presskit
bio:
Edmonton, Alberta's own prairie balladeer Scott Cook is a tirelessly traveling songwriter who brings honesty, humour, years of roads and a deep love of humanity to his songwriting and storytelling. His straight-talking tunes weave together folk, roots, blues, reggae and soul influences, whether stripped down to fingerpicked acoustic guitar, banjo, ukulele, and foot percussion, or backed by his 5-piece band The Long Weekends. He has been making a full-time living at music since 2007, traveling the continent while living out of his van, and is currently touring in support of his third solo album, Moonlit Rambles. Music, photos and hobo travelogue can be found on http://www.scottcook.net.
 photo Tracy Kolenchuk |
Scott Cook Bio "Onesheet": Acrobat .pdf Sonicbids EPK (electronic press kit) for Scott Cook (open in a new window) High-Resolution Photos for press use Places I've played: short list complete list Album lyrics can be found in Words |
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"Scott Cook bridges topical songs with spiritual themes, all with a gentle, personal and unrushed delivery. Listening to his music gives relief from the pace of today's world; his songs comfort on the one hand; and wake us up to something essential, on the other."
"Cook's easygoing, hardworking-hippy ideology is the sinew in every song here, from an ultra-sentimental tribute to his grandfather Ray to a killer honky-tonk jingle called "The Lord Giveth (and the Landlord Taketh Away)." Cook might get a little too romantic - you almost feel like you're intruding into a shared sleeping bag, but as one of the most genuine writers making music in town there's no question he means every word... Moonlit Rambles is like a conversational bottle of Jack passed around a dawn fire, everything burning just right. To get to know it is to know a good man and his well-worn guitar. ★★★★"
"Very listenable tones with sharp and well-crafted lines. Cook has a creamy and beguiling voice but luckily he backs it up with the musical goods... Wry, sweet and witty, it's heavily Loudon Wainright-inspired, with jaunty tunes and some Cajun musical embellishments for good measure. Love it."
"Edmonton-based songwriter Scott Cook belongs to that fine tradition of traveling minstrels like Woody Guthrie... it's a good solid disc he's produced himself with lots of good players... Cook is definitely a writer to keep an eye on. Strong, decent stuff."
"Basically, this is exactly the kind of act
you'd be happy to stumble down the hill or through the birches and hear at a music festival...
warm like a campfire, familiar like the lake down the road... deep-thinking, introspective stuff" "Scott Cook goes to show you what talent and a banjo can do;
in fact he shows that a man with talent and a banjo can make far more beautiful music than something
shiny and blitzy and over produced... a deep lush vocal that makes a song a story every time... beautifully
constructed tracks of patchwork quilt stories within an entirely concrete and realist perspective...
As memorable as Waylon Jennings, but without the country twang... undeniably genuine... Each song
is unique but equally as caressing, soothing, and memorable as its predecessor." "By the time the Anglers took
the stage, emotions were already running high. As entranced bodies bobbed
up and down, the room became filled with a mass of swirling hair and
excited hands pointing upwards. For a band separated by vast distances
for the better part of the year--frontman Scott Cook makes a living
teaching in Taiwan while bassist Darryl Els commutes between Alberta's
dusty plains and his home in South Africa--they delivered an incredibly
tight set that lit up the Sidetrack. Cook's spot-on reggae vocals had
a way of latching on to your cerebral cortex, sending universal shivers
coursing through your spine until your feet answered the call. Coupled
with Els' pulsating acoustic bass lines, Cook's roots-tinged reggae
songs spread smiles through the crowd as quickly as the common cold
(which they both probably caught as they performed the whole set in
true exotic fashion, barefoot). "Earthy, organic, acoustic sounds without the fluff. These
guys sing and play good ol’ down to earth, real Canadian music.
