Mulvahill unveils his new acoustic funk band Slap Dragon
As a solo-performing artist with three acclaimed albums, Scott Mulvahill has smashed through musical and stylistic boundaries. After all, he’s a singing, songwriting acoustic bassist fluent in bluegrass, jazz, rock, and R&B who designed his own instrument, the DataBass, an acoustic bass with MIDI triggers. So when the Nashville-based Mulvahill decided he wanted to start a band to counter his one-man solo efforts, the potential direction was wide open. Meet Slap Dragon, an acoustic quintet that combines bluegrass, funk, soul, and Nashville-level lyrics — a concept that could only come from the mind of Mulvahill.
On the band’s sizzling, self-titled debut, Scott and his Slap Dragon co-leader, vocalist-songwriter Laura Berens, are joined by drummer Mark Raudabaugh and guitarist/mandolinists Shaun Richardson and Seth Taylor, with mandolinist Joe Xiques filling in on some tracks. Together, they take listeners on a wild ride. Humorous yarns are subject to hairpin turns via blinding bluegrass licks. Tales both tender and cautionary are cast amid greasy, back-of-pocket grooves rich in dynamics. Following a sold-out set at the Bitter End in New York City that left the crowd buzzing about being unwitting but enthusiastic participants in the band’s raucous Gotham debut, Mulvahill explained, “Performing with Slap Dragon is like a big party, with freedom for the musicians to jam and trade back and forth built into the songs. The more fun we have, the more fun the audience has, and they become fully engaged. Ultimately, it’s kind of like this big sandbox we’re all playing in.” We got out our bucket and shovel to dig deeper with Scott.
I realized early on that even though it’s an acoustic band, there are a number of up-tempo songs that I wanted to be able to zip around on, and that required an instrument with a more immediate response than my upright.
How did Slap Dragon come together?
Very quickly. During the spring of 2023, I had this revelation that as much as I loved doing my solo gigs, I felt a pressing need to play and collaborate with other people in a band setting. While that was swimming around in my brain, I went to a birthday party for [Corey Wong drummer] Petar Janjic, who I’ve worked with a lot. There was a jam going on and I heard Laura sing, and it was a lightning-bolt moment. I thought, if she could be the vocalist in my imaginary band, that would be incredible. So, I introduced myself, we became friends, and we got together to write — that was in May and June. In July, I introduced her to Mark, Shaun, and Seth. We went into my studio, ran tape, and jammed for an hour and a half. Laura was brilliant, listening and responding with ideas. She’s fearless with where she’ll go with spontaneous melodies and lyrics, and lot of what we came up with became the foundation for our first five songs. She and I got together to finish those songs, and we recorded the first half of the record in Nashville. Then in August, we went to Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio in Texas for two days and finished the second half of the record in a day and a half. Except for a few overdubs, we played and sang live as a band in both studios, usually with only a couple of takes.
What was your vision of the band and how did you come up with the name?
Even before we came together, I had this concept of an acoustic band that played a hybrid of genres, mixing bluegrass, funk, and soul. That’s when the name came to me: Hmmm, an acoustic funk band. How about calling it Slap Dragon? From there I was fortunate to get the right people in the room, and the rest took care of itself.
Which of you is the primary frontperson?
I quickly realized that even though I sing and Laura and I are the artists in Slap Dragon, she should be the voice of the band. For one, she’s such a monster vocalist that the focus needs to be on her. Second, a band is defined by the vocalist — they’re delivering the lyrics; I didn’t want to confuse people alternating vocals with her. I get to sing one or two songs a night for a change of pace, and that’s plenty. Also, with Seth, Shaun, Mark, and Joe being so in-demand, Laura and I found that the best path, live, is that we are Slap Dragon and we hire the other three pieces from a rotating circle of Nashville friends.
On the musical side, what I like about being in a group is it actually lets me play more bass than on my solo stuff. I don’t have to cover five roles at once. Being able to focus only on the bass has made me a better bassist.
What was your bass concept for the band and record?
I realized early on that even though it’s an acoustic band, there are a number of up-tempo songs that I wanted to be able to zip around on, and that required an instrument with a more immediate response than my upright. To achieve that yet retain an acoustic instrument vibe, I also played my Kala U-Bass, a Fender Custom Shop ’62-style Jazz Bass that I found on eBay, and a Martin DJR-10E acoustic bass guitar, a 24″ short-scale with Fishman electronics. I have those last two and my Kay upright on the tour, and ultimately, I’d like to have the Kay and a full-size acoustic bass guitar. My friend is building me an instrument that I hope to have soon. Recording-wise, all the basses went direct, and we had a U47-style mic on the upright.
