Scott Rehling has been a fixture in the Austin music and video scene for some years now. We asked him to elaborate with us ...
1- at what age did the musical bug bite you? were keys your only/first instrument?
I think when I was 7, I figured out how to play the Sesame Street Theme song on the family piano. Later, I noticed that my buddy's older brother who was in a band always seemed to have a lot of friends (particularly girls) and I thought that was pretty cool. In addition to keys, I did play trombone in the marching band all the way through college at the University of Nebraska (I was one of the infamous idiot trombonists who went the wrong way at halftime of the Orange Bowl)
2- are you classically trained or?
I got a "classic" training in rock n roll nonsense backstage over the years, but I am not a classically trained musician. I started off simply playing by ear. Music and production is mostly self taught although I did go back later and learn theory and I have worked with some great musicians and producers who have taught me most of what I know now.
3- you are a big part of Lava Studio here in Austin. What is it you do there,and who are your partners?
Kevin Kielian, Bryan Anderton and I are the principals at Lava
Lava is a rich media (audio/video/web) development and production shop
4- was it you who picked out the grand piano and set up the piano room there?
Yessir. Cool story. Steinway donates pianos to the Aspen Jazz festival every year. Then they take them on tour and sell them. When the show came to Austin, I went down to check them out and I kept coming back to this piano, which was their mid level brand (Boston) and it's only 5' 10". To me it was the best sounding piano in the place, which didn't make sense because it wasn't a 7 foot top of the line Steinway model. I thought i was losing it. Then this old blind guy sat at that piano and said it was the best piano. Since he has no idea how big or which model it was, I figured I had it right to begin with. Then, I found out that this was the piano that Joe Sample played at the Aspen Festival. He's one of my favorites. Done deal.
5- who are some of your clients that have been there?
On the video side:
Whole Foods, Texas Football, Dell Computer, Hyundai
On the audio and music side: Activision Gaming, Joe Ely, Ivan Neville, 21 Smoking Figurados
6- what make is the main board, and can you give us alittle info on Lava's capabilities?
Our concept for the recording studio is combining the old with the new. We use analog/vintage input (vintage microphones, classic outboard pre-amp gear and processors), but we record, mix, edit with Pro Tools for ultimate convenience and power. One of the unique things that people tell us all the time is that we have a really comfortable studio space with a great "vibe". I think vibe has a lot to do with the performances we get out of here.
On the video side, we shoot everything in HD with Panasonic P2 equipment and do editing/graphics in Final Cut Studio Pro.
Lava is a full service audio/video/web development and production company. We do everything from music recording projects for artists like Joe Ely and The Dancing with the Stars video game to video production for Whole Foods and Dell to live audio and live audio/video capture at One World Theater. Our capabilities are pretty comprehensive and I think we've got a nice blend of art and commerce happening here.
7- you played in a band that won some Chronicle Awards? Dysfunktion Junction,or something like that? Who was in that band with you,and how long were you active in it?
Indeed. I actually started that silly band in 1996 with drummer Rudy Apodaca and the original lineup also included Johnny Big on Bass, Magnum D Pimp on vocals and Mikey Reaux on guitar. I handled various roles in the band until 2002 (management, bubble machine, fog machine, 8 track tape giveaways, Velveeta Cheese Sponsorship, oh ya, and I played keyboards too). That was (and still is) a pretty fun band- it's really just a license to act ridiculous, which everyone should be required to do from time to time.
8- I saw you play an intimate set with a guy named Jimmy George,and your wife played violin on stage with you as well. Who is Kristina Kopriva- Rehling[sic?],and how did you meet?
Jimmy George rules. He's one of my favorite artists of all time (music and painting). Kristina and I met at SXSW in 1998 at the NARAS party at the Four Seasons. I was actually on a date at the time but my buddies ran interference so I could talk to Kristina. It ended up working out- now we're married with two awesome kids.
9- that gig was at a benefit for adopting kids out of Africa,which you have done. That's a pretty heavy commitment ,and I commend you two on that. Can you tell us about that experience?
