Joe Scutella explains how pitching a baseball felt just like being on stage alone with a guitar.
This episode features host Chip Schell interviewing singer-songwriter Joe Scutella, who left Erie for a professional music career in Nashville. Scutella details his early musical development in Erie, starting with receiving a guitar for Christmas around 1970 during a teacher's strike. He recalls being inspired by a high school classmate, Jack Anderson, and writing his first songs around age 17, including an early tune called "Cowboys Don't Cry." Scutella describes joining the improvisational world music group Concourse in 1977 after a chance jam with bassist David Blase, which led to paid gigs at venues like The Antlers.
He discusses his subsequent role as a percussionist and guitarist in the popular Frederick Martin Band, which became a house band at Sherlock's. Scutella recounts moving to Florida in the late 1980s, where a chance encounter with Erie expat Maggie Flanagan led to regular solo performances at Pedro's Canteen. He won a South Florida songwriting contest in 1993, leading to an introduction to publisher Jay Center, who offered him a deal and prompted his move to Nashville in 1994. In Nashville, Scutella secured a second publishing deal through a connection at BMI, working with producer Clyde Brooks and recording demos with renowned session players like George Marinelli and Dan Dugmore.
A surprising moment is Scutella's comparison of the focus required for pitching in baseball to the concentration needed for solo musical performance. He also shares the serendipitous story of meeting bassist David Blase during an impromptu film-and-drum session in his Erie storefront apartment, which directly led to his first serious band opportunity. The conversation reveals how the Bluebird Cafe's accessibility drastically changed after the TV show "Nashville" made it a major tourist destination. Scutella notes that his first Nashville publishing deal involved co-writing with established but older writers who were somewhat out of touch with the current country-Americana shift.
The tone is relaxed and conversational, flowing like two old friends catching up on a life in music. The style is deeply nostalgic, focusing on personal anecdotes and the unpredictable, lucky breaks that shaped a career. This episode is ideal for listeners interested in the grassroots journey of a working musician, the Erie music scene of the 1970s and 80s, or the practical realities of building a songwriting career in Nashville. Those seeking a heavily produced narrative or a focus on chart-topping hits might find the content too anecdotal.
