Six years after Scott Wilson joined Tantric, he has decided join Saving Abel, a band that has been around for 13 years. He replaces Eric Taylor as the bands’ bassist. It is no secret that Tantric had a troubled past with regular and consistent lineup changes so I am excited to see Scott make this change. Alongside vocalist, Scotty Austin, guitarists Jason Null and Scott Bartlett, and drummer, Blake Dixon, this lineup is shaping up to be the best they’ve ever had. They have new music in the works and fan anticipation is ever growing.
Interview with Scott Wilson – bassist/Saving Abel
By: Leslie Elder Rogers
Metal Exiles: At what age did you realize you had an interest in playing music and or/being a part of the music industry in the way you are?
Scott: I started my first band when I was 13. It was more or less because I wanted to be in a band. I didn’t know that we actually had some talent. I was actually the guitar player in that band and everyone except for the bass player in that band, is actually a professional musician. It’s kind of weird that that group of teenagers met and we formed a band. It was called Laiden.
Metal Exiles: Did that band name have any specific meaning?
Scott: No. It kind of was just come up with by a bunch of goofy teenagers. A few of the guys went to church and there’s a bible verse that says something about “All ye’ that are heavy laden”, so then we just changed the spelling about getting laid.
Metal Exiles: You play bass, you write, you sing, you produce. What is your favorite aspect of everything you do in the music industry and why?
Scott: I love the creation of music. I love the production side of it. It’s very inspiring because you can take an idea and go as far as you want to, take it in a studio and see what sticks, what works, and what the best thing is. That part is awesome and that’s the nerd part of me and I call it the nerd side. Just being a studio dog. I grew up being that way. I loved the studio always and loved to write and create. The producing part and composing other people’s music is like “wow, I never would’ve thought of that concept” but I’m going to take their concept and expand it. It’s super fun. I love that part, however, going out and getting to meet people and hear how songs affected them, and how it inspired them for that two hours you were out with them that night at the concert, those things are super important to me to. I’m kind of a dude who thinks that we’re all put here to make each other’s lives a little better so I like doing that part of it as well. I’d say it’s probably a 50/50 split. I know I’m not always gonna’ look like a rock star. I’m gonna’ get old at some point and I’m lucky that I’ll have the other stuff to fall back on and have a decent career in the production side and the writing side. I’m still excited for the future because of that. As long as people are buying tickets, I’ll be there. I’m fortunate to look younger than I am, but I face the truth.
Metal Exiles: Who have been your biggest inspirations over the years?
Scott: There are so many. There are a few different ways to group that. I have the local guys that I grew up with. I lived fairly close to Nashville and those guys did a lot of studio sessions and I got to go watch them play with big acts and with small acts locally. There’s a lot of local musicians I could call out but I won’t say their names because I’ll forget one and everybody will yell at me. Victor Wooten, Sting, they were huge inspirations. I always loved The Cars and that kind of music. Writing wise, I’m a huge Jani Lane fan, from Warrant. Anthony Smith, a country writer in Nashville and I actually love his style of writing. I aspire to be like those two guys as a combination and create all kinds of different kinds of music.
Metal Exiles: Since you’re from around the Nashville area, aside from Anthony Smith, do you have other country inspirations?
Scott: A lot of people don’t know it, but I’ve actually played for a lot of country acts growing up I did get a lot of that kind of stuff and in the 90’s I actually wrote “kind of” country music and would do the writers nights and open mic nights in Nashville a lot. A lot of people don’t know about that part of my life but I was pretty low-key for a long time there and just wrote and played my acoustic guitar non-stop. It was great.
Metal Exiles: What is your opinion about the mood in the band now that the lineup changes have been finalized?
