Rock has always been in Scott D. Davis' blood. As a young boy, he would build models of electric guitars out of Legos. In his room he spun records of Iron Maiden, Whitesnake, Metallica, and Rick Springfield (Wait, did that really just say “Rick Springfield?” Yup.). He'd pick up his Lego guitar, stand up on his bed, um, I mean... “take the stage,” and play the role of rock star in front of thousands of cheering, head-banging, roaring imaginary fans! He dreamed of one day owning and playing a real guitar in front of real fans.
Every birthday and every Christmas, he'd ask, beg, plead with his parents to get him an electric guitar. Seasons and celebrations came and went. No guitar. Then a few days before Christmas, when Scott was 16, a long box appeared under the tree. “It has to be a guitar” he thought to himself. “What else could it be?” That's the year it all went terribly wrong.
He tore into the wrapping paper with a fury that would have made Ozzy himself proud, then screamed in horror at what he discovered. “A keyboard!?” He felt disappointed but not defeated. He eventually made friends with the keyboard, and a lifelong relationship began. He started a high-school rock band, not even knowing how to play yet, learning as he went. He studied and learned by trial and error songs by Skid Row, Dokken, Metallica, Queensrÿche, and Richard Marx (ok, that last one was just to impress a girl). He was determined to become a rock star, even without a guitar.
Then, he began to realize a surprising and frustrating reality; musicians can be flakey. Who knew!? The break up of his third rock band finally shook Scott's faith in his rock-n-roll dream. He retreated to the wilderness, and began to compose (gasp) “new age” piano music. It wasn't heavy-metal, but it was beautiful music. He released his first CD, Tahoma in 2003, and his Christmas album “Winter Journey” in 2004. He was finally making music for a living. Creating something beautiful. He shared the stage with famous artists in the genre such as George Winston and David Lanz. Almost like being a rock star, but it wan't rock. He was happy, but something was still missing.
While on his way to perform for a sold out concert in San Francisco, Scott had a eureka moment. It was a concert for “Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio,” an internet broadcast whose tagline is “music to quiet your world.” He was rockin' out in the car, playing “air guitar” on the steering wheel and head-banging to Pantera's “Vulgar Display of Power.” He thought about the audience that bought tickets to hear him perform that evening. “Just how horrified would they be to hear what I'm listening to right now” he wondered. “I wonder what this would sound like on piano?” Eureka.
In 2006 Scott released “Rockfluence,” a solo piano tribute to classic rock and metal, and followed it with “Pianotarium: Piano Tribute to Metallica” in 2007. He'd found his calling; to use the piano to express the power and beauty of heavy-metal. Since then, he's racked up over 15 million views on YouTube, and opened for many of the bands he played his Lego guitar along with as a boy, including Godsmack, Korn, P.O.D., Sevendust, as well as Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe and Queensrÿche.
Scott is still a rock guitar player trapped in a piano players body, and he couldn't be happier. This metal-head and his piano were always destined for each other, and together, they're destined for something even greater.