Tahoe Onstage images by Larry Sabo
Scott Pemberton’s career goal is crystal clear: “Make the best music he can. … Share it with others. …That is all,” according to his website. You can get your fair share at Lakeview Loft at Stateline Friday night, Feb. 5.
The Portland native took up the guitar as a teenager, progressing rapidly at the instrument. By his early 20s, Pemberton was a regular at clubs around the city, and a guitar instructor at Lewis & Clark College and Reed College.
Pemberton suffered a catastrophic accident in 2011, when he was struck by a cab while riding his bike.
“I wasn’t wearing a helmet,” he told Tahoe Onstage in 2014. “If I was, it would have been a broken collarbone and a pretty gashed up leg. Instead, it was near death, ICU, unconsciousness. There was rehabilitation to do. My brain was pretty damaged.”
Pemberton made a phenomenal six-month recovery, and pursued a gradual return to playing, through which he discovered a renewed drive and focus in his music. He released “Sugar Mama,” his first studio album in March 2013, produced by Steve Berlin.
The eclectic guitarist combines a wide range of influences to craft his dynamic sound, bringing together elements of blues, classic rock, funk, psychedelic music, and much more. A wild sight with a massive beard and long swinging hair, he plays guitar in a signature style, eschewing a guitar strap and playing his instrument on a stool, or on his knee. He has appeared at festivals such as High Sierra Music Festival and the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland.
Something of a familiar face around Tahoe, the bearded guitarist has appeared at venues around the lake in 2014, 2015, and appeared in January at the Crystal Bay Club’s Red Room. Pemberton has been on a West Coast tour to kick off 2016, with tour dates in Oregon, California, and Nevada.
Scott Pemberton Band
Opener: Swamp Zen
When: 9 p.m., Friday, Feb. 5
Where: Lakeview Loft, next door to the Lakeside Inn, Stateline
Tickets: $10
Below are photos of the Scott Pemberton Band’s Jan. 30 performance at the Crystal Bay Casino:
