Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Thinking outside the box
Josh Scogin doesn’t want ‘68’s sound to be boxed into any one style
The music produced by ’68 — the duo of Josh Scogin and Michael McLellan — has been described in a variety of ways: metalcore, Christian hardcore, punk rock, garage rock and American rock.
And that’s just how Scogin likes it.
“I would like to have no boxes, no labels. As an artist, you don’t want to sit in a box,” says Scogin of ’68’s sound. “Punk rock might refer more to the DIY lifestyle — we don’t have crews or anything like that. We do our own set list, wing it every night and that leans to the punk rock world. Some of our stuff can be kind of heavy, but I wouldn’t call it heavy metal.
“As soon as I feel like I have a comfortable definition of what I do, I would want to branch outside of that.”
Decide for yourself tonight, May 4, when ’ 68 plays Revelry Room. They’ll share the stage with Every Time I Die, Holy + Gold and Wage War.
Scogin, known for his work with Norman Jean + The Chariot, and McLellan formed ’68 four years ago. McLellan’s older brother worked at the studio where Scogin recorded albums. Scogin knew McLellan was a drummer and sometimes hired him to play on albums he was producing.
They named t heir duo after the ’68 Camaro owned by Scogin’s father.
“The name refers to good times any old car will bring a father and son together,” says Scogin. “The images that pop in my head musically and all the ideas, whether true or not, are stuff I thought was very conducive to the type of music I hope to write.”
The singer/guitarist says downsizing from a five-piece band to a duo has been a new challenge.
“Since that was what I was comfortable with I wanted something fresh and new. In my previous band, I was just a singer, not playing guitar, this is a new journey,” says Scogin.
And their shows are just as fresh and unpredictable.
“The audience at Revelry Room can expect the unexpected. We treat every live show like it is its own entity. Every night is different, the city is different, the crowd is different,” says Scogin.
“We vibe out on the crowd, see what it feels like, and nine times out of 10, it makes for a much better show. Instead of having a plan and the audience watching, we all live it together.”