|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Scott Jeffries – Drums and Vocals
Scott Jeffries (AKA Scott the stick) back in my BIG HAIR days!!!
I’m the drummer/singer and founder in the band .I have been around music all my life. My father was a drummer back in the 50’s and my brother Mike was the lead singer and rhythm guitar player of Highway 61. I started playing drums when I was in fifth grade. I kept hanging around listening to my brother's band practice and some times if I was lucky I would "Roadie" for them -- man that was the Coolest!!! They would sneak me in these places that where all painted in psychedelic and glow in the dark paints. After watching them I thought "I want to try this", so I had their drummer show me some licks and then I was hooked. My parents helped me save up money enough bought my first kit when I was 12. The kit was a five piece used sparkle green SEARS & ROEBUCK.
I auditioned for my first band when I was 17. A friend of mine told me there were some friends of his in a band looking to hire a new drummer. When I got to audition there was another drummer there already playing and this guy really COOKED!!! I thought no way was I better or even close to this guy. At that point I was ready to leave, but my friend told me "well you’re here, you might as well try". So I got behind this old ROGERS kit and started to play some AC/DC and about half way through the song the band stopped and the leader turned to me and said, "man you are rock solid – you’re hired". So that was it, I was in my first band RUKUS. I played with RUKUS for five years and became best friends with all of them. We played everywhere from Chicago to St. Louis. We had a manager and the whole deal. We won first place in a local radio station song contest. The whole thing was a BLAST!!! But the manager wanted us to quit our day jobs and go on a year tour in Canada and that’s where the band pretty much broke up.
For the next few years I played in numerous bands then I got a call from some guys trying to do something different so I tried out and we got a lead vocalist. We were called Split Decision. We stayed together almost another five years playing stuff like Dokken, Bon Jovi, and Whitesnake. We were known to have the Biggest Light show in the Quad Cities. Our light guy used aircraft landing lights to light us UP!! To this day the lead singer and I are best friends and very close and talk with each other almost every week.
After Split Decision broke up I laid low for a while until a work acquaintance started telling me he played guitar and thought maybe we could jam sometime so we got together and got some other guys together and formed the Plow Boys which after a year became WHY NOT. I played with WHY NOT for about four years. We played stuff by Journey, AC/DC, to Nickleback. After our singer left the band, the Girls joined and I really enjoyed the vocals that they brought to the stage their harmonies where great and still are today.
I left Why Not and again laid low but I had the itch do to something different. My roommate had just moved back from Nashville and he and some other friends really got me into the NEW Country stuff. So I thought I’ll try to put something together I contacted Dave and Jerry and told them about my idea they seemed kind of interested but I told them the key to my whole idea was to find a great singer. Well I went searching and after a couple months I had about given up, until I met Megan. The moment I heard her sing I thought "That’s it. That’s the voice". So I spoke to her and she gave me a CD of some songs she had recorded I sent the CD out to Jerry and Dave and "Voilà" Wild Oatz was born.
Gear: I have two Mapex Kits I’m currently using with the same configuration. The Blue fade one is their Meridian model and my other is my new custom Cammo Kit (I LOVE CAMMO!!!!!!!) The sizes are 24” Kick, 13” Tom and 16” and 18” floor toms. I’m using a Sabin Cymbals in a variety of models and sizes are 14” High Hat, 18” & 19” crashes and my old Zildjian 22” Ride. Remo Heads on all, hardware is a make –up of DW and Mapex and I use Vic Firth Sticks. My electronics are: Pearl Butt Thumper and I use DRUM ERZ Custom in-ear monitors. I currently have 6 Snare drums that I use depending on where we are playing
Influences: John Bonham, Jeff Porcaro Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio, Buddy Rich, Mike Portnoy, Kenny Aronoff, and Alex Van Halen.
