SHALEY SCOTT: BACK IN THE LIMELIGHT

A little bit pop, a little bit blues and soul,
and a lot of rockstar, Shaley Scott is easily
becoming one of the most talented new
musicians out of Northern Colorado.
A Fort Collins native, Scott began her career
as a performer in theater groups. She participated
in the Fort Collins Children’s Theater and attended
the Colorado Academy of the Arts, where she was
part of a 40s dance group called Track 29, which
toured all over Europe. Her love of the stage and
performing led her to pursue a musical career that
began with guitar and piano.
Scott was a self-taught piano player who
preferred to pioneer her own sound instead of
practicing the lessons her instructors assigned.
This independent creativity stuck with her, and
when she began a college career at CSU, she
found herself skipping music study classes to write
and practice her own music.
“I can only study opera for so long,” jokes
Scott. “I was more into writing my own songs.”
Scott eventually decided that her career path
was not to be found at CSU, and discontinued
school to “do her own thing.” This began with a
drastic change: at 19, she packed her Geo Metro
with clothes, a pillow, and her guitar and moved
out to Los Angeles.
Initially, the goal was to just survive on
bartender wages and open-mic nights. Through
her perseverance and determination, Scott
managed to establish herself as a great musician,
create connections with California-based artists
and producers, and even star in a few films.
This snowball effect led to a signing with a
small, independent label called Chanel Records,
which unfortunately went under shortly after
signing her.
“It was tough,” Scott says. “One day I had rent
paid, the next I was back to where I started.”
But Scott endured, and began self-producing
all of her music, which gave her the freedom and
independence that she’s perfected so well. Her first
project, Welcome to Winter, was a collaborative music endeavor with Filthy Souls member Anthony Labin. A few years later, Scott married and again felt thepull to do something
different. She mo ved back to Colorado and had her
first child in 2010.
“Colorado was calling me back,” states Scott.
“This was by no means me giving up, it was an
opening to different kinds of opportunities.”
Now, Fort Collins is lucky to have Scott back
and performing locally. She has her own studio
and continues to self-produce her music.
She is currently working on a children’s album, which
she hopes will be entertaining for both kids and
parents, and is planning on releasing an album
titled The Eclectic Chair sometime next year.
Scott enjoys the concept of changing up
her sound, and dislikes how some record labels
put musicians in a box. The Eclectic Chair aims to
break all the expectations of “signature sound,”
and instead provide listeners with a little mix of
everything. In the future, Scott hopes to get more
into producing, and wants to explore making
music for movie soundtracks.
Her time in L.A. gave her a good web of connections, and with new
technology, it has become easy for her to work on
collaborative projects with people in other states.
Her current band, The Shaley Scott Band, is a
well-honed group of completely different individuals
doing their own thing. They come together in what
Scott calls “a Frankenband,” and the result is perfection.
Playing gigs at a variety of venues around Northern
Colorado, The Shaley Scott Band is a high-energy,
charismatic performance featuring Cisco Romero,
Mikus Shoemaker, Chad Alley, and Jessica Veal.
They are excited to play The Walnut Room in
Denver on December 5.
For more information, or to sample Shaley’s music, visit www.reverbnation.com/shaleyscott.