Scott: Here’s the cool thing. I was with Tantric last year and we did the Make America Rock Again tour with Saving Abel so I knew the demeanor of the band then. We all hung out a ton. I have to say this, and nothing against Eric or Steven, from Saving Abel, those guys are super good dudes, and they’re both my good friends, but this line up, and the fact that we’ve also done some management changes too, it just seems like everybody really works well together. Everybody wants to do what’s best for the entire group and not just them. We have the best time on the road of any band I’ve ever toured with. I don’t just mean the party side of it. We hang out. The other morning, Scott Bartlett, Blake, and I were the only three up and we were in the front lounge just hanging out and I looked at them and asked “why are we awake”? They said they didn’t know. So we just started talking and we hysterically laughed for 15 minutes. As adults, we don’t always get to do that. We don’t always get to have a good time like that but for no reason, we all could not stop laughing. I say the demeanor is amazing because we all are such good friends and enjoy each other’s company. That translates on the stage and I think it’s also going to translate onto the new record.
Metal Exiles: Prior to your joining the band in June, you played in place of Eric for a few shows. Was that kind of like the beginning of the end for you with Tantric? Is that what solidified your thoughts to leave Tantric?
Scott: No, actually, I had set a goal about a year ago, February. That day had passed so I was already in my head thinking about what I’m gonna’ do and talking to my fiancé about it. We live in Colorado Springs. We have a venue and a recording studio here, did we want to just focus on that? Did we want to move to Mexico? So there were thoughts and discussions way before I filled in for Eric. Scotty Austin is, I’ve said many times, and I’ve played for a lot of front men, John Elefante, The Ripper from Judas Priest, but Scotty Austin has something really special about him. I joke with him and sometimes I call him Elvish because he reminds me of an Elvis and Jerry Lewis combination of personality, which is huge to me. So calling him Elvish is just a joke we have. He is brilliant and is amazing vocalist and is the best entertainer that I’ve ever stood behind for sure.
Metal Exiles: How has the band change affected or changed your attitude or has it?
Scott: No, it sort of renewed the fire inside of me again. Like when you first start with a touring band, like years ago when I first ever did a tour, you hang out with a group of guys and eventually, even though you may love your job, it becomes just a job. You don’t feel good, things are going on in your mind, but you’ve gotta’ go do the show. With these guys, like I said, there’s such a good brotherhood there that before you get on stage, all of that is gone because you’re all laughing about something silly or trying to do something nice for somebody else. It kind of renewed a fire for creation of music and just be excited about music again. This band sits around and just picks up acoustic guitars and plays and writes all the time. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve just done that for no reason. When you write a lot of things, you say I need to write a lot today, I need to dedicate like three hours and balance that out on your schedule but on the bus we have a recording rig and when we feel inspired, we just sit down and throw something down. That’s very inspiring.
Metal Exiles: Blake was with band before so he has fans that existed already but how well have you been received by fans as his replacement?
Scott: Saving Abel fans, as you know, I mean, the band has always been a really down to earth band, so they embrace their fans. In turn, their fans have really embraced me. Of course, everybody misses Eric because he is such a colorful dude. It’s exciting to hang out with that guy. No matter what kind of mood you’re in, he’ll make you laugh. When we first announced in the press release came out, I received hundreds of messages on Facebook from people I didn’t even know, saying welcome to the band, thanks for joining our family, and a lot of good things. We’ve been out and done some touring and everybody has just been super cool to me and stuck up a welcoming arm. I love that. It’s what touring is all about…getting to know people.
Metal Exiles: What have been some of the biggest setbacks or hurdles you’ve faced during your career?
Scott: Oh wow. If anybody ever says that the music industry is an easy job then they don’t know anything about the industry. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on. Music is just a tough business. I was fortunate enough to grow up close to Nashville so we had a lot of people and a lot of inspiration around there so there are a lot of connections. The hurdles more or less are facing the ups and downs of the music industry. You’re on top, or you’re in the middle and still living like you’re on top and you’ve gotta’ back things up and figure it out again, and then you wind right back up on top again. That’s kind of the hurdles that every musician in our age bracket has faced. The great thing is that no matter what, we always get to fall back on music and always get to keep these huge fan bases of people that always want to reach out and hear everything we play.
Metal Exiles: I know you’re just getting your feet wet with Saving Abel but what songs in their catalogue move you and excite you most?