How would you compare your solo work vs. being in an ensemble?
On the musical side, what I like about being in a group is it actually lets me play more bass than on my solo stuff. I don’t have to cover five roles at once: the rhythm, the chords, the melody, all of which limits my bass line choices. With Slap Dragon, I can walk in, sit in the pocket, and just play bass. Being able to focus only on the bass has made me a better bassist.
The opener, “Mission Statement,” immediately establishes the band’s vibe, with a bluegrass intro that quickly veers into funk, and sassy lyrics.
We open our sets with this, as well. Laura and I wrote that after we made the first half of the record, and it’s a perfect example of how we write together because I don’t think either of us would have written those innuendo-filled lyrics alone. The first line is, “Yes, I slap / But I would never hurt you / I may bite, but it’s only for play / Someone here has got to make the first move / So let me help you get out of your own way.” The chorus includes, “[I] know you want to pop that junk / I promise to provide that funk.” We egg each other on and have fun when we write, but out of that come complete ideas that work. Writing together helps us stay out of our own way and not second-guess ourselves. The good ideas come faster because we can confirm them with each other. I played my Jazz Bass here [see music below].
“Already Won” has a greasy R&B/soul groove and a cool bass tone.
That’s one of the first songs we wrote out of our original jam in Nashville; we finished and cut it in Texas. It captures the ethos of the band pretty well. The message of the song is, “Hey man, don’t overthink it. You’re already here. You’ve already won. Don’t worry. Enjoy yourself.” The bridge sums it up: “Life happens once and you’ll never repeat it / Your chocolate sundae is melting, so eat it.” The bass is my Kala U-Bass with roundwound strings. It has incredible tone for such a small instrument.
When there are five people playing in a room, if I do something too obscure, it’s hard to follow, whereas if I play something more foundational, it’s easier to follow each other and settle into something that carries the song.
“Hit Me Where It Hurts,” the first ballad and upright bass tune, has a lilting pulse and a nice modulation during the guitar solo.
That’s another song that was formed in our initial jam session. I came up with the upright line in G, and we built on it from there. At one point in the jam, I called out, “Let’s go up to Bb,” so that’s how the modulation happened. Overall, having the group dynamic creates a kind of clarity and simplicity: When there are five people playing in a room, if I do something too obscure, it’s hard to follow, whereas if I play something more foundational, it’s easier to follow each other and settle into something that carries the song.
“No Solicitors” has a loping, “Red Clay”-like bass line that’s the perfect foil to the vocal.
That groove came out of our initial jam session. I remember coming up with that ascending root-fifth-octave bass line — probably with “Red Clay” [Freddie Hubbard, 1970, with Ron Carter on electric bass] somewhere in the back of my mind — and then dialing in the guitar part that answers it in the pre-chorus. The verse and pre-chorus are in B minor and we go to F# minor for the chorus; that’s a subtle modulation that introduces new notes in the color palette, just as Laura reaches the vocal peak with her long, held note and riffing. That’s a big moment in our set, too. I played my Jazz Bass on the track.
“Girl Dinner” has some interesting bass tones within its taut soul groove.
That was cut live in Texas, including the vocals, but I’m not playing bass. The bass line you hear is actually Seth Taylor on a baritone guitar. I’m playing a rhythmic part on acoustic guitar, Sean is on mandolin, and Mark is on drums. I also take a guitar solo that’s kind of simplistic and weird; you can tell a non-guitarist played it. We did two takes and this is the second one. Later, I went back with my Kala U-Bass and added some minimal support with a subby, 808-kinda sound to beef up the sections with drums.
Because we’re all on acoustic instruments for the most part, we’re a bit limited in our dynamic range. There’s no organ with a Leslie or a horn section. But I think that’s also why the project works.
“Repeat History” has an acoustic sound but with jazzy changes, call-and-response vocals, and a bit of bass effects.
That’s the lone song I recorded with my Martin acoustic bass guitar. It delivers a nice thump. The effect, which I only use in the intro and middle section, is a Seamoon Funk Machine pedal, to get an auto-wah kind of sound. The background vocals — me, Joe, and Seth doing a falsetto choir — is another example of how our songwriting approach is basically to try to crack each other up. The song is about not wanting to repeat history when entering a new relationship, and learning from past mistakes, so we’re singing these little historical references. In the last chorus, Laura sings, “I don’t wanna repeat history / Baby don’t need any more tragedies,” and we’re answering with, “Empires rise / Empires fall / Gorbachov, tear down that wall [laughs].”
