There isn’t much more I can say about Jeff Scott Soto. He has been my favorite vocalist since around 1984 and has been on this more than any other artist. He has now teamed up with Sons of Apollo bandmate Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Soto bandmate Tony Dickenson, along with Jon and Vince Votto to resurrect Art of Anarchy. Their new record, Let There Be Anarchy, is out now and Jeff took some time to talk about it.
Please press the PLAY icon below for the MisplacedStraws Conversation with Jeff Scott Soto –
On the history of Art of Anarchy – Well, let’s go back even further. 2012 roughly. First of all, Ron has known the Vottas for a long time. He’s known them since they were teenagers and they have a family business. They were always focused on the family business and being part of that, and now they run the family business. So, their rock and roll dreams were never really fulfilled. They didn’t really have the time and the energy that was necessary to do what we did, what people like Ron and I did what we put everything aside. There was no plan B. Music was the only the only resource, the only track for us. But those guys, they always had that dream.
Around 2012, 2013, they started writing songs. They asked Ron to produce and be a part of creating the songs, finishing the songs. They wanted to make their dream record, so to speak. With several different singers. One of those singers was Scott Weiland, he signed on and somewhere along the way, Scott Weiland’s people, suggested, “Why don’t we just make Scott the primary, the only singer? Let’s make a band, build a band around this and make this happen”. They were like, “Absolutely”. They were more than happy to do that. Unfortunately Scott didn’t really live up to that, moved on, and then passed away shortly after that. They weren’t planning continuing, when somebody again from the outside said, “Hey, I know Stapp and maybe I can reel him in and we can continue this”. “Sure”. Of course, they’re not going to pass an opportunity like that to have these two legendary singers. Unfortunately, it was the same result. There was no real interest in moving forward. For whatever reason, which I won’t get into, it just didn’t work out. They weren’t going to continue.
It was in 2018 when we were doing the first Sons of Apollo tour. I expressed to Ron how much I love the music. I love the records, but what a bummer that it had to end. Then that same conversation came up during the lockdown, during 2020. We didn’t know what was going on. We didn’t know how long we’d be stuck at home. I just happened to remind him, “Man, what a bummer with the band, I wish that would have continued for you. I would have loved to have heard what I would have sounded like in that context”. Ron said, “We still write, we have no idea if we’re going to continue this, but I still write with the brothers, why don’t I send you a couple songs and you just have at it, see what organically happens or doesn’t happen”. Those were the initial steps. Everybody loved what we were doing and creating together and we wrote something like two albums worth of material during the lockdown. So obviously as we’re going, we realize we are onto something here. It was in 2023 where we finally said, “It’s time to put it together and make it happen”.

On the status of Sons of Apollo – I’m not the one to officially state that or to publicly state it. It’s Derek (Sherinian) and Mike (Portnoy)’s band. We joined their band. It was their idea. They’re the ones that put it together. So even though we were a band, they were the founders. They were the ones that made all the calls when we’re gonna do things, how we’re gonna do it, all that stuff. So I’m not the one to be able to say it’s over, it would’ve to come from them. My personal opinion, my own personal thoughts are I don’t think Sons of Apollo and Dream Theater can coexist at the same time. I think musically it’s too similar. It’s too much of the same. I think Mike needs to focus on the mothership right now, which is great. I’m as happy as the rest of the Dream Theater family and the fans are that I think it’s a great thing. It was a natural thing that should have. and I knew eventually would, happen and I’m happy for them, but it’s time for all of us to keep doing what we’re doing and moving forward. If for some reason, someday they decide, “Hey, should we do this? Should we continue to do this?” I’m the first one to say yes.
On the dark vibe behind Let There Be Anarchy – Well, musically it’s obviously an extension of what they’ve already done, but they also realized they could go a little more, a little further than they would have been able to do with the past two singers. I can hit that metal side of rock singing, so to speak. So they knew they can go heavier and I’d be able to pull it off where maybe it would not have fit in the same wheelhouse as Weiland, for instance. So that in itself is already different. They were able to expand on the sound and the vibe and everything.
But you got to admit during 2020, it was, there was a lot of dark times going on. There always have been, if you go back to the dawn of man, there’s always been dark days. It’s always been times where you go, “Oh my God, where are we going as a society?” But obviously, this is our version of that. So as I’ve heard Vince, or maybe it was Jon Votta, they’ve actually expressed the idea behind the theme, and the topic of this album is kind of taken back from the Book of Revelations. So in that context, we’re going way back to how things have always been, dark and who knows where we’re heading, but we’re also taking it to the future because we’re trying to analyze and trying to see what’s going to come of all of this as we’re living today in the present. Bringing on the anarchy is not a negative thing when we say “Let there be anarchy”, it’s a negative context, but it’s more like, we have to go through this for us to actually find our way into the future.
