Scott E. Moore is a veteran singer-songwriter and guitarist. He's also an accomplished video producer-director-writer and film composer, which he does through his boutique production company WingTip Studio. He works a lot on a lot of different things: from performing his own music to playing guitar for others, to creating diverse high-end video projects for major clients, to contributing to musical scores other people's film and TV work. In 2013 he co-composed and co-produced 2 hours of gorgeous meditation music for Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey. His business card says "soulful storytelling with pictures and sound," which pretty much sums it up.
Scott calls his sound "Americana Soul." His rootsy blend of blues, folk and r&b - as well as his vibe and chops, have made him a comfortable fit performing in venues large and small alongside a diverse group of acts, such as acoustic blues virtusoso Kelly Joe Phelps, Americana crooner Raul Malo (The Mavericks), jazz artists Tuck & Patti, French pop star Tété, folkies Patty Larkin, Steve Forbert, Melissa Ferrick, roots rocker Rhett Miller (The Ol' 97's), New Orleans fixture Paul Sanchez & The Rolling Road Show...and even musical comedic legends The Smothers Brothers. And many others!
Every few years Scott makes a record. Many longtime fans and followers feel "Home Bittersweet Home" is his strongest. Recorded in East Nashville with producer Neilson Hubbard (Mary Gauthier, Glenn Phillips, Garrison Starr, Amy Speace), it's a moody, groovy, and lush-sounding collection of Scott's confessional tunes. The songs are driven front & center by Scott's signature sultry, intimate vocal and acoustic guitar, with atmospheric touches of real strings and steel guitar - all anchored by a band consisting of Hubbard's pop-like keyboards and guitar, Marco Giovino (Robert Plant, Patty Griffin, Tom Jones) on drums, James Haggerty (Josh Rouse, The Autumn Defense, Original Blues Brothers) on bass.
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backstory:
Scott grew up in Northern New Jersey in the shadows of New York City (ever see The Sopranos?). His Mom & Dad divorced by the time he was four, and he and his adopted Native American brother and sister were raised by his mother and the woman she fell in love with. Growing up with same-sex parents in working class NJ in the 70s was unique in retrospect, but Scott often describes it as otherwise incredibly "normal." Mostly, it taught him a lot of about love and what really makes a family. His parents were legally married in 2013 - on their 44th anniversary - after working as diligent and and popular activists in the quest for the civil rights and marriage equality in NJ.
Their story was immortalized in the award-winning PBS short documentary, “Love Wins.”
As a teen, Scott spent a lot of time alone in his room trying to make sense of things with a guitar and a vast and eclectic record collection - complete with vintage R&B, classic rock, new wave, fusion jazz, progressive rock, along with NJ-bred Springsteen worshipping. After noodling around a bit, he got his first "real" guitar: a 1979 Stratocaster (still has it) at 14. From then on, it was diligently playing blues licks to old LPs, making noise as a lead guitarist in NJ garages, basements, various Battle of Bands and eventually in nearby New York rock clubs like The Bitter End and CBGB.
During a 4-year stint at a liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, Scott made music mostly for fun. But while studying journalism and creative writing, he started to truly appreciate song-craft and began to find his own voice as a writer and singer. After college he moved back home, where his Moms stressed the need to get a "real" job to contribute to the household. His passion and ambition for music and pop culture landed him an internship at MTV, where he quickly worked his way up as a writer. He eventually moved over to VH1 , becoming a producer-director, winning awards, traveling the world and working with some of his heroes like Daniel Lanois, Bonnie Raitt and others.
Meanwhile he kept performing (the local Hoboken, NJ scene & NYC songwriter clubs like Sin-é), recording and being shopped (including a unsuccessful deal with Sire Records). He eventually left a full-time TV job to make records and ht the road as a modern indie folk artist. He helped support himself through random freelance TV gigs, and as a "show doctor" at many networks.
In 1998, after getting a bit tired of couch-surfing, Scott returned home to Hoboken and started a performance residency/song-writing circle called The Writer's Hang out of the now defunct Liquid Lounge and Goldhawk. It was the first listening room-type show in the area, akin to a living room concert in a bar, where Scott would play once a month with 2 guest friends from the national and local music scenes. "The Hang" became a gig to get, attracting some of the best emerging artists in the country - people like: Amos Lee, Toshi Reagon, Freedy Johnston, Jim Boggia, Jesse Harris, Krystal Warren, Mike Viola, Willie Nile, Dayna Kurtz, Phil Roy, David Mead, Rebecca Martin, Richard Julian, Peter Mulvey and so many more. The Writer's Hang ran successfully for 10 Years, and filmmaker Gillian Grisman ("Grateful Dawg") featured Scott and the Hang in her Sundance Channel documentary series: "Keeping Time: New Music from America's Roots," alongside artists like Gillian Welch and Nickel Creek.
These days, aside from being a Dad, a closet chef, and riding his bike, Scott continues to produce and direct video projects. In 2013, he created an award-winning web documentary series called It's Who You Know (IWYK), with longtime TV collaborator Eric Feldman.
IWYK is a series of powerful short films on inspiring and remarkable people Scott & Eric actually know.
Scott continues to make a lot of music - as a singer-songwriter performing at public shows and private house concerts. He also performs live at special Yoga events, mixing ambient guitar work, and spiritual R&B. He works as a guitarist/sideman for other artists, including New Orleans songwriter Paul Sanchez (Tremé, Cowboy Mouth), with whom he performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2017, 2018, and 2024. In 2019, Scott produced a record for stunning Americana artist Stacia Thiel. The album “Straight To The Middle,” entered the Top 20 of the Roots Americana chart, with the single “Sunny Days” entering the Top 10.
He has worked as a composer for film and TV with longtime collaborator Rich Tozzoli. He & Tozzoli are also part of a fun side-project called The Deep Dig, with fellow studio musicians Ray Levier & Hank Skalka, which brings its "velvet funk and soul" to classic tunes from the American songbook. The Deep Dig can be found vibing out local NYC area bars, benefits, private events, and have an annual Spring engagement on the magical island of St. John, USVI.
Scott’s film work, singer-songwriter work and own wellness journey led him to start performing at live yoga events, most often with friend an acclaimed author and yogini Jillian Pransky. He has performed live at Yoga events at esteemed venues like Omega Institute, Kripalu, the annual Yoga Journal conference and other. He and Tozzoli also co-composed and produced Miraculous Relationships, a 6-CD set of meditation music for Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey.
It is high time time for Scott to make another Scott E. Moore record. Stay tuned…!