“Pool Song” is a percolating bluesy burner with a halftime bridge.
We were literally in a pool out behind the studio in Texas when we wrote that song. We were trying to add a nostalgia element, thinking of everything about being at a pool as kids. The lyrics are so spitfire that live, we have to be careful not to count off the song too fast. The halftime section is a contrast to the rest of the song, and onstage, we use it to get a dialogue going with the audience. I played my Kala U-Bass.
“Slow Down” is a nice change of pace with its bossa nova sway.
Laura came in with that idea and the first couple of lines; we wrote the rest in my living room, embracing the intimate, bossa nova feel. That extended to the studio, as well, where Joe came up with some cool mandolin licks that we doubled on guitar. Mark took less of a full-kit approach and played mostly with his hands. Although we cut the record live as a band, we still were in isolation booths to prevent mic bleeding, but for this track, our engineer, Tyler Bryant, suggested we all come into the same room. We were quiet enough that it worked out beautifully. I played my upright and we added some background vocals afterwards.
Let’s talk about your lone lead vocal tune with its finger-busting riff, “Can Your Man Do This.”
That was the one song I wrote alone, so I have no one else to blame for the overconfident goofball character and crazy riff. I wrote it the same year we started the band. I was visiting a friend in Ohio when the idea came to me. At first, the tone was serious, but it became humorous pretty quickly. When we finally got to it in the studio in Texas, I came up with the line while sitting in the control room with Seth and Shaun. I knew it would be fun to have a unison riff, so I started singing the notes. Those guys had it down in no time — I was thinking, “Okay, I need to go practice this for an hour!” To be fair, it’s difficult to play on the upright. Playing arpeggios or root-fifths is more normal than all these upper-register chromatic notes in a row where you have to attack each one [see music below]. Now that we’ve done a lot of shows, I can play the line much better. On the record, it’s a little sloppy because I had just gotten the fingerings together.
I’m very grateful for Slap Dragon — it’s been a breath of fresh air, and it’s giving me context and teaching me skills I can apply to my next solo project. I’m doing things in ways I never have before.
“Let Me In” is a vocal-showcasing ballad.
That’s one of my favorite tunes we’ve written. I love hearing Laura sing it both live and on the record. We try to stay out of her way and let her have all the space. There’s a lot left unfilled, but it seems like the right choice. One thing about this band: Because we’re all on acoustic instruments for the most part, we’re a bit limited in our dynamic range. There’s no organ with a Leslie or a horn section. But I think that’s also why the project works. The flip side is a song like “Let Me In,” where we’re trying to build from nothing to get huge for the modulation near the end — and the challenge is to do it as we are. That’s the cool part about playing with dynamics. That all said, I’m actually playing my Jazz Bass on the song.
“Lost in the Music” seems like a good album-closing sentiment with a big vocal sound.
I brought in that song partially written, and it’s a funny story. I was at the same club where I met Laura, but on this night, they had a jam session where singer-songwriters improvise on the spot, which is my worst nightmare. I had some friends in the band, and I had a feeling they were going to call me up. I started turning lyrics over in my head in case they called on me, and that’s what you hear in this song: “Step up to the microphone / Feeling kind of stupid / Ain’t got much to say / But maybe you could use it / Call me a loser but if I’m gonna lose it / At least I’m lost in the music.” Laura helped me with the last two lines, we finished the song in Texas, and we recorded it there. But yes, it seemed like a good way to close the album with everybody playing, singing, and having fun getting lost in the music, which is what we’re about. We close our shows with it, too. I played my upright on this one.
How does the rest of 2026 shape up for you?
We have the Slap Dragon summer tour and some dates in the fall. We’ve been having fun, adding covers like “What You Won’t Do for Love,” by Bobby Caldwell, and Vulfpeck’s “Wait for the Moment.” We also want to work in some bluegrass tunes with our take on them. I’ll probably make my next album later this year or early next year. I’m also building the second iteration of the DataBass. It will have a removable neck and improvements to the triggers and their sounds, but mostly it will be more robust and sturdier. I’m very grateful for Slap Dragon — it’s been a breath of fresh air, and it’s giving me context and teaching me skills I can apply to my next solo project. I’m doing things in ways I never have before. It’s all beautiful.
REPTILIAN ROOTS
Scott Mulvahill uses four instruments to tame his Slap Dragon bass lines, with his trusty Kay upright still his main voice. Ex. 1 shows the opening verse, chorus, and transition of “Mission Statement,” played on his Fender Custom Shop ’62-style Jazz Bass. Alternating between syncopation and fat quarter-notes in the verse, he moves to a non-root line that matches the vocal a third below in the chorus (bar 9). That’s followed by four bars of unison instrumental in the transition at measure 17. Sit in the pocket but keep it all leaning forward.
