Jared Grabb: Vocals, Guitar, Banjo
David Dobbs: Drums
Ernesto Castillo: Bass, Backing Vocals

Previous members:
Kent Wagenschutz: Bass, Vocals
Bob O'Neil: Drums
Chris Mackey: Bass, Vocals
Atomic Satterfield: Drums, Vocals
Jeremiah Lambert: Bass, Vocals
Dustin Addis: Guitar, Vocals
Nick Schone: Drums
Nick Krebill: Drums
Ben Thorne: Bass, Vocals

Base of operations: Chicago, IL

MP3s at www.myspace.com/scoutshonor
Website at www.scouts-honor.net

Biography:
When Scouts Honor started is a bit fuzzy. In mid-2002, Jared Grabb (formerly of The Forecast) and Dustin Addis (The Forecast) started playing "heavy" country/blues/folk songs on acoustic guitars. For a time, these songs were performed as an extension of Jared Grabb's solo project. Soon after, they picked up the name Jared Grabb With Scouts Honor and eventually just became Scouts Honor. The instrumentation became electric around the same time.

Over the years, Scouts Honor has had a wide variety of incarnations. The band has taken the stage with anywhere from 2 to 4 members utilizing acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass, and drums. Scouts Honor's ranks have included members of The Forecast (Victory Records), Minsk (Relapse Records), Polar Bear Club (Red Leader), Tina Sparkle, The Amazing Kill-o-watts, The Serpent Son, Low Red Land, XRiseAboveX, Angeltread, Eta Carina, Cherry Lane, Har Meggido, and Mayhew The Traitor.

Scouts Honor have released records with No Idea Records (Hot Water Music, Against Me!, Planes Mistaken for Stars), Thinker Thought Records (The Forecast, The Great Redneck Hope), Smith 7 Records, Armada In Flames, Red Lounge Records (Germany), and OTR Records.

Over the course of five years, Scouts Honor have played over 400 shows (including a European tour) and shared the stage with such great performers as Valient Thorr, Hot Water Music, Riverboat Gamblers, Dead To Me, The Draft, Fiya, Chuck Ragan, No Trigger, Fifth Hour Hero, Against All Authority, Leftover Crack, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Minus The Bear, Glass & Ashes, The Velvet Teen, Lords, Headlights, Metal Hearts, Bear Vs. Shark, Fight Paris, The Blackout Pact, The Forecast, Turmoil, The Great Redneck Hope, These Arms Are Snakes, Spitalfield, Aloha, William E. Whitmore, June, Allister, October Fall, So They Say, Ten Grand, and Denison Witmer. The band is currently writing their 3rd full-length album and performing at select dates across the country.

Similar artists: Danzig, The Melvins, Against Me!, Small Brown Bike, Planes Mistaken for Stars, Cursive, Johnny Cash

Discography:
"Buried" CD/DVD Thinker Thought Records 2010
V/A "Playing In Peoria: Another Side Of Town" Live Music Peoria 2008
"A Spirited Conversation Between a Blind Man and a Mute" Thinker Thought Records 2008 (digital reissue)
"Remembrance of This That I Loved / Six Skeletons" Thinker Thought Records 2008 (digital reissue)
Scouts Honor/Madstateworld "Split" Red Lounge Records 2007
Scouts Honor/Grant Reynolds "M'Lady Serene (Tales of Achilles)" Smith 7 Records 2007
"I Am The Dust" No Idea Records 2006
"Remembrance of This That I Loved" Armada In Flames 2005
V/A "Solid PR Present: Volume 1" OTR Records 2005
"Roots In Gasoline" Thinker Thought Records 2005
Burning Love Letters/Scouts Honor "Six Skeletons" Armada In Flames 2004
V/A "If It Plays..." Thinker Thought Records 2004
"A Spirited Conversation Between a Blind Man and a Mute" Self-Released 2002


