Skott Freedman
Encyclopedia
Skott Freedman is an American singer/songwriter. Freedman is formally trained in piano
.
. His music makes heavy use of the piano
, which has led to regular comparisons with chanteuse Tori Amos
. Similar to Amos, Freedman was a child piano prodigy and won statewide competitions while growing up. Freedman has said that repeated bouts of depression during his adolescence inspired him to write his first songs. He cites Joni Mitchell
, Cat Stevens
, Paula Cole
, and Beethoven as major influences. Freedman's music blends pop and folk influences with a confessional lyrical style. His hallmark rapid staccato style is classically influenced (audio sample below). Freedman's first public performance was at the Butterfield Beanery in New Brunswick, NJ on April 26, 1996. He went on to formally study piano at Ithaca College
in Ithaca, NY. Freedman has since been based out of Chicago, Boston, Charleston, and San Diego.
Following the success of his first album, Freedman released a follow-up album in 2001, Anything Worth Mentioning. His second release strayed from the intimate quality of Swimming After Dark and featured full-band arrangements, including an enigmatic banjo solo during the opening number. Critics hailed Freedman's sophomore release as proof the songwriter was maturing. Billboard Magazine gave Freedman a full page profile, dubbing the young pianist "a star-in-waiting." Freedman began nationally touring at that time, performing at colleges, festivals, and coffeehouses across the country.
Freedman returned to the studio in 2003 to record a third album, Some Company. Along with 10 new original numbers, the album included a popularly downloaded version of Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis
. Some Company was reminiscent of Freedman's early roots and consisted solely of vocal-piano numbers. Freedman's fan base began to expand about that time, spreading as far as Australia where Freedman toured for three months promoting the album. Billboard Magazine featured Freedman for the second time, and The Village Voice
and The New York Times
both wrote about Freedman's unique vocal and musical stylings. "In a husky voice similar to Marc Cohn
's, he croons childhood memories and hopes of true love while the arpeggios ripple."
After the release of Some Company, Freedman began to field the idea of a cover album. In response to fan suggestions, Freedman posted 30 songs on his website where fans voted on which tracks to record. In 2005, the aptly titled Judge a Book was released featuring the top-voted tracks. Collaborations appeared for the first time including the controversial "Soldiers of Christ" by "I Kissed a Girl"'s Jill Sobule
(who also sings on the track). A spin on The Magnetic Fields
' "Papa Was a Rodeo" was recorded with singer-songwriter Mark Weigle
, and indie singer-songwriter Edie Carey lended vocals to the pop-tinged "Good Morning Baby". A bonus track of The Cranberries
' "Zombie" also appeared on the cover album, which was recorded on a church organ in Charleston, SC.
Freedman disappeared from the music scene between 2006-2009 in order to attend graduate school in San Diego, CA. At the urging of fans, Freedman released a fifth album in June 2009, The Cottage Sessions. The album is a collection of deeply personal songs including the final track "Stay", which bares Freedman's religious side for the first time. No touring plans have been announced to coincide with the new release. Freedman is currently offering free downloads of his music every Friday on his website under the promotion "Freed Fridays".
in Language and Communicative Disorders in 2009 from San Diego State University
. He is currently an Assistant Professor at a private college in New York
.
Freedman is Jewish
.
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
.
Background
Freedman was born and raised in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. His music makes heavy use of the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, which has led to regular comparisons with chanteuse Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
. Similar to Amos, Freedman was a child piano prodigy and won statewide competitions while growing up. Freedman has said that repeated bouts of depression during his adolescence inspired him to write his first songs. He cites Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
, Paula Cole
Paula Cole
Paula Cole is an American singer/songwriter. Her single "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone" reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997, and the following year she won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.-Early life:...
