The Scott Reeves Band

“Finding a rhythm of his own: Local blues musician Scott Reeves keeps playing after Flak Magnet breakup” article and photos published in The Independent Florida Alligator (Detours section), July 29, 1999. Written by Deborah A. Cohen


All over Gainesville and Jacksonville, guitarist and singer, Daniel Scott Reeves, can be seen pounding out melodies such as “Pride and Joy” and mellow songs from his own album. His style comes straight at you with a pure heart.

When Scott was seven years old, he got hooked on the guitar after hearing his older brother play Van Halen licks. He wanted to play just like his brother, Bob. One day, he picked up his brother’s guitar and tipped out some old blues tunes he heard from the radio “Johnny Lee Hooker blew me away with those weird beats,” Scott explained. Nothing stopped him from continuing to explore his passion. Like his hero, Stevie Ray Vaughn, he was attracted to the instrument through his brother. He put away his baseball bat and gloves for a Black Westone guitar, he affectionately dubbed “Frankenstein,” because he and his Dad rewired and rebuilt it. Newer electronics such as pick-ups were later added to it to achieve more sophisticated sounds.

At 13, he got really serious about guitar. While in junior high, he began lessons with Mark Schulle at the Gainesville Guitar Academy. Later, he studied with Jeff Ladeniem at Santa Fe Community College.

Kris Mali, a friend for fourteen year, played music and baseball with him. “He’s a real performer and honest musician. Unselfconscious. He’s goofy and says and does silly things to attract attention, like play his guitar behind his head. He will go out with the wireless system and wander around through the audience. He’s a hard-worker and really devoted to his interests. He focuses on what he’s doing and sets definite goals. When he writes songs about his life, he tries to be blunt about it and capture what he feels at the moment. When he plays those songs, he gets really into it. He sweats and closes his eyes, and goes off to another place where things are easier to deal with. I think that’s when he’s at his purest.”

Luck was with him when he wanted to form his band. At the first Alachua County Music Harvest and again at a Driver’s Ed class, he met drummer Andy Thorkildson, a skinny fellow with long brown dreadlocks, dangling like moss on giant oak trees. Andy, Scott, and his brother Bob formed a band. Scott named it, Flak Magnet. Andy introduced Scott to his girlfriend’s brother, Eric Primack, a bass player. Scott describes him as looking like a blond long-haired Jesus. Eric agreed to take Bob’s place when he couldn’t play the local gigs at Calico Jacks. Scott sang and played guitar.

On May 11, 1996, Flak Magnet released an album with a mixture of instrumentals and lyrical songs. A photograph on the tape cover portrays Scott wearing a black cowboy hat, looking like he did when he first started guitar, a blond clean-cut, smiling sever year old, conveying a strong, nerdy resemblance to Buddy Holly. Song #5, “Borrowed Time,” is about drug addiction written in the first person. Bob came up with the theme of the instrumental piece, “Healing,” and Scott played the lead. “The song is about losing someone, life and death and inner struggles. I was hoping to create an aura of calmness,” he explained. Performing the blues song, “Sittin’ on the Front Porch,” he rocks back and forth as if he were sitting in his swing in the backyard, where he composed the song. The peaceful song, “Susan,” is about his older sister whom he sadly never met. His parents, Linda Chamberlin, an accountant and Robert Steven Reeves, a computer technician for Lucent Technologies, lost their first child in 1974, three year before Scott was born. “It was a gift to my parents. She’s like my guardian angel, it just hit me to dedicate a song to her and release the album on her birthday.” “Bud” Hill, an English teacher at Santa Fe Community College and a musician, helped engineer and produce the album at Scott’s home. Scott, his band and his father had constructed a working studio for this purpose. “(Bud’s) a genius when it comes to hearing things others don’t hear. He’s like a brother to me. I get a few pointers from him. He’s about the smoothest player I know in acoustic guitar.” Scott said.

His heroes and artistic influences for the album include: the “Kinds,” (B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King), Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Buddy Guy. So dedicated and meticulous to his craft, he worked on the vibrato of a single more for a year to attain the same vocal quality as B. B. King.

“I like to be smooth and aggressive sounding, I kinda go back and forth, where it’ll sound like B. B. King and the next moment, it’ll sound like Van Halen.” Sometimes, while watching television, riffs pop into his head, but may not have anything to do with what he sees on the programs. “I come up with the main riffs. We jam it out and bitch and fight about it and come up with a song.” he said.