We adopted a little girl from Ethiopia in 2008 and through that process learned that there are 143 million orphans worldwide. While spending time in Ethiopia, we saw first hand how miserable the conditions are and how bleak the prospects are for these kids. So, we became inspired to do a little something to help raise awareness and funding to help some of these orphaned children. This year was our 2nd annual benefit concert and all the funds go directly to basic needs for orphanages along with education and skills training for these kids. With Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk and John Pointer on the bill at the Long Center, the gig was a huge success this year!
10- Kristina is pretty much a dervish onstage. What is her musical background? How long have you two played with Jimmy George?Who else plays in that act with you?
KK started playing violin at age 3 and spent many years winning awards and touring the world with the National Youth Orchestra. She actually personally studied with Dr. Suzuki, the founder of the famous Suzuki method of teaching music. Eventually, she strayed from her classical roots and headed more in a rock, jazz and blues direction. Being from San Francisco, she performed and recorded with many of the Bay area greats over the years, including John Lee Hooker, Narada Michael Walden, Jonathan Cain, Bob Weir and Vince Welnick from the Grateful Dead, etc. As my dad has reminded me many times, she's a bigger rock star than I ever was!
We have been playing with Jimmy George off and on for almost 10 years now and the other cast members have included Russell Clepper, Johnny Big, Grego Lobos, Peter Mazetti, and Kem Watts
11- you also work in video,too?any credits?
We have done a bunch of cool live concert video projects with some of the more memorable ones being Willie Nelson live in Alpine, TX and Michael Franti's Spearhead and Robert Randolph and the Family Band at Stubb's here in Austin.
Probably our most recognizable video work is the documentary/behind the scenes video work we have done for Texas Football. One of the high points for me was being on the field right on the goal line when Vince Young scored the winning touchdown for the national title against USC. He gave me a high five as he was going out of bounds.
12- what were your early musical influences?
Whatever 8 track tapes my parents had laying around (kingston Trio, Gordon Lightfoot, Elvis, Charlie Rich, Stevie Wonder). It was a pretty eclectic mix. My first rock concert was KISS in 1976, which completely blew my mind. Later as a Jr High and High School kid, it was Innocent Mischief, the local rock n roll cover band that played all the county fairs and dances and so forth. They played RATT, Def Leppard, Ted Nugent, Billy Squire you know all the 80's hair rock. I couldn't get enough of that stuff, man! At the time, I thought those guys were gods and I wanted to be them. It's amazing that I don't still have a mullet today.
13- name some local artists you'd like to work with someday.
John Pointer, Monte Montgomery, Carolyn Wonderland
14- the proverbial desert island question. you have a solar-powered boombox. Name 5 cds you have with you.
Level 42- Level Best
Colonel Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit- Mirrors of Embarassment
Mr. Bungle
Brand New Heavies- Heavy Rhyme Experience
Steely Dan- AJA
15- tell us about the gear you play for live gigs, and the gear you use in the studio when you do keys.
Studio- "real instruments" Hammond C3, Rhodes piano, Steinway Piano, Wurlizer piano, Clavinet
the magic Shiznit studio instrument- The Open Labs Neko KKL- this thing is unreal!
I use the Wurli and Clav quite a bit live and various Keyboards- Korg M3, Korg Z1, Roland JX3p, Ensoniq EPS, Ensoniq ZR-76
I like the Peavey Delta Blues and Roland Jazz chorus amps and I'm a pretty heavy user of the Crybaby "Slash" wah pedal. There's this weird, rare, rotary speaker that I love called the Maestro Rover. I had one for a long time but it got stolen. I've been looking for one ever since. If anyone out there has one, I'll pay big bucks for it.
16- ever use that Leslie with the B-3?
That's the ONLY way to go with the B3 or C3. I had one of those once in a lifetime chances to grab a mint condition C3 (same as the B3, except it has the nicer cabinet because the C's were sold mainly to (C)hurches.) A lady in Victoria, TX bought it new in the 1950's and it sat unused in her basement for 40+ years. When she passed away, they put it on her estate sale. We didn't have to do one thing to it- it was just like new, right off the showroom floor, with the matching Leslie. It's the cleanest Hammond organ I've ever heard. There is absolutely no substitute for the real thing when it comes to the Hammond organs.
17- who does any of your tech work,repairs,etc,that you are happy with?
