ECHO JET BIO

For Denny and Kenny Scott, the accomplished songwriters and performers in the Los Angeles–based five-piece band Echo Jet, a good song is all about melody, interesting and non-clichéd lyrics, and professional production. These qualities are abundantly evident on the band’s self-titled debut album, led by the monster single “Wave.”

“Our writing has always been very melodic,” Denny notes. “We grew up on that kind of songwriting—bands like INXS, early U2, and Tears For Fears, who combined cool guitar lines with memorable melodies and compelling lyrics.”

In fact, Denny may be underselling it. Hook-laden rockers like the ones they mention didn’t just influence them—they helped shape their musical identity. After years of working in the industry, the two brothers now count many of their heroes as peers, including Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish, Beck) and Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne).

The Scott brothers, Navy brats in their teens at the time, decided to turn their musical hobby into a career after spending time with radio hitmakers The Outfield. “All the musicians we talked to would say, ‘Get good in the studio and get good at writing songs, most importantly. That’s what’s going to carry you,’” Denny recalls.

Their opportunity to do both came sooner than expected, when a “rich kid” they knew built an elaborate home studio and invited them to try it out. “Denny showed him our song, and next thing you know we were cutting vocals with a drum machine,” Kenny remembers.

Fresh out of high school, the brothers moved from Florida to L.A., demo tape in hand, ready for their big break. But, as Kenny admits, “We weren’t ready for it, man.” Young and “green,” they struggled with an early label deal that tried to market their first band, Swirl 360, as a boy band—focusing on looks over musical talent. “We refused to do any teeny-bop magazines,” Kenny adds. “We said, ‘No way.’” Even Rolling Stone, hardly a teeny-bop publication, awarded Swirl 360 3.5 stars, saying, “It’s been a while since McCartney-esque pop has gotten quite this explosive.”

Afterward, the Scotts turned to television and film, quietly placing songs on soundtracks left and right. “We were lucky that our songs would land on someone’s desk,” Kenny says. “And it made us feel good, because music supervisors definitely don’t use crappy songs. We were able to pay the bills that way.”

Since moving west, the brothers have been honing their craft on stages and in studios for nearly a decade. But make no mistake—Echo Jet’s full lineup, fueled by the Scott brothers’ battle-tested songwriting, marks their definitive moment in the Southern California sun.

While Denny and Kenny are the band’s primary songwriters, they aren’t the whole band. Kenny, who originally started on drums before switching to guitar, gladly cedes the drum throne to Jon Hastings. Joey Clemente handles bass, while Josh Dunahoo rounds out the band on lead guitar.

Ultimately, the band wants its moment in the sun to last long enough to require SPF 45. “We’d love to keep putting out records and writing good songs, touring year after year, and maintaining our fanbase,” Denny says. “Ultimately, I hope we make a mark, and that when people remember us, they say, ‘Hey, that band was cool.’”

On the strength of its debut, Echo Jet’s chances seem good for just that.