SCOTT AGSTER
Musician | Recording Artist | Composer | Educator
SCOTT AGSTER
BIO
Scott Agster moved to Minneapolis in 2005 and began to work his way into the local music scene. You can find him out playing every weekend with a variety of different bands and projects. Some career highlights include touring with the Doc Severisen Orchestra, Davina and the Vagabonds, and the Minneapolis-based Neo Soul group Nooky Jones. At one point he played with the former King of Thailand. He has played with Salsa del Soul for over 20 years and has recently become a full-time member of Michael Bland's Urban Classic as well as the popular new R&B group CoMingl. You can also see him with KAJ Productions Men of Motown, Adam Bohanan and, on occasion, with St. Paul Peterson's Minneapolis Funk AllStars. You can hear his horn arrangements with most of these groups as well. Scott has nothing but love for his adopted city, Minneapolis.
PRESS KIT
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The PROJECT
Minneapolis Horn Power is a celebration of the Minneapolis music scene. The title track sums up the foundation of all the music on this project. A five-piece funk horn section sits atop a rhythm section made up of musicians who have and still are shaping the sound of Minneapolis music. As the project develops, I am inviting musicians and artists from different areas of our musical culture to add depth to the tracks.
The STORY
In late 2023, I was sitting in the Green Room at the Dakota Jazz Club with St. Paul Peterson and Kirk Johnson. It occurred to me that I had connected with a new cross-section of Minneapolis musicians. I had been looking for a new project to showcase my writing and the incredible talent in our music scene and everything clicked. I saw a bigger production featuring the musicians that I love playing with.
There have been countless times performing in the backup band or musical directing for someone from out of town when I realize the artist has no idea of the talent in our music scene. I can imagine them traveling around the Midwest finding out some cities are deeper than others with the amount of players and talent. My favorite moment is when they discover that they are about to have an incredible night! You can see them relax and begin to enjoy the gig as they realize that they are in the company of great musicians. This is why I am doing this project.
RELEASED 1.15.25
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FEATURE SOLOS BY: CHRIS ROCHESTER & ADAM MECKLER
MINNEAPOLIS HORN POWER
Horn Section Power is strong in Minneapolis. I drew inspiration from some incredible horn players who paved the way, like Eric Leeds and The Hornheads. You'll hear a mix of styles featuring the horns with a world-class rhythm section. Some of these players helped shape the "Minneapolis Sound," some are playing around the city every weekend, and some are touring around the world regularly.
ADAM MECKLER - TRUMPET | ALEX BROWNE - TRUMPET
CHRIS ROCHESTER - TENOR | SCOTT AGSTER - TROMBONE
GUS SANDBERG - BARI | GEOFF LECRONE - GUITAR
KEVIN GASTONGUAY - KEYS | ST. PAUL PETERSON - BASS
KIRK JOHNSON - DRUMS
JASON MCGLONE - AUDIO RECORDING AND MIX
KEITH KOPATZ - AUDIO RECORDING
ROB SCHLETTE - MASTERING
AARON LEVIN - VIDEO CAPTURE, EDITING AND PRODUCTION
MATT GROSSO - VIDEO CAPTURE
Hard Light Love EP - 2025
Hard Light Love is the first Minneapolis Horn Power release. It features tight horn section playing and full vocal harmonies over a mixture of Funk, Rock, and Pop genres. The songs on this EP all deal with the theme of love, whether it be for your city or the person you are spending your life with.