With my heavy reliance on the vintage keyboard instruments, Mr. Bob Overton, our local vintage keyboard tech wizard, is a god in my book!
18-who came up with this Lava idea,anyways? any Open Houses scheduled soon? I have been to several studio open house parties there,and you do it right. Who came across those fire dancers ?
Bryan Anderton had The Living Room studios in this location for many years. Kevin and I were doing work out of home studios and we decided to come together to form Lava. I think the name itself was something that our friend Skip Hunt came up with. Honestly, we didn't have a real, fully baked plan. We just knew we had some talent and felt that there was opportunity out there. It turns out we were right and the whole thing just kind of took on a life of its own.
Ah yes, the famous Lava parking lot parties! : ) There have been some good ones indeed, with performances by Jimmy George, the now defunct Clusterfunk, Flyjack, the amazing Sangre Del Sol firedancers that you are referring to. The expectations for the parties is pretty off the charts at this point, so we're trying to figure out how we can trump the last one. One lesson we have learned...... get an event and fire permit. We figured that one out the hard way courtesy of the APD two times in a row.
19- what are your future plans in music ?
I'll keep cranking out my own music and I'm hopefully going to do a record with my wife soon and another one with Jimmy George this year. One project in particular that's really cool right now- I'm involved with an allstar gospel music project called Electric Revival being headed up by Bob Michaels, that includes folks like MC Overlord, The Vallejos and Malford Milligan. Aside from that, I'm kinda focusing on producing- working with some of the many young, extremely talented artists here in Austin. Eventually, I'm hoping to become the agent/manager for my son who is an up and coming 7 year old cellist! He's my retirement plan.
20-come from a big family? small family?anyone else musically-inclined?
Kristina's family has a major music background. Her grandfather played sax with Benny Goodman and was the house band leader at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami back in the 50's and 60's when guys like Frank Sinatra were coming through there. Miles Davis attended her mom's 15th birthday party for god's sake! Everyone in her family is a musician so holidays are one big jam session. It's pretty sweet.
21- who are your favorite keyboard/piano players?
Joe Sample
George Duke
Ivan Neville
22 - have a spiritual sense?
Enough to know that God is too big for one religion.
I think when I was 7, I figured out how to play the Sesame Street Theme song on the family piano. Later, I noticed that my buddy's older brother who was in a band always seemed to have a lot of friends (particularly girls) and I thought that was pretty cool. In addition to keys, I did play trombone in the marching band all the way through college at the University of Nebraska (I was one of the infamous idiot trombonists who went the wrong way at halftime of the Orange Bowl)
2- are you classically trained or?
I got a "classic" training in rock n roll nonsense backstage over the years, but I am not a classically trained musician. I started off simply playing by ear. Music and production is mostly self taught although I did go back later and learn theory and I have worked with some great musicians and producers who have taught me most of what I know now.
3- you are a big part of Lava Studio here in Austin. What is it you do there,and who are your partners?
Kevin Kielian, Bryan Anderton and I are the principals at Lava
Lava is a rich media (audio/video/web) development and production shop
4- was it you who picked out the grand piano and set up the piano room there?
Yessir. Cool story. Steinway donates pianos to the Aspen Jazz festival every year. Then they take them on tour and sell them. When the show came to Austin, I went down to check them out and I kept coming back to this piano, which was their mid level brand (Boston) and it's only 5' 10". To me it was the best sounding piano in the place, which didn't make sense because it wasn't a 7 foot top of the line Steinway model. I thought i was losing it. Then this old blind guy sat at that piano and said it was the best piano. Since he has no idea how big or which model it was, I figured I had it right to begin with. Then, I found out that this was the piano that Joe Sample played at the Aspen Festival. He's one of my favorites. Done deal.
5- who are some of your clients that have been there?
On the video side:
Whole Foods, Texas Football, Dell Computer, Hyundai
On the audio and music side: Activision Gaming, Joe Ely, Ivan Neville, 21 Smoking Figurados
6- what make is the main board, and can you give us alittle info on Lava's capabilities?
