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Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to sit down with Scott Devours, a drummer who calls Long Beach his home. Our conversation took place shortly before he left for Dublin to join rock and roll legends, The Who, for a sold out European tour. In Part 1<\/a> of our conversation, we spoke about his childhood in Maryland, leaving everything behind and coming to California, getting a taste of the big time with Speaker, and helping to foster the local music scene via an underground music hot spot called The Space.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the end of Part 1, Scott’s hopes and dreams of stardom via Speaker had come crashing down. <\/p>\n Scott<\/strong>: I was so broken-hearted, but you want to remain positive. And the guy who produced the Speaker record, who\u2019s now a really good friend of mine, his name is Rich Mouser, still one of my favorite producers to work with by far. Absolutely love him. He was producing a band called Oleander, and they\u2019re out of Sacramento, and the best description I can give\u2014Oleander was very much that post-Nirvana, post- grunge influenced guitar-heavy rock stuff. Very straight-ahead, unapologetic rock stuff. They even sounded like Nirvana; a Nirvana- inspired, Nirvana wannabe band. <\/p>\n Rich was producing them, and I guess something happened with their drummer. I guess it wasn\u2019t working out in the studio. They were having problems getting the drum tracks down. And I think, personality-wise, they were clashing. <\/p>\n That was another absolutely poignant, pivotal moment in my life. My whole life I\u2019d been like “I\u2019m going to make it. I\u2019m going to keep drumming until I make it. I\u2019m never going to give up until I get where I want to be.” It was like a mantra that I just had to keep telling myself every minute of every day. “Never give up.” <\/p>\n And right then and there, Speaker fell apart, I got a job. The job went really, really well. I got a bunch of promotions. I started making more money than I\u2019d ever made in my life. And right then and there, my dad and I spoke, and again, my dad was very practical. He never wanted to hear anything about music. He just wanted to hear that I was working. And I remember I was walking into the Lava Lounge. I\u2019d just gotten a promotion and I\u2019d just gotten the biggest pay check and I was so bitter about the band falling apart and I was on the phone with my dad. <\/p>\n I think, now, I knew that\u2019s what he wanted to hear. I said the words. I\u2019m almost embarrassed to say them, but I said for the first time, certainly the first time to my dad, I said, \u201cYou know what? Screw music. I\u2019m going to take this job as far as I can. I can\u2019t stand the disappointment anymore. I give up. I\u2019ll always play music because I love it. I\u2019m not going to make it my career anymore. I give up.\u201d And my dad was stoked. <\/p>\n I hung up and I was about to walk into the Lava Lounge, I hung up my cell and it rings right then, and it\u2019s Rich up at the Record Plant, recording Oleander, and he was like, \u201cCan you come up? I think I\u2019ve got a gig for you.\u201d I knew they had a gold record, but I didn\u2019t even know their music. I might have heard one song, but knew nothing about them. I knew the style of music they were but… <\/p>\n I look at this as a much deeper thing. The second that I let go of everything that I had held so close, so tightly to that dream of just making it, and for the first time ever, I just said screw it. I\u2019m done. Fuck this. Literally, the second I said that to myself, the phone rang seconds later with the biggest opportunity of my life. And in sixty days, I was playing 20,000-seat arenas completely sold-out. <\/p>\n And that was such a pivotal thing for me. Like, \u201cYou know what? Maybe you ought to just let things go. You don\u2019t have to cling to your version of what you want. Here\u2019s the box I want my life to cram right in there. If it doesn\u2019t cram in there, I\u2019m not happy. I won\u2019t stop until I get what I want.\u201d Maybe you have to say, \u201cI don\u2019t even care about all of that,\u201d to get what you want. That\u2019s how that next level, that national touring level came. I don\u2019t want to say it fell in my lap, but it seemingly fell in my lap. <\/p>\n Sander<\/strong>: Well, you had an established relationship with the producer, and he obviously recognized your talent and ability and professionalism in the time he worked with you. So, it wasn\u2019t like an accident. <\/p>\n <\/em>Scott<\/strong>: No, it was who you know, and it was a connections thing, and that\u2019s all any industry really is. Most people get their jobs because\u2026 <\/p>\n Sander<\/strong>: My point, though, is that he probably had a big, long Rolodex of people that he could\u2019ve called. He called you because he knew you were the pro. <\/p>\n <\/em>Scott<\/strong>: I\u2019d like to think so. Rich made me. He doesn\u2019t want to hear this, but he made me the drummer that I am, whatever drummer I am. He made me that, because with the Speaker thing, when we started recording that record, the thing that I\u2019m most proud of, he recognized very quickly that I thought too much. <\/p>\n I\u2019ve heard earlier recordings now, and I\u2019m like, \u201cUgh.