Guitarist and composer Scott Metzger to play the Press Room Thursday

Chances are good you haven’t heard of guitarist and composer Scott Metzger. But once you start looking at his resume, you’ll likely find a note that suggests that the chances are good you’ve crossed paths with his musical journey.

Collaborations are vast, including the likes of Phil Lesh, John Scofield, Joe Russo, John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Warren Haynes, Shooter Jennings, Nicole Atkins, Anders Osborne, Dean Ween, Circles Around the Sun, the Stanton Moore Trio, and Umphrey's McGee, and perhaps you saw him at 3S with his band WOLF!

In any event, Metzger will be making an appearance at the Press Room on Thursday, May 5 in support of his brand-new record, “Too Close to Reason,” which, surprisingly, is Metzger’s debut solo LP. “Too Close to Reason,” is a mesmerizing instrumental voyage that keeps you locked in the grooves for the entirety of the record. Front to back. There’s no skipping around. There’s no immediate favorite. It’s one of those records that you’re happy to get lost in, and, at the same time is over quicker than you care to be found. Which is all the more reason to keep flipping it from side to side.

Metzger’s gig at the Press Room will consist of this instrumental expedition for the first half of the show and then switch gears and do a little howling to close out the eve. Seacoastonline caught up with the musician to walk us through the making of the record, the roots of his musical life, and what excites him about getting back on the road.

Seacoastonline: Let’s talk about “Too Close to Reason.” This is a really pleasant listen. What were your goals for the record? What inspired its creation?

Metzger: I’m glad you enjoyed it. Honestly, I wrote the record for myself, not thinking anyone would ever hear it. I was just writing music to try and stay positive and keep some creative “skin in the game” through all the craziness in 2020 and 2021. Basically, just writing to try and cheer myself up and make some sense of what was happening - a sort of a musical journal, I guess. Eventually when I listened back to everything, I had recorded I said to myself, “Ya know, I might have something here that people would like to hear.” So that’s how this record came about

Seacoastonline: There’s a lot of power in the subtle mellowness of an instrumental acoustic album. Would you agree? What do you appreciate about using the guitar as a voice and letting it do the singing for you?

Metzger: Oh, absolutely. I mean, I’ve been playing guitar for almost 30 years now. So, for me, it’s just a huge part of my everyday life, and a way for me to learn more about myself and the world. I’m all about getting on the same page with other people, and music is a way to do that without saying a word. When it’s really clicking, there’s nothing like it. On a good night, music lets me get things across that I could never be able put into words.

Seacoastonline: How do you go about writing your compositions? Do you have an emotion or lyric/narrative in mind that fuel the way you tackle the six-string? Or did these just flow out of you completely organically?

Metzger: All different ways. Sometimes I’ll think of a good title and work backwards from there. Other times I’ll just be tooling around on the guitar and a melody will present itself - that’s how most of this record was written. If I can hum a melody, I stumble across to myself the next day, I always take that as a good sign that a particular idea is worth zooming in on and finishing.

Seacoastonline: Did you write this record with a record in mind, or did it just happen a song at a time until you had a collection accumulated with which you could pull from?

Metzger: I actually had to come up with a couple of tunes just to make this long enough to be a full-length record. I never intended this to be a record. I was just writing a bunch of little songs, one at a time. It wasn’t until later that I realized that they actually all go together very nicely

Seacoastonline: Did you stumble into any surprises while making this album? What did you learn about yourself or your craft along the way?

Metzger: That’s a very big question. Well, one thing I was reminded of constantly was the importance of focusing on a good sound. On acoustic there’s nowhere to hide - no effects, no distortion, etc. You’re just… out there. So, trusting that the sound of the guitar is enough to carry the song and that the melodies were strong enough to be interesting… I don’t know, maybe that seems obvious, but it really was something that was on my mind constantly and led to a lot of “ah-ha” moments.

Seacoastonline: This is your first solo record, which is kind of crazy to think about. What were the challenges in creating a record entirely of your own hand? On the flip side, what were the benefits of being the sole creative decision maker?

Metzger: I made this as tough on myself as possible, ha. No band. No producer. Every day it was just me and my acoustic guitar sitting in front of a microphone. Some days it was really scary - like the microphone was just staring at me. But again, getting back to that trust in the sound and melodies was enough got me through. There were plenty of positives, too - I could work at my own pace, I could sculpt each tune into exactly how I thought it should go, etc.

Seacoastonline: Do you feel vulnerable in any way playing solo as opposed to with bandmates? Does that type of feeling lend itself to the performance at all?

Metzger: I’ve been loving the solo gigs. It’s a different approach for sure, but when I’m up there all alone, I can try any idea that might occur to me at the drop of a hat. There’s nothing that’s off limits. I can improvise the dynamics, the tempo, the changes, even the forms of tunes and not have to worry about messing up a band cause it’s just me. It’s great. I can do new arrangements in real time in front of audiences that are willing to go along for the ride - what’s not to love?!

Seacoastonline: In general, why music? Why do you seek it? Why do you create it?

Metzger: I have no idea who I’d be without music. If I’m being honest, all of the most important life lessons I’ve learned have come through music in one way or another. Because of music I’ve been all around the world, have met the most incredible people, had the most wonderful experiences.…

Seacoastonline: You’re heading up to play the Press Room on May 5. What excites you about the gig? What can folks expect? I assume you’re playing tunes from this record, and can only imagine you’re dipping into other pieces of your musical existence as well…

Metzger: I am! Can’t wait. The gig is split up into two parts. The first half, I play most of the material off of “Too Close to Reason” - with help from my good pal Simon Kafka on second guitar. Then I sing and play a bunch of my favorite songs solo - no setlist for that, kinda just whatever pops in my head at the moment. It’s been working out really great and the audiences have been unbelievable. These are definitely deep listening shows

Seacoastonline: What do you appreciate about getting back on the road to play to rooms full of strangers (and friends) again? What a strange time we’ve been living through…

Metzger: So much. What a strange time indeed. It feels amazing to be back at it, traveling, making music for people, seeing my friends who I play in bands with again. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder - that’s certainly been true for getting back to making music again.

For tickets and more information about the show, visit pressroomnh.com/live-music-portsmouth-nh-events/

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Guitarist and composer Scott Metzger to play the Press Room NH