Ex. 2 contains the verse/chorus upright bass line from “Hit Me Where It Hurts.” In the spirit of Bootsy Collins, nailing the root on the one is key here before dealing with the tasty syncopations that follow.
Ex. 3 has the finger-busting band unison riff from “Can Your Man Do This,” first heard in its entirety at 1:12. Note the tab geared for upright bass, especially bar 5 and the start of bar 6, which is all on the G string. If playing that passage on the G and D strings makes more sense on the bass guitar, work out your own fingering. Given the heart-stopping pace of 16th-notes at 120 BPMs, try to lock in with the other instruments and take a breath in the pauses that occur every other measure.
LADY AMONG LIZARDS: Meet Slap Dragon’s Resilient Vocal Powerhouse, Laura Berens
How would you describe Slap Dragon’s music and mission?
Slap Dragon is acoustic fun — and funk — written by songwriters. We are this lovely combination of silly and sentimental. We love people, and we take the importance of community seriously. We want to provide the best possible communal music experience. We demonstrate this from the stage: We have so much fun while we really tune into one another. Life can be so beautiful but so, so hard! We aim to help people hang up their heavy stuff for a second, dance, and feel connected so they can pick it all back up and keep on keepin’ on, perhaps with a little extra pep in their step!
To what do you credit your songwriting chemistry with Scott?
There was an immediate kinship with Scott, which helps in a vulnerable environment such as writing together; he reminds me a lot of one of my brothers. I attribute our immediate writing success to that sibling-like ease. We are both good at chasing the excitement in a writing session. We bring two very different perspectives and styles to the table, and as I mentioned previously, we are left with this unique combination of silly and sentimental. Generally speaking, Scott is an incredible writer! I think he could write with anyone, but I am grateful to be his frequent collaborator.
What can you offer about Scott’s bass playing and its role in the band?
HUGE! Muy importante! When we are writing as a group, Scott will often conjure some brilliant hooky bass line as the foundation for the improv. In that sense, he often inspires the whole dang song.
On this last tour, Scott went to park our van and missed the ferry to Nantucket by 30 seconds. We played the first set of the show without him, and while I am so proud of our talented Dragons for shuffling instruments to make it happen (and happen well, might I add), the magic of Scott’s playing was missing. I love that bass is something you feel as much as you hear. When Scott showed up for our second set, I can offer what it felt like: patient, smooth, stanky at the right times, and full! To quote my idol Joni Mitchell, sometimes, “you don’t know whatcha got ’til it’s gone.”
Who are your main vocal influences?
It’s hard to name just a few because I was really trying to emulate anything and everything I was listening to over the years. Here are some off the dome: The aforementioned Joni Mitchell, Corinne Bailey Rae, Carole King, Jill Scott, Nai Palm of Hiatus Kaiyote, Erykah Badu, Ella Fitzgerald, of course, and all the pop and R&B vocalists of the early 2000s. I was listening to lots of pop radio throughout my childhood.
Who influenced your vocal improvisational skills?
My first improvisational inspiration was definitely Joni Mitchell. Her vocal freedom really lit a fire in me. I wanted to be able to have enough vocal control to flit around any melody with my own vocal choices. Then came the pop and R&B aspect of it all; the riffs/runs from artists like Beyoncé and Mariah Carey had me practicing night and day, much to my three brothers’ chagrin. But it was Joni that taught me freedom and the fearlessness necessary to do what you want, when you want! Then in college, enter jazz, which had a major impact.
Most importantly, I had very talented improvisational musicians as friends throughout college. Playing and writing in a band context helped me develop my ear. We would play a game where whoever was providing the harmonic information on their instrument (usually my keyboard buddy, Daniel) would try to throw me off with his harmonic choices, and I would snap my melody to whatever he was playing. We were just goofing, but that was very effective ear and improv training!
GEAR
Basses: 1950 Kay acoustic bass with a French-style bow, Pirastro Evah Pirazzi Orchestral medium strings, and a Fishman Full Circle Upright Bass Pickup; DataBass custom acoustic bass; 1990s Fender Custom Shop ’62-style Jazz Bass with Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings; 1973 Fender Precision with old, unknown flatwounds; Kala U Bass with roundwound strings; Martin DJR-10E acoustic bass guitar with Ernie Ball Super Slinky Short Scale strings
Effects: Seamoon Funk Machine, Union Lab Compressor, Radial 4-Play DI
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By: Chris Jisi