Great vocals with some tasteful instrumental work and darn good song
writin’.” "This Edmonton story teller can transform a few picked notes on the guitar, uke or banjo into a
personal experience. He turns phrases and tells stories that seem to have been passed on from
friend to friend since the dawn of time.” "Scott Cook and the Long Weekends were a big hit with our Rose City
Roots Music Society. Talent, authenticity, charisma, energy and great
sound combined for the perfect mix that delighted our audience. Their
infectious folk and reggae stylings, tremendously high level of
musicianship and captivating stage presence make it impossible to take
your eyes off this band once they're cookin'. Without a doubt, Scott
Cook and the Long Weekends would be an excellent addition to any
line-up, and suitable for any venue or crowd. We certainly look forward
to having them back again. If they're coming 'round your bend, be sure
not to miss them! ” "Long Way To Wander resonates with a Dylan-esque verve,
a Waits-ian post-modernity, Cook baring his soul in public for all to hear. The songs mostly
revolve around Cook's strings - guitar, banjo, ukelele - and his low, booming voice... His
observations are spot-on and often funny, and places and people come to life vividly, whether
Cook is singing about his grandmother in Alabama or about being lost somewhere in the middle
of Asia... Long Way To Wander represents a huge leap forward for a singer-songwriter who has
many more stories to tell." "Scott's life imitates his art and this talented traveling troubadour lives in a borderless world. He has an eye for the absurdities of the human plight and an ear for putting it all to music. Scott's lyric content appears to be the soundtrack to his own life, yet his poetry reveals truths of the shape all our lives have taken in today's increasingly complex world. When Scott performs, live and on record, there is a surfeit of breathtaking moments along with scattered flashes of hummable brilliance- in a three to four minute format. Book him. He's cool." |
"Scott Cook has distilled his travels down into songs powered by a sharp eye for imagery, a healthy dose of humanity, and that unforgettable voice, that at the same time intones the rigors of the road and the most comfortable couch you have ever slept on." -David Francey, 3x Juno Winner "Lyrics are clear, instruments are tasteful. This is fine, mature writing... The words of Scott Cook are unorthodox and personal and I highly recommend this whole collection." -J.W. McClure, Victory Music, Seattle "I'm not sure I've seen an album title and cover artwork that so aptly prepares you for the music you are about to hear. Moonlit Rambles has the intimacy of a man sitting by the lake on a moonlit night strumming his guitar and telling stories with his songs. Some are happy stories ("goin up to the country"), some are sad stories ("the lord giveth (and the landlord taketh away)"), but all of them have the warmth and closeness to them that you don't find much in music today. Even though Scott has other instrumentation and backing vocals all over this album, they are so subtly done as to never undermine his vocals. Instead they help to add colors and flourishes to the stories. The definition of 'ramble' is, "a walk taken for pleasure in the countryside". With Moonlit Rambles, Scott Cook has created a very pleasurable walk through the countryside of his mind." -Lazlo Seltzer, Blow Up Radio "Scott Cook has a way with words and melodies that inspires foot taps and head nods... This One's On the House finds the songwriter telling stories of the miles he's travelled and the people he's known, and it's a compelling epic - one that is fitting for a man who sees himself as a hobo wandering the world with eyes wide open. Cook taps into the same sort of spirit that so many ramblers in the past have, and he inspires just like the most famous hobos of yesteryear, his friendly demeanor and enthusiasm for life on the move catching, fueling a desire to pack a bag and head out looking for some of the things that Cook's seen in his travels. ★★★★" -Eden Munro, Vue Weekly "'Long Way To Wander' is an eloquent,
finger picked, perfect for Sunday listening record" "With his "there's no shame in being a hobo, you sure can't take it when you go" ethos, Scott Cook always makes me want to strip off what few trappings of civilization I have left clinging to me. He is, without question, the most endearing of folk hippies in this uptight town - a reggae country bluesman whom Willie Nelson would get along with better than pretty much any of us, which means everything. The music on his new one is pretty, thoughtful, and hopeful - lustful for life and eternally grateful. And honest, with lines like "I'd like to say I'm past it, but I'm still moved by the mention of your name." It'd almost be easier to name who didn't join Cook on the recording, but suffice it to say he's in great company with a crisp hillbilly orchestra, beautiful upright bass, slide guitar, and chipper harmonica. Solid version of "Shady Grove," too. Spark one and lay back; there's still a little summer left. ★★★★" "Alternating between an acoustic guitar and a banjo, frontman Scott Cook
