Scot Alexander
Scot Alexander was born in Kauai, Hawaii, and raised in Southern California by a single mother. He grew up listening to her old record albums. He became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the age of 19.
When asked about the correct spelling of his name, he commented, “I dropped the second “t” in the first grade because I was getting teased! A friend’s older brother (all my friends looked up to) had only one “t” in his name “Scot.” Noticing this, all my friends started chanting “Scot-t, Scot-t, Scot-t” all the time, and that was when the second “t” got dropped. “Officially,” it’s still Scott. However, anything I’ve ever done musically has been “Scot.” It’s my stage name. How ridiculous is that? ha-ha.”
Scot is a classically trained bassoonist with a degree in ethnomusicology and performs a sort of “non-repetitive pop,” where each song continually develops without a verse-chorus structure, mostly on electric and acoustic baritone guitars. He is the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band Dishwalla founded in 1993. In 1991, he and John Robert Richards met at a record store and soon discovered that they had similar tastes in music. They created Dishwalla (formerly called Dish), with Richards on lead vocals, Alexander on bass, Rodney Cravens as guitarist, and George Pendergast as drummer.
He admits that he had no input on naming the band. He said, “the only thing that made me ok with the name is the fact that many of my favorite bands (Beatles, U2, Arctic Monkees, etc) have had stupid names and it just goes to show how much it doesn’t really matter.” He further stated, “The “walla” portion of the name was supposed to be a temporary fix. We were contacted by an attorney for a band called “Dish” (the name by which we were also called at the time). We were served a cease and desist letter, and had to change the name.”
In 1994, Dishwalla signed with A&M Records. The group’s first album, Pet Your Friends, became popular a year after its release due to the popularity of the single “Counting Blue Cars,” a song that “ruffled some feathers in certain religious groups by referring to God as “her.” The album became #1 in the alternative, rock, AAA, and hot AC radio genres and made it into the top ten of the top 40 charts. By 1997, the band had received a Billboard award for “Rock Track of the Year” and was also awarded ASCAPs “Rock Song of the Year” for both 1996 and 1997. The groups fan base continued to grow as they toured with Sheryl Crow, Goo Goo Dolls, Tonic, Better Than Ezra, Jewell, Blind Melon, Gin Blossoms, Refreshments, Styx, Stabbing Westward, The Verve Pipe, and many others. In 2006, the band took a hiatus and returned to touring in 2008 with Alexander, Pendergast, Cravens, Jim Wood, and Justin Fox. Pete Maloney was with the group from 1998 to 2007. Their other albums include And You Think You Know What Life’s About, Opaline, Dishwalla, Gems, Santa Claus Lane, Live . . . Greetings from the Flow State, Santa Claus Lane II, and Southeast Asia.
About his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Scot stated:
Well, I joined the Mormon church when I was 19, married at 20, first child at 21, the band got signed when I was 23. It was a whirlwind few years. I was in a band prior to Dishwalla that fell apart after I joined the Church. My old friends could simply not wrap their heads around this change in me, so when the (Life Talking/Dish) guys asked if I would officially “join” the band I remember sitting down with them and explaining things as best I could, and saying I will fully commit myself them as a bandmate and friend, I just ask that you respect me and my beliefs and support me on the road, etc. They agreed, have always been supportive and respectful and it’s been great. I love all those guys.
Scot Alexander has contributed songs to over twenty film and television soundtracks and performed as a guest on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Conan O’Brien,” “Craig Kilborn,” and “John Stewart.”
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