Scott & Maria are an Anglo-Celtic-Hellenic duo who write uplifting acoustic tunes evoking the heart with their mesmerising harmonies. Influenced by the earth and the stars and all forms of love, they create powerful feel good music. It’s only fitting that their choice for our Why I Love column is the band that stated, All You Need Is Love.

There are so many artists that have influenced us as a duo: Newton Faulkner, Eddie Vedder, Annie Lennox, Bowie, Civil Wars, Seth Lakeman; but the one that stands out from all the rest is The Beatles.

The very first memory I have of music as a child is my parents singing ‘Yellow Submarine’, the first song I learned to play on guitar as an 8 year old was ‘Yesterday’, and ‘Imagine’ was the definitive tune of my youth.

Their sound has always been magical, and I can’t remember a part of my life that didn’t involve them in some way. For us growing up, it was almost as if these four lads from Liverpool had invented modern music. They are probably the biggest band the world has ever seen, the tip of the iceberg that was 1960’s cultural and musical revolution, and without doubt the greatest single influence on both of us as musicians.

The fact that we are too young to have seen them live adds to their mystique.  When we were born John Lennon was no longer with us, but it felt as if his spirit remained, the Obi-Wan Kenobi of rock and roll.  The themes of love, of social conscience, and of fun have been infused into us and we feel that thread of songwriting has made its way into our own performances.

Although we’ve never seen any member of the Beatles live in concert, we were lucky to catch a performance in late 2015 of the musical ‘Let It Be’, an autobiographical show of the bands rise to super stardom.  The band that played the songs did a marvellous and faithful job of breathing life into a sequence of their hits. It was a time when we were relocating from the bustle of London to the breezy south coast of Brighton.  The show reconnected us with the expressive creative genius of the fab four, and we arrived in Sussex reinvigorated and sparking with creativity.

We headed into the studio to record a 5 song EP, but a creative explosion meant that we left the studio with a 14 track album (mastered at George Martin’s Air Studios).  A three month period had yielded a further 10 songs, more than the previous two years put together. 

Another glorious moment was catching the end of ‘The Bootleg Beatles’ set at Glastonbury in 2017.  Hearing ‘All You Need Is Love’ blasting out across Worthy Farm at midday on a Sunday was a truly magical moment.  It felt as if festivals were created for this purpose, to spread a message of joy and love in a celebration of life and humanity.  It made us want to create more songs to inspire and uplift, and to carry that torch that was raised by Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr from the 1960s in our own small way into the 21^st century.

Our favourite Beatles albums are from the late 60s – Revolver (1966), Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) and The Beatles (White Album) (1968).  A stand out track is Strawberry Fields. Like so many of the Beatles songs, it’s not just a song. It has meaning that addresses the human condition in a poetic way, and it’s incredibly moving to discover the link with the Vietnam War.  Deep feelings are voiced in a way the public can connect with, and there is surely a Beatles song for everyone that people can feel speaks just to them. Like with ‘Hey Jude’ – the song acknowledges that sadness is real but the listener is lifted in the process. The music of the Beatles is about allowing the honesty and expression but with enjoyment of the human story. They take us on a journey where we have felt deeply, but still feel positive. Everything is okay and anything is possible. 

Many thanks to Scott & Maria for sharing their love of The Beatles. Undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest band ever.

Listen to Scott & Maria’s latest video below and you can connect with the duo below, too.

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