INTERVIEW: Scott Lindsey "You Only Call Me When You're Drunk"

Scott Lindsey did not have to travel far from where he was raised to get to Nashville. Beaver Dam, KY is in the same county where Bluegrass legend Bill Monroe originates and Scott was raised just down a country road from Merle Travis’s hometown. That’s fertile ground for a budding singer/songwriter. Scott has a very classic sound and his music creates a journey to take your heart and soul down memory lane. Country music that is good speaks for itself and Scott has found a way to make his tunes speak loud and clear.

I took some time to visit with Scott about his current single which is burning up the airwaves and to talk with him about his CD project underway.

Bev: Scott it is nice to visit with you again. I know you have recently made a transition into being independent and on your own music label, how is that going?

Scott: Yes it is, I have my own label called Gray Trailer Music, and it is going well.

Bev: Your current single is “You Only Call Me When You’re Drunk”, what tell me about it. I know you co-wrote it, can you elaborate on how the idea came up?

Scott: I co-wrote it with a couple of buddies. It is a three way write, one writer is from South Carolina, his name is Jody Lineberry and the other writer is Josh Osborn, a great writer here in town. My cousin is the culprit in the song; we changed the name to protect the guilty. He called me one morning about 2:30 and he was so inebriated that I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I got off the phone and it wasn’t five or ten minutes later that Jody Lineberry called. He asked if I had talked to my cousin and I told him I tried to but he only calls when he’s drunk. The light bulb came on and we went from there. It just started pouring out. We finished it the next day.

Bev: That is how the best songs happen. Where did you record the video at?

Scott: We did the video near Owensboro KY. That is near my home town and I wanted to get the home folks involved and show them what professional media is like.

Bev: The main character for the girl in the video, anybody in particular or was she an actress?

Scott: There are three main girls in the video and they are all local girls that I know from Owensboro. All the girls in the cab are local and one is actually my wife. The one that climbs into the front seat is my wife.

Bev: Was this her debut in acting in something like this?

Scott: She had a great time. That was her first time for seeing anything like that.

Bev: What are you doing for publicity and getting the song out?

Scott: We put it out to radio and now we are just doing radio tours. It has been crazy. We were in the top five in downloads.

Bev: When you are doing the radio tours, has anyone done call-ins to tell you their wildest drunk stories?

Scott: No, but some of the DJs have. They haven’t taken any calls yet. It is getting picked up all over the country, all over the world. I sat the other night and Googled the song and I found where it is being played in Australia, Europe, all around the world. It has been picked up by about 10 stations a week. It is really growing. I am just thrilled.

Bev: How many years have you been in the music business?

Scott: I have always been around it. Bluegrass is all around. My dad is a singer/songwriter and played the honkytonks. Tommy Collins use to come up and write with Dad. That’s Tommy Collins, the Hall of Fame songwriter. I was always around guys like Merle Haggard and the like. I actually moved to Nashville around 1994 or 1995 and went to Belmont. It took me awhile to get going because when I came to town, I was a guitar player. Slowly, I have transitioned into the artist. I should have done it a long time ago. I am having a blast! I have a lot of great friends all over the world and we are making great music.

Bev: Do you have a current CD out or are you just promoting the single.

Scott: We are promoting the single right now. The Album is done. You can buy the single on ITunes and CD baby. You can also visit my website, ScottLindseymusic.com and buy it also.

We are focused on the single right now, but we are going to focus on getting the album uploaded for sale. It will be at retail stores also.

Bev: Will you do any “out of the box” promotions with any companies like the phone companies?

Scott: Yes, actually we are working with a company right now for ring tones. I would like to sit down with GAC also, when they play the video.

Bev: Is it out on GAC and CMT?

Scott: We turned it in to them in November. We hope it comes out in this month. We will be in Country Weekly Magazine. Things are rolling and radio is really digging the song! I anticipate GAC picking the video up soon. It is amazing how fast it is moving. We are seeing some chart action too.

Bev: What’s next?

Scott: We are talking to a couple of booking agencies about hitting the road hard. We have done shows with some other artists such as Chris Young and others.

Bev: When you think about the one thing about your music that you want the fans to grasp and also attract new listeners to your music, what is the message you try to convey?

Scott: Enjoy the music, I want them to buy the album and come out to see us when we are playing.
Bev: Scott, I wish you all the best with this project and look forward to the upcoming CD. Thank you for your time and I hope to see you soon.

Scott: Thanks you back Bev, always a pleasure to visit with you. Come out to a show soon.


For more information on Scott Lindsey visit http://www.myspace.com/scottlindseymusic.