Track List
1. I Really Gotta Go - 2:08
2. Hard Light Love - 3:01
3. Waking Up By My Best Friend - 2:52
4. Hard Light Love (Acoustic Version) - 2:36
5. Waking Up By My Best Friend (Acoustic Version) - 3:04
6. Waking Up By My Best Friend (Spanish Version) - 3:04
NATional STREET DATE 12.3.25
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HARD LIGHT LOVE EP PERSONNEL
ANDRINA BROGDEN - VOCALS | BREASHA TURNER - VOCALS | CHRYSS ALTAMIRANO - VOCALS
ADAM BOHANAN - VOCALS | ANDREE PAYARES - VOCALS | FRANK RIVERY - VOCALS
ADAM MECKLER - TRUMPET | ALEX BROWNE - TRUMPET | CHRIS ROCHESTER - TENOR | PETER VIRCKS - TENOR
SCOTT AGSTER - VOCALS & TROMBONE | GUS SANDBERG - BARI
GEOFF LECRONE - GUITAR & MANDOLIN | TOMMY BARBARELLA - KEYS
ST PAUL PETERSON - BASS | RYAN BUTLER - BASS | KIRK JOHNSON - DRUMS & CAJON
JASON MCGLONE - AUDIO RECORDING AND MIX | KEITH KOPATZ - AUDIO RECORDING
ROB SCHLETTE - MASTERING
AARON LEVIN - VIDEO CAPTURE, EDITING AND PRODUCTION | MATT GROSSO - VIDEO CAPTURE
Click The Icons Below To Download LYRic Sheets of the music
The Strings That Combine Us
This song is about how we are connected in so many different ways.
People from opposite sides of the world have many of the same hopes and dreams. This one features Ernest Bisong, who is an amazing contemporary violinist who was raised in Lagos, Nigeria. The track also features percussion work by Frank Rivery, who moved here from Cuba. I often think about how lucky
I am to have moved across the country to a place where I could make a life in music. I have so many fantastic musician friends here that have also uprooted their lives to build something along side me. The second version of this song features lyrics by long time friend and colleague, Toki Wright. This music was
the string that helped us reconnect after many years.
FEATURE SOLO BY: ERNEST BISONG
ERNEST BISONG - VIOLIN
ADAM MECKLER - TRUMPET | ALEX BROWNE - TRUMPET
SCOTT AGSTER - TROMBONE | CODY LEDUC - TROMBONE BROOKLYNNE AUDETTE - BASS TROMBONE
GEOFF LECRONE - GUITAR | TOMMY BARBARELLA - KEYS
RYAN BUTLER - BASS | PETER SUTTMAN - DRUMS
JASON MCGLONE - AUDIO RECORDING AND MIX
KEITH KOPATZ - AUDIO RECORDING
ROB SCHLETTE - MASTERING
AARON LEVIN - VIDEO CAPTURE, EDITING AND PRODUCTION
MATT EBSO - VIDEO CAPTURE
THE STRINGS THAT COMBINE US
(TOKI WRIGHT VERSION)
LYRICS AND VOCALS BY: TOKI WRIGHT
FEATURE SOLO BY: ERNEST BISONG
TOKI WRIGHT - VOCALS | ERNEST BISONG - VIOLIN
ADAM MECKLER - TRUMPET | ALEX BROWNE - TRUMPET
SCOTT AGSTER - TROMBONE | CODY LEDUC - TROMBONE BROOKLYNNE AUDETTE - BASS TROMBONE
GEOFF LECRONE - GUITAR | TOMMY BARBARELLA - KEYS
RYAN BUTLER - BASS | PETER SUTTMAN - DRUMS
JASON MCGLONE - AUDIO RECORDING AND MIX
KEITH KOPATZ - AUDIO RECORDING
ROB SCHLETTE - MASTERING
AARON LEVIN - VIDEO CAPTURE, EDITING AND PRODUCTION
MATT EBSO - VIDEO CAPTURE
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RELEASED 7.9.25
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RELEASED 8.13.25
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AGAINST THE GRAIN
Sometimes the only way to create a better world is to travel Against the Grain.
The song begins as a Reggae instrumental that has the bones of a New Orleans brass band horn section.
I substituted the bari sax for Brooklynne Audette on bass trombone for some heavy low brass effects. The song also features some heavily effected organ sounds from Tommy Barbarella, and a LoFi treatment from Mixing engineer Jason McGlone. Adam Meckler and I take the solo features on this one.
The second version of the song was created in collaboration with Toki Wright, who wrote and performed the lyrics.It also features choreography from Kayla Johnson. This was an incredible experience working with Aaron Levin, Toki and Kayla to bring the video to life.