\u201d I just cannot stand the way that I played. I played very cerebral. I wanted it to be right and perfect. I\u2019d think things out before I played them. And Rich, the first time we sat down with him, before we recorded the Speaker record, he whispered to the guys, and he didn\u2019t tell me, I learned this later, \u201cYour drummer\u2019s really good when he doesn\u2019t know that he\u2019s playing, so we have to record when he doesn\u2019t know he\u2019s being recorded.\u201d That\u2019s all he said. <\/p>\n So, he set up a bunch of mics, and he\u2019s just like, \u201cWe\u2019re just going to rehearse.\u201d And he recorded all the rehearsals. And a good portion of that Speaker record was him just hitting record, and never told me, because I just went for shit and didn\u2019t think. And finally, once we mixed one song, he played it back with us in the studio, and the whole time I\u2019m like, \u201cBut this isn\u2019t the drum track that I want. This is a rehearsal. Listen to that mistake.\u201d <\/p>\n Then, once he pulled up the band\u2014which it was just a rough mix. It wasn\u2019t a finished product\u2014and he just looked at me and he was like, \u201cYou\u2019re much better when you don\u2019t think. Don\u2019t think. Just play.\u201d And that was just a life-changing moment for me in the way I drum. So, I\u2019ve embodies that, every time I sit behind the kit. I just, okay, listen to whomever, Shave, what are they doing? Alright, go. Maybe it\u2019s not going to be great, but you\u2019ll get something real. You\u2019ll get something original. Or at least I hope it\u2019s original. <\/p>\n So that\u2019s the bond we had. He made me realize you have something of worth when you don\u2019t try to be something. Don\u2019t try, just be what you are. And that was the moment where I play on recording and go, \u201cWow. Oh, wow. That\u2019s even good. That\u2019s not terrible.\u201d You know, I\u2019m no longer listening with that critical ear like, \u201cThat is wrong. It should be better or faster or whatever. And so that\u2019s why I love recording with him because he gets me in that zone. He just blanks everything out and we just watch each other through the glass and he\u2019ll be kind of groovin\u2019 and I\u2019m like. \u201cOh yeah, it\u2019s fine. Don\u2019t worry.\u201d For the most part, everything I\u2019ve heard, I\u2019m like, \u201cHey man, sounds good, mistakes and all.\u201d <\/p>\n So, fast-forward to the Oleander sessions, when he instantly, in my mind, I didn\u2019t even have time to listen to them. I never heard a note. I went up to record the record and didn\u2019t know what they sounded like, what they looked like, but I knew Rich was producing so I\u2019m like, \u201cDon\u2019t think, just trust Rich.\u201d And I walked in and recorded and then we were on a tour with some other \u201890s bands. <\/p>\n Sander<\/strong>: You did the Oleander thing for a while. How long did that go for? <\/em><\/p>\n Scott<\/strong>: I think we had a decent run. They never had mega-success. A lot of the bands from that time-frame around us shot through the roof, and they\u2019re bands that anyone can have any opinion they want. Whatever, it doesn\u2019t matter to me but Nickelback and Creed and all those bands; Oleander was in that framework. So, not to take anything away from that band at all. It wasn\u2019t necessarily the music I was passionate about and some of those bands certainly aren\u2019t my taste. So, it was this really difficult trade- off where I walked into that level of success I never even imagined. <\/p>\n I\u2019m sitting behind the drum kit at my first gig, hitting the kick drum and watching the arena shake, and the audience roar was like cocaine. It was the greatest drug in the entire world. But I wasn\u2019t necessarily playing music that every note of it I helped write and it meant something to me. It was more arduous for me to find things that I loved. It took a long time for me to sync into the material; \u201cYou know what, I really like this chorus, I like what he\u2019s saying here, this lyric means something to me.\u201d <\/p>\n Most of those songs were written without me, and again, not stylistically where I come from. It was a really weird\u2014It was a good lesson. Like I got the biggest success of my life, made the most money I ever made, sent a gold record to my mom and my dad with their names on it. It felt great. That little moment felt fantastic, and to play for those big audiences. I got to cut my teeth. Those were the formative years, like \u201cOh, there\u2019s people up in that section and there are people behind the stage.\u201d You learn to perform, you know? People are there to watch you. It\u2019s not just you\u2019re just playing to these faces that you see. That was a huge, huge experience, a formative experience. I learned how to play to a bigger crowd, and had a lot of fun doing it. <\/p>\n They had two gold records, soundtrack success, a couple of top-ten rock hits, but never any enormous success. Still, to this day, if I say I was in Oleander, I think maybe only once or twice someone will say, \u201cOh, yeah I know that band.