17 minute read
Entertainment
Entertainment Take Two
Trixter’s Mark Gus Scott turns hit into ‘power country’ song
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Music fans worldwide have heard songs by the ’80s hair metal band Trixter. The “One in a Million” act’s drummer, Mark Gus Scott, hopes those listeners migrate to his songs.
The North Phoenix resident recently re-recorded the 1991 Trixter hit “Give It to Me Good” as a “power country” song— with him on vocals—in honor its 30th anniversary.
“I just want people to hear it,” Scott says. “Whenever I have something come out, I want fans to go to my website and check it out. The whole industry is upside down. If you want to buy it, I’m not going to stop you. God bless you. I just wanted to do this song so bad. I hope people like it and then share it. That’s what I think this is really about.”
“Give It to Me Good” is important to Scott, as the song changed his life. It was a Top 50 hit on Billboard’s Top 100 singles chart, No. 1 on MTV and led to a fi ve-month North American tour with the Scorpions.
“Not sharing it is a crime,” he says about the song. “I’m bringing it to new markets—‘power country.’ It’s got a country twist and transcends generations. My son is sharing it with his friends and they’re going crazy.
“The idea that it’s carrying on and people are embracing it is great.”
Scott says he coined the term “power country” after attending several country shows and seeing a tie between that genre and metal.
“I’ve gone to several country show—Eric Church, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley,” he says. “All these guys come out playing heavy metal. The crowds are going crazy. There’s a connection between today’s country and heavy metal rock.
“I would love for those audiences to bridge the gap. That’s where I came up with ‘power country.’ It’s basically country with a kick in the (butt). When you come from New Jersey, you think country music is ‘down south’ and old people listen to it. In the Southwest, there’s a diff erent fl avor to it. It’s a little more aggressive.”
The demographic is younger, he says. 14 | JULY 2020
“They still have life,” Scott adds. “Country needs a kick in the butt, and I want to give it to them.”
His musical ally, Lou Piccadaci, co-produced the song, which takes the listener on a musical journey from country sixstring acoustic to a rockin’ powerhouse hoedown. Piccadaci, who lives in Surprise, defi nes his value not only as an engineer, but with his superior guitar performance throughout the track.
“For the past few years, I got away from rock ‘n roll and made a lot of music that touched my heart,” Scott says. “But one thing is for sure, I miss rocking and nothing is better than playing music that truly drives you and an audience to throw your hands in the air and dance.”
Scott adds Piccadaci has more talent than that. He’s a stellar pizza maker.
“He has a pizza oven in his back yard and I was totally locked in when I heard that,” Scott says with a laugh. “He bribed me with pizza. He has that East Coast mentality with the pizza. He knows what he’s doing. It’s thin crust.”
Scott fi rst dabbled with vocals on “With You,” which combines an ’80s-style power ballad piano riff , symphonic orchestration and powerful melodic hooks—a big surprise for one of rock’s most well-known drummers.
“I’ve never sang before,” he says. “I’m not playing just drums. I play all the instruments on the cut, except guitar. I’m a horrible guitar player.
“I wanted it done right and I wanted what’s best for the song. That’s more important than me playing all the instruments. I’ve never felt so strongly about putting words down on paper. I was trying to be emotional. I always thought I sucked as a songwriter, but something clicked, and I felt passionate about it. This one’s right on target.”
Both songs are available through Apple iTunes, Amazon Music, Google Music and CD Baby. Autographed CDs can be purchased at MarkGusScott.com.
He previously released “Christmas Miracle,” a holiday album that included his version of “Ave Maria.” The video features Scott performing among iconic Washington, D.C., landmarks like the World War II Memorial.
He frequently supports veterans by playing taps at cemeteries in New York City and the Valley to honor fallen heroes during Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
“The Christmas album was a real deal, adult contemporary Christmas record,” he says. “I thought I should be opening for Bing Crosby. The band was doing ancillary projects. Now I had a focus and I knocked it out of the park. I love the way it came out.”
“I’ve done a lot of music, but this power country is sticking with me,” he says. “‘Give It to Me Good’ is the perfect song to show people what I’m really all about. I feel this is going to defi ne the direction I’m going to go on. It’s kind of old gospel or bluegrass with a heavy metal kick to it. I’m bringing it somewhere it hasn’t gone before.”
