About

City Winery Nashville Presents Scott Mulvahill with Makena Hartlin live on July 12th at 7:30 PM!

Frontman. Singer-songwriter. World-renowned upright bassist. Multi-instrumentalist. Inventor. Scott Mulvahill is leaving his unique mark on the intersecting worlds of Americana, folk, jazz, and experimental music. Raised in Houston, Mulvahill cut his teeth as a member of Ricky Skaggs’ acclaimed band, Kentucky Thunder. The group toured internationally for five years, backed by the bottom-heavy pulse of Mulvahill's upright bass. Along the way, he also composed music of his own, shining a light on the genre-jumping influences — Paul Simon’s sophisticated pop, James Taylor’s folk, Jaco Pastorius’ innovative jazz, and more — that would eventually inspire the material on his 2018 solo debut, Himalayas. His performances as part of Skaggs’ nightly shows laid the brickwork for Mulvahill’s transition from hotshot sideman to compelling frontman. Since taking the solo leap, he’s performed hundreds of concerts, appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk and Mountain Stage, and collaborated with luminary artists such as Cory Wong, Cody Fry, Lauren Daigle, Keb Mo, Oliver Hazard, Ben Rector, H.E.R. and many more.

Encouraged by musical mentor Bruce Hornsby, Mulvahill developed a unique approach to his songwriting — one that mixed his chops as an upright bassist with hook-heavy melodies and compelling narratives. A true “musician’s musician,” Mulvahill fills his solo debut with complex fingerwork and innovative progressions. At the same time, Himalayas is a song-driven record that focuses its attention not upon Mulvahill’s virtuosity, but upon the sheer listenability of his material. This is acoustic-leaning roots music of the highest caliber, shot through with elastic vocals, dobro, fiddle, and the honest, biographical lyrics of a songwriter who gave up an enviable position in Skaggs’ band to pursue his own muse.

“I wanna go over where I’ve never been,” he sings during the sparsely-decorated title track, one of several tracks to deal with the universal themes of facing one’s fears, taking leaps, and chasing down new horizons. Those messages are reflected in Mulvahill’s own career, as he pioneers a sound centered upon his voice and upright bass, and breaks new ground with the debut of his custom engineered DataBass, a revolutionary instrument combining the traditional upright bass with the power of MIDI sampling. Designed and built by Mulvahill, DataBass expands what is possible with the upright bass and erases the boundaries of what can be done as a solo performer. In August 2024, Scott performed a talk for TEDxNashville, demonstrating the instrument, what it can do, and the philosophy behind its creation.

“As important as the bass is to the sound of my music, it’s not a crutch,” he says. “To me, the songwriting, the voice, and the message are what really matter. His subsequent work Creative Potential (2020), Surrounded (2021), and Survive (2023) have found him taking leaps while keeping true to the core of his unique concept of artistry. 2025 and beyond promises exciting frontiers of new music and collaborations - for a lifelong musician like Scott, the climb is never over.

Makena Hartlin is an award-winning singer-songwriter based in Nashville who immediately began making waves when she came to town. She has earned the nickname “The Songbird of Nashville” due to her soaring and eclectic melodies, ethereal vocals and feminine aesthetic. She creates a standalone sound using the vulnerability and vintage sensibility of 60s/70s Joni Mitchell, soulful vocals reminiscent of Eva Cassidy and Bonnie Raitt, and ties it together with laser-sharp modern lyricism. She has played prestigious stages such as Bonnaroo in 2022 and 2023, the Ryman Auditorium, Americana Fest 2023 and has won numerous awards for songwriting including “Song of the Year” by Songwriting Magazine 2024 and the March Forward contest by American Songwriter. She will be releasing music in 2025 recorded with acclaimed Grammy-award winning producer Tyler Chester.

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