INTERVIEW: Singer Jeff Scott Soto joins Art of Anarchy for a rocking good time

Photo: Art of Anarchy recently released its third album, and the band has a mini tour through the end of March. Photo courtesy of the band / Provided by Pavement Entertainment with permission.

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Art of Anarchy is a supergroup that has had quite the rock ‘n’ roll journey over the last 10-plus years. At one point or another, the band has been fronted by different vocalists — singers with impressive pedigrees, including the late Scott Weiland and Creed frontman Scott Stapp. Now the group is back with a new album and a new singer: Jeff Scott Soto leads the band on the recording Let There Be Anarchy, out now from Pavement Entertainment. He is joined by Jon Votta on guitar, Vince Votta on drums and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal on guitar — all original members of Art of Anarchy. Rounding out the group is new bassist Tony Dickinson.

Soto may be new to the band, but he has a long history with these musicians. He and Bumblefoot, for example, were in Sons of Apollo, another supergroup that featured a more metal sound.

“I continue my rock ‘n’ roll journey, so to speak, and it’s great to have some new, fresh blood and some new material out there that I can be excited about,” Soto said in a recent phone interview. “I’m not trying to be in as many bands and projects just to add to my résumé. … Bottom line: I had a band like Sons of Apollo, which I would have committed my full time to, had that commitment been the same as the rest of the band, but the problem is, it’s the kind of band that everybody is busy doing other things. So I cannot commit full time to it, and if I did, I’d be working every three years. It wouldn’t subsidize my lifestyle much less my creativity.”

Soto believes in the motto that a person simply needs to keep moving. He hasn’t stood still for one second his entire career. When he’s not touring or recording album, he becomes antsy and wants to sing. “I have so many different things I want to do, and it’s one of the curses of being so influenced by a band like Queen,” said Soto, who also played with Yngwie Malmsteen. “You never really find that one band that completes you. You kind of have to do many things just to be able to find your creative outlets elsewhere.”

The introduction to Art of Anarchy was unique. For this project, he reached out to the original members and asked a simple question: “Hey guys, what do you think?” He remembers catching up with Bumblefoot in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. They were talking about lockdowns and not understanding when they would get back to live gigging.

“I said, ‘Man, what a pity about Art of Anarchy. What a great band. I love the music,’” he said. “And I just happened to blurt out, ‘I would have loved to have seen what my voice sounded like on that material or working with you guys.’ It was from there that Ron said, ‘Dude, we still write. I still talk to the brothers all the time. We’re still writing without any context or pretext of where we’re going with it. Why don’t I send you a couple of these songs and run with it. Just see what happens with it.’ And that’s pretty much where it started. They loved what I was doing with the stuff. They loved the idea that they had a singer who was committed to them without all the usual business side of things to warp it. We just organically built the album and the songs, and now it’s time to present them to the world.”

That new album has many solid tracks, including the album opener “Die Hard,” “Echo Your Madness,” “Bridge of Tomorrow” and album closer “Disarray.” These sonic delights are currently being tested on the road as Art of Anarchy play a limited number of dates, including Saturday, March 30, at the Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, New Jersey, right outside New York City.

“From the first song they sent me, I knew it was going to be right in my wheelhouse, especially because I do so many different styles, so many different genres of music,” Soto said. “But when it comes to rock, it’s very rare for me to do something that kind of hits the contemporary or the newer mainstream of where rock music is headed toward. … So, for the most part, I’ve done more of the classic rock thing or something that’s a little more dated. I come from my world of what I did and how I do it, but I love being able to explore new things and continuing to challenge myself and not just repeating myself. So that’s where Art of Anarchy really fits in. Musically, they are doing stuff that I love doing, and I personally love listening to that style of music. So to actually be part of it is exciting for me.”

The future of this iteration of Art of Anarchy is to be determined. Soto was honest on the phone that this album and these early concert dates need to sell well in order for a longer tour to be announced. He is taking it one day at a time and loving every minute of this new musical life.

“I’ll be straight up and forward about the actual touring,” he said. “Every band I’ve been a part of, including Sons of Apollo, there’s always an expectation that you make an album, you book a tour. Sometimes you make an album, book a tour, and you end up playing for 50 people, not in Sons of Apollo, but in general. I’ve done way too many things in my life and career where just because you make an album doesn’t mean you’re automatically going to have enough people to support it. It’s really debilitating for an artist to go on stage, and there’s only 50 people there. You spent triple the amount of money to just get the band there and to be able to play these shows, and when people don’t show up, it’s like, oh God. You’re playing in front of nobody. You’re hoping that this thing resonates.”

Soto added: “I said, ‘Guys, let’s not expect that just because the band is back, and just because you’re coming back and you had things moving along back in the day, that they’re going still be there waiting for you.’ The last outing for this band was seven years ago, so it’s not an automatic. It’s not bouncing right back where they left off. We are, for all intents and purposes, a new band, and we have to see if there’s interest out there before we book a full-fledged tour. So we all agreed, let’s get the album out, let’s get the word out, and then let’s build the supply and demand. If people are interested, we’re coming, but if people are not interested, we’re not going to force it.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Art of Anarchy’s new album is called Let There Be Anarchy, out now on Pavement Entertainment. The band will play Saturday, March 30, at the Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, New Jersey. Click here for more information and tickets.