led the steamy crowd of dreadlocked dancers along like a barefooted
pied piper with his eclectic mix of musical styles. At the heart of
it all was an undeniable groove and a message of universal love that
gave the night a warm fuzzy vibe even a cynical old bastard like myself
couldn't ignore." "9-out-of-10... good old, lyric driven folk... one of the better folk CDs to cross this desk in
quite some time... find this one - it's great." "In Scott Cook's sophomore album "This One's On The House" Cook exceeds all expectations... he is well worth searching out and finding. Truly, whatever Cook puts his vocals to is an inspiration and toast to a beer in the hammock and watching the sun set." "His voice is Tom Waits, his sensibilities are Bob Dylan, Kerouac, and Walt Whitman, and his music is a
mixture of folk, rhythm and blues, country, bluegrass and reggae. Being a writer as well as a musician,
his songs are rich, atmospheric stories about his geographical and philosophical journeys... His music
has the ability to transport one instantly to a space of campfire-lit, creek-dipping radiance. Listening
to this album is perennially serendipitous - like one is chancing upon a well-traveled old soul by the
fireside, whose stripping-away-the-veneer knowledge of the world is never jaded, but always innocent." “The kids in Chungli know how
to party, and often follow their locally based band The Anglers to Taipei
when they play. The Anglers are not only all cute, they also play a
groovy, chilled out, down-home rock/funk music that gets everyone dancing.” “For his smoky vocals and rough-hewn storytelling, Cook earns
frequent comparisons to Tom Waits. But he's his own man. Picking a banjo or
guitar, the tattooed Cook is a soulful member of a generation of musicians
who are bent on not only reviving American roots music, but giving it a
contemporary relevance.” “The charismatic Cook, sporting
his trademark mutton chops, performed his frontman duties well, getting
people moving. The rest of the band help up their end as well, laying
down a solid, infectious groove.” "Cook shows himself to be a deft poet with an ability to deliver his songs in easy-on-the-ears musical arrangements that owe their lineage to the likes of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Charlie Pride... This One's On The House establishes Scott Cook as one of the better traditional-style Country singer/songwriters working in Nashville or otherwise. Cook still lives the lifestyle of a road-warrior, speaking with a grit and authenticity that is rarely captured anymore, much less lived." |
past shows:
| Festivals & benefit concerts: North Country Fair, Driftpile, AB, '04, '05, '07, '08, '09, '10 & '11 Western Canadian Music Awards Official Showcase, Edmonton, '08 Ontario Council of Folk Festivals, '09, '10 & '11 Folk Alliance International, Memphis, TN, '11 Folk Alliance Regional Midwest, Bolingbrook, IL, '11 Folk Clubs & Concert Series: Full Moon Folk Club, Edmonton Cochrane Valley Folk Club Medicine Hat Folk Club Uptown Folk Club Whitecourt House Concerts Rocky Mountain Folk Club, Calgary Whitecourt Folk Club, Whitecourt, AB Vermilion Folk Club, Vermilion, AB Live! From the Living Room, Pontiac, MI, 2 times Falcon Trails Resort Concert Series, Falcon Lake, MB Club shows (Taiwan): The River,
Jungli, innumerable times Club shows (USA):
The Listening Room, Cold Spring, NY |
Club shows (Canada): The
Black Dog, Edmonton, 5 times |
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for a complete, ordered list of past shows, click here |
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if
you want to get ahold of Scott, scott & the long weekends |
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WELL WORTH READING:
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Martin Luther King on Vietnam, as relevant today as it was back in '67. |
WELL WORTH WATCHING:
The War on Democracy
by John Pilger
Why We Fight
by Eugene Jarecki
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"Recent polls have shown growing public dissatisfaction with the president's handling of the war in Iraq in the face of a persistent insurgency and the mounting U.S. death toll."-AP, my emphasis added |
| They forgot to mention the price at the pump, which seems to be people's #1 concern... Civilians in iraq evidently don't matter to US military planners, or to the mass media... what will it take for their lives to matter to the US public? |