Scott Strickland Band is a 70/30 original/cover band, fresh on the Austin Scene with a New EP, formed from gigging rigorously and road-testing material from last summer. Our material and influences stems from Paul Simon to Richie Havens, from Sting, to the whimsical lyricisms of Dave Matthews.

With our debut EP "Try This Love", we're looking to partner with venues in Austin to help us in building a fanbase while at the same time promoting venues and getting the word out about our craft.

How it happened:

After a show one night, Scott linked up with drummer extraordinaire Adam Klaybor of the folk/Rock/Bluegrass group The Bonfire Choir. He along bassist and longtime friend Brian Hunter, and other rotating musicians to form a side project intent on expanding the sound of Scott’s singer/songwriter abilities.

In early 2015, funk-leaning and classically-trained saxophonist Drew Johnson jumped in head first after being introduced at a jam session bringing a powerhouse of class, prestige, and improvisation to the band

Drew then pulled jazzy keyboardist Jon Sass in to the mix. The only way to describe what Jon adds to the group is a smooth coherent fusion of what the entire band was lacking. Also classically trained, Sass creates syntax of the sometimes chaos while providing whimsical elements of improvisation that elevate the group to new heights in every rehearsal and show.

Upon listening to jam session tapes, the band came to the consensus that Mark Daspit, who had previously jammed with the band several months earlier was needed to fill out the sound completely and add the final accoutrement to the band. The ex-adman provides wisdom, excellent vibes, and an atmosphere of percussion that is a force to be reckoned with.

After having a hell of a time playing the downtown Austin live circuit through Summer 2015, the band took time to regroup and Scott recruited Don Bernhardt the band’s current bassist to mitigate writing new material, while re-inventing older road tested songs to for the first of the band’s catalogue. The songwriting process could only be described as emerging from the jam session, polished at home, and evolving over time. In late 2015, the band recorded the 5-track Try This Love EP at Toy Car Studios under the expert guidance of producer Ben Levy. This EP represents some of the band’s finest works, and is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the diverse styles the band is capable of: straight-ahead rock, blues, reggae, funk, atmospheric, and jazz.

With a sound some have described as “Paul Simon dancing in MC Hammer pants” and “the 3 AM jam session of Dave Matthews and Bill Withers”, the Scott Strickland Band forges ahead on a new path; a worldly sound unheard in today’s musical lexicon. The wordly music is a sound mature and textured, yet playfully improvised enough to have the listener intently wonder where the work is going next. “Where we go now, no one knows, but I can tell you this we’re gonna go where our spirits decide to go”. Come along for the joyride. We’re gonna change this world one mile at a time.