The parade drum
Scott’s family knew he would be a musician when he was about 7, after his grandmother bought a “big parade drum.” At the same time, his mother gave him his fi rst album, “Elvis’ Golden Hits.”
“I turned ‘Hound Dog’ on and I beat the living crap out of that parade drum,” he says with a laugh. “It made me feel wonderful. I broke the drumhead, and I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’ So, I fl ipped it over and started pounding the other side.”
His fi rst concert was Foreigner on its “Foreigner 4” tour in 1981 at age 13. Immediately, he knew his calling.
“When that bass drum busted the waves of the room, I said, ‘OK. I know exactly what
Mark Gus Scott is streaming his new single, a “power country” rendition of Trixter’s “Give It to Me Good,” on his website. (Photo by Pablo Robles)
I want to do in life.’”
As a sophomore in high school, Scott received the NAJE Special Citation for Musical Excellence and was granted admission to the University of Hartford Hartt School of Music. He attended three summers studying piano, drums, trumpet and a curriculum that included jazz, classical, chamber music, rock, music theory and composition.
He also put his knowledge to use as a musician/songwriter, and toured high schools and colleges throughout the country as a guest lecturer, teaching and promoting music, DARE and his drum instructional video/teaching method, “Rock Solid.”
With Trixter, Scott sold more than 3 million albums worldwide, had three No. 1 videos on MTV, four Top 20 adult-oriented rock hits and hit No. 26 on Billboard album charts.
Trixter toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Japan in support of its fi ve major-label releases. They shared stages with Kiss, The Scorpions, Bret Michaels, Poison, Ted Nugent, Night Ranger, Cinderella, Twisted Sister, Dokken, Warrant, Great White and Firehouse.
Trixter is on hiatus, which is why this was the perfect time for Scott’s singles.
“Some people don’t make the band a priority any longer,” he said. “In any business with four guys, if you all don’t agree on what you’re going to do with the business, the business suff ers.”
Perhaps Trixter’s most well-known tour was 1991’s “Blood, Sweat and Beers” with Scott...continues on page 15 www.LovinLife.com
Scott...continued from page 14 Warrant and Firehouse. Next year is the 30th anniversary and Scott is hoping Trixter reunites for it.
“It was more successful than we ever thought it would be,” he says.
“Warrant had ‘Cherry Pie.’ We had three No. 1 videos on MTV. Firehouse’s ‘Love of a Lifetime’ was just about to break. We just packed them in. Why shouldn’t we celebrate the 30th anniversary? We’re all here. What the hell? Fans ask about it. To not celebrate that, that would be a crime.”
Moving to Arizona
Scott considers Arizona his home, after living throughout the United States in and out of suitcases on tour.
“I was going through a divorce and was very unhappy,” he says.
A friend asked him to consider moving to the Valley.
“My fi rst day of exploration, I was sold before lunchtime,” Scott explains. “I literally went to breakfast, saw mountains, went over there and knew I was sold. I’ve been here four years and I can’t tell you how much I truly embrace the area.
“I can get anywhere in 20 minutes. I’m outside the circle of the 101. It’s more rural. I’m not in the thick of the madness of Phoenix. I look outside every morning and I can breathe. Everything comes alive. It’s quiet—until I make some fricking noise (with music).”
Scott has friends in the area, including rock drummer “Wild” Mick Brown, who played with Dokken and Ted Nugent. They and three other friends spend their weekends riding motorcycles in Cave Creek.
“There’s something very comfortable about doing that just about every weekend,” Scott said.
“We do it 52 weeks. It may sound repetitive, but there’s something comfortable about it. We have a special gang of fi ve members. We’re a tight-knit group. It’s a wonderful brotherhood and the motorcycle riding here is the best in the country— there are no potholes.”
Scott and Trixter singer Pete Loran record music for video games and movies.
“The whole thing started when we were doing sound eff ects for a video game and I started getting punchy,” Scott says with a laugh. “I pulled out the trumpet from the back of my car and it sounded really good.”
First and foremost, Scott is excited for the world to hear his music.