Scouts Honor - Download printable press photo 1 (1264 x 1796 jpeg - by Brett Rhoades)

Track Listing:
1. Buried
2. Sway
3. Vultures
4. Books Of Bokonon
5. To The Devil
6. Men Of Money
7. Arise
8. Where We Fit In
9. Sweating Through Our Days
10. Punk Ltd

Press:
"After getting his ya-yas out for seven years with his darkly heavy, Melvins-like metallic- post-punkers Scouts Honor, Chi-town singer-songwriter Grabb returns to the folk-pop of two earlier solo records that coincided with their 2002-2003 launch. Otherwise, Where’s rootsy, ear-friendly music, with its slabs of picked acoustic, banjo, mandolin, and keyboards, would have been a jarring surprise. Perhaps after 442 (I dig precision!) screaming gigs with SH before their cessation last year, he found it refreshing to relax, and the inflections of outlaw country and ‘30s blues keeps Where as inviting as earnest lyrics such as “The only place I wish to be is pressed up to your body”—balancing icy suicide ‘n’ murder ballads a la Mississippi John Hurt, Carter Family, Johnny Cash, and Nick Cave, in the tragic “Stuart Nelson” and maniacal “True Blue."

"Speaking of Scout’s Honor, it’s hard to shift from the considerable space and thought, and even bolts of tenderness on Grabb’s new work to the bitter bludgeoning that his old band doled out—let alone the bracing juxtaposition of Grabb’s Ian MacKaye-like bellows versus his countryside folk voice. But those brave enough to try it will find some sludgy, screaming skull catharthis on Buried, the trio’s third and final LP. The promo sheet’s claim that it is the band’s “heaviest, most abrasive” effort is easily born out by the black harsh riffs and peeved vocals, as if the band wanted to go down raging against their own demise. It comes with a DVD documentary chronicling the band’s history and farewell gig, March 29, 2009." - Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover #66

"Scouts Honor went through a bizarre transformation over the course of their discography. While they started out playing country-heavy folk-punk, there were tinges of metal and dirty soul that might have hinted at something else. This is probably what it was hinting at, but it's still interesting that for their final full-length, Scouts Honor has emerged as a noticeably sludgier, occasionally repetitive stoner rock act. 

"On Buried, the band plow through a smokey sound that puts them on a plane closer with Melvins and early Torche. In "Sway," frontman Jared Grabb is nearly howling like Danzig as triumphant, mighty guitars are wielded with big, muddy riffs sloughing through. The intensity goes on an upward trajectory as the band move into "Vultures" and then "Books of Bokonon," with shredded backup vocal assistance from bassist Ernesto Castillo and the latter of these songs a fierce, sloppy motorcycle brigade of sorts. 

"Sometimes Scouts Honor are kind enough to give us a reprieve from the aggressive ash of the album's aroma. "Men of Money" starts out sounding like a possible jangled acoustic folk-punk break before it lurches into a typically riffy beast; but it does pick it up into a punk rock tempo soon, retaining Grabb's southern snarling over it. "Arise" actually chooses to utilize this pacing too. It's a much-needed "break" of sorts. 

"Unlike those aforementioned bands, though, Scouts Honor is pretty concise with what they do." - Brian Shultz of PunkNews.Org

Track Listing:
1. Letting Blood Go Bad
2. Sweating Through Our Days
3. Highway Son
4. Nowhere Is Always Somewhere
5. True Blue

Press:
"Scouts Honor, I swear this is a punkish blues-metal trio out of Chicago that figure they've played over 400 shows in five years. And the tightness of these two Eps, and almost prog-like complexity of their hard rock onslaught backs up such claims. Having seen the Melvins, a group SH has been compared to, I hear the same over the top, in your face, top-heavy, Sabbath-gone-hardcore anvil smash, which are cut up by quiet parts that break up the assault and battering. Only singer/guitarist Jared Grabb sounds a lot like Ian MacKaye. That's right, he's got a foghorn bellow right out the old Minor Threat/Embrace/Egg Hunt/Fugazi records, or the work of Sean Stern from Youth Brigade. This is real bomb-drop stuff." - Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover #63

