They are four talented young men who are working to make their original music into a ministry.
Scouts Honor.
Actually, that’s the name of their group with a slight spelling twist – Skouts Honor.
Their official first-release album is hot off the studio in Sacramento with the title, Transitions, which is also the first of the seven original songs in the CD. All music and lyrics are written, composed and arranged by Skouts Honor – Stephen Mathews (vocals/bass/piano), Nathan Looney (vocals/guitar), David Whitehouse (guitar/backup vocals), and Chris McClure (drums/backup vocals).
The other titles in the maiden CD release are “Colors and Cadence,” “Calling Out,” “Face to Face,” “Bookstore,” “Indication,” and “Darker Lights.”
The childhood friends-turned-band mates have just returned home from Hungary and the Czech Republic where they performed their music.
“They went there for a (church) mission-kind of thing. While there, they also played with another band in Europe,” said Scott Whitehouse, the father of band member David Whitehouse.
For the official CD release show here at home, the band will be playing at the Plea for Peace, a concert venue in Stockton, said David Whitehouse.
The Plea for Peace Center, located at 630 E. Weber Avenue in Stockton, is a non-profit and volunteer-run music and “arthouse” where live performances are held “just about every day of the week” as well as “art shows and independent film screenings,” according to the organization’s web site.
“That will be the first time we’re selling (copies of) our CDs,” David Whitehouse said.
The album also can be purchased online by downloading it from their facebook page – www.facebook.com/SkoutsHonor209 - “in your choice of MP3 320, FLA, or just about any other format you could possibly desire,” as the band puts it.
The musicians describe their music as “mellow pop-punk.”
They also make it clear what their music is all about. In the jacket of their CD, they write: “First and Foremost, we would like to Thank Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior.”
It’s “definitely” a form of ministry, David Whitehouse said of their music endeavors.
“We’re trying to make it more into a ministry. We’ll see where God takes us. We’ll just do what God wants us to do, whatever God allows us to do. We’re taking it as it comes,” he said.
In the meantime, he said, “We’re enjoying (our music). And we’re enjoying meeting people.”
If Skouts Honor rings a bell to some, that’s because the band has performed at a number of venues in and around Manteca. They’ve performed at Main Street Café when it was located next to the Casino Royal at the former Valley Cinema on North Main Street.
“We played there many times,” David Whitehouse said.
The band is also known to the mainstays at Bean & Leaf Café in the Raley’s shopping center on North Union Road and East Lathrop Road. They have also played at many area churches and hope to do more of that in the future.
Friends since childhood
The four young men have all known each other since third grade when they attended Neil Hafley Elementary School. With the exception of David Whitehouse, they all graduated from East Union High School. David attended Neil Hafley with his friends up to junior high school, before moving on to Manteca High where he played football for four years.
After high school, Mathews went to Azusa Pacific where he studied for two years before transferring to Fresno Pacific University where he graduated as an English major. Whitehouse was at Fresno Pacific all four years, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with emphasis on management. Looney attended California State University, Stanislaus and currently works at Target. McClure attended Delta College in Stockton but is taking a break from school while working at a storage facility in French Camp.
Mathews works at his family’s Delicato Family Vineyards in Manteca, where Whitehouse is also currently employed working in the Tasting Room.
As busy as they are in their respective jobs, the Skouts Honor band members make it a point to get together once a week “at Stephen’s house” to practice their music.
“We are getting ready to promote this album,” Whitehouse said.
Their first album “Transitions” was recorded, produced, engineered and mixed by Josh Benton at Joshua Tree Studios in Sacramento. The album’s cover art is by Scot Woodman, a friend of the group. In addition to extending a “HUGE” thank you to their families and other people who helped them make their first album possible, the Skouts Honor musicians also give “special Thank you to Smash Brothers, Nintendo 64, The Airport Way House, In-N-Out, and value menus everywhere.”
You can contact Skouts Honor by sending them an e-mail at skoutshonor@gmail.com or visit their facebook page at www.facebook.com/SkoutsHonor209
