Monroe, aka Scott Sauter

Artist: Monroe, aka Scott Sauter

Why the name change from Scott to Monroe? I really like Marilyn Monroe, and she called herself the queen of the blondes. I guess it was self-referencing because I have blonde hair.

Describe your sound/style: Monroe shows are usually just me and a guitar. A pretty raw, stripped-down sound. Sometimes, I get people to sing backup for me. It's kind of alternative folk.

Who are your influences? Right now, I'm listening to a lot of (Bob) Dylan. As far as the whole singer-songwriter goes, he's kind of God. I think it's cool because the stuff he was writing back in the '60s still rings true now, and I think anyone can respect that.

Worst song on the radio right now? "Smack That." I think it's by Akon. Eminem is on it, too, and I respect Eminem as a lyric writer, but I think he's gone downhill lately.

Who is your biggest musical guilty pleasure? Tony Bennett. He's a silver fox. He's really old but people . . . think he's quite handsome.

If you could share the stage with any band or artist, who would it be and why? Probably mewithoutYou. I've been to a few of their shows, and I think their lyrics are very well written. I'd love to hang out with them sometime.

What songs do you like to cover? My favorite song is "Mad World" from the movie "Donnie Darko" (performed by Gary Jules but originally sung by Tears for Fears). Sometimes, I close with "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" from "Annie," the musical.

Plug one other local band: I have a few friends in this band called The Burning December. They play harsher punk-type music. I think they have a ton of potential.

Who would win in a fight: Bob Dylan or Tony Bennett? I think Bob Dylan would have a heart attack, so probably Tony Bennett.

Your MySpace page says that you consider yourself "a patron saint of mediocrity." What's with the self-deprecation? To be honest with you, I have very little faith in myself as a guitarist. . . . And I once had a guy say to me one time, "I like your music, but your voice makes me want to kill babies."

What do you need to work on to build your self-esteem back up? Probably to take guitar lessons again or at least a theory class.

Shoutouts: I'd like to thank Aboutajay Studios. They really helped me out. . . . They helped me record my last EP.

- JASON COX, FLIPSIDE STAFF