Woburn Local Tops Amazon Charts

Scott Dunbar is a Woburn native. He grew up here and graduated Woburn High School. Recently, Scott did what tons of kids dream of doing some day … He became a rock star!

Scott signed with Down Boys Records and released a single “Tears in the City.” It is a cover of a Warrant song, but Scott has truly made this song his own.  The melody, combined with his “rocker” voice, will leave you singing it for days. 

I recently got to ask Scott some questions about his single, his upcoming release, and his tour.   

Me: Do you write your own material?

Scott: Of course I do and there are several songs I've written that appear on my upcoming release "In A Mellow Mood." However, I really do like to collaborate with other artists. I've been very blessed to have had the chance to work with Jeremy Heussi on this project. He is the piano & keyboardist for the successful Boston-based bands Mass & Fortune. Jeremy has brought so much to the table with both song arrangements & his writing abilities. We make a good team & we will definitely be working together in the future on other projects.  Even though this is a solo album, it's still very important for me to be able to work with others in order to create music & to just have someone to bounce ideas off of. There are several musicians that appear on "In A Mellow Mood." Everyone involved brought a lot to the table & for that I'm grateful!

Me: What is the writing process like for you?

Scott:  Well It all depends... Some songs come very easy while others are a huge amount of work & those ones usually end up taking a backseat. I find it much easier to write lyrics that are from the heart & are based on personal experiences, rather then to write songs about sex & partying. I personally think that it is important for me to work with fellow writers because they also understand the writing process & are also able to throw in their two cents! If one of my ideas sucks then I wanna know about it & well y'know maybe someone I'm working with has a better idea. If that's the case, then so be it. If it benefits the song then I'm all for it!

Me: Do you play an instrument? If so which one?

Scott:  I sing & play some guitar!

Me:  Is there an instrument you don't play, that you wish you did?

Scott:  Hands down—the drums! That is the first instrument I listen for when I hear a new song or album. If the drums stink, then I really can't be bothered to listen! I'm just so horrible at playing drums. I have a kit at my house & man I just suck!!! I have mad respect for drummers!

Me:   I noticed that this single is a cover of a Warrant song. What lead you to re-imagine this song?

Scott:  "Tears In The City" is indeed a cover of a Warrant song. The original version of the song is from their album "Rockaholic." It is hands down one of my favorite albums of all time. (Seriously!!!) It came out in May 2011 & I've listened to it every day since. (Just ask my friends!) Warrant is a huge influence in my upbringing & they have always been one of my top favorite bands. I personally think that "Tears In The City" is one of the best lyrically written songs by the band & I think that Jerry Dixon hit it out of the ballpark with the lyrics. I have mad respect for Jerry and I'm thrilled to be signed to his record label Down Boys Records. Jerry has giving me a chance to release my music worldwide & for that I am forever grateful. The idea of covering this song came into my head late one night when I couldn't sleep. The next day I ran the idea by Jerry who wrote the song & my producer Kenny Lewis. I really wanted to do a different take on the song. I decided to turn the song into a duet. I then hired a female vocalist named Ashley Johnson. Ashley did such an amazing job & I'm so in love with her voice. Jeremy Heussi also did an unbelievable job with the arrangement on piano & strings.

Me:  What/Who are your biggest musical influences?

Scott:  I have a ton of musical influences. So let's just back it up here for a bit. Before I discovered hard rock (the music that would become my life!) the first artist I got into was a dude by the name of Mitch Miller. Whenever my Auntie Pat would pick me up in her old station wagon, I would ask her to play that cassette tape over & over again.  A few months later, I would go on to discover the King Of Pop—Michael Jackson.  Music really kicked into high gear for me in the fall 1988. I was a little 10-year-old lad at the time & it all happened one day after school. While awaiting for dinner at my Grandmother Jean's apartment, I started flipping through some channels on her TV & I stopped on a channel named MTV. This was the year 1988 & the first video I ever saw that I fell head over for was by a band named Stryper & the song was called "Always There For You." I then started to get into all of the bands from that genre which is pretty much well known now as 80's rock/hair metal. I feel in love with bands such as Stryper, Poison, Warrant, Bon Jovi, Kiss, Motley Crue, Cinderella, Ratt, Skid Row, etc. etc.

Me:  If you could collaborate with anyone dead or alive who would it be?

Scott:  Alive: Both Butch Walker & Nikki Sixx A++++ song writers! Dead: Jani Lane.

Me:  Is there a song you wish you wrote? and why?

Scott:  Lots of 'em! Way too many to break down to just one! However... one of the bigger hits would be great (good for the wallet) ... Journey - Don't Stop Believin'???

Me:  If you could perform at any venue in the world, where would it be and who would open for you?

Scott:  Well, since I'm a Boston boy, I would have to say the Boston Garden for multiple sold-out nights. Hey ... I can still dream right? For an opening act...  For me, it really doesn't matter as long as they don't blow me off the stage. Actually ... This might sound kind of corny but back when I was in elementary school I would walk down the street from my house in my hometown of Woburn & every year still to this day they would have their Flag Day celebration every year & I would check out the band's playing on the stage at Library Park. I remember catching a band playing a cover of the Bob Seger hit "Old Time Rock N Roll." I was just so mesmerized. I remember it like it was yesterday! Hey, Kiwanis Club, hit me up! I've been lucky over the past several years as a solo artist to open for such national acts as White Lion, Lynch Mob & I also did several acoustic shows opening for my childhood hero Michael Sweet of Stryper.

Me: When will your album be released?

Scott:  The full 7-song release will be out towards the end of April 2012. It will be released digitally worldwide on Down Boys Records. The label which is owned by both Jerry Dixon & Erik Turner of the multi-platinum band Warrant. I'm at Mixed Emotion Studios with Producer Kenny Lewis mixing & mastering the rest of the songs. The single "Tears In The City" is out now via iTunes & Amazon. So far it has been a great success. Tears In The City went straight to #1 on the Amazon Hot New Releases Chart in the category Country Rock & stayed there for over a week. It also hit several other Top #100 Charts on Amazon.  The single has also been doing great over at iTunes.

Me:  Will you be doing any live shows?

Scott:   I'm currently booking a good amount of shows for my solo band & we will be doing several shows in support of the new release this summer. The first show in support of "In A Mellow Mood" will be a headlining show at Voices Rock Club in Lowell, MA on Saturday, May 19th, 2012.  www.voicesrockclub.com. For more upcoming dates, please visit www.facebook.com/scottdunbar or follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/ScottyDunbar.