\u201d In Texas and Sacramento they were huge. I\u2019d come home and no one would even know anything I\u2019d talk about. They don\u2019t know the band, they don\u2019t care, whatever. <\/p>\n So that was the trade-off; best success you\u2019ve ever had but it also isn\u2019t the most artistically gratifying. No disrespect to Oleander at all. They had their thing. And they\u2019re still out there doing it. Just released another record right now. But then, after that, their career, obviously like any career, waned a little bit. Sales dropped off, tours got smaller, and I just couldn\u2019t afford to support myself on it anymore. And I still had The Space and was doing shows there every now and then. <\/p>\n Then a band called IMA Robot came along. And that was a whole other weird experience. Not many people know that band either. It started out as guys from Beck\u2019s band, earlier in his career. I want to say like Odelay, and stuff like that. I was a huge Beck fan. Not everything he did, but a lot of the Mellow stuff, Midnight Vultures and Sea Change I thought were just incredible records, and I thought the musicianship was impeccable, so I knew those musicians, at least their work. I knew them all. I didn\u2019t know them personally but Joey Waronker is one of the greatest drummers in the world, to me. Justin Meldal-Johnsen; they played with everybody, as well as Beck. <\/p>\n This was while Oleander was on hiatus so, of course, I\u2019m back to the drawing board, not making any money, don\u2019t have much going on, and needing somebody to play with me, something new. That was another really strange moment. I remember my career being at such a shitty moment. <\/p>\n My mom, who\u2019s a big supporter, a very supportive person, she talked to me. \u201cYou know, honey, your cousin that you\u2019ve never met, he\u2019s in a band, and they\u2019re called The Robots.\u201d My mom\u2019s giving me career advice. \u201cThanks, mom.\u201d And I remember getting on the phone and rolling my eyes. Mom is trying to get me a gig. That\u2019s how shitty my career is right now, from back east. A cousin of mine is in a band. \u201cMaybe you could play with him.\u201d \u201cThanks, Mom.\u201d Her heart was in the right place, but it was, \u201cOh, my God, I\u2019ve got to get my career going.\u201d <\/p>\n I went to the Detroit Bar and one of the guys from Felding – I forget which guy – he was out on the patio, and I overheard, I didn\u2019t mean to spy on his conversation, he was like, \u201cWell, since Joey doesn\u2019t want to do IMA Robot anymore, I don\u2019t know what they\u2019re going to do without Joey.\u201d And it just caught my attention. I\u2019m like, \u201cJoey who?\u201d He\u2019s like \u201cJoey Waronker. He\u2019s the drummer from IMA Robot.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cThe guy from Beck?\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cYeah, all the side guys, that\u2019s their band. The side guys from Beck, IMA Robot, that\u2019s their band. You don\u2019t know that?\u201d <\/p>\n Instantly, I thought of my mom saying, \u201cYou need to join The Robots.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cMy mom was right!\u201d And instantly, I\u2019m like, \u201cThere\u2019s a cousin of mine that I\u2019ve never met that\u2019s in a band with my heroes. So right then and there, I drive straight from the Detroit Bar, go straight to the music store, Fingerprints, buy IMA Robot, look on the back, and I see Joey Waronker, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, my heroes. I\u2019m like, \u201cThis is IMA Robot. This is the band my mom was talking about. One of these guys is my cousin!” <\/p>\n I went home and listened to it, and it blew my mind because, instantly, it was nothing I had ever played. I mean, I came from the eighties, actually played in the eighties electronic drums and stuff, loved Devo. And they sounded like Buzcocks; Devo to me. They\u2019ve got this punk thing. And the singer had a mullet, which at the time, I\u2019m like, \u201cHe\u2019d dared to rock a mullet? I\u2019ve gotta meet these guys.\u201d And my heroes are the band, and the added mystic that someone I\u2019m related to is in a band with my heroes. This has to happen. <\/p>\n So I listen to the CD and I\u2019m like, \u201cHoly crap.\u201d It was the most challenging drumming I\u2019ve ever played. Didn\u2019t even know if I could play it. It was like two o\u2019clock in the morning. I\u2019m shredding through the liner notes and see \u201cManaged by Mike Barzman, Los Angeles, California.\u201d And I just picked up my phone and I\u2019m like, \u201cLos Angeles, California, Barzman, Mike.\u201d <\/p>\n I called three or four different numbers. I called at three in the morning. I didn\u2019t think twice. I was just like, \u201cI gotta get an audition before it\u2019s too late, before they get another drummer.\u201d Because I\u2019d just heard the night before they\u2019re auditioning. I can\u2019t wait. All these strange Mike Barzman\u2019s, wake \u2018em up. \u201cHello?\u201d \u201cDo you happen to manage IMA Robot?\u201d \u201cNo!\u201d Click. I did this over and over until finally I got some guy. He\u2019s like, \u201cWhat?\u201d \u201cYou don\u2019t happen to manage IMA Robot, do you?\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cWho is this?\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cDo you? You\u2019re the manager, right?\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cYeah, I do.