A Bit of History:
In my life, I have drifted through several musical genres beginning with punk at fifteen and transitioning into metal by seventeen. When I read interviews of my favorite metal guitarists of this time, almost all of the musicians quoted Hendrix as being their major influence. As I became more familiar with Hendrixs music, I became mesmerized with his expressive style of guitar playing. His music also grabbed me emotionally. I began to research Hendrixs influences and this journey introduced me to Muddy Waters, Lightning Hopkins, Wes Montgomery, and John Coltrane. These new sounds, styles and forms generated a desire to find more complex and interesting ways to express myself. At this point, I transferred from a traditional college into a liberal arts university in which I began to avidly study Jazz and Blues. This became a period of rapid musical growth, a time where I studied, rehearsed, and performed live gigs with talented players from the Pacific Northwest Region. Through all of this research into the history of Jazz, Blues, and Swing I developed a great love for roots music. The isolation of the early 1900s created melodies, chord progressions, and lyrical content that captured specific times and locales. The music of this era is the true beginnings of American music and I find it to be the most creative due to the isolated nature of the time. It is my hope to bring the spirit and creativity of this music into a contemporary context.
Christian and John Scoffield
