By Jen Delisle

Scott Waldman may be his own best audience, but he’s hoping to recruit others to his way of thinking. The frontman and guitarist of Lido Beach has a quirky sense of humor, a love of The Beatles, and a dream that he and his band will be famous someday soon. While the permanent lineup of Los Angeles-based Lido Beach may still be evolving (they only just formed in 2007), they’re already playing gigs at impressive venues, including The Knitting Factory and Roxy.

Waldman, previously of The City Drive, is the mastermind behind Lido Beach. For awhile he was the sole permanent member. He’s been adding members slowly. “Every show has had some different people …everyone involved has been a friend or a friend of a friend beforehand. We like to keep things organic.” Some of those friends have included band member Brian Weber, Jason Young (of The Ruse), and Coby Linder (of Say Anything).

Waldman hails originally from Lido Beach on Long Island, NY, and the band’s name is a tribute to his beloved home town. “I got into music…during my junior year of college when I had my quarter-life crisis,” Waldman says. “I realized that it was the only way that I would be semi-sane and not miserable. Music is all I think about and all I doo doo.” Inspired by Jimmy Eat World, The Beatles, Nirvana and Oh! The Suspense, Waldman describes Lido Beach’s sound as “pretty sharp like chedda and raaaaaaaaaaaaw like a spicy tuna roll.”

Lido Beach’s journey from obscurity to the stage has been grassroots all the way. “We are doing everything ourselves,” Waldman says. “Booking, promoting, MySpacing, etc.” Part of that effort has included free electronic distribution of their current catalog. The Lido Beach MySpace page encourages fans to share the band’s work with friends. “We don’t even have a CD so file sharing is amazing for upstart bands like us.” While Waldman feels it’s alright for Lido Beach’s fans to share music, he doesn’t condone restriction-free distribution. “I feel that if a band doesn’t give you permission to download their material for no fee, you shouldn’t do it. I have a guilty conscience, so I buy lots of CDs.”

Waldman and Lido Beach are touring to build a fan base and name. They’re also in the process of recording an EP. “We’ve only played a few shows and every single one has been well attended. Our last LA show had a majority of the crowd singing along to ‘My Oh My.’” Waldman hopes to be picked up by Bamboozle 2008 music festival, which boasts big name acts including Cute Is What We Aim For, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and Less Than Jake. Whether they make the roster remains to be seen, but Waldman is generally optimistic. “Hopefully by 2009 everyone in the world will know who we are.”

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Photo by: Last Witness