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cDon\u2019t hang up. Don\u2019t hang up. I\u2019m a drummer.\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cOh, God. The auditions are already planned, they\u2019re already filled.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cYou just gotta give me a shot. I\u2019ll take whatever you\u2019ve got.\u201d I begged and pleaded for anything they could give me. I was like, \u201cLook, I\u2019m not some loon. I\u2019ve got a couple gold records, I\u2019m a professional drummer, just give me an audition.\u201d He said, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing available.\u201d I said, \u201cWhat time does it start tomorrow?\u201d He said, \u201cTen.\u201d I said, \u201cGive me nine.\u201d He said, \u201cYou can have nine. I don\u2019t even know if the guys\u2026\u201d \u201cGive me nine. I\u2019ll be there at nine.\u201d He said, \u201cAlright, you\u2019re on at nine. Don\u2019t ever call me this late again.\u201d <\/p>\n I had to study all night long. Get up there at like 9 AM, go in there, played the three or four songs that they wanted to play. Really hard. Joey\u2019s sitting right there. J&J is right there. These are my heroes. I was so nervous. Played. Didn\u2019t\u2019 know if it went well. I left. That was it. Then days later I got the call. \u201cHey, you did great.\u201d Joey called me. My hero called me. He said, \u201cYou got the gig.\u201d <\/p>\n So we went up and rehearsed, finished the first rehearsal. Joey was there, all of the Beck guys in that band were there, or a couple. And then we finished the rehearsal and everyone\u2019s packing up and right then and there, I look around and I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, it can\u2019t be him. No, it\u2019s not\u2026It\u2019s not the singer, no way.\u201d And I turned to my left and the guy named Tim looks at me, the guitarist, he goes, \u201cAre we related?\u201d And I was in a band with someone I was related to. We had never even spoken to each other. That was such an odd thing to me, to be like\u2014I actually got in the band and were rehearsing and then we turned to each other, and we\u2019re like, \u201cYour mother is related to my mother. My dad and your brother\u2026\u201d you know. A lot of people at that time were like, \u201cWell, you got the gig because he\u2019s your cousin. \u201c I\u2019m like, \u201cNo, he didn\u2019t know I was. I wish I could\u2019ve used that.” <\/p>\n Sander<\/strong>: Does your mom take credit for it, though? <\/p>\n <\/em><\/em>Scott<\/strong>: I had to eat so much crow to call her. \u201cYou were right.\u201d She\u2019s like, \u201cI told you. Don\u2019t ever doubt me again.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cI know. I know Aghgh.\u201d My mom got me a gig. It was so embarrassing. <\/p>\n Sander<\/strong>: Tell me about being in that band. What was that like? <\/p>\n <\/em><\/em>Scott<\/strong>: That was my first real experience with being in a band that \u2014 it\u2019s a little tongue in cheek to say it now, so far removed \u2014 but they were the cool band. They were the band playing all the cool events. They’d just got off tour with White Stripes and Jane\u2019s Addiction and I don\u2019t know, a couple other bands. What else? The Yayaya\u2019s. <\/p>\n I just came from the Oleander thing, and I\u2019m just being honest. They\u2019ll admit this, too \u2014 the least cool band in the world. Nickelback: not a cool band. Creed: not a cool band. They\u2019re in that category. And here I am in IMA Robot and they’re playing the Vans Warped tour and that makes them a cool band. But at the time when I came in, they were an incredibly edgy band. They would sell out the Honda, Henry Fonda, and the fans were super-avid fans, you know. <\/p>\n The level of chaotic energy with the singer, especially, and the band would just go nuts on stage. It was the most heavy-duty performance I had ever witnessed, certainly from behind the drums. I\u2019m like, \u201cHoly crap.\u201d The singer reminded me, not vocally, but the antics of Jim Morrison, David Bowie, the voice of David Bowie, and all the great punk rock front men. You just never knew what this guy was going to do. Whether he was going to punch you or fall over the drums or kick someone in the audience. Every night was just something crazy, and I absolutely loved it. <\/p>\n It was the most growth for me, musically, to jump into Joey\u2019s shoes. That was the most difficult, by far. And also the cool fact that it was very difficult for me to feel like I\u2019m not cool, you know? To me, cool, you have to believe you\u2019re cool, and I\u2019ve never been cool and I never will be. So, they had this cool factor, and I could see them looking at me like, \u201cIs he going to be cool enough to play with us?\u201d And you could see on my face, like, \u201cYeah, maybe not.\u201d But I tried. <\/p>\n Sander<\/strong>: What happened after that.