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Moving to Los Angeles from St. Charles, Missouri in 2000, singer-songwriter, Scott Warren formed the indie rock outfit, Signal Hill Transmission. Routinely compared to Fountains of Wayne, Wilco and The Replacements, Signal Hill Transmission have four records under their belt, the most recent released by ATO records. This year, Warren had the opportunity to create a solo effort and he jumped at the chance. The result is Quick Fix Bandage a record that has elements of both rock and country throughout and straddles that fine line between past and present. Warren has an unusually strong command of his music but the real strength of this record lies in his songwriting. You get the feeling that if all of the songs were stripped down to their core, Warren would still get his point across.
Growing up in Missouri, Warren played in bands in high-school and college, but didn't find his musical path until he was turned on to Uncle Tupelo, an area band whose members went on to form Wilco and Son Volt. From there, he traced their influences back and was turned on to music from Neil Young, Bob Dylan, George Harrison and the Kinks. He explains, 'I'm influenced by songwriters like Bob Dylan and Ray Davies, but at the same time I'm inspired by things happening here and now. I'm inspired by where I live, the things I see and experience.' Comes With a Smile described his music this way, '…Scott Warren has a warm, involving and expressive voice and an intriguing inclination to his lyrics' while Playback says, 'Scott Warren sings lines of loneliness and loss in a deliciously scratchy, versatile voice'.
Quick Fix Bandage was co-produced by Warren with Kevin Houlihan and was made while house sitting in Studio City, CA. 'The opportunity to make this record presented itself in the most organic of ways,' says Warren, 'Kevin, was house sitting for most of 2008, and the house was mostly used for it's pool and barbeque grill. It just seemed logical to bring in a bunch of gear and turn the place into a recording studio.' With the homeowner returning and a deadline looming, they got to work with Houlihan behind the desk. 'I love the sound and production value of older records,' explains Warren, 'but this record was made in a house on a computer. There are things, however, that help to make the production sound that way. Like, getting one solid take, instead of piecing together a performance, not worrying about making everything sound perfect, letting players play, and completely eschewing the use of programs that pitch correct vocals and take the soul out of things.' Many amazing musicians stopped by to contribute to the record: Brian Young, (Fountains of Wayne, The Posies), Tommy Rickard (Michelle Shocked, Linda Perry), Taras Prodaniuk (Lucinda Williams, Richard Thompson), Brian Lapin (Black-Eyed Peas, the Shore), Magic Kramer (Ray Charles), Helen Belangie, Rich McCulley and Shana Gray.
With the housesitting stint ending, Warren took his songs home for additional recording and then passed them off to Ethan Allen to mix (The 88, Patty Griffin). Warren explains, 'Ethan and I hit it off right away both musically and personally and I think that shows in the end result.'
Quick Fix Bandage is a collection of subtle yet powerful reflections on loves lost and found and the crossed wires one encounters along the way. Warren penned ten of the songs and there is also a completely re-imagined take on America's 'Sister Golden Hair' (which Gerry Beckley of America digs!) Throughout the thirty-five plus minute record, Warren's gift for writing understated, memorable hooks remains intact. Songs stick after a listen or two, with multiple layers revealing themselves upon further spins. Warren explains, 'I wanted to make a record that was organic in its instrumentation, but at the same time ethereal and otherworldly sounding in parts. We got there by lacing straightforward acoustic-based arrangements with guitar feedback, tremolo, ebow, double tracked vocals and other assorted noises. It was truly a labor of love and I can't thank everyone enough that had a hand in making it a reality.'
Quick Fix Bandage is available at scott-warren.com and digitally through iTunes and other digital sites, July 28th, 2009. Warren's music with Signal Hill Transmission and other collaborations have appeared on the CW's '90210', VH1's 'Free Radio', Food Networks 'Giada at Home' (with Giada holding Signal Hill Transmission a televised record release party), New Regency's 'Firehouse Dog' and Fox Atomic's 'The Rocker'. He also recently composed the music for Miramax Films' new opening logo. For more info and live dates, visit scott-warren.com.
Contact: jangularmusic@mac.com