Sick Puppies make Houstonian Bryan Scott the pick of the litter
Bryan Scott is having his “Rock Star” moment.
The Houston singer was announced in February as the new frontman for Australian rock band Sick Puppies, which will play his hometown Friday night.
“Have you seen the movie with Mark Wahlberg? That’s it, man,” Scott says. He’s referencing “Rock Star,” the 2001 film starring Wahlberg as a small-time singer who is asked to front his favorite band.
“You’re watching this band that you can’t really imagine or fathom or touch in your life. I truly was a fan. The Buzz (94.5 FM) would always play them. It’s what I’ve been aiming for my whole life. I have some pictures where my old band is playing, and the Sick Puppies banner is right behind me. It was a crazy foreshadowing.”
Scott reached out to the band, which also includes bassist Emma Anzai and drummer Mark Goodwin, last year after seeing on social media their call for a new singer to replace Shimon Moore, who left in 2014.
Following a few wellreceived video auditions, he flew to Los Angeles to meet the band. They began teasing new music in December.
In the spring, the band unveiled Scott with the hashtag #SickPuppiesNewEra all over social media. Fans quickly picked it up, and the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
A new single, “Stick to Your Guns,” is climbing Billboard’s rock charts. Full-length album “Fury,” featuring Scott on vocals, is due May 20. The band performs Friday at Scout Bar, the second of more than two dozen tour dates.
“To be on that stage, it’s unreal. I’m overwhelmed by it all,” Scott says. “Everything clicked so easily. We’re like family now.”
Sick Puppies formed in 1997 and has released four albums, including 2013’s “Connect,” which cracked Billboard’s Top 20. The band scored rock-radio hits with “All the Same,” “You’re Going Down,” “Maybe” and “There’s No Going Back.”
Scott previously performed with Houston bands Glass Intrepid and Dev Electric, both of which picked up considerable attention outside Houston. The Klein Oak High School graduate has performed all over the city, from Fitzgerald’s upstairs to the defunct Javajazz Coffee House.
He promises a “heavier vibe” on the new Sick Puppies album but says they were also conscious of “paying homage to what the band has previously done, what the fans are used to.”
“I’ve been doing music since I was 15, doing the bands in Houston. When this came around, I was in between things, figuring out where I wanted to go with it,” Scott says. “I’m not lying when I say this, something literally, completely came over me. It was something telling me, ‘This is it. This band is where I need to be.’ The ball’s rolling. I’m just along for the ride, man.”