Scott grew up in the suburbs of Tampa, Florida, in the 70s and 80s, immersed in music from multiple genres all at once. His mother was a classical music and jazz lover, while his father appreciated folk music and tiki-influenced exotica sounds. Of course, AM radio at the time played so many different styles, one minute country, the next pop, the following rock. He became a musician in this timeframe, going from learning the keyboard to then drums, guitar, and bass.
Hanging out with fellow musicians in high school, he was schooled in progressive rock from the greats: Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Rush, and so on. Simultaneously, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal washed over American shores, attuning his ears to metal and forcing an exploration of the classic metal masters. All bets were off, however, the day he picked up a vinyl copy of Dream Theater’s When Dream and Day Unite. This new burgeoning genre of prog metal became a passion, and he found a local “tribe” who helped fire his interest in it.