BY SUZY STUMP for WEEKLY VOLCANO 7/4/25 |
The first time Scott Heuston heard the words “Saltwater Sky,” he wasn’t in a studio or writing session. He was with his daughters on the coast, digging in the sand, wrapped in the fog of Ocean Shores. His oldest, Elliott, pointed to the mist hanging over the beach and said, “Dad. Look… a saltwater sky.”
And just like that, the name stuck. “I’d been workshopping names for months, and my girls hated every one of them,” Heuston laughs. “But when Elliott said that, it just hit me. It was poetic, visual—it felt like something you could feel as much as hear.”
Heuston had already been writing music for a few years before that moment. Born out of personal upheaval—including a painful divorce and what he describes as “a life turned upside down”—the music became a lifeline. “I needed somewhere to put all the weight of the transition I was going through. Saltwater Sky gave me that space.”
Now, six years later, Saltwater Sky is more than a solo project. It’s a full-fledged band with a growing national presence and over 750,000 streams to its name. Based in the South Sound, the band features Eric Bowman on bass, Glenn Hummel on drums, Dragon DeLaO and Jesse James trading lead guitar licks, and Heuston himself on vocals and rhythm guitar. All five members are proudly local, road-tested, and ready for whatever’s next.
Their sound is steeped in the traditions of country and Southern rock, pulling inspiration from icons like CCR, Waylon Jennings, Chris Stapleton, Brothers Osborne, and Eric Church. “I’ve always been drawn to artists who were unapologetically themselves,” says Heuston. “People who told the truth, regardless of what was trending.”
It’s that same authenticity Saltwater Sky brings to their live performances, including their frequent shows at Emerald Queen Casino. “We play EQC a couple of times a month and it’s always incredible,” Heuston says. “The people, the lights, the mix of stories in the room—it’s all fuel. And we try to give that energy right back.”
Each show is a little different, though a few anchor songs—like “Doing My Time,” “Make You Mine,” and the crowd-favorite “Locked Up and Loaded”—nearly guarantee a dance floor moment. A new tune called “Crazy Woman,” inspired by a two-week misadventure in dating apps, is sure to raise both eyebrows and beer mugs.
This weekend’s shows at EQC will include six brand-new tracks from their forthcoming album, Catchers and Dreamers. “It’s a big release—28 songs in total,” says Heuston. “We’ve really evolved as a band. This record captures that.”
Part of that evolution stems from Heuston’s unusual relationship with sound. He was born with synesthesia—a neurological phenomenon where senses intertwine. For him, sounds have colors. “When I hear music, I see light and color patterns. So songwriting becomes this layered, emotional painting.”
It’s no surprise then that Saltwater Sky’s writing process varies. Sometimes it begins with a phrase. Sometimes it starts with a color-scene in his mind. “I try to tell a story, and then use music to fill in the emotional terrain,” he says.
That storytelling has led to a string of memorable moments, from opening for Sawyer Brown at EQC to landing a recurring gig at Blake Shelton’s Ole Red bar in Las Vegas. The band also holds down a regular First Thursday slot at Purdy’s Public House in Sumner—where the dancing never seems to stop.
And later this year? They’ll hit the Gorge Amphitheater for Watershed, followed by tour stops in Orlando, the Carolinas, and Texas. “We’re just incredibly grateful,” Heuston says. “The fact that people believe in us enough to bring us out—it’s humbling.”
But the road hasn’t always been paved in gold. When Heuston released Saltwater Sky’s first album, it got just eight plays that first month. “Six of them were probably my mom,” he jokes. At the time, he had $57 in his bank account.
Now, with hundreds of thousands of streams and a steady stream of gigs, Saltwater Sky feels like both a second chance and a dream realized. “In a way, Saltwater Sky saved my life,” Heuston admits. “There’s so much healing that’s come from the risk of putting myself out there. And I’ll always be thankful for that.”
Looking ahead, the band’s goals are simple but sincere. “We just want to make people happy every time we play,” he says. “Help them feel something. Remind them they matter. Music connects us in a way nothing else can.”
As for the song he wishes he’d written? Heuston grins but dodges the question. “There are a few… but I’m more focused on the next one I’ll get to write.”
You can find Saltwater Sky on all major streaming platforms and follow their tour dates at www.saltwatersky.com. Catch them live this weekend at EQC, where the music will be loud, the harmonies tight, and the sky—undoubtedly—saltwater.