Track Listing:
1. Roots in Gasoline
2. Prison Bars
3. Other Side of Town
4. Cost of Living
5. Ballad of the Blind Man
6. Devil Between
7. Prescription Medicine
8. Lovable Mama
9. Better Life (Talking Strike)
10. Alms
11. Call and Response

Press:
"Drummer Tom 'Atomic' Satterfield will remove his shirt before the band begins, but it usually takes a few songs before his wild thrashing sends his glasses flying off. This is about as predictable he and guitarist Jared Grabb get as they tear their way across the country setting bars ablaze with an ever-evolving mixture of "Power Duo" riffing and dark Americana. Wielding a complete disregard for balance, they play to both extremes, but always with conviction -- like randomly twiddling the bathtub faucets and jumping in with no regard to the temperature. As expected, Scouts Honor has twisted roots, beginning in rural Illinois' burgeoning Punk and Metal scene. Initially, Grabb set out to temper the heaviness with the addition of traditional acoustic Folk and Country music. In fact, he went so far down this path as to release a split with Lesser Birds of Paradise. Then, netting three cohorts from various Hardcore bands, SH started off artistically in 2003 with their six-song demo, A Spirited Conversation Between a Blind Man and a Mute. The concept piece, recorded by A.J. Mogis at Presto!, alternates between full-on Post Punk and sparse, affecting acoustic lulls and could have passed for a new Roger Waters album. Following a summer break, the group reformed as a duo, taking advantage of the strengths of the remaining members. Over the course of their next few releases, the music became progressively more jangly, but also less bipolar. This year's offerings, the full-length Roots in Gasoline and their recent 7-inch Remembrance of This That I Loved, are getting ever closer to capturing their intense Scream-a-billy live show. Fans of local Cow Punk wonders like Hogscraper and Heevahava will have an instant appreciation for SH's brand of down-home deconstructed Blues." - Ezra Waller at CityBeat (Cincinnati, OH)

"It should be noted upfront that after seeing the dynamic duo at Redrum, they instantly became one of my favorite bands. This review may sound a little fanboyish as a result, but it's an earned admiration. Scouts Honor mixes blues and rock into an amalgamation I can only describe as heavy-blues. But to sum them up so succinctly is an injustice. The depth of the songwriting and the diversity of music contained in this gem belie the relatively few years of its creators. It's Jack White at his best and worst with a lot less art and a lot more beers in him; loud, sincere, and pissed off. Jared Grabb is what Jack hopes to be when he grows up. Lyrically, Jared moves back and forth from float like a butterfly metaphor "Writing laws like prescriptions, trying to find a cure for capitalism, because money don't make moral decisions." to sting like a bee bluntness "I've got a drunk, abusive husband, she says with a laugh. Life just sucks..." with an ease that would have made Casius himself jealous. Holding down the skins duty in a two piece outfit is no small task, and Tom Satterfield handles it like a giant. Simultaneously holding down the fort rhythmically and adding an engrossing second layer to Jared's driving guitar, Tom knows when not to play, and hits the mark dead on when it's time to lay it down. At the end of Prison Bars (one of the heaviest damn songs I've heard in a long time) a lesser drummer would have dropped back into a blast beat. Not Tom, he holds it steady, powering through to the end. Hear how they wrap it up quick? Feel that knot in your stomach begging for more? Yeah, that's how you write music. The songs are raw and exposed, the way rock n roll is supposed to be. I could go on like this for pages on end, but I think you get the idea. You need to see this band. You need to buy this album, and listen to it on repeat for about two weeks straight, seriously." - Justin at So Many Bands Dot Net

