Declassified with JT: Jeff Scott Soto of Soto
If there was ever a vocalist more accomplished and more in demand than Jeff Scott Soto, I would be sorely amazed. Soto has fronted such powerhouse bands as Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Talisman, Journey, JSS and his current band SOTO, just to name a few. His list of credits from lead vocals to backing vocals, to songwriting is a mile long. One place to find easily all this information, if you so choose to check it all out, is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Scott_Soto
Soto is out on tour with his band SOTO in support of their sophomore endeavor entitled: DIVAK pronounced (dee-vok), due out, on of all dates, April 1, 2016. The current tour started on February 11, 2016, with several east coast dates where they will wind up those dates aboard the Monsters of Rock Cruise February 22-26, 2016 before heading to play Europe and South America during the months of April and May.
As my all-time favorite vocalist, it was an over-the-top experience for me to have had the distinct opportunity to meet and talk with Soto at The Hard Rock Café in Pittsburgh, PA where his band SOTO played on February 15, 2016. Soto and I discussed some of his passed endeavors, his current band SOTO and their ensuing tour, and how he finds time to do all that he does musically.
The cool thing about Soto is how humble and accommodating that he is. When I introduced myself to him and explained that I was with Center Stage Magazine he said: “Man, I’ve been dealing with a bad chest cold, this interview was supposed to be canceled. I’ll tell you what, since you came to the show I’ll give you your interview.” I told him that I understood if he wanted to pass on it for the time being, but he said, once again, “We’ll make it happen.” He was true to his word. I kept the interview short so as not to require him to use his voice more than necessary before having to sing a 1Hr 15Min set of music. Thank you for going out of your way to make the interview happen!
SOTO the band was one of the best bands that I have heard live. The Hard Rock Café in Pittsburgh is a small venue so with snow and ice in the forecast, coming off a three day weekend and it being a Monday night, the attendance was weak. Yet, true to form SOTO took the stage at 9:30 p.m. and delivered a high-energy performance from start to finish. SOTO covered material from the yet to be released album DIVAK, material from their first album Inside The Vertigo, material from JSS(Soto’s solo material), a stellar medley from the band Talisman that Soto fronted and a crushing encore featuring the runaway hit Stand Up and Shout from the Rockstar movie soundtrack; chest cold and all, Soto held nothing back.
I personally highly recommend to all who read this article that if you ever get the chance to see SOTO live, please do not let it pass you by, it’s a balls to the wall, rock ‘n’ roll show, that you will be talking about for a long time following.
SOTO the band consists of: Jeff Scott Soto (Lead Vocals), Edu Cominato from Sao Paulo, Brazil (Drums/Backing Vocals), BJ from Sao Paulo, Brazil (Rhythm Guitar/Keys/Backing Vocals), Jorge Salan from Madrid Spain (Lead Guitar/ Backing Vocals) & David Z from Brooklyn, NY (Bass/Backing Vocals).
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About John Tedeski
JournalistI’ve been a musician since the age of 7 when my parents bought me my first drum set. By the age of 16, I was playing the local bar scene. I’ve played around the east coast, and in 1994, through those travels is how I met Founding member of Center Stage Magazine, Tommy Lemon as we were both auditioning for the same band in the Boston Massachusetts area and we’ve been friends ever since. Through the years I’ve met a lot of great musicians such as Vinny Paul (Pantera), Bill Leverty (Firehouse), Ace Frehley (KISS), Marc Ferrari (Keel), Bobby Dall (Poison), and even got to share the stage with Jaime St. James (Black ‘N Blue) and Billy Morris (Warrant), just to name a few. Unfortunately, life had a different path in store for me other than being a full-time musician, yet I’ve been blessed to still be able to play on the weekends with some great local talent. Here I am now with another huge blessing, still within the music world, but this time as a journalist for Center Stage Magazine where I get to talk with and interview musicians who do what I have always longed to do. It’s all good and much less hassle than having to lug my drums all around the country. Rock Out, Roll On & Follow Your Heart ...