“I’ve never felt so strongly about my music,” he says. “I hope fans enjoy it as well.” www.LovinLife.com
Tinseltown Talks Fran Drescher and ‘The Nanny’ reunion
BY NICK THOMAS
Reassembling a dozen cast members from a popular ’90s TV sitcom could pose a challenge for any network, much less an individual. But it was a task Fran Drescher relished. As the nasal voiced star of the hit CBS series “The Nanny,” Drescher co-created and co-produced the show along with then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson.
“Peter came up with the reunion idea for fans stuck at home Screenshot of the April during isolation and I said right away let’s do it if everyone in the reunion of ‘The Nanny’ cast. (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Television) cast is available,” says Drescher from her home in Malibu. rated the reading while Ann Hampton
Unable to meet collectively in a studio Callaway—composer and performer of due to quarantine restrictions, all 12 credthe show’s catchy theme—opened with a ited actors who appeared in the 1993 pilively rendition on piano. lot agreed to participate from their home Drescher admits the reunion brought in April in a “Pandemic Table Read” via a memories fl ooding back. “To see everyZoom split-screen reading of that fi rst body and to hear the words again made episode, interspersed with cuts from the me miss the show and everyone in it so original broadcast. much. It gave me a lift during this terrible
In addition to the cast, Jacobson narperiod. Hopefully, it did the same for fans.” Although nearly 20 years have passed since “The Nanny” fi rst aired, Drescher says she still remembers the pilot and the live studio audience. “They didn’t know the characters or what to expect from us,” she recalls. “But they quickly got it and were soon anticipating laughing almost before we said the lines. They had never really experienced an outrageous character like Nanny Fran Fine that incorporated elements of Cinderella, Mary Poppins and Maria of Cinderella, Mary Poppins and Maria from ‘The Sound of Music.’” from ‘The Sound of Music.’” Several years after “The Nanny” Several years after “The Nanny” ended production, Drescher was ended production, Drescher was diagnosed with uterine cancer. diagnosed with uterine cancer. She completely recovered, She completely recovered, but the experience steered but the experience steered her toward a second career to promote a “whole-body approach to wellness” and form
the Cancer Schmancer Movement in 2007 (see cancerschmancer.org). More recently, Drescher produced a series of videos called “Corona Care 4 You” featuring interviews with health experts during the pandemic.
A longtime advocate of natural foods and products, Drescher was isolated at home for weeks during the spring like much of the country and used the time to catch up on TV shows, writing, and cleaning. As Nanny Fine, her famous TV character might not have scolded Niles the Butler for using corrosive cleaning products to sanitize the Sheffi eld’s home in which the ’90s Nanny series was set, but today she probably would.
“I use 65% alcohol in a spray bottle with a little water and some peppermint oil, which smells nice and has some antimicrobial properties,” she says.
Despite the forced home confi nement, Drescher took it largely in her stride.
“I happen to like staying at home, so I don’t get cabin fever easily,” says Drescher who stars in the NBC comedy “Indebted.” But for the actress and her former husband with whom she remains close friends, their collaboration on “The Nanny” remains a career milestone. “This was our baby and we remember everything about it.”
BY JANELLE MOLONY
Former Chandler Vice Mayor Nora Ellen has officially declared her retirement from politics to pursue a new career path in podcasting.
Her show, titled “Women Starting Over,” features women who have overcome major financial setbacks and achieved success.
“It’s intended to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit,” says Ellen, the mother of state Sen. J.D. Mesnard, a Republican and longtime lawmaker who represents South Chandler and a portion of western Gilbert.
“I want all women to know they can be empowered when it comes to income,
money and finances, no matter what their current situation is,” Ellen says. “Just turn it around.”
Even before her withdrawal from the 2020 re-election—in which she initially had intended a second run at one of two House seats in Legislative District 17—Ellen began recording success story interviews with women from around the country in a local studio. She admits, there are several types of “starting over” that her guests touch on, including marriage and divorce, career changes, relocations, and even re-defining one’s social sphere due to a serious life change.
There are women in a corporate job who want to launch their own business. For others, starting over was not by their own choice.”
Some of the women interviewed found themselves asking: “How did I get here?” “What do I do to begin?” and “Why didn’t I do something sooner?”
Ellen can relate to her guests because she’s been through a gamut of life changes where she’s had to learn to regroup instead of rebound. “When you’re starting over doing something else, you have to become someone else. It’s uncomfortable!” she explains. “If not, you’ll end up in the same place you were before.”
