Scott Sullivan

Caught Up: Scott Sullivan
By hondo
Thu, Aug 9 2012 4:02 pm | 6 Comments
SHARE: Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on tumblr More Sharing Services

Scott Sullivan is a world class snowboard photographer. Remember the Nicolas Muller cover of our magazine last year? Yeah, he shot that. He also shoots with Travis Rice, the Absinthe crew, and a ton of other legendary shredders in the pacific Northwest. But what does he do when he puts down the camera? Well Scott is also an incredible musician. With his 4th record recently released, and new music video, we thought now would be the perfect time to catch up with Scott and see exactly what’s happening.


Hey Scott, what’s happening?

It’s all happening. Just having a great summer, minus the crappy surf part.

So let’s talk about your new record, Cracks and All, how did the cover art for your new album take place?

Caught Up: Scott Sullivan
By hondo
Thu, Aug 9 2012 4:02 pm | 6 Comments
SHARE: Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on tumblr More Sharing Services

Scott Sullivan is a world class snowboard photographer. Remember the Nicolas Muller cover of our magazine last year? Yeah, he shot that. He also shoots with Travis Rice, the Absinthe crew, and a ton of other legendary shredders in the pacific Northwest. But what does he do when he puts down the camera? Well Scott is also an incredible musician. With his 4th record recently released, and new music video, we thought now would be the perfect time to catch up with Scott and see exactly what’s happening.
nicolas muller snowboard photos powder

Nicolas Muller. PHOTO: Scott Sullivan

Hey Scott, what’s happening?

It’s all happening. Just having a great summer, minus the crappy surf part.

So let’s talk about your new record, Cracks and All, how did the cover art for your new album take place?

Cracks and All is my 4th album. Each album has embraced a different feel both visually and sonically. As this one grew, I just had this idea in my head of the white cracked egg and how the egg represents so much potential at the inception of life, similar to human life, and as it grows and develops it becomes subjected to cracks from inner and outer forces. It’s tragic in some sense, but it’s also victorious because every egg out there is in the same boat. The album is no different. The songs start out simple and stripped down like an egg, and then as the process continues with recording they develop some beautiful flaws throughout which give them character. So it became a matter of showing off the cracks with pride and that’s where the pedestal comes in. I made a mini egg photo studio out of my daughters paper easel and lit it with natural light…et voila! Stefan Hofmann, the artist behind Spacecraft, helped me to lay it all out and he also created some amazing custom art for the back cover and liner notes.
Do you like soft-boiled eggs?

I have grown curiously fond of soft- boiled eggs over the years after spending many a pre-riding breakfast with the likes of Nicolas Muller, Wolle Nyvelt ,and the lot of the euro Absinthe crew. Europe is big on 3 minute eggs, over here in the States not so much. The Euros kind of know what’s up though with good living and good food. I have even lately taken to making my own at home, for which I have purchased some “eggy pants” for them to rest in while me and my kids decapitate them and eat their brains.

What are the main influences for the album. Did you take any influence from the places you’ve traveled to with your snowboard/ camera?

Some of the influences come from dealing with personal struggles, and also the energy that comes out of resolution of those struggles. I am also influenced by the art of songwriting and the ability to convey the emotion, or the message, from the song in a concise and effective way. Similar to how one would edit a video part- you want to cut out all the unnecessary BS and get to the point.

I always feel inspired when I am on photo trips, it’s something to do with being on the move and experiencing new things every day. The title song, “Cracks and All” I wrote at the end of a snowboarding trip to Chile. I was seeing a lot of music in Santiago on that trip and was inspired by the different time signatures and instrumentation. The song ended up in 3/4 waltz time and has some melodica and various rhythm gadgets throughout.

Check out Scott’s new video for “Last Call” on the next page.
Talk about the video, where did the inspiration for the video take place, who made it, where was it filmed?
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap


For me the inspiration was born in - Transworld

Caught Up: Scott Sullivan
By hondo
Thu, Aug 9 2012 4:02 pm | 6 Comments
SHARE: Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on tumblr More Sharing Services

Scott Sullivan is a world class snowboard photographer. Remember the Nicolas Muller cover of our magazine last year? Yeah, he shot that. He also shoots with Travis Rice, the Absinthe crew, and a ton of other legendary shredders in the pacific Northwest. But what does he do when he puts down the camera? Well Scott is also an incredible musician. With his 4th record recently released, and new music video, we thought now would be the perfect time to catch up with Scott and see exactly what’s happening.


Hey Scott, what’s happening?

It’s all happening. Just having a great summer, minus the crappy surf part.

So let’s talk about your new record, Cracks and All, how did the cover art for your new album take place?

