Why Scott Reynolds Is Living Out Of His Car

Getting his start in iconic US punk band ALL in the late ‘80s and still touring the world to this day, Scott Reynolds has seen and endured a lot, but nothing could prepare him for Trump being elected as president. “I think a lot of us are shell-shocked and scared shitless but hopefully the checks and balances will keep him in check,” he tells. “I don’t know what to say, I am embarrassed for my country and ashamed of who we elected.”

He’ll be escaping the chaos during an Aussie tour with one of punk rock's most politically charged bands, Anti-Flag, in December. “I just put the feelers out on my Facebook and said, ‘Hey, I want to tour, where should I play?’”

The next thing he knows, he’s been offered an opening slot for Anti-Flag on the other side of the world. “It’s going to be an interesting juxtaposition, my thing and [Anti-Flag’s]. I just opened for Pennywise the other day and I was really nervous about that and that went fine. So I am pretty excited, you know.”

The tour marks a rare opportunity for fans to catch the legend in an intimate environment and also signals a daring change for the musician. “The thing is, recently I have become divorced, I moved out of my apartment into a house I could afford to be a musician again. Basically, I bought my mom's car and it’s got 80,000 grandma miles on it, so it’s in really good shape. I put a bed in the back and I throw my guitar and Chihuahua in it and start driving. 

“I went to South America recently and played in Argentina and Brazil, Chile and Uruguay…it went great, I came home with a little money, I had a good time and now this. What this tells me is, my kids left home and my wife is gone, so it’s just me hanging my arse out for the best.”

Reynolds admits he never could quite figure out how to balance the two properly. “I made records but I couldn’t put them out the way I should have and it put a lot of stress on my family life,” he says. “I was halfway being a musician because I had kids and I have a job but I was also trying to play shows and make records.

“When I was in ALL all those years ago I used to do 200 shows a year, we were all over the place all the time. I don’t know if I’ll go that crazy, but I don’t know if I won’t. I am up for everything right now.”

Constantly writing new music, a new record will surface sooner rather than later. “I am not sure what will happen next, what incarnation of my thing – it might just be just me and my guitar. I might put a band together and it definitely will be a record,” he tells.

And with any luck, Reynolds' new approach and outlook on music might result in some more ALL reunion shows. “Bill [Stevenson, drums] and I keep in touch and every once in a while we talk about playing music,” he reveals. “I would imagine that at some point we’ll probably seriously visit that topic and maybe come up with something.”

Scott Reynolds supports Anti-Flag on their For Blood And Empire anniversary tour this December. Check out theGuide for all dates and ticketing info.