<\/em> <\/p>\n Scott<\/strong>: They hit their peak, and we got to do some world tours, too. We got to play with the Beastie Boys in Japan, some really, really awesome gigs. Toured with The Sounds. I thought that was really fun. Junior Senior, one of my favorite bands of that timeframe. It was smaller touring. It wasn\u2019t the big arenas most of the time. We opened for Duran Duran at the Staples Center, and that was awesome. We toured with them a lot. So there were moments of like success. Did some TV shows, and stuff, but again, it never… <\/p>\n Just to put it in perspective, Oleander probably sold twenty times what they sold, but their fan base was ten times more avid and crazy about the band. The shows were way more intense. The fan hysteria was off the chart sometimes. We\u2019d walk off stage sometimes and you\u2019d be like \u201cHoly crap, what did I just see?\u201d But it never took off. I don\u2019t think it was really much of a huge money maker. I think they signed a pretty lucrative publishing deal, but all that\u2019s recuperable. It\u2019s not like they could retire on that band. <\/p>\n The singer went on to Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. That band did really well like a year ago, or something. Had a couple of big hits. And I got to run into him on the road, which was really, really great. <\/p>\n So IMA Robot kind of started waning a little bit, as far as keeping me busy, keeping the band members on tour. They never stopped recording. That\u2019s the one thing I\u2019ll give that band over any band I\u2019ve ever worked for. They were the most prolific guys ever. The singer could probably write three or four songs a day, if you\u2019d let him. Finally, you\u2019d have to try to get him to work on one. [He was] constantly writing. <\/p>\n I found that really inspiring. That restless creativity was super- educational for me. It really inspired me. Just always do it, no matter where it goes, no matter if you have a reason to do it, just creating propels itself. It becomes like exercise. It\u2019s a muscle you just constantly have to use, and you never know what you\u2019re going to get, if you just keep doing it. And I loved that. That\u2019s never changed since playing with them. <\/p>\n But that waned and then, of course, I\u2019m still at The Space, still doing whatever shows they were doing there, and that was starting to come to a close. I think we were just done. It ended up that most of the key players, except for Brett, my friend Brett, had kind of pulled from The Space, so the weight was more on me than anybody else, and it was time. The lease was going to be up, and I\u2019m like, \u201cYeah, I\u2019m not doing this again. Four years at the other place and six years at this place was more time than I\u2019ve spent on anything. More than all the bands. It\u2019s time to go. Then the last party we did, we got raided by the Alcohol and Beverage Commission. <\/p>\n Sander<\/strong>: You got cited? <\/p>\n <\/em><\/em><\/em>Scott<\/strong>: Cited. Right. We had to come up with ten grand, or something, to fight it. And that was a big wake-up call. We were already set to say we\u2019re not going to do this anymore. We didn\u2019t advertise it as our last event. We were just like, \u201cLet\u2019s just have another one because we want the memory, our friends, those were always really enjoyable to see all those bands in that small place, small location. And then when that happened it was like, \u201cI\u2019m done. I don\u2019t know how we\u2019re going to come up with ten thousand dollars or whatever.\u201d And plus the criminal stuff. I didn\u2019t want a criminal record. <\/p>\n And low-and-behold, all the positive energy that came from that place. I don\u2019t remember who came up with the idea, maybe [Justin] Hectus might have been the one \u2014 wanted to put on a benefit at The Blue Cafe, a legitimate venue that had a liquor license and stuff, have some of The Space bands play, and charge a cover, a legal cover, and they were going to donate the cover for legal fees. And I brought in almost exactly what was needed that I was short. I\u2019m not going to say the door brought in ten grand, but I think I might have been short $5,000, or whatever. Magically, people just donated a bunch of money at the door and, at the end of the night, paid for my\u2026 <\/p>\n It was such an honor, because my last memory would\u2019ve been what a shitty way for that place to go down. I got stabbed in the heart. Not that we didn\u2019t deserve it. We were always, you know, skating close to the edge of legality. We were underground, without a doubt. But to have all those musicians donate all their time and energy and got me out of the hole I was in, and eventually an attorney got me off of the charges and I just paid a bunch of money and I was Scott free. <\/p>\n Then I got a call to play at The Dub [aka the Auld Dubliner in Downtown Long Beach], a silly little cover gig with one of the guys who used to live at The Space, Bill Lanham. He had played with Joe Walsh, and the guy that he played with sometimes, his name\u2019s Frank Simes. He played with Roger Daltrey and also Mick Jagger, maybe a couple other people, Steve Nicks. I knew it was a pedigree. I\u2019m like, \u201cWow, he\u2019s played with some people I can\u2019t even imagine playing with. <\/p>\n Bill called me and said, \u201cHey, man, I got a cover gig at The Dub,\u201d which I knew he did but I\u2019ve never felt very good about playing covers because I don\u2019t know my Zeppelin. I don\u2019t know a lot of classic stuff. I know what I know, but\u2026 And I always felt like I don\u2019t want to play covers. I don\u2019t want to get into that vicious cycle that\u2019s all I play. So I had my artistic hand up, like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I can do it,\u201d you know? And Bill\u2019s like, \u201cCome on, man. It\u2019s a hundred bucks. It\u2019s fun. They\u2019ll feed you. Play for some people and have fun.