Scout

Scout emerged in the early 1990s once vocalist/guitarist Ashen Keilyn and drummer Nigel Rawles left Michigan for New York City, where they linked up with area players Rimas Remeza on bass and Steve Shiltz on guitar before starting to play shows locally. Deep Elm, the regional indie imprint, soon signed on and released the band’s first 7-inch in 1996. Dream pop shot through with Replacements grit defined “Plague Dogs,” yet Keilyn’s singular voice—occasionally calling to mind a less strident Patti Smith—kept the tracks grounded. The group moved to Chrysalis for the 1998 EP Someplace Would be Nice, then delivered the full-length Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time the following year, their strongest illustration of charming alternative pop to that point. Remeza and Shiltz left during the subsequent touring and promotion cycle, so when Scout resurfaced with October 2003’s This Soft Life the lineup had shrunk to a trio. New guitarist Brian Silverman helped polish and sometimes harden the sound, and Life earned praise as Keilyn and the band’s most potent and approachable work yet. That fall the three-piece launched Scout’s first nationwide tour.