"The thing I miss the most about music of the past is the recording industry. In the old days, musicians could make a living and get signed and nurtured by record labels."

Scott Cooper: Further ...up on the Rock

Multi-instrumentalist Scott Cooper is a veteran of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. He's best known for playing rhythm guitar in the popular Grateful Dead tribute the China Cats, for which has held the Bobby chair for over a decade. But Scott also fronts Rosebud which mixes Dead covers with related material in the same style. Scott's solo debut "A Leg Trick" (2012) reached #5 on the jam band radio charts. He has since released three more CDs, and another three more singles, tapping into his prolific songwriting. As a bass player, Scott has been playing with Bay Area jam band the Gary Gates Band for over decade. Scott also performs acoustic solo and duo gigs throughout California. An in-demand sideman, Scott has also worked with the Banana Slug String Band, Stu Allen, Jim Lewin, as well as members of the Doobie Brothers, Jefferson Starship, David Grisman Quintet. Scott has performed with Donna Godchaux and Melvin Seals. A native of St. Louis, Scott began his music career as a drummer in the house band at both Callahans Pub and Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz, then later toured with blues legends Johnny Shines and Luther Tucker, as well as gigs with local legend and Scott's hero Robert Lowery. Then he played in a band called Mean Business with Ben Ellman and Luca Fredericksen. After that, he played in Little Danny & the Rollercoasters with Rusty Zinn and Marc Carino. In the 90s, he worked with a popular jam band called Deep Blue Sea, where he honed his songwriting craft.                   (Scott Cooper / Photo by Michele Murphy)

From there it was on to play with Relix Records jam band Stackabones, where Scott moved from behind the drums to playing bass, and contributing original material. Scott has since recorded three CDs with Stackabones, on which he plays drums, bass, guitar and keyboards. Scott is endorsed by K&K Pickups and Curt Magnan Strings. When he's not gigging or recording his prolific repertoire of original material, Scott works as Booking Agent for two San Francisco Bay Area venues (Sam's Chowder House and Testarossa Winery) and works as Business Manager for Rick Turner/Renaissance Guitars. Previously he taught guitar at UC-Santa Cruz, worked as a sales rep for Drumskull Drums, syndicated music journalist for the NY Times syndicate and LA Times syndicate, blues deejay at KUSP, new age deejay at KLRS, Program Manager at KSCO, and Editor for OnRadio, supplying reviews, music news and interviews to radio stations' web sites.

Interview by Michael Limnios

How has the music and Rock Counterculture influenced your views of the world? What moment changed your music life the most?

From the time I first heard the Beatles, Yes and Neil Young in elementary school, I was all in. Music was always my main interest. The aesthetic of rock musicians and social attitude of rock music was my inspiration and ideal. My first Grateful Dead show in 1984 changed my life more than any other musical event. The Dead's approach to live music and the scene's living embrace of my hippie ideals were like finding land after being lost at sea. The depth of the Dead's music, history, attitude, and approach were, and still are, a road map for my musical endeavors.

What characterize your music philosophy? What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions?

My music philosophy can't be summarized in any one word, phrase or sentence. As a musician I like music to be tight sometimes and I like it to be loose other times. Some music I love, like OV Wright or Ralph Stanley, is not something I would want to copy because it's not authentic. I strive to be good, not sloppy, and musical. Yet for every generalization I could say about my music philosophy, there are exceptions and outliers that are just as dear to me. There generally has to be enough music in the music for me to be interested (i.e., counterpoint, melody, rich harmony, rhythmic texture). On the other hand I love, for instance, Bo Diddley, even though it's musically simplistic. Ted Hawkins for instance was the most soulful, believable and poignant cat I ever heard but his music is also very simple.

I appreciate great players and sloppy players alike. The amount of soul or emotion doesn't always factor into my appreciation, but sometimes does. But "soul" and "emotion" aren't always the same thing. I wouldn't say Jon Anderson and Yes are soulful but their music can be very emotional, particularly in their ability to build tension and release.

"As musician on stage, you have to listen to your bandmates, respect their musical opinion even if opposed to yours and try to make it work. Or find other people who share your vision, but until you find the ideal bandmate you're stuck working with someone less than perfect. That's life." (Scott Cooper, a multi-instrumentalist of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene / Photo by Philip Liborio Gangi)

Why do you think that Rick Turner / Renaissance Guitars continues to generate such a devoted following? What are the secrets of Rick Turner Guitars?

