Scott Pemberton‘s sound is much like the vibe of his native Portland, OR: freaky, fun and just the right amount of weird. The guitarist — who categorizes his music with the moniker “Timber Rock” — applies his own lens and creative stamp to the sounds of the Pacific Northwest, the region he has always called home. The region’s deep jazz, rock, grunge, and blues roots, as well as the flavor of west coast funk are all clearly apparent in his music, often all in a single song.
Live For Live Music is excited to debut the new video for Pemberton’s “Elbow Grease”. The video, filmed predominantly at Scott’s usual Portland haunts, also includes live footage captured at shows across the country. The video was directed by Benjah Brown in association with www.10minw.com.
According to Pemberton, “Playing in front of a live audience is the best. There’s a give and take that happens. Our audiences are so ready to jump in with us. I feel like it’s a team effort. People bring energy and we feed off of it. It elevates the music. For me, it’s like a Labrador with a tennis ball or something, and I feel like that with all the guys in the band–Jack “The Stabilizer” Johnson (bass), Sam Berrett (drums), Rudy Slizewski (steel pans/percussion). The songs can be substantially different from each other every night. That keeps us all on our toes and keep our ears open, and from getting boring and mundane.”
The response to Scott’s music has made him an emerging talent on the festival circuit, placed him at #1 in Portland’s pop charts and #4 on Bilboard‘s “Tastemakers” chart, and garnered him several glowing reviews from the press. In the aftermath of Safeway Water Front Blues Festival, The Oregonian raved, “At a festival FULL of guitarists, none played like Pemberton or was as fun to watch.”
Pemberton and his guitar have been inseparable since the musician was in his teens, and he quickly established himself as an integral part of Portland’s musical fabric, sitting in on studio sessions, becoming a fixture at jazz and rock clubs, and teaching guitar at local colleges from an early age. His funky guitar work has led to collaborations with legendary drummers such as Motown’s Mel Brown and Bernard Purdie, a.k.a. “the world’s most recorded drummer.”
Perhaps more remarkable than Pemberton’s ascent in popularity, however, is his story of redemption: His musical vision and artistic drive were renewed an reinvigorated after a near-death experience in a serious bike accident. Scott rediscovered his gift and his love affair with his instrument during the rehab process, and the experience has shaped his trajectory ever since.