Scott: Saving Abel has always pays huge homage to the military. I grew up with my uncles and grandparents being military. The song 18 Days, every time we play it, I feel it big time. Scotty dedicates that to the military every time. So, yeah, that one touches me a little deeper. There’s a bunch of songs of course, that they do and that they’ve written that I get to perform now that are inspiring to people and are exciting to play. Some of them are just really technical songs as far as playing the instrument so that makes it really fun and touches me a little bit because I get proud of myself.
Metal Exiles: Do you think that touring with Saving Abel will differ greatly from touring with Tantric and if so, why?
Scott: Yeah, absolutely. The big thing with Tantric was that I handled most of the business and tour managed most of the time. The pressure of all of that was pretty heavy on me all the time. In this band, I pretty much show up and play and sing a little bit. That’s nice. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders. We have a little business meeting once a day and discuss the topics that needed to be handled and then people carry that out for us. Scott Bartlett is a big key player in handling the day-to-day on the road so it’s way different than touring with Tantric for sure.
Metal Exiles: Who does most of the writing for Saving Abel?
Scott: This new record that we’re doing, it’s everybody. The funny thing about this band is that everybody plays multiple instruments and everybody in the band sings. Honestly, they sing really well. This record is a little bit different. In the past, Jared and Jason had written the majority of the songs but Blake had a few of those that he had written on as well. But like I said, on this record, everybody, collaboratively put their favorite stuff that they’d had for years, out there on the table and we’re taking bits and pieces of everybody’s music and putting it together. That makes for a really energetic record and there’s some stuff that people will be hearing about here in the next few months. We should have our single out just after the holidays. It’s going to be exciting for the band and if you love Saving Abel, you need to come to the shows.
Metal Exiles: Is there a time frame in which we can expect the new album release?
Scott: We’re hoping for spring, but it’s real sketchy right now as far as time frame. We’re looking at different labels right now and exploring all the options. Once we have a label signature, that’ll dictate more of a time frame.
Metal Exiles: As far a music that will be on the new album, has most of it already been written and will the music be promoted by the upcoming tour?
Scott: We have a couple of tours coming up. One of them is with Soil. We’re shooting a live video here in Colorado Springs and we play here August 13 at Sunshine Studios which is our venue. So we’ve been working on this new song for that video, which is going to be the single. The next day, after we play here, we’re going into our recording studio and record that song for the first time on the hard drive where we can dissect it and what not and really fine tune it. That’s coming up and that’s exciting.
Metal Exiles: If there was one thing you could change in your life, what would it be and why?
Scott: Okay. Let me think about that for a second. If there was one thing that I could change, it would be, well, I don’t ever like to say regrets or the past, or anything like that, but I wish I didn’t take everything so seriously when I was younger as far as my music career and how I handled things in my twenties career wise. I took everything a little extreme and forgot to enjoy that I was a musician and got to play music on the road. I guess that would be one thing because I would’ve enjoyed what I was doing more and treated it a little less on the business side. I pushed and was so overly driven I guess that I forgot to smell the roses as I was passing by them. Now I’ve got a beautiful fiancé and a beautiful life and the greatest job I could ever have.
Metal Exiles: I follow you on Facebook so I see the fun you have. I recently had an uncontrollable fit of laughter at the two of you and your hair video.
Scott: The video with our hair going crazy? That’s at Will Rogers’ Shrine here in Colorado Springs. I don’t know the altitude but it’s like 10,000 or 12,000 feet. It’s crazy up there and of course the wind is ripping all the time. We were going to take a selfie with the Colorado Springs Overlook behind us and our hair started doing that and she was like “wait, wait, wait, I’m gonna film this”, so she did it and it was hilarious. I’m glad you saw it and enjoyed it because it makes me laugh every time it pops up.
Metal Exiles: I love to see people, couples, having a good time but hair videos make me laugh. My husband calls my haircut the “I want to speak to the manager” haircut so I always watch and pay attention to hair dos and the video definitely made me smile. With that said, get some rest. We need you out there rested and ready.
Scott: The crazy thing about touring is that I get to go to my bunk and sleep and I have no choice because I have nowhere else to go. Here, I have the studio, the venue, a thousand home errands and things in my house that I have to fix because I enjoy working like that, manual labor stuff. It’s really mind clearing so I try to do as much of that as I can. On the road, I work hard once I wake up but at night, I hit the bunk and I’m out. I’m forced to sleep. It’s great.
