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Tuesday Artist Spotlight: Scott Pemberton Band

Today we’re starting a new tradition here at Creative Entertainment Group. On Tuesday evening each week, we plan to write a spotlight article on one up-and-coming band or musician complete with a brief bio, videos of live performances, recorded music, and upcoming tour information. To kick off our Tuesday Artist Spotlight series, we are focusing on the Scott Pemberton Band from Portland, Oregon.

Fronted by lead vocalist and guitarist Scott Pemberton, the four-piece band is also comprised of Jack “the Stablizer” Johnson (bass), Sam Berrett (drum set), and Rudy Slizewski (steel pans / percussion). You may recognize Scott from one of the numerous festivals he’s played in the past like High Sierra, Catskill Chill, or Joshua Tree. A veteran to the touring and festival circuit, Pemberton never fails to stand out with his novel medley of Northwest musical influences and unique “strapless” approach to playing the guitar. Often times on stage Pemberton will play his guitar the way someone would perform a piano by resting it horizontally on his lap or on a stool. A musician who steers clear of convention, his fearless technique and explorative musicality enables Pemberton to effortlessly weave the jazz, grunge, blues roots, and west coast funk that characterizes his home in the Pacific Northwest. To better visualize Pemberton’s unique style, check out this video of the band performing live at the Eccles Center in Park City, UT on February 20th, 2016. At about 2 minutes in, after taking a break from the guitar to play percussion, Pemberton performs his guitar while it rests on a stool.

Although no stranger to the East Coast, the Scott Pemberton Band has developed an incredibly strong fanbase out West, earning #1 spots on Portland’s Pop Charts, #4 on Billboard’s Tastemakers chart, and peaking at #2 on Jambases’s top performers list while performing at the High Sierra Music Festival. Called the “Bruce Lee of Rock and Roll” by Tahoe Onstage, “a modern Jimi Hendrix,” by Chico Enterprise, and a “wildly creative virtuoso” by Jambase, Pemberton has become a staple of the Northwest jam scene, where he even accepted guitar teaching positions at Lewis & Clark University and Reed College at the age of 21.

Pemberton’s unique, seated style of guitar playing was formed after the musician survived a near-fatal bicycle crash over five years ago. After successfully fighting through rehabilitation, Pemberton was able to take the stage once again but needed to make modifications to his live show to compensate for some lingering injuries. To this day, Pemberton still tours with own barstool, and often rests his guitar down to showcase this novel technique he mastered while overcoming adversity.

Pemberton is bringing his unique style and patchwork of Northwest musical influences to the East Coast, and is in the middle of a 7-stop tour that includes Harrisburg, Arden, Richmond, Pittsburgh, New York, Lancaster, and Williamsport. This coming Thursday on March 15th, the Scott Pemberton Band will perform at DROM in New York’s East Village. Tickets are still available at this link. To stay on top of everything Scott Pemberton, make sure to follow him on Facebook and to check out his Official Website.