"Scouts Honor are a duo consisting of a drummer/vocalist and guitarist, and though there's definitely a stripped-down side to their sound, the still make a pretty big racket for just two guys. The combination of gritty punk rock sensibility and more country-influenced vocals and lyrics reminds me pretty immediately of the first Against Me! recordings. But there's actually a bit more to it than that. The angry punk/country edge is present in every song, though they expand it a surprising amount for only two guys and a debut record. They show off an engagingly minimal side on "Devil Between," then a downright beautiful ballad on "Prescription Medicine," the very next song. They're back to back, but could honestly be on different records or even come from different bands. But the magic of Scouts Honor isn't just in their versatility, but the fact that they pull off every extreme really well. It all culminates on "Alms" which brings together everything on the record into one soaring chorus that's simultaneuosly the most heart-wrenchingly melodic and aggressive moment on the record. The combination of Southern soul and Midwestern grit is impressive both in its overall proficiency and its genre bending. Fans of Against Me!, old Avail, or even Wilco will find something well worthwhile on Roots In Gasoline." - New Scheme #12

"I like any band where drumming is extremely prominent and I dig this duo's flip flopping between powerful, almost violent aggression and pretty Country-ish sounds (often with the same line, as on 'Lovable Mama' where pleasant cowboy music is attacked by Black Flag vocals). Scouts this out." - Roctober #40

"If Glenn Danzig ever relocated to the Midwest, got a job as a mechanic and bought a cowboy hat for the weekends, he would have recorded this album. Roots In Gasoline boils down the Midwestern experience in 11 tight compositions. Affectionately referred to as screamo, Scouts Honor also infuses country into their tales of desperation to the point of borderline rock-a-billy. This is about working in the cold dirt with heavy machinery and cherishing a beer when your 14 hour workday has let you go. Scouts Honor have honed both of their instruments to their full, hard potential and their minimalism brings their picture even more into focus. 2 hard working guys who seem to know first-hand how a small town can kill you if you don’t kill it first. The use of additional musicians, thicker strings and post-production fancies to this guitar-drum equation would dilute their ‘Us vs. Them’ attitude. Their grit and ferocity shows through perfectly with good musicianship and plain truth lyrics. “There were rumors that the miners were to rise up. All the farmers knew, but the farmers couldn’t give a fuck. Because, they been raped too.” Words like this from “Other Side Of Town” drop you in the middle of a wrench fight with only your skin and teeth to help fend off the local bitters. Scouts Honor is a damn fine example of substance over appearance." - JJ in Impose Magazine #18

"#9 Album in Top 10 Records of 2005. - Bands that get compared to Hot Water Music and Against Me! have really been catching my ear lately. All of these bands are so good, and so honest that you can't help but love them. Scout's Honor is a bit more raw than the previously mentioned bands, but that works in their favor." - The Playlist Dot Net

"Roots In Gasoline is a cross-country road trip making half its stops in roadside dives full of mechanical bulls and cowboy hats, and the other half in decrepit basements with bad ventilation and a mass of sweaty, screaming kids. It is a blue-collar declaration carved into the bar at some box-sized watering hole that stands across the street from bright and gaudy marquees promoting the next big thing. It is a two-man protest rooted in frustration and stated with conviction. But more than anything else, Roots In Gasoline is a batch of honest rock songs.

"Scouts Honor is Jared Grabb on guitar and vocals and Tom “Atomic” Satterfield on drums and backing vocals. Throughout Roots In Gasoline the two cling to bits of Americana and back porch aesthetics while touching on everything from acoustic blues numbers (“Roots In Gasoline,” “Devil Between”), to Against Me!-styled punk (“Cost Of Living,” “Lovable Mama”), and straight-up hard rock (“Other Side Of Town,” “Better Life”). While this may seem like the album would come off disjointed, it doesn’t. Scouts Honor have the ability to tie together a host of musical variables with strong vocals, and a keen storytelling ability in order to make them their own.

