brought. I look back at that album as a real growth transformation for me, personally, politically, and musically.
Right before releasing that album, I made the move out of my hometown for the very first time and plopped myself in Austin. My wife and I literally knew no one here, but we loved Austin and knew we wanted to be here. The art and music were so alive and we just wanted to be a part of it. Moving away from the the only town I’d ever known was a huge moment for me, but it really gave me the space to explore a new life, and new songs.
I pretty quickly started writing again, but this time I was mostly out of my questioning phase and more in the “what the heck do I do now” phase. I wish I could say I easily found my groove, but unfortunately that was not the case. For the first time in my life, I felt what real depression felt like. I had fully shaken up everything I knew and was struggling to find my place. I felt like I was behind and like I had missed the boat. So many people I knew had either found certainty in their faith or certainty without it, and I had not reached either of those yet. I began to feel like I would never belong anywhere, and that led to some of the deepest depression I had felt, and even suicidal thoughts. During this time though, I found comfort in songwriting. Much like the time when I was questioning my faith foundations, I used music as an outlet to process my feelings and thoughts. Although the songs that came out of that time are some of the biggest downers I’ve ever written, I am grateful for the way they helped me in some of my darkest moments.
The songs that were completed during that time made it onto my latest release, an EP called “Machete Man.” These four songs grapple with depression and anxiety, fear of the future, fear of the past, regret, and how I stand up in the face of all of it. My song “Two Legs” became a bit of a mantra that I repeat to myself when I start to feel anxious or depressed again. It’s become a touchpoint to remind myself to be strong and stay in control of what I’m able to. I poured so much of myself into these four songs and I am really proud of them.
In the wake of the release of Machete Man, I’ve made a concerted effort move forward and challenge myself in my songwriting. I joke with my friends that I am physically incapable of writing a lighthearted song, which is only funny because I tend to be the guy who makes everything a joke. I wanted to change that though, and challenge myself to write songs about things I like, not about the things I don’t. Right now, I’m working on some songs about my love of nature, fondness of my roots west Texas, and some songs that are more of a positive self-reflection. I’m excited to see what comes from this creative effort, and hopefully I’ll have some new songs to release soon!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As referenced in my answer to the previous question, NO it has not been smooth. My music has mostly come out of questioning and struggling with where I fit in the world. Music has been the only way I’ve ever truly been able to get my real feelings out, which has led to some pretty sad songs. But I am grateful to have had the ability to write about my struggles so I didn’t have to bottle it up. I truly hope that my music can help other people who may be dealing with some of the same things I have. Depression, anxiety, fear, and doubt are some hard things to deal with, and if my music can even help one person make sense of it all, I will see that as a success.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a singer-songwriter. I play country and Americana music, with some influences from other genres as well. Right now, I’m most proud of my most recent EP “Machete Man” that I released in May. I think something that sets me apart from other artists in my genre is the subject matter of my music. There’s a certain expectation for what country music is going to be about, but my earliest songwriting inspirations taught me a lot about more abstract language, and a lot of that finds its way into my writing. I also don’t hear a lot of country music that talks about the darkest parts of life in the way that I do, which I think makes me unique.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Most recently, I have been reading a lot of books about regenerative agriculture and the importance of understanding native plant life. I have a dream of running a farm one day and I have a passion for working with the land, not against it. I have found a much higher purpose in learning about all this, and feel a personal responsibility to do what I can to make the world a better place. It has bled a little into my songwriting lately, but for the most part, I have just found a new passion and direction I want to go in life, which makes me a better person.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kaseyscottmusic
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/kaseyscottmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kaseyscott4616
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6utOCND9aKOoCP0VTdbrZ5?si=B3IIatavTaicqYmXFqpCTg