Her first episode launched on Apple Podcasts in March with a warm welcome to her inaugural audience.
The stories shared are positive and uplifting, but have nothing to do with her political past.
This venture is yet another example of how the award-winning Realtor-turned-councilwoman has “started over” herself.
Wishing she had a show like “Women Starting Over” when she went through a divorce, she said she would have appreciated a guide to affirm her strengths and encourage her to develop them into a financial asset.
Ellen says her biggest learning curve as a new podcaster in her sixties has been to navigate the technology required to record, edit and process the audio files. “It’s easy for me to connect with women and give them hope, encouragement, and inspiration. I want them to hear ‘If she can do it, so can I.’”
But to reach a broad audience, she’ll need to become more savvier to Twitter and Instagram.
Due to the impact of COVID-19 and the closure of studios, Ellen had to outfit a quiet space in her home to continue recording.
As for her competition in this field, Ellen says. “I haven’t found anybody who is empowering women who have had to start over, like I am.”
Other shows are “usually about relationships,” she added, but hers will hinge on the financial factors involved in the individual’s stories.
Women are driven both into and out of
relationships due to matters of financial security and a couple’s spending or investing habits.
Ellen’s desire is to shine a light on finding financial freedom whether the woman is in a relationship or not.
New episodes of “Women Starting Over” are released each Wednesday.
Ellen is also writing a book by the same title which will expand on the conversations heard on the podcast. Each podcast guest she interviews has a different backstory or direction they have taken, but “the book is more step-by-step, instead of a soundbite, and it’ll be more geared towards the individual reading the material.”
Ellen remains open on whether she will ever run again for a position in local or state government.
But she adds that she is quite satisfied with her current endeavor and the time it allows for her to enjoy being a grandmother. Nevertheless, she’ll still be vying for listener “votes” and ratings on her new platform. Those who are interested in participating in a guest interview can reach Ellen at Nora@NoraEllen.com.
King Crossword
ACROSS
1 -- and call 5 Promptly 8 Despot 12 Verve 13 Rd. 14 Regulation 15 Not yet final, in law 16 -- -relief 17 Blind as -- 18 Body art 20 Pack down 22 Half a fluid ounce 26 Short 29 Swiss canton 30 Tokyo, once 31 Bergman, in “Casablanca” 32 Action star Diesel 33 One 34 Mel of Cooperstown 35 Programmer’s woe 36 Foolish 37 Skiers’ carriages 40 Summertime pest 41 Starry 45 Honeycomb compartment 47 Web address 49 Wander 50 Met melody 51 Dos’ neighbors 52 Yemeni port 53 Helen’s home 54 Previous night 55 Saucy
DOWN
1 Crooked 2 Director Kazan 3 Group of actors 4 Made a sweater, maybe 5 Biz big shot 6 Eggs 7 Oater 8 Chaplin persona 9 Court summons 10 -- carte 11 Pensioned (Abbr.) 19 Lummox 21 “-- was saying ...” 23 Playwright Pirandello 24 Valhalla VIP 25 Memo 26 United nations 27 Naomi’s daughter-inlaw 28 Incised printing method 32 Predatory sort 33 Remove a seat belt 35 Underwear with underwire 36 “Monty Python” opener 38 Dental filling 39 Untrue 42 Took the bus 43 State with certainty 44 Gave temporarily 45 Garfield or Heathcliff 46 Blunder 48 Gun the engine
GO FIGURE! by Linda Thistle The idea of Go Figure is to arrive at the figures given at the bottom and right-hand columns of the diagram by following the arithmetic signs in the order they are given (that is, from left to right and top to bottom). Use only the numbers below the diagram to complete its blank squares and use each of the nine numbers only once.
SUDOKU TIME Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.
DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK H H H Moderate HH Challenging HHH HOO BOY!
DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK H H H Moderate HH Challenging HHH HOO BOY!
EVEN EXCHANGE
by Donna Pettman
Each numbered row contains two clues and two answers. The two answers differ from each other by only one letter, which has already been inserted. For example, if you exchange the A from MASTER for an I, you get MISTER. Do not change the order of the letters.
SCRAMBLERS
Unscramble the letters within each rectangle to form four ordinary words. Then rearrange the boxed letters to form the mystery word, which will complete the gag!