HIT THE HIGHWAY RUNNING: F. Scott moves on

by Haley Cullingham

Pain breeds poetry and adversity begets art for F. Scott & The Ashbury Band. A passion project of the eponymous band leader, the EP, Movin’ On, was recorded in five Los Angeles days and nights. The growth and recording of the EP coincided with Scott’s father’s battle with terminal cancer, and the singer/songwriter never strayed from his dad’s final wishes for him: go solo, and never look back. The album reflects that forward motion. Featuring six stripped down but still complex tracks, there’s a depth behind those omnipresent ray-bans, and that depth is belied by the poetry of the lyrics and the roaming, folk-inspired instrumentals. The classic, troubadour tone is coloured by unexpected touches: random sitars, choral bells, the more you listen, the more layers are revealed.

This is an EP for hot Toronto summers: cold beer at 3 in the morning when your air conditioner breaks, hung-over drives home from the cottage, sleeping and drinking with people you might never see again or you might see every day for the rest of your life.
F. Scott’s effort sounds exactly like you’re going to feel for most of July and August, hot, nostalgic, and kind of drunk (in a good way). Dedicated to his Dad, this is an EP about remembering, moving forward, and being happy you’re still here. But most of all, this is an EP about getting out, breaking free, hitting the road to think, and taking the things you love with you. The music is all about motion, but rooted in a strong sense of home.

F. Scott has been keeping good company recently, opening for Black Rebel Motorcyle Club and playing shows with Californian indie band Venus Infers. He plays frequently in Toronto, but is off to Hollywood next.
http://www.myspace.com/fscottandtheashburyband