Scott Holiday Of The Rival Sons On Their Tour, Albums That Changed His Life, Meeting Guitar Royalty, And More
Getting Mr. Fuzzlord, Scott Holiday on the line is always fun. Today was no different. The Rival Sons are currently touring the country with Clutch on the Two-Headed Beast tour and makes a stop at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre Friday night.
Rival Sons And Clutch Tour The States
Scott told me the bands swap headlining spots each show. “We’re flip-flopping headlining duties, and we’ve got great openers. Fu Manchu is with us now, and on the 25th, Blackstone Cherry—our buddies—will join us too. It’s fun! We naturally make ourselves the black sheep by booking stoner rock-heavy bands around us. But it’s cool, and the fans are really into it.”
Scott’s a big vinyl fan, so I asked him about records that changed his life. “A lot of albums have changed my life. When I was really young, ZZ Top’s Eliminator and Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA were big for me. I remember stealing a cassette of Van Halen 1 from my aunt and drawing my own cover for it. Jimi Hendrix’s early Best of hits and the Rolling Stones’ Through the Past Darkly also made an impact. Those albums became the soundtrack to my adventures—camping trips and such. In my later teens, Pearl Jam’s Ten really hit me. I’m actually seeing Pearl Jam tonight across the street from where we’re playing.”
Scott Holiday Of The Rival Sons
We also talked of guitar heroes he’s had the chance to meet over the years. He singled one out that’s pretty mindblowing for sure. “I’ve spent a little time with Jimmy Page, which was amazing. We played the Electric Ballroom in London in 2012, and we have a mutual friend who invited him to the show. Jimmy Page came backstage, and we talked about fashion, records, and guitars. I gave him all our vinyl, and he said he was a fan. But the highlight was seeing him grooving in the wings during our set—it was surreal.”
I brought up the fact that they toured with Black Sabbath and he got to witness the legendary Tony Iommi every night. “Yeah, we toured with him for 13 months, and it was life-changing. Watching him never phone it in, even as an older musician, was inspiring. He put everything into each performance, and that taught me a lot about the dedication it takes to stay passionate about your craft.” He added that he still loves to play each and every show. “Every night is different, and we always improvise a bit within the set. The best part is seeing how music brings people together. It’s not just about playing a rock show—it’s about making people feel good, helping them forget what divides us, and reminding them what connects us.”
Watch the entire interview above.
We’ll see you this Friday night at Freedom Hill for the show!
Rival Sons Came and Rocked the Roof Off the Fillmore Downtown
