Steel pan man Jonathan Scales and his Fourchestra Aug. 12 at The Stone Church

• The Stone Church, 5 Granite Street, Newmarket is about a 45-minute drive from downtown Manchester.
• On the Web: www.stonechurchrocks.com

NEWMARKET, NH – There are some musicians out there who aren’t afraid to go their own way while straying from previously established norms. They prefer to forge their own artistic path and a good amount of the time their creative output is both inventive and innovative.

This can be said about Jonathan Scales, who has been expanding the limit of the steel pan instrument in a variety of ways for over 15 years. He exhibits his craft with his band known as the Fourchestra, and they’re going to be taking the stage at The Stone Church in Newmarket on August 12. Starting at 8 p.m., Scales and his band will bring sounds that are both cohesive and expansive while exuding a peculiar quality.

We talked ahead of the show about how he got around to playing his chosen instrument, having the steel pans serve as the melodic engine for his music, thoughts on the current lineup of the Fourchestra and a new album that’s going to be released in a few weeks.

Rob Duguay: When it comes to steel pans, they’re usually associated with the island music that comes from the Caribbean and not with jazz. So what initially inspired you to play steel pans when you first started learning how to play music?

Jonathan Scales: When I first started playing music, I actually started with the saxophone when I was a kid. I started playing that when I was in sixth grade and I also began to write music at that age, too, which came pretty easily. It wasn’t until high school that I got into percussion and it wasn’t until college that I got into playing the steel pan. Honestly, it was never like a decision that I really made to not play traditional music; it was more of me gravitating to the voice of the instrument. I just wanted to explore the music that was in my head, so it was never a choice to say “Now, I’m going to do this.”

I’m inspired by so many different instrumental and improvisational forms of music that it’s hard to even say that it’s just jazz. We tend to get looped into that category because it’s hard to have a conversation about improvised music without using that word, but it was never really a conscious decision to start playing jazz with steel pans.

RD: Ok, I totally get that. How would you describe your approach when it comes to including steel pans into the music you do with the Fourchestra? From listening to your recordings, you seem to exhibit a similar structure to what a piano usually has with the different arrangements and beats you make.

JS: With my approach, the steel pans are usually the melodic voice of the song structures but I was actually trained in modern classical composition so I tend to deviate and explore into the rhythms and harmonies that I use. For me, it’s a fun space to just create so it’s hard to say that there’s one method that I’m always using. Artists are always trying to expand how they can express themselves, but it’s funny because people will often say that it takes the role of a piano or something like that – and that also makes sense, too. The steel pan is a melodic instrument that has all the notes a piano has, but it’s not quite the same range. In my music with the Fourchestra, the steel pan is the melodic lead, for sure.

RD: These days the lineup you have with the Fourchestra consists of a power trio with yourself along with E’Lon JD on bass and Maison Guidry on drums. How has this edition of the band stood out from prior editions?

JS: First off, there’s going to be a different drummer performing with us at The Stone Church on Saturday. Mason usually plays with us, but in this instance, Diego Joaquin Ramirez is going to be filling in for him on drums. He’s not on any of our recordings or videos, but he’s going to be with us this weekend.

RD: Oh, ok.

JS: Yeah, the trio is actually the standard lineup of the Fourchestra. It’s kind of crazy because the name “Fourchestra” kind of implies that it’s four people and we were a quartet from 2007 to 2011, but since then it’s been a trio except for a period of time where we had Mononeon on bass, Sput Searight on drums and Weedie Braimah on percussion for an “all-star” lineup. I will say that this trio version of the Fourchestra is kind of the ultimate expression for me as a composer while bringing in auxiliary players who can really express my ideas and also add their own ideas within that. I feel like the trio setting is the ultimate space for amazing musicians to interpret them as well, more so than in a four-piece. The trio gives each of us much more space to create together.

RD: You’re currently based in Brooklyn, but you actually started the Fourchestra in Asheville, North Carolina, after graduating from Appalachian State University in the mid-2000s. With this being said, what are your thoughts on playing The Stone Church, in New Hampshire and the New England region in general? Is it any different for you when it comes to the audiences and the overall vibe?

JS: We’ve played in New Hampshire a decent amount and we’re happy to be returning. We were just there a few months ago, so it’s good to be coming back again. We love playing in New Hampshire, It’s a place that I initially didn’t know much about, but every time we go there we always have a nice response. It’s always a nice and warm reception for us there, the people that come to our shows are always very happy that we’ve made it to where they are. New Hampshire seems to be a bit off the beaten path for a typical touring band or even some major acts, so people are always appreciative that we have come that far and I appreciate that.

RD: It’s been a few years since you and the Fourchestra released any new recordings, with your last release being the Mindstate Music EP that came out in 2019. Can we expect a new album, another EP or even a series of singles in the near future?

JS: Actually, there’s a new album that’s going to be coming out at the end of this month. It’s called Re-Potted, much like how you take a plant and you re-pot the plant. The biggest album that we’ve released so far is Pillar, which came out in 2018, and I’ll say that it was our most commercially successful release. I feel that this upcoming record is a very strong follow-up to that, but in a way where a lot of growth and progression has happened over the past few years. If you’re a fan of the Fourchestra, I think you’re going to like it and if you’re new to what we do then it’s going to be a good place to start.

• The Stone Church, 5 Granite Street, Newmarket is about a 45-minute drive from downtown Manchester.
• On the Web: www.stonechurchrocks.com
• Ticket link: Portsmouth NH Tickets | Jonathan Scales Fourchestra