Caught Up: Scott Sullivan
By hondo
Thu, Aug 9 2012 4:02 pm | 6 Comments
SHARE: Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on tumblr More Sharing Services

Scott Sullivan is a world class snowboard photographer. Remember the Nicolas Muller cover of our magazine last year? Yeah, he shot that. He also shoots with Travis Rice, the Absinthe crew, and a ton of other legendary shredders in the pacific Northwest. But what does he do when he puts down the camera? Well Scott is also an incredible musician. With his 4th record recently released, and new music video, we thought now would be the perfect time to catch up with Scott and see exactly what’s happening.
nicolas muller snowboard photos powder

Nicolas Muller. PHOTO: Scott Sullivan

Hey Scott, what’s happening?

It’s all happening. Just having a great summer, minus the crappy surf part.

So let’s talk about your new record, Cracks and All, how did the cover art for your new album take place?

Cracks and All is my 4th album. Each album has embraced a different feel both visually and sonically. As this one grew, I just had this idea in my head of the white cracked egg and how the egg represents so much potential at the inception of life, similar to human life, and as it grows and develops it becomes subjected to cracks from inner and outer forces. It’s tragic in some sense, but it’s also victorious because every egg out there is in the same boat. The album is no different. The songs start out simple and stripped down like an egg, and then as the process continues with recording they develop some beautiful flaws throughout which give them character. So it became a matter of showing off the cracks with pride and that’s where the pedestal comes in. I made a mini egg photo studio out of my daughters paper easel and lit it with natural light…et voila! Stefan Hofmann, the artist behind Spacecraft, helped me to lay it all out and he also created some amazing custom art for the back cover and liner notes.
Do you like soft-boiled eggs?

I have grown curiously fond of soft- boiled eggs over the years after spending many a pre-riding breakfast with the likes of Nicolas Muller, Wolle Nyvelt ,and the lot of the euro Absinthe crew. Europe is big on 3 minute eggs, over here in the States not so much. The Euros kind of know what’s up though with good living and good food. I have even lately taken to making my own at home, for which I have purchased some “eggy pants” for them to rest in while me and my kids decapitate them and eat their brains.

What are the main influences for the album. Did you take any influence from the places you’ve traveled to with your snowboard/ camera?

Some of the influences come from dealing with personal struggles, and also the energy that comes out of resolution of those struggles. I am also influenced by the art of songwriting and the ability to convey the emotion, or the message, from the song in a concise and effective way. Similar to how one would edit a video part- you want to cut out all the unnecessary BS and get to the point.

I always feel inspired when I am on photo trips, it’s something to do with being on the move and experiencing new things every day. The title song, “Cracks and All” I wrote at the end of a snowboarding trip to Chile. I was seeing a lot of music in Santiago on that trip and was inspired by the different time signatures and instrumentation. The song ended up in 3/4 waltz time and has some melodica and various rhythm gadgets throughout.

Check out Scott’s new video for “Last Call” on the next page.
Talk about the video, where did the inspiration for the video take place, who made it, where was it filmed?
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap
Scott Sullivan photo, Lucas Debari at the Mt. Baker Road gap


For me the inspiration was born in - Transworld

frequency: #4.3
Scott Sullivan Fly By: A Manifest Voice

Scott Sullivan has a day job–and a talent–that is the envy of every snowboarder who has ever snapped a shutter. As a top-tier lensman, he travels the world’s epic snowboard destinations, capturing the world’s best riders and framing images that burn into our minds. But beyond his enviable gig, Sullivan’s creative energy has long found another outlet--in music.

Songwriting remained little more than a hobby for years for Scott. Then starting with The Crushwater Symphony in 2003, Sullivan’s songs began to cultivate their own following in the snowboard world. His newly released follow-up, The Great Manifestiny, is primed to only add to this momentum.

For Sullivan, the allure of music has always been strong, “It’s something that I’ve always just done. I started when I was 19 and since then, I’ve always written stuff and a few years ago I said I just had to put it down. It just keeps coming up, and you just have to put it to bed. There is no pressure in it for me. It’s just something I really enjoy doing… it’s just in me. And I’ve been able to keep it on my own terms.”

Immediately upon release his songs started to find a place in shred flick soundtracks, with the first on-screen use of his music being Robot Food’s Afterbang. Since then, his songs have appeared in Vivid, Saturation, Pop, The Surfer’s Journal TV Show and Five to Nine. This familiar venue has helped expose his music to a wider audience, “You have to take stock of your resources of where you can get the stuff heard. That just makes the most sense for me since I’m already tied in with the media. I know all those people who are making the movies and they all need music for the movies. So it works out pretty well,” says Sullivan.

After initial exposure in Afterbang, sales slowly started climbing for The Crushwater Symphony. Sullivan eventually sold enough copies through his website to pay for the production, which he measures as a financial success. But more than hitting a comfortable break-even, he experienced a bigger reward. “It’s so satisfying to know that the music is getting out there like that... When you fall in love with a certain kind of music it helps you get you through your life. And to be able to do that and reach people like that on the other side of the planet is just... mindblowing.”