Since 1992, he has played solo and with the Flak Magnet members at places like the Acrosstown Repertory Theater, The Hardback Café, The Mill, Civic Media Center, Gatormeisters, The Swamp, The Sidebar Café, Calico Jack in Gainesville and Jacksonville, and Brownestone Lounge.

Quite recently, the bank split up as a result of conflicting interests. Eric became a Camp Counselor and Andy wanted to travel down a different path, stylistically. “He took the band break-up in his stride. It didn’t bother him at all. I was glad it didn’t,” Bob Reeves said. Now, again Scott waits with patience and faith that some day a new drummer and bass player will suddenly “pop-up.”

Just as things seemed to look a bit rocky and uncertain, Scott’s manager, Jim Douglas at Band Central Station recommended as a “competent player” to Douglas Maxwell, the musical director for the play, “Beehive” at the Hippodrome State Theater.

Maxwell was in a high school choir with Scott and hired him to play lead guitar in the play. Scott used a black Westone guitar, nicknamed “Toney.”

“Scott has matured since high school. He’s fun to work with, tells bad jokes. He’s professional and about the most positive person I know. He comes with a smile and leaves with a smile. He follows well, doesn’t overplay or do any extra fiddling. No messing around. He’s a top notch player. We get a standing ovation every night. We will hire him again, “Maxwell said. “I thought I’d bit off more than I could chew.” Scott said. “They were the best band I’ve ever been in. They’re more professional and are musical geniuses. I learned more chord progressions.”

Working as a salesman part-time at Band Central Station and doing the play has made Scott more outgoing. “I used to be somewhat introverted and insecure. I had friends, but I’d rather be playing guitar. Now, I met some fellow musicians and they’ve been supportive and just great.” Scott explained. “He became more assertive and outgoing after high school once he started playing out.” Bob Reeves said.

In 1997, when Scott was hosting open mike at the Mill, Steve Sapp, a guitar player, asked him if he could play a few songs on Scott’s guitar and surprised him with Lynard Skynard pieces, such as “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Freebird.” “Steve joined the band and changed everything,” Scott said. In response, Steve added, “I jam with him at his house. He shows a lot of respect in the ways he talks and listens to people. He’s not very egotistical. He was already trying to do southern rock in his gigs. I was influenced by him with the blues, and he was influenced by me with my southern rock. Scott likes getting time off to play guitar and hang out with his friends. He dislikes working all the time. He works at Band Central, goes to school, and does gigs all in one night. Sometimes, it gets on his nerves. We practice whenever we can...”

Scott plan to work on his next album this July. “The album will be more Southern in approach. It will be a mixture of Southern rock, country, blues, Beatlesque, psychedelic, and reggae. There will be bongos, congas, and keyboards on it. The lyrics will be more poetic, not as bluesy. I’ve been listening to Lynard Skynard, The Allman Brothers, and Blackfoot and House of Dreams. Also, Randy Travis and Hank Williams Jr.” Scott said. The album cover may have a small whiskey bottle on the front and have it tipped over on the back. The title, “Liniment” was inspired by B. B. King when he said, “Blues is like good liniment and cures whatever ails you.”

Not only does he make the music, he builds the instruments with his father to create the sounds he wants. “I tell him what I want in the guitar. He’s made an art form out of it.” He said. On Christmas Eve in 1996, father and son finished “Piney.” They also completed “Cherry,” a telecaster with two pieces of cherrywood. “The Cherry has a great bite to it, an aggressive sound.” This summer, they’re building a semi-hollow bodied guitar, which will produce a jazzy sound.

After completing a well-written research paper for his college English class, “legends, Life of Blues Men, he changed his major to English. His knowledge of blues artists influenced him to play more Mississippi Delta down-home acoustic raw blues, one mom-one guitar. “I was doing really well in my English class and found my music theory class very rough and too structured. I didn’t want to pursue music classically. It wasn’t part of my style. If it sounds right to me, it’s good. I would like to get a master’s degree in English. Maybe I’ll be an editor or technical writer. I’ll still play music as an emotional outlet and for enjoyment. - The Independent Florida Alligator (Detours section)