, and Beethoven as major influences. Freedman's music blends pop and folk influences with a confessional lyrical style. His hallmark rapid staccato style is classically influenced (audio sample below). Freedman's first public performance was at the Butterfield Beanery in New Brunswick, NJ on April 26, 1996. He went on to formally study piano at Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
in Ithaca, NY. Freedman has since been based out of Chicago, Boston, Charleston, and San Diego.
Music
In 1999, Freedman released his first album Swimming After Dark on the independent label Violent Yodel Records. The debut was met with rave reviews, including a feature on Indie-music.com. "I've never heard anything like this. It's heartbreaking, passionate, and unabashedly honest. He [Freedman] lives in a beautiful world, even when it's painful, and I'm finding it hard to leave."Following the success of his first album, Freedman released a follow-up album in 2001, Anything Worth Mentioning. His second release strayed from the intimate quality of Swimming After Dark and featured full-band arrangements, including an enigmatic banjo solo during the opening number. Critics hailed Freedman's sophomore release as proof the songwriter was maturing. Billboard Magazine gave Freedman a full page profile, dubbing the young pianist "a star-in-waiting." Freedman began nationally touring at that time, performing at colleges, festivals, and coffeehouses across the country.
Freedman returned to the studio in 2003 to record a third album, Some Company. Along with 10 new original numbers, the album included a popularly downloaded version of Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis
Walking in Memphis
-Cher version:"Walking in Memphis" is the first European single by American singer-actress Cher from her twenty-second studio album, It's a Man's World. It was released in the end of 1995 by WEA. The song was performed in some shows in Europe, and in her tours since the Do You Believe? Tour.-Song...
. Some Company was reminiscent of Freedman's early roots and consisted solely of vocal-piano numbers. Freedman's fan base began to expand about that time, spreading as far as Australia where Freedman toured for three months promoting the album. Billboard Magazine featured Freedman for the second time, and The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
both wrote about Freedman's unique vocal and musical stylings. "In a husky voice similar to Marc Cohn
Marc Cohn
Marc Craig Cohn is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and musician.- Personal life :Cohn was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Beachwood High School in Beachwood, a Cleveland suburb. He then attended Oberlin College....
's, he croons childhood memories and hopes of true love while the arpeggios ripple."
After the release of Some Company, Freedman began to field the idea of a cover album. In response to fan suggestions, Freedman posted 30 songs on his website where fans voted on which tracks to record. In 2005, the aptly titled Judge a Book was released featuring the top-voted tracks. Collaborations appeared for the first time including the controversial "Soldiers of Christ" by "I Kissed a Girl"'s Jill Sobule
Jill Sobule
Jill Sobule is an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless...
(who also sings on the track). A spin on The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields is the principal creative outlet of singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt...
' "Papa Was a Rodeo" was recorded with singer-songwriter Mark Weigle
Mark Weigle
Mark Weigle is a singer/songwriter with at least five albums to his credit. Weigle presents a successful yet positive orientation as a gay writer and musician...
, and indie singer-songwriter Edie Carey lended vocals to the pop-tinged "Good Morning Baby". A bonus track of The Cranberries
The Cranberries
The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...
' "Zombie" also appeared on the cover album, which was recorded on a church organ in Charleston, SC.
Freedman disappeared from the music scene between 2006-2009 in order to attend graduate school in San Diego, CA. At the urging of fans, Freedman released a fifth album in June 2009, The Cottage Sessions. The album is a collection of deeply personal songs including the final track "Stay", which bares Freedman's religious side for the first time. No touring plans have been announced to coincide with the new release. Freedman is currently offering free downloads of his music every Friday on his website under the promotion "Freed Fridays".
Discography
- Swimming After Dark (1999)
- Best Little Boy epExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(2000) - Anything Worth Mentioning (2001)
- Some Company (2003)
- Some Company singleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
(2003) - Judge a Book (2005)
- Zombie single (2009)
- The Cottage Sessions (2009)
Personal life
Freedman received his Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Language and Communicative Disorders in 2009 from San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
. He is currently an Assistant Professor at a private college in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Freedman is Jewish
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
.