FEATURE SOLOS BY: SCOTT AGSTER & ADAM MECKLER
RELEASED 9.3.25
*** FCC CLEAN ***
ADAM MECKLER - TRUMPET | ALEX BROWNE - TRUMPET
SCOTT AGSTER - TROMBONE | CODY LEDUC - TROMBONE BROOKLYNNE AUDETTE - BASS TROMBONE
GEOFF LECRONE - GUITAR | TOMMY BARBARELLA - KEYS
RYAN BUTLER - BASS | PETER SUTTMAN - DRUMS
JASON MCGLONE - AUDIO RECORDING AND MIX
KEITH KOPATZ - AUDIO RECORDING
ROB SCHLETTE - MASTERING
AARON LEVIN - VIDEO CAPTURE, EDITING AND PRODUCTION
MATT EBSO - VIDEO CAPTURE
Against The Grain
(TOKI WRIGHT VERSION)
LYRICS AND VOCALS BY: TOKI WRIGHT
CHOREOGRAPHY AND DANCE BY: KAYLA JOHNSON
FEATURE SOLOS BY: SCOTT AGSTER & ADAM MECKLER
TOKI WRIGHT - LYRICS & VOCALS
KAYLA JOHNSON - CHOREOGRAPHY & DANCE
ADAM MECKLER - TRUMPET | ALEX BROWNE - TRUMPET
SCOTT AGSTER - TROMBONE | CODY LEDUC - TROMBONE BROOKLYNNE AUDETTE - BASS TROMBONE
GEOFF LECRONE - GUITAR | TOMMY BARBARELLA - KEYS
RYAN BUTLER - BASS | PETER SUTTMAN - DRUMS
JASON MCGLONE - AUDIO RECORDING AND MIX
KEITH KOPATZ - AUDIO RECORDING
ROB SCHLETTE - MASTERING
AARON LEVIN - VIDEO CAPTURE, EDITING AND PRODUCTION
MATT EBSO - VIDEO CAPTURE
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RELEASED 9.24.25
*** Explicit ***
FLY SEASON
Fly Season is an expression I learned on the road with Doc Severinsen. This term is a discussion on just how tight things can get. This acapella funk horn section was hand picked to deliver on the promise of this style of music.
Throughout the song, each member is featured leading up to an extended bari solo by Andy Nelson.
JAKE BALDWIN - TRUMPET | ALEX BROWNE - TRUMPET
LUCIA SARMIENTO - TENOR | SCOTT AGSTER - TROMBONE
ANDY NELSON - BARI SAX
AUDIO RECORDING AND MIX - JASON MCGLONE
MASTERING - ROB SCHLETTE
VIDEO CAPTURE AND EDITING - AARON LEVIN
RELEASED 10.29.25
*** FCC CLEAN ***
JUST THE HORNS
This song is a celebration of Minneapolis horn players.
Most of us are working hard through the summer months, so I'm taking a moment to highlight some of these musicians who work together to create a tight section sound. It's like seperate fingers on the same hand that have to work towards perfect synchronization. Each one of the musicians on this track are top-call musicians who play gigs together, and some have traveled extensively. One of
the fantastic things about Minneapolis is that these musicians are also my friends.
For the most part, this scene is about horn players who support each other.
Unlike some areas of the United States, you always send the very best player
you can to cover a gig for you.
PAUL STODOLKA - TRUMPET | ADAM MECKLER - TRUMPET
JOHN BERTSCH - TENOR | SCOTT AGSTER - TROMBONE
ANDY NELSON - BARI SAX
AUDIO RECORDING AND MIX - JASON MCGLONE
MASTERING - ROB SCHLETTE
VIDEO CAPTURE AND EDITING - AARON LEVIN
RELEASED 6.18.25
*** FCC CLEAN ***
MINNEAPOLIS HORN POWER
UPCOMING 2025 RELEASES
The Purple Samurai - STREET DATE 11.26.25
The Purple Samurai (Toki Wright Version) - STREET DATE 12.17.25
Minneapolis Horn Power
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