Rick Turner Guitars/Renaissance Guitars still generates a lot of interest for a few reasons. One, we still build great instruments that appeal to pro players. Two, Rick's legacy is well understood and appreciated by the public for his role in the history of boutique and custom guitars and basses. The current renaissance and resurgence of interest in the Grateful Dead (at least in the USA) has many people interested in Rick's contributions to the Dead's sound. Rick worked on the famous Wall of Sound, and Rick built iconic instruments for both Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh, not to mention a plethora of other rock stars such as Van Morrison, David Crosby, Stanley Clarke and so many more. Lastly, Rick's devoted following is highlighted by the Model One guitar used by Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham. Every Fleetwood Mac tribute band in the world has to have a Model One if they're to be considered serious and want to get the right sound, let alone the right look. And fans regularly inquire about the guitar Lindsey plays, which has become iconic. It also helps that fans of artists like Lindsey or Jerry are now of the age group with disposable income and can afford to buy the guitars of their dreams.

What´s been the highlights in your career so far? Are there any memories from Johnny Shines and Luther Tucker that you would like to tell us?

Wow, you read my bio! Touring with Johnny Shines was amazing to be so close to the source of all Western Music. After all, Shines was a peer/friend/contemporary of Robert Johnson and naturally liked to talk about Robert. I have a few great stories about Shines including the day he came over to my house to rehearse. I invited fellow bluesman Robert Lowery over to meet him. Robert was a good friend and a man I always looked up to. He treated Shines like a God and Robert acted like a little fanboy.

The highlights of my career are generally performing or recording with my idols. I've worked with Donna Godchaux of the Dead, Melvin Seals of the Jerry Garcia Band, Camille Baudoin of the Radiators, and Bill Payne of Little Feat. All of them shaped musical path. That's surreal and thrilling to work with them and have them view me as a peer. Getting my first CD #5 on the national jam band radio charts was a thrill. But that and $5 could get me a cup of coffee. And I've played some amazing gigs in some amazing venues including on a beach in Mexico; not at a resort on the beach but literally on the beach behind a rich dude's estate. And the gig where everyone took their clothes off and was dancing in the farmhouse was fun. And my annual residency gig at the Grateful Hotel in Costa Rica is always fun and memorable. Also working as a music journalist was fun and fascinating, interviewing many famous musicians. And of course working with Rick was an honor and thrill.

"I appreciate great players and sloppy players alike. The amount of soul or emotion doesn't always factor into my appreciation, but sometimes does. But "soul" and "emotion" aren't always the same thing."

(Scott Cooper / Photo by Michael Pegram

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

The thing I miss the most about music of the past is the recording industry. In the old days, musicians could make a living and get signed and nurtured by record labels. Hell, even Charles Manson got a record deal. These days that industry barely exists so musicians who would otherwise have gotten deals and been supported are left to their own devices and financial constraints. That has shaped modern music as much as anything else. Musically, so much of popular music is devoid of melody, harmony and instrumental prowess. That's just sad. There is good music out there but it doesn't get the mass distribution/promotion like it used to so it doesn't get very far and musicians can't afford to make that music. That's even sadder. I can only hope there is a revival of music-centered music (as opposed beats with words) but I don't hold my breath for that.

What were the reasons that made San Francisco Bay Area to be the center of Psychedelic/Folk/Rock/Blues researches and experiments?

The reasons why San Francisco was an epicenter of Psychedelic/Folk/Rock/Blues researches and experiments is pretty complex. But I would say that the LSD experiments at Stanford university, which is in Palo Alto, where the Grateful Dead started, is a factor in it. And then Ken Kesey's house in nearby La Honda became a place where the counterculture and the Dead met and exploded. Thereafter, the Dead moved to a house in the Haight-Ashbury which became ground zero for the hippie movement (even before the so-called Summer of Love). San Francisco also had promoters like Bill Graham and the Family Dog putting on shows and allowing the bands full creative license. It wasn't about an audience sitting passively while listening to the band but rather an interactive experience where the band was a cog in the wheel of the scene/ the happening. And fueling it all was Rick's buddy Owsley Stanley, who made the LSD. In fact, the Renaissance Guitar Company logo of the lion's head was designed by Owsley. Rick two tattoos: One forearm had the Alembic logo, and the other forearm had the Renaissance lions head logo. If you really want the long answer to this question, I would refer to historian Nicholas Meriwether.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

My entire adult life has been in the music industry so it's hard to separate what lessons I've learned from music and what I've learned in life. Sure, there's technical stuff like pickups and signal paths and how royalties are paid (or not paid!), but there are also social parallels. As musician on stage, you have to listen to your bandmates, respect their musical opinion even if opposed to yours and try to make it work. Or find other people who share your vision, but until you find the ideal bandmate you're stuck working with someone less than perfect. That's life.

Scott Cooper - Home

(Scott Cooper / Photo by Henry Hungerland)