On finding a theme to write to – That’s always been, the crux of my career. That’s always been the crux of my artistry in terms of what I’m striving for. I’ve spoken to you about this in the past, being influenced so hard from a band like Queen, it’s, it’s a curse and a blessing at the same time. The blessing is you get to challenge yourself, you get to create and do so many different avenues and sides that you normally wouldn’t get to in just one band and just one situation. The curse is you’re chasing so many different lanes, instead of putting the blinders on and staying in one lane that you confuse people. I just released earlier today, the 15th anniversary of one of my solo albums called Beautiful Mess. It’s completely different from anything Art of Anarchy would ever dream of doing or that I’ve done in other respects in my career. But that’s just who I’ve always been. I’ve always wanted to chase things that made me happy as a writer, as an artist. This is just an extension of that. I’m doing this because I feel the energy. I feel that I have the desire to do this, but I also have the desire and the energy to do other things that make me and create who I am.
On having such a diverse musical career – I like to compare my career or my career style to the iPod, the creation of the iPod. You were able to take every album, every walk of life musically in this little box with you, everywhere you went in the world. Back before that, you had cassettes, you had CDs, you were limited, You had a CD wallet that you could put like 12, 24, and if you’re really crazy, put 96 in there. The same thing with cassettes. When you were traveling, you had the cassette box and you had the big one. You can bring like 36 of them. Well, I’m the kind of artist that you could bring. 100 or 300 different styles and genres in a little box. So that’s how I like to base my career. I love to just tap into so many different things that I have something to offer in pretty much every genre, not every genre, I’m not doing any polka or waltz.
On if they thought about the live setlist yet – Yeah, we’re not doing the Van Halen Van Hager route where Hager said, “I ain’t singing those old songs”, and I get it. He’s Sammy’s a completely different singer and everything. For him, he probably didn’t want to try to sound, make those songs sound like people remember them or want to hear them. So he said, “Guys, let’s focus on what we’re doing now and into the future”, which is again, respectable on that. But as far as I’m concerned, I love those earlier songs and I want to do my renditions of them as well as the band wants to do them. So yeah, we’re adding some older stuff in there.
My learning process is a little different than usual, than most would do because gone are the days where I can listen to something a few times and it’s in my head, ready to go. I still have the Boston album or the first three Boston albums the first eight Styx records and the first six Journey. I still have that old data stored in there. There’s no room for the new stuff. Thank God, Bumblefoot had karaoke versions of the first two albums with no vocals. He could send them to me. Now if I demo the songs, like I’m singing them for a record, I’m listening back to my voice singing them. I’m learning this. I’m absorbing them because I already sang (them). I already have a muscle memory built that I’m building on singing those songs. So it started there and the ones I listen to when I’m at the gym every day. That’s what I’m learning the songs from as opposed to trying to remember. Because I can’t relate to some of the styles that the other guys have. What’s going to happen there is I’m going to try to emulate them live and that’s not cool. I don’t want to try to emulate Scott Stapp’s voice. It’s better for me to sing it the way I sing it, but also interpret the songs the way people are expecting to hear.
On if there is a commitment amongst the members to keep Art of Anarchy going – I have the same commitment with AoA, as with SoA, as with Soto. I put my life’s blood. I put my energy, my loyalty in everything I do. Of course, naturally, the things that stick are the ones that you’re able to follow up and follow through. If something’s not resonating, and it’s taking 3, or 4 albums, and you’ve put 8 or 9 years behind, it’s still not resonating, that means there’s probably not going to be enough interest to keep it going. So I do a lot of things out of 1, necessity, 2, out of sustenance, you got to make a living. You got to keep the ball rolling. The bills don’t pay themselves, and obviously, to keep the creativity going. As I keep reminding you, I can’t just do an Art of Anarchy-style record. I can’t just do a W.E.T.-style record or Slam. I need to do them all just to feel complete as an artist. So I do all the things with the same commitment. If something resonates, of course, I’m going to have to put things aside and concentrate on one or the other. More so than the mixed bag of tricks, so to speak.