Official band website @ www.officialsavingabel.com/
Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/savingabel/
Twitter @ https://twitter.com/savingabel?lang=en
Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/thesavingabel/
Interview with Scott Wilson – bassist/Saving Abel
By: Leslie Elder Rogers
Metal Exiles: At what age did you realize you had an interest in playing music and or/being a part of the music industry in the way you are?
Scott: I started my first band when I was 13. It was more or less because I wanted to be in a band. I didn’t know that we actually had some talent. I was actually the guitar player in that band and everyone except for the bass player in that band, is actually a professional musician. It’s kind of weird that that group of teenagers met and we formed a band. It was called Laiden.
Metal Exiles: Did that band name have any specific meaning?
Scott: No. It kind of was just come up with by a bunch of goofy teenagers. A few of the guys went to church and there’s a bible verse that says something about “All ye’ that are heavy laden”, so then we just changed the spelling about getting laid.
Metal Exiles: You play bass, you write, you sing, you produce. What is your favorite aspect of everything you do in the music industry and why?
Scott: I love the creation of music. I love the production side of it. It’s very inspiring because you can take an idea and go as far as you want to, take it in a studio and see what sticks, what works, and what the best thing is. That part is awesome and that’s the nerd part of me and I call it the nerd side. Just being a studio dog. I grew up being that way. I loved the studio always and loved to write and create. The producing part and composing other people’s music is like “wow, I never would’ve thought of that concept” but I’m going to take their concept and expand it. It’s super fun. I love that part, however, going out and getting to meet people and hear how songs affected them, and how it inspired them for that two hours you were out with them that night at the concert, those things are super important to me to. I’m kind of a dude who thinks that we’re all put here to make each other’s lives a little better so I like doing that part of it as well. I’d say it’s probably a 50/50 split. I know I’m not always gonna’ look like a rock star. I’m gonna’ get old at some point and I’m lucky that I’ll have the other stuff to fall back on and have a decent career in the production side and the writing side. I’m still excited for the future because of that. As long as people are buying tickets, I’ll be there. I’m fortunate to look younger than I am, but I face the truth.
Metal Exiles: Who have been your biggest inspirations over the years?
Scott: There are so many. There are a few different ways to group that. I have the local guys that I grew up with. I lived fairly close to Nashville and those guys did a lot of studio sessions and I got to go watch them play with big acts and with small acts locally. There’s a lot of local musicians I could call out but I won’t say their names because I’ll forget one and everybody will yell at me. Victor Wooten, Sting, they were huge inspirations. I always loved The Cars and that kind of music. Writing wise, I’m a huge Jani Lane fan, from Warrant. Anthony Smith, a country writer in Nashville and I actually love his style of writing. I aspire to be like those two guys as a combination and create all kinds of different kinds of music.
Metal Exiles: Since you’re from around the Nashville area, aside from Anthony Smith, do you have other country inspirations?
Scott: A lot of people don’t know it, but I’ve actually played for a lot of country acts growing up I did get a lot of that kind of stuff and in the 90’s I actually wrote “kind of” country music and would do the writers nights and open mic nights in Nashville a lot. A lot of people don’t know about that part of my life but I was pretty low-key for a long time there and just wrote and played my acoustic guitar non-stop. It was great.
Metal Exiles: What is your opinion about the mood in the band now that the lineup changes have been finalized?
Scott: Here’s the cool thing. I was with Tantric last year and we did the Make America Rock Again tour with Saving Abel so I knew the demeanor of the band then. We all hung out a ton. I have to say this, and nothing against Eric or Steven, from Saving Abel, those guys are super good dudes, and they’re both my good friends, but this line up, and the fact that we’ve also done some management changes too, it just seems like everybody really works well together. Everybody wants to do what’s best for the entire group and not just them. We have the best time on the road of any band I’ve ever toured with. I don’t just mean the party side of it. We hang out. The other morning, Scott Bartlett, Blake, and I were the only three up and we were in the front lounge just hanging out and I looked at them and asked “why are we awake”? They said they didn’t know. So we just started talking and we hysterically laughed for 15 minutes. As adults, we don’t always get to do that. We don’t always get to have a good time like that but for no reason, we all could not stop laughing. I say the demeanor is amazing because we all are such good friends and enjoy each other’s company. That translates on the stage and I think it’s also going to translate onto the new record.