The new album–The Great Manifestiny–was recorded entirely at his friend Matt Remine’s homebuilt and customized sound studio in Port Angeles, WA. Sullivan has been playing music with Remine–a NW shred veteran, audiophile and frequency advertising executive–for twelve years and Matt played a key role in engineering the sound on the new album. With assistance from Matt’s brother Pete on bass and keyboards, and Sean Donnell on drums, the album was recorded in a four-day stint after last spring’s Absinthe Films trip to Alaska. Sullivan explains the recording regimen: “It’s a crazy process to record an album. And they way I do it -- traveling with the snowboard photography, since that’s my main gig, I pretty much just have to do it when I can get in there.”

Although inhabiting board-sport culture reflexively evokes Jack Johnson comparisons, Sullivan bristles at the association. He pulls up Elliot Smith instead and describes The Great Manifestiny as, “Indie rock stuff, but good songs with good melodies and dynamic parts. The album works as a whole moving piece and the energy of the album reflects that. There are a lot of layers to the songs… They can be ambiguous, but they’re not just throwaway lyrics, a lot of thought goes into them.”

Sullivan readily admits that his profession as a snowboard photographer does influence his musical output, “The traveling part and constantly being stimulated by new things... It just stimulates new songs and inspires me to play.”

And from a practical standpoint, he sees that his irregular work schedule enables him time to work on refining his music. He says, “I’ll get times when I’m up in Alaska and I’m shooting, but we’ll have five down days. So, I’m able to take that time that the photography lets me do and sit down and record on cloudy days; whereas if I had a regular job, I wouldn’t really be doing that so much.”

Sullivan sums up, “The songs are really tied in with passion and following what you’re passionate about… And I still love it [snowboarding] and I’m still passionate about making it my life and what I do. I feel the same way about music. They kind of just go hand in hand together. They definitely complement each other.”

But he remains clear on his objectives, stating: “If I can just keep getting the music out there through videos and different alternate kinds of media, I think it can sustain itself.” He continues, “That’s the whole idea of doing it in the first place, just getting it out there.” For the future he sees a third album already starting to take shape, “There definitely will be another one coming, - Frequency Magazine / Dan Kostrowski

frequency: #4.3
Scott Sullivan Fly By: A Manifest Voice

Scott Sullivan has a day job–and a talent–that is the envy of every snowboarder who has ever snapped a shutter. As a top-tier lensman, he travels the world’s epic snowboard destinations, capturing the world’s best riders and framing images that burn into our minds. But beyond his enviable gig, Sullivan’s creative energy has long found another outlet--in music.

Songwriting remained little more than a hobby for years for Scott. Then starting with The Crushwater Symphony in 2003, Sullivan’s songs began to cultivate their own following in the snowboard world. His newly released follow-up, The Great Manifestiny, is primed to only add to this momentum.

For Sullivan, the allure of music has always been strong, “It’s something that I’ve always just done. I started when I was 19 and since then, I’ve always written stuff and a few years ago I said I just had to put it down. It just keeps coming up, and you just have to put it to bed. There is no pressure in it for me. It’s just something I really enjoy doing… it’s just in me. And I’ve been able to keep it on my own terms.”

Immediately upon release his songs started to find a place in shred flick soundtracks, with the first on-screen use of his music being Robot Food’s Afterbang. Since then, his songs have appeared in Vivid, Saturation, Pop, The Surfer’s Journal TV Show and Five to Nine. This familiar venue has helped expose his music to a wider audience, “You have to take stock of your resources of where you can get the stuff heard. That just makes the most sense for me since I’m already tied in with the media. I know all those people who are making the movies and they all need music for the movies. So it works out pretty well,” says Sullivan.

After initial exposure in Afterbang, sales slowly started climbing for The Crushwater Symphony. Sullivan eventually sold enough copies through his website to pay for the production, which he measures as a financial success. But more than hitting a comfortable break-even, he experienced a bigger reward. “It’s so satisfying to know that the music is getting out there like that... When you fall in love with a certain kind of music it helps you get you through your life. And to be able to do that and reach people like that on the other side of the planet is just... mindblowing.”

The new album–The Great Manifestiny–was recorded entirely at his friend Matt Remine’s homebuilt and customized sound studio in Port Angeles, WA. Sullivan has been playing music with Remine–a NW shred veteran, audiophile and frequency advertising executive–for twelve years and Matt played a key role in engineering the sound on the new album. With assistance from Matt’s brother Pete on bass and keyboards, and Sean Donnell on drums, the album was recorded in a four-day stint after last spring’s Absinthe Films trip to Alaska. Sullivan explains the recording regimen: “It’s a crazy process to record an album. And they way I do it -- traveling with the snowboard photography, since that’s my main gig, I pretty much just have to do it when I can get in there.”

