Scott Lewis McCaughey is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter and the leader of the Seattle and Portland-based bands The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5. He was also an auxiliary member of the American rock band R.E.M. from 1994 until the band's break-up in 2011, contributing to the studio albums New Adventures in Hi-Fi, Up, Reveal, Around the Sun, Accelerate and Collapse into Now.
Scott McCaughey | |
|---|---|
 Scott McCaughey, 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards |
Career
editThis section needs expansion with: Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5. You can help by adding to it. (September 2019) |
Young Fresh Fellows
editMcCaughey started his career with the indie rock band Young Fresh Fellows. Beginning in January 1980, he was also a writer for the Seattle music magazine The Rocket.[1]
R.E.M.
editFrom 1994 until 2011, McCaughey worked with R.E.M. both on stage and in the studio. "When R.E.M. came to Seattle to work on Automatic for the People, Peter [Buck] called me up. He probably didn't know anybody else in town. We'd go out to eat or have drinks pretty regularly while he was here. And then he ended up moving out here. Once he was here, we started playing together a lot, doing all The Minus 5 stuff."[2] It was McCaughey who introduced Buck to his future wife, Stephanie. Buck invited McCaughey to join R.E.M. on their 1995 Monster tour, initially as a second guitarist. "[Peter] said, 'I wouldn't ask you if the Fellows were playing a lot.' But the Fellows were not really doing anything; we'd kind of brought it down to a crawl. I told him, 'Sure, I'd like to try.' I had to audition because I didn't know the rest of the guys as well as Peter."[2]
McCaughey remained with R.E.M. in various capacities until the band's dissolution. He contributed to the studio albums New Adventures in Hi-Fi, Up, Reveal, Around the Sun, Accelerate and Collapse into Now. Additionally, he has received credits for his work on the live albums R.E.M. Live and Live at The Olympia album as well as their 2003 greatest hits collection, In Time. When working with R.E.M., McCaughey played guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, and sang backing vocals.[3]
The Minus 5 and Tuatara
editR.E.M. members and side musicians formed The Minus 5 and Tuatara in the mid-1990s.
Moween
editIn June 2003, McCaughey recorded a song with Moween (Peter Schoemaker/Bram van den Berg) at the IDQ studio in Utrecht, titled "Move On."
The Baseball Project
editIn 2008, McCaughey formed the side band The Baseball Project with Buck, Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon. Their first album, Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails was released later that year and their first ever public appearance was on the Late Night With David Letterman show. Since then, Mike Mills has joined the team and they've recorded Volume 2: High and Inside, Volume 3: 3rd, and Volume 4: Grand Salami Time (release date June 30, 2023 on Omnivore Records).[4]
The Venus Three
editHe is also bassist for Robyn Hitchcock's touring band The Venus 3, which has included Bill Rieflin (drums) and Peter Buck (guitar).[5]
Tuatara
editMcCaughey also plays in Tuatara, an instrumental group which features Peter Buck.
The No Ones
editMcCaughey is a member of The No Ones, a jangle pop supergroup. Other members include Peter Buck, Frode Strømstad, and Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen (from I Was A King). Their debut EP The Sun Station (Coastal Town Recordings) also features guest appearances by Steve Wynn and Patterson Hood.[6]
Stroke
editMcCaughey suffered a stroke on November 16, 2017. Two benefit concerts were held in January 2018, to raise money for his medical bills. Artists included Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Bill Berry, Alejandro Escovedo, M Ward, James Mercer, Corin Tucker, the Dharma Bums, the Decemberists, and Patterson Hood.[7] McCaughey recovered substantially from his stroke in 2018, and began playing a series of well received shows at venues in Portland, Oregon, where he lives.
Discography
editSolo releases
edit- 1989: My Chartreuse Opinion (PopLlama)
- 2015: Spain Capers (Rock & Roll Inc. / Book) as Scott the Hoople
- 2020: Sad Box and Other Hits as Scott the Hoople
References
edit- ^ "the Rock Mag Archive – a searchable database of rock music magazines, 1975 – 1989". Rockmagarchive.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ a b Flannigan, Erik (August 1999). "The 'New' R.E.M." The Rocket. Seattle. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016.
- ^ "R.E.M.Hq: Albums". Remhq.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ "Yep Roc Records > Artist Info". Yeproc.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ "Yep Roc Records > Artist Info". Yeproc.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ Trewn, Pranav (April 25, 2017). "Stream The Debut Single From Jangle-Pop Supergroup The No Ones". Stereogum.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ "Help the Hoople – Benefit for Scott McCaughey". December 28, 2017. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2022.