Scott Tournet
Name:
Scott Tournet
Hometown:
Burlington, VT
Birth date:
August 25, 1976
High School:
Black River Union High School (Ludlow, VT)
College:
Goddard College (Plainfield, VT)
Musical background:
BA from Goddard College (Performance/Composition)…instruments- guitar, harmonica, drums, bass, lap steel, effect pedal manipulation, “making records”.
Where did you grow up?
Williamstown, MA….Chester, VT…Ludlow, VT
What were some non-musical jobs you had?
Exterminator, waiter, bus boy, bartender, dishwasher, painter, store clerk, travel booker, factory work, etc.
When did you pick up the instrument?
18 years old.
Who are your musical heroes?
Too many to list them all. a few are Jimi Hendrix, Roy Buchanan, John Lennon, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Fela Kuti…
Why?
They all played/wrote from their heart and broke the rules. .
Top 5 recording artists:
Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Stax, Wilco.
Top 5 records:
Jimi Hendrix- Electric Ladyland
Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Spiritualized- Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space
Bob Dylan- Time Out of Mind
Neil Young- Tonight’s The Night
Top 5 songs:
It changes a lot, but 5 songs that consistently move me are…
Pancho and Lefty- Townes Van Zandt
Highway Patrolman- Bruce Springsteen
Not Dark Yet- Bob Dylan
Hope She’ll Be Happier- Bill Withers
Isn’t It A Pity-George Harrison
What made you want to become a musician?
When I started playing it was all I wanted to do…ever…I couldn’t do anything else…It became obsessive…It was also a feeling in my gut that told me that it was what I was supposed to do.
What would you do if you weren’t a musician?
A criminal.
Was there a record/movie/concert that changed your life?
I know it’s cliche for a Vermonter, but Phish’s Clifford Ball concert in ‘96 made the dream real to me. Before that, all the musicians I looked up to were dead or unattainable. Seeing Phish, a band from a small state like Vermont, and a bunch of guys who didn’t really look/seem like “rockstars” made being in a band for a living seem possible.
What’s your favorite and least favorite things about live performance?
Favorite thing- the energy. least favorite- gear not working.
What’s your favorite and least favorite things about studio recordings?
Favorite- that things can be thought out, manipulated, and perfected
Least favorite- that things can be thought out, manipulated, and perfected
What’s your worst nightmare?
Probably that recurring dream of being naked in the hallway of my high school.
What’s your greatest fantasy?
I can’t tell you everything, but it involves a white horse, 20 yards of ribbon, a kiddie pool, two midgets, and 50 gallons of applesauce. stir to perfection.