\u201d It\u2019s like, \u201cWhat is it again?\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cIt\u2019s me and Frank, you know, the guy who played with Daltrey.\u201d I said, \u201cI\u2019ll get back to you, and hung up. And I was like, \u201cThe guy who played with Roger Daltry is asking me to play with him and I\u2019m heming and hawing about it? What do I have to do? Sit at home and watch TV? Sweep at The Space? Of course, I\u2019ll play with him! Why would I not play with him?\u201d So I called him and said, \u201cYeah, it would be stupid to not play it,\u201d and he\u2019s like, \u201cYeah, come on. Frank\u2019s a great guitarist. You need to play with him.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cYeah, he\u2019s great.\u201d So, they sent me a set list, and it was Stones and Beatles and Floyd and all the typical stuff. I didn\u2019t know most of it. <\/p>\n At the bottom it had two Who songs: one was My Generation. One was Bargain. And all I remember was looking like, \u201cOh, shit! Bargain. That\u2019s a tough one.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cWhat if they call that song? I\u2019m not going to fuck up Keith Moon with the guy who plays with Roger. You know what? I\u2019m going to hit that one out of the park.\u201d I didn\u2019t listen to anything else. All I did was study Bargain. I never told Bill that. I was, \u201cI\u2019ll just wing all the other songs. I\u2019ll even admit I don\u2019t know Zeppelin very well, you know. Rock and Roll, that\u2019s all I know, which is sacrilegious, as a drummer, but that\u2019s all I did was listen to Bargain. I studied the hell out of that thing, and I played it and played it and played it. I\u2019m like, \u201cI want to kill that song.\u201d <\/p>\n I went to The Dub. We play everything on that list, but never touch a Who song. We did well. It\u2019s a cover gig. Who cares? Everyone was clapping and the lights came on and we took our little bow. We got a tiny, little ovation from the tiny, little Dub crowd, and Christy, the manager, was like, \u201cYou can play one more.\u201d And he asked the crowd, \u201cWhat do you want to hear?\u201d And someone said, \u201cPlay a Who song.\u201d And I remember Frank going, \u201cYeah, let\u2019s do Bargain.\u201d And he leans back to me and he\u2019s like, \u201cYou sure you can do it?\u201d <\/p>\n Me and my little ego, I must\u2019ve smiled and said, \u201cLet\u2019s go for it, man. I\u2019ll give it my best.\u201d He had no idea that I was like, \u201cFuck, yeah!\u201d But you don\u2019t want to say that because you look like a dick. Like, \u201cI can do it in my sleep.\u201d You don\u2019t want to be that guy. It\u2019s only the most difficult Keith Moon EVER. So, I just kind of winked. I\u2019m like, \u201cLet\u2019s go for it. If I screw up, whatever. We\u2019ll do it.\u201d <\/p>\n We played it. I just dove off the high dive, and played my ass off. Didn\u2019t give a shit how loud it was. It\u2019s Keith Moon, screw it. It\u2019s a loud club to begin with, tiny. Get to the end. Big standing ovation from the little crowd and then they turn the lights on and I start tearing down my kit and I just remember so clearly, Frank came over to me and was like, \u201cThat was awesome. That was exactly what I wanted to hear out of that song. That\u2019s the best Keith Moon I\u2019ve ever played with, right there. You know what? I\u2019m going to get you an audition with Roger.\u201d <\/p>\n I\u2019m like, \u201cOh man, you saying that is just such a huge compliment.\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m really going to get you an audition with Roger.\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cThanks, man. You made my night.\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cYou don\u2019t believe me, do you?\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cNo, no, no, it\u2019s not that. I just don\u2019t want to get my hopes up. Just you even saying that you thought it was good\u2026\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cAgh, you\u2019re going to get a call, trust me. You\u2019re going to get a call.\u201d He tears down his stuff, I tear down mine and that\u2019s it. We went home. I\u2019m like, \u201cYes, I did it.\u201d I never thought twice, for a second, that there was any truth to what he was saying.<\/p>\n About two months later, a Thursday afternoon, my phone rings, and Frank is saying, \u201cAlright, your audition is Monday at 10 AM. Be at Center Stage\u2026\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cWhat?\u201d \u201cI told you you were going to get an audition. You didn\u2019t believe me but I\u2019m calling you like I said I was. Here are the songs.\u201d He gave me like seventeen songs. He\u2019s like, \u201cBring a bassist.\u201d So I was like, \u201cWhat the fuck?\u201d <\/p>\n <\/em><\/em>Sander<\/strong>: How long did you have between the phone call and the audition? <\/p>\n <\/em><\/em><\/em>Scott<\/strong>: Probably no less than a week or two. I\u2019d say probably at least a week. <\/p>\n <\/em><\/em>Sander<\/strong>: Well, seventeen songs in a week is a lot. So I was like, \u201cOkay, well, who do I know\u2014I know a lot of bassists. Who is phenomenal and who looks the part and who do I get along with, who will rehearse it with me a million times and I can annoy to death?