Scott Hawley

< Scott Hawley >

" Sharp and soulful, technical and tender, melodic and memorable "

Mix equal parts James Taylor, Jimmy Page and Albert Einstein, throw in some dry humor and a penchant for all things philosophical, and you might get an inkling of what Scott Hawley is all about. His melodic sound has been compared to John Mayer, David Wilcox and early Vertical Horizon, but Hawley describes himself, tongue firmly planted in cheek, as "a folk singer with a repressed rock star inside."

Raised in Fairfax, Virginia, Hawley picked up guitar in high school during a prog rock and metal phase—"I was usually conscripted as a singer for metal bands," he admits—before discovering open tunings and the fingerstyle acoustic tradition through Michael Hedges and the Kerrville Folk Festival. He immersed himself in the singer-songwriter world and began absorbing the techniques of the acoustic guitar masters.

After earning a Ph.D. in physics from UT-Austin, Hawley spent two years in Germany, performing at Berlin nightclubs and studying with international fingerstyle luminary Pierre Bensusan, a virtuoso who left an indelible imprint on what has become Hawley's unique sound.

Now based in Nashville, Hawley sees astrophysics and music as compatible paths to the same end. "For me, music is an emotional release from mental activity. Writing songs is my play time."

Scott

Vocals & Guitars