Scott Abene - Guitar
If you ask Scott Abene where it all began, he'll tell you it was 1970s New York City-though depending on the day, that origin story may also involve wolves, ancient shamans, and a suspicious amount of mystical enlightenment. What's not up for debate is that he was born into a deeply artistic household: his mother, a highly accomplished visual artist, and his father, a Grammy Award winning jazz pianist, arranger, and composer, ensured that music wasn't just encouraged, it was inevitable.
Armed with that lineage and a guitar, Scott went on to study with heavy hitters like Allen Hanlon, Mike Gari, and Bill Connors, soaking up everything from jazz sophistication to fusion firepower. He quickly took that knowledge to the streets... well, the stages cutting his teeth in the gritty, glorious New York club scene of the '80s and '90s. If you were anywhere near CBGB, The Bitter End, The China Club, or Limelight during that era, there's a decent chance Scott was on stage, possibly with a band whose name even he can't quite recall.
A musical chameleon, Scott played anything that would pay the rent: jazz, funk, rock, and the occasional "what genre is this even" gig. Along the way, he became a go-to studio guitarist, contributing to dozens of independent releases and laying down tracks for alt, indie, and rock projects. His commercial work includes jingles for major brands like McDonald's, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Maytag, because nothing says 'versatility' like shredding between burger ads and washing machine themes.
In a moment he describes with perfectly appropriate "Spinal Tap" pride, Scott also achieved international (and very specific) fame by performing on Corbett Wall's number one single "Last One Shot" from the album Passion Play, making him, in his own words, "absolutely huge in Asia."
Gear-wise, Scott is a listed endorser of GHS Strings, Planet Tone Pickups, River Straps, Tsunami Cables, Skotster Guitars, and Donovan Pickups, and he sculpts his tone using the formidable Fractal Audio Axe-Fx because when your playing style is this unpredictable, you need equipment that can keep up.
And that playing style? Imagine being attacked by a swarm of extremely loud, highly opinionated bees while sprinting through a mountain of overcooked linguine in a light puttanesca sauce. It's chaotic. It's flavorful. It somehow works. And above all, it's unmistakably Scott Abene.
