Scott Thomas

Scott Thomas is a California-born, Los Angeles-based multi-platinum singer-songwriter, producer, and composer. He made a significant impact on the Los Angeles music scene in the 1990s. After leaving his home in San Francisco at the age of fifteen, he relocated to Los Angeles, working various jobs—including as a limo driver, roofer, pastry baker, and clothing designer—all while pursuing his passion for music.
Throughout his career, Thomas has been recognized for his heartfelt songwriting and dynamic performances, leaving a lasting impression on the alternative rock and singer-songwriter genres.
SPIN Magazine’s late music editor, Marc Spitz, wrote:
“Scott fronted the hot local band Annapurna. They were an alternative post-grunge combo, but more romantic and dramatic than Nirvana or Screaming Trees. Annapurna couldn’t be ironic or depressive like the grunge bands. They were from Hollywood. There was a dark glamour and intrigue to their look and sound—the whole package. These weren’t hicks who hit the lottery. These were sexy LA dudes—hot, famous actresses came to their shows. I studied Scott when he wasn’t looking and wondered: What does it feel like to know you’re going to be a millionaire? You’re going to travel the world. You’re going to be a rockstar.”
By the mid-1990s, Thomas had become a fixture on the LA club circuit, eventually taking up residency at Café Largo in LA’s Fairfax district. There, he performed alongside artists such as Elliott Smith, Jon Brion, Aimee Mann, Rufus Wainwright, and Grant Lee Phillips. His weekly shows helped establish Largo as a tastemaker’s favorite ‘scene.’
His 1998 Elektra Records release, as described by BAM Magazine:
“One listen to California, the Scott Thomas Band’s debut album, and you’ll know this is the real thing. His voice—equal parts Jeff Tweedy and Jackson Browne… Thomas and his band emerged from the forest with the finest slice of SoCal since Gram Parsons’ untimely death two and a half decades ago.”
The album features a collection of autobiographical songs that serve as a soundtrack for driving, blending elements of country-rock, folk-rock, and classic rock. Notable tracks include the country-rock anthem California, the chart-topping Black Valentine, and the orchestral ballad Sad Girl. Legendary rock and roll DJ Jim Ladd declared Never Coming Home a “new classic rock song,” likening it to other LA standards from Love, Buffalo Springfield, and The Doors, even comparing Thomas to frontman Jim Morrison.
Scott Thomas also produced his self-released album Matson Tweed, a collaboration with Grammy-nominated Madi Diaz, Kristen Hall, Molly Tuttle, and Jayhawks’ Gary Louris.
Today, Thomas is perhaps best known as the frontman of the indie rock duo Ringside, which he co-founded with his longtime friend and actor Balthazar Getty. Given the pair’s Hollywood connections, critics agreed they might have made a messier, less accessible record and still gotten away with it, but instead, they crafted a sound that was “tight, immediate, and appealingly modish.”
“Ringside’s beat-friendly setup should seem at odds with Thomas’ indie rock-style lyrics but isn’t (for proof, look no further than the disaffected, down-in-the-dumps exercise in uplift that is Struggle, Ringside’s first song and a precedent-setter). Genre-melding—here, of pop, rock, and electronica—is rarely this surefooted; paired with Thomas’ wiry, Eels-like voice, each song feels at once experimental and lived-in.”
The band’s music blends elements of rock, electronic, and hip-hop, creating a unique sound that has garnered a dedicated following. Scott Thomas is a true innovator, blazing a trail as the first to fuse heartfelt singer-songwriter lyricism with the raw energy of Getty’s hip-hop beats. Rolling Stone praised the band as “a genre-defying masterpiece that reshapes the way we experience music.”
One of their most notable songs, Tired of Being Sorry, was later covered by Enrique Iglesias, while still remaining another Scott Thomas production.
Ringside’s second studio album, Lost Days, showcases the band’s signature blend of indie rock infused with electronic and hip-hop elements. Notable songs include Starbrite, Freedom, Satellite, and Feel So Alone. The title track, Lost Days, features a collaboration with Ben Harper, while the song Money became the theme song for Steven Soderbergh’s acclaimed film Magic Mike.
The album received praise for its unique sound and the band’s evolution since their Geffen Records debut. Critics noted the band’s flair for pop and the incorporation of keyboards and beats that add depth to the music, often sounding like a remix of an indie rock song. Flaunt Magazine described the album as:
“An epic journey for the band over the course of several years. It reflects a journey down a long, dark road finally emerging into the light.”
In addition to his illustrious solo career and celebrated work with Ringside, Thomas has also pursued film composing, scoring films such as LOL, Magic Mike, Good Time Max, and Blitz.