Telling his story, which he called “mostly true,” Scott Severin talked about how he escaped death on 9/11, restarted his music career after a 20-year hiatus, incurred debt to questionable characters and, after all that, finally decided to make a change.
He moved to Omaha and released “Unknown Rider,” a record that revived his stage career.
That was five years ago. Now, Severin is back with a new record, “Birdhouse Obbligato,” backed up by the band he’s been performing with for a few years: the Milton Burlesque, a band consisting of drummer Gary Foster, guitarist Tim Ranard and bassist Pfloyd.
“We put out an excellent piece of music that is timeless in its appeal. We consciously made a record that could have been made in 1960 or 2020,” Severin said.
Recorded at Enamel in Omaha as well as a studio in New York, “Birdhouse Obbligato” is a 10-song effort full of blues, alternative and Americana topped with Severin’s Tom Waits-ian, Bob Dylan-esque vocals.
The title is inspired by the album’s third song, “Birdhouse,” which is connected to the Holy Family Shrine near Gretna, Neb.
“In my mind — in my creative mind or my sociopathic mind — I envisioned myself living in that shrine. It was filled with me and birds, and I was wearing a long overcoat and long beard and filled with anger, madness and regret,” Severin explained, “For someone who is an atheist, or at least anti-theist, I was spiritually inspired, overwhelmed by it.”
“Obbligato” is a word in classical music that denotes a section of music that must be played, and Severin found the term to be “inspiring and elusive.”
While no song on the record is a love song, Severin said the album is still about love in one way or another.
“All of these songs taken together are a search and desire to find love and meaning in one’s life, even though it’s not stated in any overt way. It’s about the survival and nurturing of love in difficult and complicated times.”
Severin’s older than your average rock singer, confessing he was born during the Kennedy administration, but his extra years lend him experience and don’t drag him down.
“It’s compelling and helpful to have the combo of youth, genius and the ability to metabolize illicit substances, which someone my age doesn’t have,” Severin said. “I decided to do this after the age of 40. What you give up in youthful naïvety and energy, you get older, you get taller and presumably you see further.”
Contact the writer:
444-1557, kevin.coffey@owh.com
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