Burning Abigail

The project that would eventually become Burning Abigail began in March of 2004 when Scotty McWalter decided to leave the band he formed back in 1994. Scotty’s goal was to design the “perfect band” in order to make his musical dreams a reality. He wanted a fresh start, a whole new group of musicians, and the opportunity to truly explore his musical vision-quest. Rising from the ashes of Scotty’s previous musical projects, Burning Abigail was born.

Finding just the right combination of musicians who not only share the same musical vision, but who also bring stellar musical ability, creativity, and a willingness to explore new horizons is never an easy task. Burning Abigail has certainly faced its fare share of frustrating setbacks and lineup changes. Nevertheless, the band has been able to keep moving forward and making progress toward their goals, and has been lucky enough to manage a relatively consistent performance schedule, beginning with their first public performance as Burning Abigail in April of 2005.  

Today, Burning Abigail is a five-piece band of amazing range and versatility. Although the band itself is still in its infancy, the individual band members are hardly novices, as they bring over 100 years of combined musical and performing experience to the table.

The band is fronted by Scotty McWalter, the founder, lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. In addition to ten years with his previous Denver-based band, Scotty played with numerous bands and musicians in the Orlando area and once toured with the incomparable Adrian Belew.

Providing lead and backing vocals and hand percussion is Tiffany McNeil, a relative newcomer to the rock-band world, who nonetheless brings extensive theatrical and vocal performance experience to the world of Burning Abigail.

Abi’s rock-solid and tasty rhythm section is supplied by drummer Joe Brennan and bassist Chris Cardone. Joe honed his skills playing with numerous bands in New York City and northern New Jersey, and, after moving to Colorado in 2003, worked with three other Denver bands prior to finding his new home with Burning Abigail.

Bassist Chris Cardone, is a classically-trained musician – with additional skills on piano and violin – who has played with several local Denver bands, including Cosmic Pond, Stone Coolies, and Purple Buddha,. The former owner of Alley Records and Alley Recording Studio, Chris now has a recording studio in his home (hyperlink to http://www.areafivepointone.net), where he also produces a line of custom, hand-built basses, under the name APC Instruments. In addition, Chris brings an energy and electricity which elevates the performance and stagecraft of all the other band members.

Rounding out the Burning Abigail lineup are the brilliant keyboard stylings of Tom Marsh, a gifted and versatile keyboard player and pianist, who has played with numerous jazz, blues, rock, and funk bands in the Denver and Chicago areas and once “tickled the ivories” for none other than rock legend Peter Frampton.  

The bands’ musical influences include: Pat McGee, Dave Matthews, the Doobie Brothers, King’s X, the Eagles, and Peter Gabriel, among many others. However, you should not expect to see carbon-copies of any of these bands or performers. Although influenced by a wide range of musicians, the goal of every member of Burning Abigail is to create a sound and musical presence that is one-of-a-kind. The ultimate goal of the members of Burning Abigail is simply to make a strong impression as a high-quality, uniquely original Colorado band.

I was lucky enough to meet Scotty…to discuss his influences.  Though he mentioned such talents as Dave Matthews, I can’t tell you to expect to see a Dave Matthews rip-off band here!  Scotty has done an incredible job of melding his jazz, country and R&B influences into a very unique and creative sound that gets people moving. – Pat Angello, music critic and creator/star of the PAFC Web logs (http://patangello.blogspot.com/ and http://patangello.mosaicglobe.com/)

Burning Abigail continually arranges a combination of original songs and a specific selection of popular cover songs to which the band can add its own signature twist and flavor. The combined jazz, retro R&B, rock, and Americana/country influences of the band members have created the upbeat, groovy, danceable music designed to tickle the ears and feet of Denver locals. In addition, the array of instruments and vocals offers rich sounds and a musical depth that people can’t help but groove to. If you don’t find yourself heating up the dance floor at a Burning Abigail show or, at the very least, dancing in your seat – you might want to check your pulse!

Catch Burning Abigail at their upcoming gig at Toad Tavern on December 17^th and “Feel the Burn!”