Take Two
Trixter’s Mark Gus Scott turns hit into ‘power country’ song
Mark Gus Scott markgusscott.com
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Stephen Chilton is the owner of The Rebel Lounge and the vice president of The National Independent Venue Association. The organization provides a voice, tools and resources to independent venues across America. (Photo by Justin Yee)
Venues...continued from page 6 she says. “Who’s going to do that?” Plus, the Rialto doesn’t feature local acts, instead pulling in national acts. “We’re a touring venue, but we’re a 100-year-old building,” Ford says. “Can we afford to actually host shows at a reduced capacity?” Ford says they’ve run the numbers at different capacities, and any capacity less than 50% means the Rialto won’t make money. “We were going to have a good spring,” Ford says. “We shut down right before we had two sold-out shows—Buddy Guy and Shoreline Mafia.” Of course, ticket sales are what propel operations, but Ford also is encouraging people to buy memberships, which encompass seven tiers and range in price from $40 to $2,500. Currently, there are about 850 members of the Rialto, and each tier comes perks like free popcorn, parking, drink tickets and occasional shows. Of course, any sort of donation at rialtotheatre.com is much appreciated, too. “I don’t know of many people that don’t have an amazing memory from the Rialto,” Ford says. “There’s this Tucson thread with the Rialto. I think it’s important for that tradition to continue.”
National Independent Venue Association nivassoc.org
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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 Arizona 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 five-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 different flavor to it. It’s a little more aggressive.” The demographic is younger, he says. “They still have life,” Scott adds.
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)
“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, defines 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
Scott...continues on page 8
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