Scott Huckabay
Quick Facts
Biography
Scott Huckabay is an American composer, acoustic electric guitarist and poet.
Background
Huckabay is a world touring musician and composer known for his live guitar performances and original music. On August 16, 1987, during the auspicious weekend of the Harmonic Convergence, he was involved in a high-speed collision with a truck while riding his motorcycle in Tempe, Arizona. Allegedly, after waking up in the hospital recovery room, a steel-string acoustic guitar was found at the foot of the bed left by an unknown source. Once he touched the instrument, Huckabay says, he discovered that creating sounds on the guitar helped relieve the pain from his injuries.
He immediately began developing his own unique style of playing. In that same year, a Michael Hedges concert was a major influence for Huckabay. While living in Hawaii in late 1991, Huckabay continued refining his guitar technique. Swimming in the ocean, Huckabay allegedly developed a form of sound with telepathy, which he believes enables him to communicate with the dolphins and whales on a daily basis. However, there are no scientific proofs or records in any form that such kind of communication between humans and marine mammals has ever happened. According to Huckabay these sounds became an integral part of his music. From a scientific point of view, these allegations are highly obscure and not considered possible. He started performing live shows in Hawaii at the Hawaii Slam, West Coast including California, Washington, Oregon and Arizona and touring the rest of the world. Scott is a descendant of Chiricahua Apache Nde Nation.
Music career
In 1991, Huckabay won the BAM magazine 'Guitarist of the Year' contest held at the Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood). November 11, 1992, Huckabay joined an all star line up for the free Kauai Hurricane Iniki survivors concert, which also included Crosby, Stills and Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Buffett, Jackson Browne and Titus Kinimaka and the Kauai Boys. CSN, Bonnie, Jimmy and Jackson had just played two nights on Oahu, with the Pahinui Brothers, raising money for the victims of the hurricane that swept Kauai two months earlier. Huckabay had been living on a secluded beach when the massive Hurricane Iniki hit the island during a full moon on September 11, 1992. Much to the dismay of Scott's loyal local following, his effects failed right at the beginning of his first song, leaving him to soldier through a stock acoustic set. A popular Kauai conspiracy theory afterwards was that after hearing the sound check, when the effects were working, Stephen Stills had Scott's rig sabotaged because Stephen couldn't stomach getting shown up that bad.
In 1995, Huckabay produced his debut album, "Virtual Altar", recorded live on the boardwalk in Venice Beach, California. In 1996, he recorded, "Peace Dance", and in 1999, "Alchemy", which won the 2000 Independent Visionary Award.He currently records various production projects with Soundings of the Planet, their motto, 'Peace through Music'.
In 1999, Huckabay performed at various ancient sites in Egypt and found a harmonic and spiritual affinity with an ancient site called Dendera Temple complex that resonated with musical frequencies. On December 31, 1999, Huckabay performed a concert inside the Great Pyramid of Giza. Two months later, Scott released the CD, 'Temple of Dendara'. He learned about the Solfeggio scale and how each tone allegedly affects the human body according to esoterism. Huckabay tunes the guitar intuitively using the Solfeggio tones that he believes help create health, harmony and balance. However, there is no scientific proof or indication that the solfeggio scale affects health in any way. Huckabay released the CD, Secret Portal, produced by Sylvia Massy at RadioStar Studios in Mt Shasta, California.
Guitar Gear
Huckabay plays a 2001 custom built 610CE Taylor Guitar (nicknamed "Oceana") with a combination of a Sunrise S-1 magnetic pickup and several custom Fishman piezo pickups embedded in various locations inside the wood of the guitar to capture percussive sounds built by Bob Taylor (luthier) of Taylor Guitars. He is left handed and experiments with a variety of guitar effects pedals by Boss Corporation. He also uses a violin bow, EBow, Morley Pedals, Quartz crystal and an RC-20 Loop Station by Roland Corporation to create a multiple of guitar rhythmic patterns. Making full use of this equipment, he is able to equalize precisely the live sound from his instrument to achieve different sounds for every song within each concert venue. Scott has used well over 250 alternate guitar tunings. Scott uses custom gauge Ernie Ball guitar strings.
Discography
Studio albums
- Peace Dance (Soundings of the Planet) (1996)
- Alchemy (Soundings of the Planet (1999)]
- Virtual Altar (Sonic Alchemist) (2000)
- Temple of Dendara (Sonic Alchemist) (2003)
- Secret Portal (Sonic Alchemist) (2006)
- Synesthesia (Sonic Alchemist) (2015)
Compilations (solo)
Compilations (various artists)
- Golden Spiral (Soundings of the Planet) (2016)
- Harmonic Way (Soundings of the Planet) (2014)
- 'State of Profusion' featured on Vapor Trails: The Echoes Living Room Concerts Volume 14 (2008)
- Chakra Healing (Soundings of the Planet) (2008)
- Eagle River (Soundings of the Planet) (2007)
- Mountain Meadow Meditation with Dean Evenson (Soundings of the Planet) (2003)
- Sound Yoga with Dean Evenson (Soundings of the Planet) (2003)
- Sound Massage with Dean Evenson (Soundings of the Planet) (2002)
- Healing Sanctuary with Dean Evenson (Soundings of the Planet) (2002)
- 'DreamState' featured on Creative Independent Music Alliance CD Compilation (2001)
- Spirit Rising (Soundings of the Planet) (2001)
- Healing Dreams with Dean Evenson (Soundings of the Planet) (2001)
- Native Healing (Soundings of the Planet) (2001)
- Sonic Tribe (Soundings of the Planet) (2000)
- Tao of Healing with Dean Evenson (Soundings of the Planet) (2000)
- 'Neptune’s Forest' featured on NPR's Echoes Living Room Concert Compilation CD Volume#5 (1999)
- 'Emerald Sea' featured on Natural Wonders Music Sampler (1998)
- Sound Healing with Dean Evenson (Soundings of the Planet) (1998)
- Healing Waters with Dean Evenson (Soundings of the Planet) (1997)
Poetry
- Angels of the Sea: Sacred Dolphin Art of Atlantis co-collaborated with Michelle Gold. Poetry book inspired by wild dolphins from around the world. Published by Hay House (1996)
Television/film
- "Dolphin Dreams" featured soundtrack on Templayed Vol 1 - Healing Through Temple Visuals (2007)
- Huckabay's music was highlighted in the eighth season of MTV's reality television series Real World Hawaii (1999)