\u201d And I thought of [Dave] Beste from Wonderlove, who I\u2019ve played with a couple of times. Brilliant musician. And he was into it, too. <\/p>\n We just locked ourselves into Jay Buchanan\u2019s storage space and just played and played and played and played. We played the live version, we played the studio version, which ended up being all the wrong versions. No offense to Frank, but he\u2019d given us the wrong versions. So I listened to Baba O\u2019Riley 350,000 times, and it was wrong. And you know, Baba O\u2019Riley is all sequenced, so you\u2019re playing with all those sequenced track, which go up and down, whatever. <\/p>\n So, that Monday comes, and I drive up super-early, because I\u2019m that anal guy, and I get there two hours early, pull the drums out, make sure everything is absolutely perfect. Dave calls me. He\u2019s like, \u201cYeah, I\u2019m on my way.\u201d He\u2019s all, \u201cYou know Roger\u2019s not going to be there, Roger\u2019s not coming from England. He\u2019s going to audition with the final, you know, whoever\u2019s got the top people. Don\u2019t get your hopes up.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cBro, I\u2019m outside the rehearsal space, and it sounds like he\u2019s in there.\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cDude, I\u2019m telling you, don\u2019t get your hopes up.\u201d \u201cAlright.\u201d <\/p>\n We go in there and set up. While I\u2019m setting up, Beste comes in. There\u2019s no sign of Rog.\u201d So, I\u2019m like, \u201cGuess I was wrong.\u201d And then once my drums are up and I\u2019m ready to play, in walks this short little guy with his New Balance shoes on, he\u2019s all comfy and curly hair and his blue glasses. He\u2019s like, \u201cHey. I\u2019m Roger.\u201d Instantly, I\u2019m like, \u201cI know exactly who you are. Yes, Mr. Daltrey,\u201d whatever, and I\u2019m trying not to be nervous but\u2026 <\/p>\n He\u2019s a legend. To me, he\u2019s one of the greatest front men ever. So I tried not to psyche myself out at all. And I could see Dave is like, \u201cHoly shit. He is here. Fuck!\u201d Oh, and right before we loaded in, Frank came out and said, \u201cHey, the live version I sent you was wrong. It\u2019s not what we\u2019re doing today.\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cDude.\u201d So instantly Beste and I sit in the car and listen to the studio version. I\u2019m like, \u201cAlright, it\u2019s minus two beats here plus three beats there, plus two beats, minus two beats,\u201d and we try to memorize, like, \u201cDo exactly what we did but here it\u2019s different. Shit.\u201d <\/p>\n But even worse than that, we go in there to play and they hook up in-ears so I could play to Baba O\u2019Riley, the sequencer thing. So they put it in my crappy little in-ears, they were like iPhone buds. They start it and they\u2019re like, right before they play it, and everyone there, including Roger and Frank\u2019s real nice about it. He\u2019s like, \u201cLook, it\u2019s a really long song. It complicated. There\u2019s all sorts of cues you\u2019ve never heard. You don\u2019t know where to start and when to stop. You\u2019re not going to get it the first time. Don\u2019t stress out. If you don\u2019t get it the first time, we\u2019ll try again.\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay.\u201d <\/p>\n So I\u2019m freaked that I\u2019m not going to get it. They start Baba O\u2019Riley, and I hear it in my mix and I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay.\u201d And we go to start right when the drums go gunkadunkadunka doo, my in-ears cut out. And it keeps coming in and cutting out, coming in and cutting out, and it\u2019s out most of the time. So I\u2019m playing to the sound of it in the room. And I\u2019m like, \u201cI\u2019m screwed. I can\u2019t even hear what I\u2019m playing to.\u201d So we get to the end. Baba O\u2019Riley, at the end, has a violin solo and it gets faster and faster and faster, and I just guessed where to stop and it was exactly right. And everyone, including Rog, turned around and went like, \u201cYou got it!\u201d Just as shocked as Beste and I were. \u201cYou got it.\u201d It was just like throwing a dart board in the dark. <\/p>\n After that, I think Roger played Bargain, and then we had fifteen other Who songs [to choose from]. Well, he plays a Johnny Cash song and he and I start playing Johnny Cash together. And he\u2019s like, \u201cAlright, I\u2019m done.\u201d He puts the guitar down and just started reading the paper, and I was just like, \u201cI\u2019m so broken hearted. He doesn\u2019t even want to play anymore? That\u2019s not a good sign.\u201d In my mind, if it was going great, you just want to keep going. So, he\u2019s like, \u201cYeah, that\u2019s all I need to hear.