"Jared Grabb’s gruff voice can shift from hushed reflections to defiant screams with no problem as he channels both Ian MacKaye and Tom Gabel. Instead of hiding behind production, he lets it all come out. His melodies might not be “stuck in your head” caliber, but you will never doubt Grabb’s sincerity.

"Lyrically, Scouts Honor focus on political issues, but by connecting social themes to personal narratives the words never come off preachy or heavy-handed. A range of topics are covered over the course of the album including workers’ rights, the values of a small town, and using a system of oppressive laws to keep capitalism alive and well.

"While Roots In Gasoline is passionate, diverse, and interesting, it still has its problems. Some of the songs seem to go on for a bit too long as added parts just clutter the structure. Also, “Call And Response,” the album’s all-a cappella closing track, seems out of place after ten rock-based songs, thanks to its gospel-styled singing. Finally, there is Grabb’s simplistic diction. At times it is endearing and appropriate because of its everyman quality, but at other points it just leads to repetition and predictable lines." - Matt Whelihan at Punk New Dot Org

"I got really excited when I read the press release comparing Scout's Honor to bands like Against Me! and Hot Water Music, as I'm a huge fan of both bands. I listened to the first song and was pretty disappointed, as I didn't think the song was that good. Lucky for me, I kept listening because the rest of the album is totally killer.

"I do hear bit of Against Me! (more along the lines of their laid back songs) and How Water Music throughout this album, but they have taken influences from those two bands and molded it together wtih country, bluegrass and hardcore as well (not hardcore per se, but there's an inherent heavieness in their music). They mesh these sounds together well, which makes for some great music (excpet the first song, but the rest of the album makes up for that).

"I'm pretty blown away by this album. Atomic Satterfield and Jared Grabb are really talented songwriters and musicans. I expect to see them on No Idea or an even bigger label in the near future (or at least become a well known name in the punk community)." - RF at The Playlist Dot Net

"Hearing a duo is always exciting. I like to hear what exactly only two men can do; how full they can sound. Better yet, Scouts Honor doesn’t disappoint! They have blended together a unique taste of indie rock, country, and rock’n’roll. As a duo they do every song justice, and not once did I say, “This sounds empty!” Their choice of song structure is quite refreshing, and isn’t some consistent chords with a few high pitched vocals. They use their more hardcore / heavy indie sound for a chorus, and then they will turn around and use a really “Gitty Up!” country progression for the verse. This truly is one of those records you just have to hear to understand it. Scouts Honor has my seal of approval, go check it out! Rating: 4/5" - Drew at Ink Drinker Dot Net

"There is no way I can describe this group without making it sound bad. But the thing is, Scout’s Honor is awesome! Two guys come together to create music that strides the line somewhere between blues and country folk and all-out punk rock. I hate to use this as an example, because I’m not really into them at all, but I guess you could say this sounds a little like Against Me. They know how to break it down into simple slide guitar riffs topped by anthemic choruses, and in the next song rage with punk rock speed and gravely breakdowns. I’m way into it simply because I haven’t heard a band do something like this. There’s really no way for me to do this justice other than recommending you to go and check it out for yourself." - Hanging Hex

"Let me start off by mentioning that this brand of music isn't something I regularly listen to, but is something I enjoy as a break from the consistent intensity of hardcore and metal. While I'm not especially well-seasoned in this field of rock n' roll, Scouts Honor's sound can be summed up as a mellow crossover of punk and indie rock.

"I do immensely enjoy a number of relatively calm bands, such as Murder By Death and Fugazi. Both of those groups have a particularly unique shtick and style that draws my attention to them and keeps me interested. Scouts Honor are pretty stripped down and straightforward, yet the band and Roots In Gasoline still manage to keep my interest piqued most of the time.

