# Scary Pockets
**Scary Pockets** is an American funk band from Los Angeles, California, founded in 2017 by guitarist Ryan Lerman and multi-instrumentalist [Jack Conte](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-conte), known for weekly funk covers of well-known pop, rock, and R&B songs recorded live in the studio with a rotating roster of session musicians and guest vocalists.[1](https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2021/05/interview-with-bassist-ryan-lerman/) • [2](https://scarypockets.bandcamp.com/music)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2017, Los Angeles, by Ryan Lerman and Jack Conte[1](https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2021/05/interview-with-bassist-ryan-lerman/) |
| Format | Weekly funk covers of popular songs released on YouTube and other platforms[2](https://scarypockets.bandcamp.com/music) • [3](https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/scary-pockets-lizzy-mcalpine) |
| Working method | Each cover is arranged on the fly, from nothing to a final recording in about 90 minutes[3](https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/scary-pockets-lizzy-mcalpine) |
| Output | More than 200 covers released over roughly half a decade[3](https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/scary-pockets-lizzy-mcalpine) |
| Name origin | Lerman asked "How's their pocket?" about a prospective session drummer and was told the answer was "scary"[4](https://www.jazzpress.pl/wyroznione/scary-pockets-najbardziej-funkowe-jak-tylko-mozliwe) |
| Spin-off | Scary Goldings, an original-music project with keyboardist Larry Goldings, later featuring guitarist John Scofield[5](https://postgenre.org/inevitable-funkiness-scary-larry-goldings/) • [6](https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2023/11/02/scary-goldings-live-featuring-john-scofield/) |
| Notable guests | Joe Bonamassa, Lizzy McAlpine, Cory Henry, Robben Ford, MonoNeon, Louis Cato, Cory Wong, and Vulfpeck, among others[7](https://www.loudersound.com/news/a-sultry-funk-version-of-acdcs-back-in-black-starring-joe-bonamassa-step-right-this-way) • [8](https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ryan-lerman-of-scary-pockets-on-trusting-the-process-and-viral-fame/) |
## Founders
**Ryan Lerman** is a guitarist, bassist, singer-songwriter, arranger, and producer. Before co-founding Scary Pockets in 2017, he spent his twenties touring as bassist for [Ben Folds](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-folds), guitarist for [Michael Bublé](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-buble), and string arranger and musical director for [John Legend](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-legend).[1](https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2021/05/interview-with-bassist-ryan-lerman/) • [8](https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ryan-lerman-of-scary-pockets-on-trusting-the-process-and-viral-fame/) In Scary Pockets he plays guitar and acts as band leader on stage.[3](https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/scary-pockets-lizzy-mcalpine) • [9](https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2023/12/gig-review-scary-pockets-at-the-troxy/)
**Jack Conte** is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, filmmaker, and entrepreneur, already known as half of the indie duo [Pomplamoose](https://www.edgepedia.org/pomplamoose) and as co-founder and CEO of the crowdfunding platform Patreon, which he launched in 2013 after finding that viral YouTube views translated into little advertising revenue.[4](https://www.jazzpress.pl/wyroznione/scary-pockets-najbardziej-funkowe-jak-tylko-mozliwe) • [10](https://shows.acast.com/thenewmusicbusiness/episodes/patreonceoontheproblems-andsolutions-ofdigitalart) • [11](https://time.com/3012914/patreon-kickstarter-youtube-crowdfunding/) He plays keys and [Wurlitzer](https://www.edgepedia.org/wurlitzer) in the band but does not tour with it.[3](https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/scary-pockets-lizzy-mcalpine) • [10](https://shows.acast.com/thenewmusicbusiness/episodes/patreonceoontheproblems-andsolutions-ofdigitalart)
## Name and the idea of "pocket"
The band's name comes from a session-booking anecdote Lerman tells at concerts: when the group was looking for a drummer and a candidate was proposed, Lerman asked "How's their pocket?" and received the answer "scary."[4](https://www.jazzpress.pl/wyroznione/scary-pockets-najbardziej-funkowe-jak-tylko-mozliwe) In funk vocabulary, pocket describes how solid and unified a band's rhythm is, especially the partnership between drummer and bassist, whose timing shapes the groove of the whole ensemble.[4](https://www.jazzpress.pl/wyroznione/scary-pockets-najbardziej-funkowe-jak-tylko-mozliwe)
