Who Is Scott Austin?

Welcome to another installment of Breakdown with Scott Austin. In this episode, I answer viewer questions about how to pursue a career in music.

Dropping tomorrow, be sure to check out two more great releases from Authentik Artists!!!

Until June:

BUY IT HERE!!!

Overbreaker:

BUY IT HERE!!!

I have seen hundreds of shows in my career spanning everyone from the local bar band to U2, Radiohead, Coldplay, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, Christina Aguilera, Rod Stewart and others, but as of tonight everything pales in comparison to the one I saw last night.

Thanks to smASH, we scored about the most amazing seats one can get to Neil Diamond at the Hollywood Bowl!!! Fourth row, CENTER! So close we could touch him!

This was one of the greatest Performances I have ever seen and is a reinforcement of music’s need for iconic rockstars!

Our journey is chronicled below:

Start with 2 Martinis and a healthy snack:

Take a quick stroll up the hill to the Hollywood Bowl:

Find out you’re sitting 6 feet from Neil in an audience of 18,000:

Sing it Neil:

Give us more:

Big props to my friend and former signing Eric Hutchinson for his debut performance on Jay Leno tonight… it’s always nice to see talented young artists achieving their dreams, and equally as exciting when I can take credit/original bragging rights for said performance!!!

Congrats.

Congrats to my friends Family Force 5 on their debut at # 30 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart and # 8 on the Alternative Rock Chart!!! I was one of the early believers in these guys and signed them to Maverick back in 2005… These guys are living proof that hard work and unwavering belief in your music DOES pay off!!!

Kountrygentlemen.

SmASH and I spent the Fourth up with good friends The Brightmans. Some food, some drink, and some good ol’ fashioned bowling rounded out a relaxing holiday weekend.

Here’s how to roll a strike (nice roll Andrew):

Mac Allan is at it again. This time We The Living was the client and the song was their sultry mid-tempo ballad “Best Laid Plans”.

I love movies.  I always have.  Growing up on a healthy dose of the Star Wars Trilogy raised my expectations for what makes a movie truly great, regardless of genre.  I like everything from Sci-Fi’s to the heart-string tuggers but the key components that do it for me are compelling visuals, intriguing storylines, killer acting and the uber-important soundtrack that both complements and helps define a film.   

So in order of priority, here are my recommendations: 

Vanilla Sky – Where do I begin on this one, aside from the fact that it’s in my TOP 10 of ALL-TIME!  I know I’m going to get flack on this one, but I don’t really care.  A lot of people hated this movie.  The ironic thing is that I myself saw the film in a theater when it came out in 2001 and also spent most of the film thinking it was one of the worst things I’d EVER seen!! Somewhere between getting up to leave and getting 15 steps outside the theater, what I had just seen hit me like a ton of bricks and I have insisted on regular repeat dvd viewings ever since, though I must say that one must be in a certain state of mind and mood for the right experience to occur.  I’ve learned some invaluable insights and discovered that the emotion of this film goes far deeper than any of my first impressions, and has even changed the way I view certain aspects my own existence. 

This film is about life, love and the importance of living each day to the fullest and reinforces that it’s the consequences of our actions that ultimately determine where and how we end up.  On the personal tip, I can relate to David Aames in more than a few respects and the idea of Sophia, a woman who David only knew for a few moments yet left an indelible impression on his memories… A little too close to home for me. 

Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Jason Lee and Kurt Russell round out a fantastic cast and with Cameron Crowe at the helm, Vanilla Sky earns its marks and placement in my book amongst cinema’s great moments.  I had the honor of meeting Cameron at an Oscar party hosted by Elton John a few years back where I used the opportunity to profess my appreciation for his stellar work on VS and others such as Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous and his other greats… He graciously accepted my accolades.  The soundtrack was assembled by Danny Bramson, whose name is casually mentioned randomly during the party scene at David’s apartment AND who is Crowe’s go-to guy for all music in his films.  It is a perfectly disjointed soundscape with critical scenes further punctuated by the use of tunes by acts such as Sigur Ros, Spiritualized, R.E.M. and Radiohead. 

Make it a Netflix night, or better yet, go out and get this one, you may as well buy Vanilla Sky since you’ll need to watch it again and again to discover all of the intricacies… I’ve seen plenty of copies sitting on shelves at the local video joint for under ten bucks.

Key quotes:
“Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around”
“Because without the bitter, baby, the sweet ain’t as sweet”
“What is the answer to 99 out of a hundred questions?  Money”
“I’ll see you in another life, when we are both cats”
“The little things. There’s nothing bigger, is there?”

Open Your Eyes.