\u201d <\/p>\n The guy to the right was British also. I remember, when we were doing the audition, I really didn\u2019t want to be that guy who was just starring at Roger the whole time to make him feel that I was obsessing over the fact \u2014 You don\u2019t want to make him feel conspicuous. You don\u2019t stare at one guy in the band, you communicate with all of them, right? So my mantra was “Don\u2019t focus on him too much.” <\/p>\n I remember leaning over to play and I\u2019d see Rog and then I\u2019d look over to the right and the guitarist to my right, the other British guy, who\u2019s named Simon, was coming up to me and really playing off me and he looked super-excited, so I was like great, I\u2019ll play off him. That\u2019s easy. Boom! We started absolutely having a blast together. He was like, \u201cYeah.\u201d Then at the end when Roger was like, \u201cYeah, I\u2019m done,\u201d and I\u2019m tearing down my kit I was just like, \u201cOh, man.\u201d I was just so bummed. Clearly, it wasn\u2019t as spectacular as I wanted it to be. <\/p>\n So I\u2019m tearing down, thinking the worst, and then there were three days of auditions. Frank calls me at the end of the first day, and he\u2019s like, \u201cOkay, you did good, but there are a lot more drummers. There\u2019s like 50- some-odd drummers.\u201d He named some of the other drummers. They\u2019re all the greatest drummers in the world. I know them. They\u2019re my heroes. I\u2019m like, \u201cI don\u2019t have a fucking prayer.\u201d I knew the next guy. I know his pedigree and I know who he plays with and I know how he plays. I was like, \u201cI can\u2019t hold a candle to these guys.” <\/p>\n Frank was nice. He was like, \u201cHey, you did great. Roger liked you. He liked your look. You\u2019re still in consideration.\u201d Well, let\u2019s hope everybody sucks tomorrow, and the next day. And he\u2019s like, \u201cOh, by the way, Simon Townshend really thought you were great.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cWhat?\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cSimon Townshend.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cTownshend. Not Pete.\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cNo Simon, his brother.\u201d I\u2019m like, where was he?\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cHe was the guitarist, you dummy.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s Pete\u2019s brother?\u201d He was like, \u201cYeah, he was the guy playing guitar. He plays with Roger.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cI know Simon Townshend. I have his solo album. I love Simon.\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cHe\u2019s the guy who loves you. You guys were really getting along great.\u201d <\/p>\n I\u2019m like, \u201cThank God you didn\u2019t tell me that because I would\u2019ve been all \u2018Well, don\u2019t play off him too much. He\u2019s Pete\u2019s brother.\u2019\u201d I would\u2019ve been nervous about focusing too much on him. So I had this luxury of being completely stupid. Not of being like totally unaware of anything. After the second day, Frank called me and said, \u201cYou\u2019re still in consideration. There are other drummers who did great but you\u2019re still in the running.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay.\u201d <\/p>\n Then the third day came, and I had a church gig. Not my favorite gigs. One of those mega-church gigs. It\u2019s kind of tough playing The Who with Roger then playing the church gig. No offense to church gigs, but it was really tough. Played the church gig, coming home from silly church gig, and I\u2019m on the freeway and I\u2019m like, \u201cNo call today.\u201d <\/p>\n The phone rings and it\u2019s Frank. Frank is like, \u201cAlright, so I just want to let you know you did great. Blah blah blah.\u201d And to the best of my knowledge he just started talking about, \u201cWell, you know, he\u2019s thinking about doing this and that. And he might do the Ellen Degeneres Show and he might do the Tonight Show,\u201d and he went on for like a good thirty minutes. <\/p>\n I\u2019m on the freeway and I\u2019m like, \u201cFrank! Frank! Frank, sorry for interrupting you, but what are you saying? Are you saying I got the gig?\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cYeah, dummy. What do you think I\u2019m talking about? You\u2019re the drummer for Roger Daltrey.\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cAghgh!\u201d He literally had to beat me over the head. It didn\u2019t sink in. I pulled over to the side of the freeway and I was like, \u201cI got it.\u201d And that was the game-changer. <\/p>\n In Part 3, Scott speaks about getting up to speed with Roger Daltry, and getting the sad news that Zak Starkey, drummer for 8 years with The Who, was suffering from such severe tendonitis that he could no longer perform.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n Read more: Scott Devours: From Here To The Who –\u00a0Part 1.<\/a>
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Scott<\/strong>: Especially Who songs! One Who song in two weeks is a lot. But yeah, he just gave me a whole long list of stuff, said bring a bassist, and he even gave me a little inside information. He said, \u201cYou know, Roger wouldn\u2019t admit it, but the truth is looks are a part of the gig, you know, like, so whoever you pick, take that into consideration, that you want to look good together. Don\u2019t just pick some slob who doesn\u2019t give a shit, because you\u2019re playing with him. You\u2019re a group. You\u2019re probably going to give a mutual impression.\u201d <\/p>\n
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