Producer and artist Scott Mickelson has a storied career in the business, almost making with his band Fat Opie, who were supposed to be featured heavily on MTV and be the support act for Neil Young. The band broke up when it fell through. No wonder he suffered from depression, after which he reinvented himself as an in-demand producer in the Bay Area. His day job gave him the opportunity to become an artist again. His latest album, quite ironically titled Known To Be Unknown, is a mix of folk and '70s guitar rock - imagine Warren Zevon fronting Little Feat with a brass section.
He has some serious questions about that perennial US issue gun control (UNarmed American), but he can also write passive-aggressive love song (Only Ugly When You Cry): "I’d like to kill you with kindness // I’ve got an itch trigger finger // If I could find you in this darkness // I’d be the greatest gunslinger // I’d like to run through your sprinklers // I want to get my two feet wet // And I’ll meet you on the other side".