Metal Exiles: Prior to your joining the band in June, you played in place of Eric for a few shows. Was that kind of like the beginning of the end for you with Tantric? Is that what solidified your thoughts to leave Tantric?
Scott: No, actually, I had set a goal about a year ago, February. That day had passed so I was already in my head thinking about what I’m gonna’ do and talking to my fiancé about it. We live in Colorado Springs. We have a venue and a recording studio here, did we want to just focus on that? Did we want to move to Mexico? So there were thoughts and discussions way before I filled in for Eric. Scotty Austin is, I’ve said many times, and I’ve played for a lot of front men, John Elefante, The Ripper from Judas Priest, but Scotty Austin has something really special about him. I joke with him and sometimes I call him Elvish because he reminds me of an Elvis and Jerry Lewis combination of personality, which is huge to me. So calling him Elvish is just a joke we have. He is brilliant and is amazing vocalist and is the best entertainer that I’ve ever stood behind for sure.
Metal Exiles: How has the band change affected or changed your attitude or has it?
Scott: No, it sort of renewed the fire inside of me again. Like when you first start with a touring band, like years ago when I first ever did a tour, you hang out with a group of guys and eventually, even though you may love your job, it becomes just a job. You don’t feel good, things are going on in your mind, but you’ve gotta’ go do the show. With these guys, like I said, there’s such a good brotherhood there that before you get on stage, all of that is gone because you’re all laughing about something silly or trying to do something nice for somebody else. It kind of renewed a fire for creation of music and just be excited about music again. This band sits around and just picks up acoustic guitars and plays and writes all the time. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve just done that for no reason. When you write a lot of things, you say I need to write a lot today, I need to dedicate like three hours and balance that out on your schedule but on the bus we have a recording rig and when we feel inspired, we just sit down and throw something down. That’s very inspiring.
Metal Exiles: Blake was with band before so he has fans that existed already but how well have you been received by fans as his replacement?
Scott: Saving Abel fans, as you know, I mean, the band has always been a really down to earth band, so they embrace their fans. In turn, their fans have really embraced me. Of course, everybody misses Eric because he is such a colorful dude. It’s exciting to hang out with that guy. No matter what kind of mood you’re in, he’ll make you laugh. When we first announced in the press release came out, I received hundreds of messages on Facebook from people I didn’t even know, saying welcome to the band, thanks for joining our family, and a lot of good things. We’ve been out and done some touring and everybody has just been super cool to me and stuck up a welcoming arm. I love that. It’s what touring is all about…getting to know people.
Metal Exiles: What have been some of the biggest setbacks or hurdles you’ve faced during your career?
Scott: Oh wow. If anybody ever says that the music industry is an easy job then they don’t know anything about the industry. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on. Music is just a tough business. I was fortunate enough to grow up close to Nashville so we had a lot of people and a lot of inspiration around there so there are a lot of connections. The hurdles more or less are facing the ups and downs of the music industry. You’re on top, or you’re in the middle and still living like you’re on top and you’ve gotta’ back things up and figure it out again, and then you wind right back up on top again. That’s kind of the hurdles that every musician in our age bracket has faced. The great thing is that no matter what, we always get to fall back on music and always get to keep these huge fan bases of people that always want to reach out and hear everything we play.
Metal Exiles: I know you’re just getting your feet wet with Saving Abel but what songs in their catalogue move you and excite you most?
Scott: Saving Abel has always pays huge homage to the military. I grew up with my uncles and grandparents being military. The song 18 Days, every time we play it, I feel it big time. Scotty dedicates that to the military every time. So, yeah, that one touches me a little deeper. There’s a bunch of songs of course, that they do and that they’ve written that I get to perform now that are inspiring to people and are exciting to play. Some of them are just really technical songs as far as playing the instrument so that makes it really fun and touches me a little bit because I get proud of myself.