On a new solo record or future plans – I haven’t been in discussion with the label about it. They haven’t asked for it, but I’m not pushing for it because I am so busy. The W.E.T. album is the next one up at bat, and that’s coming out sometime this year, which I don’t even know when that’s because it just keeps shifting and moving. But I do know we’ve submitted the album. The label has it. So now it’s in their hands of when they’re going to put it out.
As far as I’m concerned, that’s enough. It’s getting to the point where, I mean, I’m sick of myself. I can imagine somebody, “God, another JSS release, please”. So I would love to kind of lighten the load and not keep every few months reminding people, “Here’s a new one. Here’s a new one”. I did an album called D’Luna that just came out today. It’s literally just after the release of Let There Be Anarchy. So, it’s a little bit overkill. But it’s not really my fault. As I said, I’m a working musician. I do this for a living. I can’t control when things come out. All I can do is control how many things I do.
On mentally preparing to perform such different style shows – In my head, it’s all doable. It’s all easy. It’s all things I’ve done. It’s all things I remember. Then all of a sudden, you’re going, “Oh, my God, that’s right. Okay. I got to think, put myself into acoustic (Jason) Bieler mode, acoustic JSS mode, Art of Anarchy mode JSS Legacy Anniversary set mode, and then when it’s all said and done TSO mode”. So, yeah, it does clutter the brain to the point where when it’s time to do it, I have to really put everything aside and just focus on that. That’s exactly what I’m doing right now.
I’m focusing on what’s going on next week on the Monsters of Rock Cruise because I’m doing a legacy set with the band Soto, but I’m also doing a legacy set with the guys that I use in Brazil. So I got two different entities that I have to do kind of the same idea with, but they’re different musicians overall. You got to remember that guitar player is different from that one. You remember all those little parameters and how to make it work and how to build it. So right now I’m focused on the cruise and Art of Anarchy setlist. Everything else is going to have to wait until that’s done. Then I’m going to put my different hat and different shoes on for those things.
On remembering TSO keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij – Well, Vitalij, I think was probably the first Ukrainian person I’ve ever met from the mother country. I knew Ukrainians by their origins, but he was with a thick accent. He was like full-on, straight from the mother country. So getting to know him, getting to even try to understand him when he’s speaking English was a chore in itself because he’s got a different sense of humor. His personality was just second to none. He was the kind of guy that you can laugh with and laugh at at the same time. If that makes any sense. He was always the adamant clown, but he was also somebody really serious and you sit down and have a serious conversation with him. You really got to see the real side of the guy as a musician.
I said it in my post in my little epilogue for the man that TSO, they’re known for getting the best of the best as far as musicianship. As far as I’m concerned, two of the greatest piano players on the planet are part of TSO or were in this case the other, the other keyboard player or piano player, classically trained Juilliard, the whole nine yards is Derek Wieland. Derek has been with TSO since about the same time, actually before Vitalij came in, but Vitalij came in 2010 and I’ve toured every year with him. He’s been the touring keyboardist with me every single year that I’ve been a part of this. So to know the man on that front and get to watch what he does was just overwhelming for me. I get goosebumps when I watch him and I’m watching the same show. I’m watching the same piano duet or dual, solo, or whatever he was doing. It just blew your mind. Even at rehearsals. I see he’s doing things almost like he’s texting somebody and it just comes out so easily, so naturally. That’s the kind of level of musicianship that you just don’t come across every day. It’s going to be a major blow to us when we have to go to rehearsals this year. Especially when we do the backstage, because with TSO, we rehearse in an arena when we get ready for a tour. We rehearse in the arena that we play opening night. So sometimes we’re rehearsing out on the main stage and sometimes we’re rehearsing backstage in kind of a makeshift garage band kind of set up with the small versions of our gear. But every time I go up to sing, I look over my left shoulder, there’s Vitalij, and it’s going to be so strange this year, looking over my shoulder and not seeing him.
I think my favorite part of hanging with him and my favorite memory of Vitalij would be on a day off. We have a day off with TSO on tour and we’ve just come off doing maybe 8 or 9 shows in a row in 5 days. We get like 2 days off. So the 1st night we blow off steam. We all hang out downstairs in a hotel bar. If there’s a piano there, Vitalij can be in the craziest stages of anybody blowing off a little steam, but when he sits down on that piano, you’re watching a concerto. It’s unbelievable. I’ve never heard him hit a bum note. That was always my favorite part and my favorite memory of hanging out with the guy we could be (crazy) then all of a sudden it’s like watching Beethoven performing for you. It was amazing.