Local rock, country act wins national award
Outlaw Whiskey is a popular rock/country band based in Haywood County.
With a hot sun slowly fading behind the Great Balsam Mountains cradling Waynesville, Outlaw Whiskey hopped onto the stage for a recent performance at Furman’s Burger Bar on the west side of town.
Prime real estate for seats is scarce as folks order double cheeseburgers and buckets of cold suds to prepare for the gig at-hand.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s your first show or your thousandth, it’s always a brand-new feeling to walk up on that stage,” said Gerald Scott, guitarist/vocalist for Outlaw Whiskey. “You look out onto that crowd and it’s like the first time you ever played live. It’s a really good feeling. And when the crowd responds, with the energy going back and forth? It just totally excels past what you thought it may be that night.”
Formed in Haywood County seven years ago, Outlaw Whiskey has emerged as a popular band in Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia. A blend of original country and rock songwriting amid a bevy of cover tunes from the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and other marquee acts, the essence of the group is musicianship and fellowship.
“[With my songwriting], it’s called the ‘wagon wheel effect,’” Scott said. “You come up with a guitar hook or chorus line for a song and that’s the middle of the wagon wheel, with each verse being one of the wheel spokes — the joy of it coming whenever the finished song comes out.”
In March, Outlaw Whiskey was recognized as “Band of the Year” (New Country: 50 & Over Category) by the North America Country Music Association, Int’l (NACMAI). The ensemble accepted its honor at the NACMAI award show at the Country Tonite Theatre in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Last year, Scott took home the NACMAI award for “Songwriter of the Year.”
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“We felt like we were walking on cloud nine when we found out we’d won ‘Band of the Year,’” Scott said. “It was a very rewarding experience, especially for all of the guys to win, to walk across the [award show] stage and pick up a piece of crystal with our name on it.”
Alongside Scott, Outlaw Whiskey also includes Mike Holt (lead vocals/guitar), Rickie Hudson (lead guitarist) and Chad Gates (drums/percussion). Fill-in bassists are Jamie Sosbee and Skip Almond. To note, the band’s longtime bassist, Nick Gebbia, passed away last month after a long illness. As well, Holt is currently recovering from recent open-heart surgery, but was still able to get behind the microphone at Furman’s for a powerful rendition of “House of the Rising Sun.”
“With Nick, it was devastating to us. Even though it was expected [with his condition], it’s still unexpected and very sad when it happens,” Scott said. “When we were searching for a bass player [years ago], Nick came in and started playing like he’d been in the band forever. He felt like a glove. Tremendous attitude and cared so much about the music, the live show. It wasn’t a stranger coming [into the band], it was like a lost family member came back.”
A Clyde resident, Gerald Scott has been playing guitar since he was a child. Garret K. Woodward photos
And as its live schedule fills up for the summer and the rest of the impending year, Outlaw Whiskey is also currently in the midst of putting together a slew of original material for an upcoming album. For Scott, he’s constantly writing and conjuring deep emotions and memories, with the live show remaining the focus of Outlaw Whiskey and its ultimate intent.
“As long as you leave people with a smile, it’s all worth it — the effort in writing songs, learning songs, preparing for the show, playing the show,” Scott said. “I’ve had people come up and say about songs I’ve written, ‘That hit home, I know where you were coming from.’ For me, whenever you hear that, that’s well-worth the time
you put into it.”
