Self-Taught Guitarist Scott Huckabay to Strum His Acoustic Stuff at BeBop

Scott Huckabay was no child phenom. He didn’t even pick up a guitar until he finished playing with adolescence.

“I was hanging around in the basement, when I found this old, thick Spanish guitar,” said Huckabay, who was 17 at the time. “It suddenly became part of me, and I couldn’t put it down. I found my thing.”

Today, his thing has landed him recognition--he placed second recently in BAM magazine’s vote for guitarist of the year. On Thursday, Huckabay, 25, will strum his stuff at BeBop Records in Reseda.

Huckabay, who lives in San Clemente, has never taken a lesson. Since his basement discovery, he taught himself everything, graduating from the Spanish instrument to an electric guitar to his current acoustic version. After a motorcycle accident in Arizona, he used his recuperation period to jam with his acoustic guitar. He sees it as his best chance for a career breakthrough.

“There’s so much competition in the electric, heavy-metal scene,” Huckabay said. “But it’s still an open market for acoustic players.”

So far, Huckabay has only performed instrumental songs; he released a tape on his own label, Fresh Ltd. He’s written lyrics, but has hesitated to sing them at concerts. “I just don’t feel I’ve progressed to that level yet. It will come soon.”

At BeBop, he will stick to the acoustic guitar. He will also put together a light show. “I was never really into rock ‘n’ roll as a kid,” he said. “I’m much more into jazz and classical.”

Scott Huckabay will play his acoustic guitar at 8 p.m. Thursday, at BeBop Records, 18433 Sherman Way, Reseda. Donations are requested. For information, call (818) 881-1654.

Summer in Santa Monica once again means the outdoor concert series, “Grand Summer Nights,” which will open July 1 with a country-Western theme. Glen Campbell is the featured guest.

The nine-concert series, sponsored by Santa Monica College, will present jazz, mariachi and acoustic music. Among the performers will be the Oak Ridge Boys on July 15 and Lionel Hampton on Aug. 19. For the first time in the three-year event, admission, ranging from $7.50 to $15, will be charged, except the July 1 event is free.

“A lot of people complained that they couldn’t get in last year,” said Gloria Mottler, the program coordinator for campus events. “When it was free, people would arrive very early and take all the seats.”

The July 1 show at Corsair Field will also include displays, booths, free children’s rides and a fireworks show. Most of the concerts will take place at the 1,800-seat college amphitheater.

The “Grand Summer Nights” concert series begins at 8 p.m. July 1. For information, call (213) 452-9209.

To celebrate the eighth anniversary of the Southern California Blues Society, a concert will be held Saturday at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga. The show will feature Junior Wells, who has toured internationally for four decades, and Cash McCall, who has played with such artists as Muddy Waters, Ramsey Lewis and Etta James.

They will be joined by Blues groups from Los Angeles. Among them will be “The Mighty Flyers,” a modern, faster-paced music than the traditional Chicago sound.

“We wanted to provide a full range of different blues,” said Eddie Archer, the concert’s coordinator.

“Celebration of the Blues,” sponsored by the Southern California Blues Society , will take place at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m Saturday. Tickets are $20, $17 in advance. For information, call (714) 594-5051.