Lido Beach reunites for anniversary shows

Scott Waldman has come a long way since he played in

his first few bands as a teenager growing up in Long

Beach. At the time, the musician was immersed in Long

Island’s local rock scene before acts like Taking Back Sunday and Brand New hit their stride.

“Long Island got cool right after I went to school in

Michigan,” he said.

Waldman left in 1999 and, after he graduated from the

University of Michigan, moved to Los Angeles. The 36-year-old has since fronted multiple bands, including the alternative act Lido Beach, which he formed in 2008 and named after his hometown. “I just wanted to give Lido a shout out,” he said of why he chose the name, adding that the community is mostly known as the location where the movie “The Godfather” was shot.

Fans of Lido Beach might have thought they heard the

last from the group, however, after they released their last EP, “Social Climbing,” in 2013. Nevertheless, Waldman recently announced that he is reuniting with Lido Beach to record new music and play three shows to celebrate the band’s 10th anniversary, including one on Nov. 28 at Brooklyn’s The Knitting Factory.

The Herald recently spoke with Waldman about the

upcoming concert, as well as his budding career as a

music manager and host of Idobi’s podcast “Waldman’s

Words.”

LB Herald: When did you move to LA? What was the

transition like?

Waldman: It’s funny because LA hasn’t had a crazy vibrant music scene since like the ’80s, with all the hair metal stuff. I moved here because it’s one of the three big cities for music in addition to New York and Nashville. It’s also one of the three cities where Lido Beach will be playing again.

LB Herald: What made you guys want to get the band

together again?

Waldman: Lido Beach actually was pretty much my

baby, and I’ve just had a lot of people request that I play their songs lately. There are even some people with Lido Beach tattoos. There’s this one girl who has my signature on her stomach with a lyric. I don’t know if there’s a crazy demand, but there are some fans and I just figured, why the heck not?

LB Herald: What’s it like to have your own podcast

and interact with new talent?

Waldman: Becoming a manager was actually completely

accidental. I started managing a former guitar student

on my own when she started asking for advice. After

that, I got the management bug and I figured I’d give it a go. Now I manage a bunch of bands under my own umbrella.

LB Herald: What do you look for in a new act?

Waldman: I have to be a super fan. It has to be the kind

of band that would mean a lot to me when I was in 8th

grade, like Green Day or Weezer or Nirvana. If I’m not

super into them, it’s not going to work. And I have to like the people. I’d say that my standards have gone up as I got into it.

LB Herald: How has it changed your perspective as a

musician?

Waldman: I’m very grateful that people took a chance

on me in the beginning. I say thank you all the time. I

think a lot of musicians aren’t really appreciative or show a lot of accountability. Right now, if Lido Beach were to get managed by someone, I’d be so much different. There are many, many people out there doing this and the fact that you have representation puts you high up.

LB Herald: Do you think it’s becoming easier or harder

for new bands and musicians to get noticed?

Waldman: When Lido Beach was getting big, everyone

was on MySpace. Now it’s all about the streaming market

and the playlist is everything. At the end of the day, it’s all about your own songs and your own base. You just need to market smart. If you’re a band and you’re braggadocio, people won’t want to market you. Instead of saying, “I’m great,” say “I work hard.”