"Roots In Gasoline is simply comprised of acoustic and clean guitar parts, bare-bones drumming patterns, and some honest lyrics. The two fellows that make up Scouts Honor, Tom "Atomic" Shatterfield and Jared Grabb, are simply jamming and having a good time, and one can feel such a quality through their recorded music. These guys are honest and emotional in what they do.

"I would assume a band like this would want their lyrics to be a strong point since the vocals are so prevalent. Well, Scouts Honor are quite simplistic in their lyrics, yet very honest and sensible. While the lyrics are far from poetic, listeners should be able to very well and understand the meaning without having to deal with clichés. Otherwise, I don't have much to say about this disc. It's quite enjoyable; simple yet intelligent, and honest, stripped-down indie rock. If you want to chill out with some less than challenging music, check out Roots In Gasoline." - Drew Walton at Geek Burger Dot Com

"Top 5 Album - Approaching punk via a more bluesy, rootsy route isn't a new approach. But sometimes it's all about conviction and execution. Roots in Gasoline is soulful and primal, and - when called for - it flat out rocks." - Ben Kreider at All Access

"It's difficult to say whether Scouts Honor are confused, indecisive, or actually think they're pulling off everything they try with the same consistent level of quality. While there are a number of moments on Roots in Gasoline when it's impossible not to love this band, their constant bouncing between hard-rocking, transparently Hot Water Music-influenced scream-fests and southern fried alt-country can be problematic. The two impulses work pretty well side by side, but the skills required to implement both sides of Scouts Honor's sound to the fullest extent are hard to come by. In short, a couple of the songs turn out pretty half-assed.

"Indeed, if you were to judge them on the basis of the album's opening track, you'd dismiss them as unimpressive. "Roots in Gasoline" is mucky, uninspired country, slowed to an interminable crawl by either guitarist Tom Satterfield or drummer Jared Grabb's vocals -- the liner notes never make clear who's is doing what when. Emphasizing this lackluster song by not only putting it first, but naming their whole damn album after it, was a mistake.

"Still, everyone ought to be allowed a mistake or two. In "Prison Bars", the duo do much to redeem themselves: Grabb kicks up dust with his drums while Satterfield walks a line between country and hardcore guitar, and one of them screams. A couple of tense, exciting breakdowns later, after Grabb has really thrilled you, the song comes to a head in a gang shout featuring a grand total of thirteen people. It's a suitable climax for a noisy, outraged song.

"The banjo floating unmoored in "Other Side of Town"'s screaming attack is conveniently symbolic of the integration that needs to happen in Scouts Honor's sound -- and the tension that remains if they don't quite pull it off. Roots in Gasoline's best song is "Devil Between", which lies on the extreme end of the band's country side. Traditional quavering vocals, murky southern-fried guitar, and Grabb's drums, which sound as much like the steady stomping of an excited audience as they do an actual drum kit, frame a song as tense as it is propulsive. You'll stomp your feet and clap your hands, even as you worry for the characters. The jam toward the end is fantastic. A song like this easily makes up for Scouts Honor's shortcomings.

"The self-describing "Call and Response" brings back "Prison Bars"' 11 supplemental vocalists and closes Roots in Gasoline on a surprisingly quiet note. It's interesting how, as the a cappella song reminds us, no group of more than nine people ever really sounds sub-par if they're working with decent material. Something about numbers seems to overwhelm the question of quality and redirect our focus to the beauty of generalized, untrained humanity. "Call and Response" is, in a way, a risky note on which to end, but in another sense it's the least risky thing that anyone could do.

"Should you buy Roots in Gasoline? If you have a fascination with rootsy Americana, the answer is definitely yes. Otherwise, Scouts Honor aren't quite a sure bet just yet. Then again, this is their debut. If you can't be bothered to give them a chance now, tune in and see what they're up to a year or two from now. All signs point to some damn fine music -- which isn't to say that what they're doing now is unworthy of note; it just isn't finished yet." - Mike Meginnis of SplendidEZine.com