Our concept for the recording studio is combining the old with the new. We use analog/vintage input (vintage microphones, classic outboard pre-amp gear and processors), but we record, mix, edit with Pro Tools for ultimate convenience and power. One of the unique things that people tell us all the time is that we have a really comfortable studio space with a great "vibe". I think vibe has a lot to do with the performances we get out of here.
On the video side, we shoot everything in HD with Panasonic P2 equipment and do editing/graphics in Final Cut Studio Pro.
Lava is a full service audio/video/web development and production company. We do everything from music recording projects for artists like Joe Ely and The Dancing with the Stars video game to video production for Whole Foods and Dell to live audio and live audio/video capture at One World Theater. Our capabilities are pretty comprehensive and I think we've got a nice blend of art and commerce happening here.
7- you played in a band that won some Chronicle Awards? Dysfunktion Junction,or something like that? Who was in that band with you,and how long were you active in it?
Indeed. I actually started that silly band in 1996 with drummer Rudy Apodaca and the original lineup also included Johnny Big on Bass, Magnum D Pimp on vocals and Mikey Reaux on guitar. I handled various roles in the band until 2002 (management, bubble machine, fog machine, 8 track tape giveaways, Velveeta Cheese Sponsorship, oh ya, and I played keyboards too). That was (and still is) a pretty fun band- it's really just a license to act ridiculous, which everyone should be required to do from time to time.
8- I saw you play an intimate set with a guy named Jimmy George,and your wife played violin on stage with you as well. Who is Kristina Kopriva- Rehling[sic?],and how did you meet?
Jimmy George rules. He's one of my favorite artists of all time (music and painting). Kristina and I met at SXSW in 1998 at the NARAS party at the Four Seasons. I was actually on a date at the time but my buddies ran interference so I could talk to Kristina. It ended up working out- now we're married with two awesome kids.
9- that gig was at a benefit for adopting kids out of Africa,which you have done. That's a pretty heavy commitment ,and I commend you two on that. Can you tell us about that experience?
We adopted a little girl from Ethiopia in 2008 and through that process learned that there are 143 million orphans worldwide. While spending time in Ethiopia, we saw first hand how miserable the conditions are and how bleak the prospects are for these kids. So, we became inspired to do a little something to help raise awareness and funding to help some of these orphaned children. This year was our 2nd annual benefit concert and all the funds go directly to basic needs for orphanages along with education and skills training for these kids. With Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk and John Pointer on the bill at the Long Center, the gig was a huge success this year!
10- Kristina is pretty much a dervish onstage. What is her musical background? How long have you two played with Jimmy George?Who else plays in that act with you?
KK started playing violin at age 3 and spent many years winning awards and touring the world with the National Youth Orchestra. She actually personally studied with Dr. Suzuki, the founder of the famous Suzuki method of teaching music. Eventually, she strayed from her classical roots and headed more in a rock, jazz and blues direction. Being from San Francisco, she performed and recorded with many of the Bay area greats over the years, including John Lee Hooker, Narada Michael Walden, Jonathan Cain, Bob Weir and Vince Welnick from the Grateful Dead, etc. As my dad has reminded me many times, she's a bigger rock star than I ever was!
We have been playing with Jimmy George off and on for almost 10 years now and the other cast members have included Russell Clepper, Johnny Big, Grego Lobos, Peter Mazetti, and Kem Watts
11- you also work in video,too?any credits?
We have done a bunch of cool live concert video projects with some of the more memorable ones being Willie Nelson live in Alpine, TX and Michael Franti's Spearhead and Robert Randolph and the Family Band at Stubb's here in Austin.
Probably our most recognizable video work is the documentary/behind the scenes video work we have done for Texas Football. One of the high points for me was being on the field right on the goal line when Vince Young scored the winning touchdown for the national title against USC. He gave me a high five as he was going out of bounds.
12- what were your early musical influences?
Whatever 8 track tapes my parents had laying around (kingston Trio, Gordon Lightfoot, Elvis, Charlie Rich, Stevie Wonder). It was a pretty eclectic mix. My first rock concert was KISS in 1976, which completely blew my mind. Later as a Jr High and High School kid, it was Innocent Mischief, the local rock n roll cover band that played all the county fairs and dances and so forth. They played RATT, Def Leppard, Ted Nugent, Billy Squire you know all the 80's hair rock. I couldn't get enough of that stuff, man! At the time, I thought those guys were gods and I wanted to be them. It's amazing that I don't still have a mullet today.
