When you suggest to country singer Pete Scobell that his life could indeed make a good tune, he laughs and says, "Well, I've thought about it sometimes." After all, there aren't many performers in any genre whose background includes being part of a Navy SEAL team, as well as competitive skiing and mountain climbing.
Indeed, he's not someone who would throw in bits about hunting, camping or the outdoors to fulfill a video image. He is a true outdoorsman who loves living in Colorado and acknowledges missing it considerably, even though the music business frequently brings him back to Nashville.
Scobell also has the kind of direct, straight-shooting manner that can occasionally ruffle the feathers of image-conscious PR types. He freely acknowledges, for example, that while he grew up surrounded by music and loves it, his initial life plans did not include a music career.
"Well, my mother passed when I was only 10 months old," he tells the Scene. "She left me all her instruments, and that's really where the initial desire came. I really felt like it would put me closer to her. I've always been singing. It is such a natural part of my life I don't even really think about performing in tat sense. It's more like the guitar is a friend, and music is how we communicate to the world."
Of course, if Scobell weren't a stirring vocalist and outstanding guitarist, then we wouldn't be having this conversation. But the songs on his latest release Walkin a Wire reflect a polish and a relaxed yet urgent delivery that reflect someone who sings because it's truly his life, as opposed to just his livelihood. The 12 tunes are consistently sung with an intensity and drive that renders their messages even more memorable.
"Ain't Gonna Waste It" and "Feel Like You Know Me" offer in one instance a message of perseverance and determination and a reflective mood in the other, two sides that recur in some other numbers like the title cut. He displays a spiritual side on "There's Gotta Be a God," and even includes one that might be deemed a bro-country song In "Dive Bar," except it's far from a pro-forma effort either lyrically or in the delivery. The disc finale is another one that packs a strong message, "Friends With Money." For the most part, the disc doesn't touch on his Seal experiences with the exception of two numbers, "Wild," and "Hearts I Leave Behind," a revamped version of a tune he previously recorded for his first EP.
But while there's plenty of traditional country sensibility, Scobell's quite a versatile artist in terms of likes and influences. "Well I am a huge fan of Hank Williams, but for me a lot of roads lead back to Texas," Scobell explains. "I like some grunge music as well. Dierks Bentley is someone I really admire among contemporary country singers. But a buddy of mine took me to New Orleans a couple of years ago and I really got into some of that great piano music. Prof. Longhair and Dr. John were two that I really enjoyed. So I kind of mix everything up in there, with the country sensibility being dominant."
Scobell's impressive military background includes 17 years as a Seal, and six combat deployments. His life began changing and moving toward music professionally in part due to an injury he received when he was in an explosion. "When I was in the hospital for traumatic brain injury, I discovered they have music therapy," Scobell said. "They asked if I played music? They said that's the best thing you can do to help your brain. I had been constantly singing in the barracks, singing really all my life. So I really began concentrating on playing again, making it both part of my rehab and my passion."
Then he met Wynonna Judd and Cactus Moser thanks to the makers of the film "The Hornet's Nest." This was a 2014 Afghanistan war documentary. Scobell was invited to record the tune "For The One's I Stand Beside." Subsequently, he appeared on the Patriot Tour. He later, with the assistance of Tanya Kyle, recorded the song "Hearts I Leave Behind" that featured Wynonna in honor of a former Seal teammate, Chris Kyle, depicted by Bradley Cooper in "American Sniper." Those two songs were the foundation for an EP that helped launch Scobell, and both Judd and Moser remain strong supporters.
"Wynonna is like a big sister to me," Scobell said. "Cactus is such a larger than life guy. The two of them are indispensable in my life. They are always telling me man don't you dare give up, don't you stop singing, you've got a gift. They are the ones who really helped me finally make up my mind that I would try a music career." Part of that help included having him come to Nashville and record the EP."
"It's funny, I had been all over the world, but until they invited me I had never been to Nashville. Then when I get here I find myself recording at RCA Studio A. Cactus is sitting back there in the producer's chair and there's band members from Wynonna;'s The Big Noise backing me up. For a minute I thought what I am doing here? But Cactus and Wynonna had faith in me, and I wasn't going to let them down."
"When someone like Wynonna tells you that "you're supposed to be doing this," it really means everything to me," Scobell concludes. "My goal now is to make the best possible music, music that I think has something to say and will just resonate with anyone. I don't put any labels on it. I just know it's honest and from the heart,"