Although inhabiting board-sport culture reflexively evokes Jack Johnson comparisons, Sullivan bristles at the association. He pulls up Elliot Smith instead and describes The Great Manifestiny as, “Indie rock stuff, but good songs with good melodies and dynamic parts. The album works as a whole moving piece and the energy of the album reflects that. There are a lot of layers to the songs… They can be ambiguous, but they’re not just throwaway lyrics, a lot of thought goes into them.”

Sullivan readily admits that his profession as a snowboard photographer does influence his musical output, “The traveling part and constantly being stimulated by new things... It just stimulates new songs and inspires me to play.”

And from a practical standpoint, he sees that his irregular work schedule enables him time to work on refining his music. He says, “I’ll get times when I’m up in Alaska and I’m shooting, but we’ll have five down days. So, I’m able to take that time that the photography lets me do and sit down and record on cloudy days; whereas if I had a regular job, I wouldn’t really be doing that so much.”

Sullivan sums up, “The songs are really tied in with passion and following what you’re passionate about… And I still love it [snowboarding] and I’m still passionate about making it my life and what I do. I feel the same way about music. They kind of just go hand in hand together. They definitely complement each other.”

But he remains clear on his objectives, stating: “If I can just keep getting the music out there through videos and different alternate kinds of media, I think it can sustain itself.” He continues, “That’s the whole idea of doing it in the first place, just getting it out there.” For the future he sees a third album already starting to take shape, “There definitely will be another one coming, - Frequency Magazine / Dan Kostrowski

I had the pleasure of living just down the road from Scotty Sullivan in
Encinitas, California. Scotty and I played a lot of music together. I was
always in awe of his melodies, guitar playing, song writing structure,
harmonies and his ability to remember and play every hit from the eighties.
These fine elements (eighties excluded) are brought together on Sullivan's
debut album 'The Crushwater Symphony': An eleven-song journey from the well of Sullivan's creativity and consciousness. His songs are complex and
dynamic as well as simple and beautiful. Sullivan self recorded the album
with his friend Matt Remine in Remine's home studio in Washington State.
Scotty would pack up his road beaten Chinook and head north for the winter,
where he photographed the snowboard action for his day job. In his down time he made runs to the coastal studio for his passion - music. 'The Crushwater
Symphony' is a home grown, starkly honest, fun, textured mix of
acoustic/electric rock. In a time of hybrid, derivative, blandness, Sullivan
shines as a highly skilled enthusiast with his own unique sound. Catch him
live if you can.
ANDREW KIDMAN (musician, filmmaker- Litmus, Glass Love )
- Andrew Kidman

I had the pleasure of living just down the road from Scotty Sullivan in
Encinitas, California. Scotty and I played a lot of music together. I was
always in awe of his melodies, guitar playing, song writing structure,
harmonies and his ability to remember and play every hit from the eighties.
These fine elements (eighties excluded) are brought together on Sullivan's
debut album 'The Crushwater Symphony': An eleven-song journey from the well of Sullivan's creativity and consciousness. His songs are complex and
dynamic as well as simple and beautiful. Sullivan self recorded the album
with his friend Matt Remine in Remine's home studio in Washington State.
Scotty would pack up his road beaten Chinook and head north for the winter,
where he photographed the snowboard action for his day job. In his down time he made runs to the coastal studio for his passion - music. 'The Crushwater
Symphony' is a home grown, starkly honest, fun, textured mix of
acoustic/electric rock. In a time of hybrid, derivative, blandness, Sullivan
shines as a highly skilled enthusiast with his own unique sound. Catch him
live if you can.
ANDREW KIDMAN (musician, filmmaker- Litmus, Glass Love )
- Andrew Kidman

THE CRUSHWATER SYMPHONY' - SCOTT SULLIVAN

Real life and real love is never dull - so neither is this album. It hits home with an honest yet light-hearted edge, that can only be carried off with strong song-writing skills, musicianship and composition - Scott Sullivan definitely has all that - plus a good set of pipes. 'The Crushwater Symphony' is an entertaining storybook with a good beat. To hear MP3s, order 'The Crushwater Symphony', or get performance dates - visit www.scottsullivanmusic.com
CD Reviews by Lisa D. Smith

- The Blend

THE CRUSHWATER SYMPHONY' - SCOTT SULLIVAN

Real life and real love is never dull - so neither is this album. It hits home with an honest yet light-hearted edge, that can only be carried off with strong song-writing skills, musicianship and composition - Scott Sullivan definitely has all that - plus a good set of pipes. 'The Crushwater Symphony' is an entertaining storybook with a good beat. To hear MP3s, order 'The Crushwater Symphony', or get performance dates - visit www.scottsullivanmusic.com
CD Reviews by Lisa D. Smith

- The Blend