Metal Exiles: Do you think that touring with Saving Abel will differ greatly from touring with Tantric and if so, why?
Scott: Yeah, absolutely. The big thing with Tantric was that I handled most of the business and tour managed most of the time. The pressure of all of that was pretty heavy on me all the time. In this band, I pretty much show up and play and sing a little bit. That’s nice. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders. We have a little business meeting once a day and discuss the topics that needed to be handled and then people carry that out for us. Scott Bartlett is a big key player in handling the day-to-day on the road so it’s way different than touring with Tantric for sure.
Metal Exiles: Who does most of the writing for Saving Abel?
Scott: This new record that we’re doing, it’s everybody. The funny thing about this band is that everybody plays multiple instruments and everybody in the band sings. Honestly, they sing really well. This record is a little bit different. In the past, Jared and Jason had written the majority of the songs but Blake had a few of those that he had written on as well. But like I said, on this record, everybody, collaboratively put their favorite stuff that they’d had for years, out there on the table and we’re taking bits and pieces of everybody’s music and putting it together. That makes for a really energetic record and there’s some stuff that people will be hearing about here in the next few months. We should have our single out just after the holidays. It’s going to be exciting for the band and if you love Saving Abel, you need to come to the shows.
Metal Exiles: Is there a time frame in which we can expect the new album release?
Scott: We’re hoping for spring, but it’s real sketchy right now as far as time frame. We’re looking at different labels right now and exploring all the options. Once we have a label signature, that’ll dictate more of a time frame.
Metal Exiles: As far a music that will be on the new album, has most of it already been written and will the music be promoted by the upcoming tour?
Scott: We have a couple of tours coming up. One of them is with Soil. We’re shooting a live video here in Colorado Springs and we play here August 13 at Sunshine Studios which is our venue. So we’ve been working on this new song for that video, which is going to be the single. The next day, after we play here, we’re going into our recording studio and record that song for the first time on the hard drive where we can dissect it and what not and really fine tune it. That’s coming up and that’s exciting.
Metal Exiles: If there was one thing you could change in your life, what would it be and why?
Scott: Okay. Let me think about that for a second. If there was one thing that I could change, it would be, well, I don’t ever like to say regrets or the past, or anything like that, but I wish I didn’t take everything so seriously when I was younger as far as my music career and how I handled things in my twenties career wise. I took everything a little extreme and forgot to enjoy that I was a musician and got to play music on the road. I guess that would be one thing because I would’ve enjoyed what I was doing more and treated it a little less on the business side. I pushed and was so overly driven I guess that I forgot to smell the roses as I was passing by them. Now I’ve got a beautiful fiancé and a beautiful life and the greatest job I could ever have.
Metal Exiles: I follow you on Facebook so I see the fun you have. I recently had an uncontrollable fit of laughter at the two of you and your hair video.
Scott: The video with our hair going crazy? That’s at Will Rogers’ Shrine here in Colorado Springs. I don’t know the altitude but it’s like 10,000 or 12,000 feet. It’s crazy up there and of course the wind is ripping all the time. We were going to take a selfie with the Colorado Springs Overlook behind us and our hair started doing that and she was like “wait, wait, wait, I’m gonna film this”, so she did it and it was hilarious. I’m glad you saw it and enjoyed it because it makes me laugh every time it pops up.
Metal Exiles: I love to see people, couples, having a good time but hair videos make me laugh. My husband calls my haircut the “I want to speak to the manager” haircut so I always watch and pay attention to hair dos and the video definitely made me smile. With that said, get some rest. We need you out there rested and ready.
Scott: The crazy thing about touring is that I get to go to my bunk and sleep and I have no choice because I have nowhere else to go. Here, I have the studio, the venue, a thousand home errands and things in my house that I have to fix because I enjoy working like that, manual labor stuff. It’s really mind clearing so I try to do as much of that as I can. On the road, I work hard once I wake up but at night, I hit the bunk and I’m out. I’m forced to sleep. It’s great.
Official band website @ www.officialsavingabel.com/
Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/savingabel/
Twitter @ https://twitter.com/savingabel?lang=en
Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/thesavingabel/