13- name some local artists you'd like to work with someday.
John Pointer, Monte Montgomery, Carolyn Wonderland
14- the proverbial desert island question. you have a solar-powered boombox. Name 5 cds you have with you.
Level 42- Level Best
Colonel Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit- Mirrors of Embarassment
Mr. Bungle
Brand New Heavies- Heavy Rhyme Experience
Steely Dan- AJA
15- tell us about the gear you play for live gigs, and the gear you use in the studio when you do keys.
Studio- "real instruments" Hammond C3, Rhodes piano, Steinway Piano, Wurlizer piano, Clavinet
the magic Shiznit studio instrument- The Open Labs Neko KKL- this thing is unreal!
I use the Wurli and Clav quite a bit live and various Keyboards- Korg M3, Korg Z1, Roland JX3p, Ensoniq EPS, Ensoniq ZR-76
I like the Peavey Delta Blues and Roland Jazz chorus amps and I'm a pretty heavy user of the Crybaby "Slash" wah pedal. There's this weird, rare, rotary speaker that I love called the Maestro Rover. I had one for a long time but it got stolen. I've been looking for one ever since. If anyone out there has one, I'll pay big bucks for it.
16- ever use that Leslie with the B-3?
That's the ONLY way to go with the B3 or C3. I had one of those once in a lifetime chances to grab a mint condition C3 (same as the B3, except it has the nicer cabinet because the C's were sold mainly to (C)hurches.) A lady in Victoria, TX bought it new in the 1950's and it sat unused in her basement for 40+ years. When she passed away, they put it on her estate sale. We didn't have to do one thing to it- it was just like new, right off the showroom floor, with the matching Leslie. It's the cleanest Hammond organ I've ever heard. There is absolutely no substitute for the real thing when it comes to the Hammond organs.
17- who does any of your tech work,repairs,etc,that you are happy with?
With my heavy reliance on the vintage keyboard instruments, Mr. Bob Overton, our local vintage keyboard tech wizard, is a god in my book!
18-who came up with this Lava idea,anyways? any Open Houses scheduled soon? I have been to several studio open house parties there,and you do it right. Who came across those fire dancers ?
Bryan Anderton had The Living Room studios in this location for many years. Kevin and I were doing work out of home studios and we decided to come together to form Lava. I think the name itself was something that our friend Skip Hunt came up with. Honestly, we didn't have a real, fully baked plan. We just knew we had some talent and felt that there was opportunity out there. It turns out we were right and the whole thing just kind of took on a life of its own.
Ah yes, the famous Lava parking lot parties! : ) There have been some good ones indeed, with performances by Jimmy George, the now defunct Clusterfunk, Flyjack, the amazing Sangre Del Sol firedancers that you are referring to. The expectations for the parties is pretty off the charts at this point, so we're trying to figure out how we can trump the last one. One lesson we have learned...... get an event and fire permit. We figured that one out the hard way courtesy of the APD two times in a row.
19- what are your future plans in music ?
I'll keep cranking out my own music and I'm hopefully going to do a record with my wife soon and another one with Jimmy George this year. One project in particular that's really cool right now- I'm involved with an allstar gospel music project called Electric Revival being headed up by Bob Michaels, that includes folks like MC Overlord, The Vallejos and Malford Milligan. Aside from that, I'm kinda focusing on producing- working with some of the many young, extremely talented artists here in Austin. Eventually, I'm hoping to become the agent/manager for my son who is an up and coming 7 year old cellist! He's my retirement plan.
20-come from a big family? small family?anyone else musically-inclined?
Kristina's family has a major music background. Her grandfather played sax with Benny Goodman and was the house band leader at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami back in the 50's and 60's when guys like Frank Sinatra were coming through there. Miles Davis attended her mom's 15th birthday party for god's sake! Everyone in her family is a musician so holidays are one big jam session. It's pretty sweet.
21- who are your favorite keyboard/piano players?
Joe Sample
George Duke
Ivan Neville
22 - have a spiritual sense?
Enough to know that God is too big for one religion.