## Format and working method
The band's premise is to take a familiar song and rebuild it as a live funk groove. Each week it releases a new cover on YouTube featuring a rotating cast of lead singers and top session instrumentalists from the Los Angeles area.[2](https://scarypockets.bandcamp.com/music) • [3](https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/scary-pockets-lizzy-mcalpine) • [1](https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2021/05/interview-with-bassist-ryan-lerman/) The music podcast Switched on Pop documented the process in June 2022 at a Hollywood studio, where the band took the [Bee Gees](https://www.edgepedia.org/bee-gees)' 1977 hit "Staying Alive" from nothing to a finished recording in about 90 minutes, with singer-songwriter [Lizzy McAlpine](https://www.edgepedia.org/lizzy-mcalpine) on lead vocals, Travis Carlton on bass, Will Graefe on guitar, RJ Kelly on drums, and Conte on Wurlitzer and synth; audio was engineered and mixed by Caleb Parker.[3](https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/scary-pockets-lizzy-mcalpine)
Sessions are typically recorded live in one room with minimal overdubs, capturing the ensemble's interplay rather than polished studio production. A 2019 cover of Beyoncé's "Drunk in Love," for example, was cut at the band's headquarters in Highland Park, California, with five musicians and three backing vocalists performing in real time.[12](https://www.infosearched.com/drunk-in-love-beyonce-funk-cover-ft-kenton-chen/) The band has also taken the format outdoors, filming street performances such as a cover of [Gnarls Barkley](https://www.edgepedia.org/gnarls-barkley)'s "Crazy" featuring Dannielle DeAndrea.[13](https://fusionrevival.com/2020/01/04/unbedingt-reinschauen-scary-pockets/)
## Collaborators and Scary Goldings
Because the lineup rotates, the collective has worked with a long list of guest singers and players. All About Jazz counts collaborators in the hundreds, including organist Larry Goldings, guitarist [John Scofield](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-scofield), bassist MonoNeon, guitarist [Robben Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/robben-ford), keyboardist [Cory Henry](https://www.edgepedia.org/cory-henry), the band Vulfpeck, multi-instrumentalist Louis Cato, and guitarist Cory Wong.[8](https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ryan-lerman-of-scary-pockets-on-trusting-the-process-and-viral-fame/) High-profile pairings have drawn wider press attention, such as a 2023 funk reinterpretation of AC/DC's "Back in Black" with guitarist Joe Bonamassa and vocalist Joanna Jones, described by Classic Rock as smooth, restrained, and "undeniably funky" in place of the original's riff and backbeat.[7](https://www.loudersound.com/news/a-sultry-funk-version-of-acdcs-back-in-black-starring-joe-bonamassa-step-right-this-way)
**Scary Goldings** is the collective's spin-off with keyboardist Larry Goldings. Goldings, a veteran session organist about twenty years older than the founders who had been an object of their fandom, was first invited by Lerman as a sideman for sessions with singers; the collaboration worked so well that Conte and Lerman built a whole project around him, replacing the covers model with original music featuring Goldings as soloist.[5](https://postgenre.org/inevitable-funkiness-scary-larry-goldings/) For live dates the band performs under the Scary Goldings name; Scofield was featured on *Scary Goldings IV* in 2021 and on the album *Live! Featuring John Scofield*, recorded in Paris and Los Angeles with bassist MonoNeon in the rhythm section.[6](https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2023/11/02/scary-goldings-live-featuring-john-scofield/)
## Reception and live performances
The weekly videos have accumulated millions of views and streams, and the band came to prominence on YouTube.[3](https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/scary-pockets-lizzy-mcalpine) • [10](https://shows.acast.com/thenewmusicbusiness/episodes/patreonceoontheproblems-andsolutions-ofdigitalart) • [8](https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ryan-lerman-of-scary-pockets-on-trusting-the-process-and-viral-fame/) Commentators have highlighted the group's ability to make familiar songs sound fresh; Switched on Pop described its arrangements as infusing pop classics with syncopation and backbeat, and one reviewer called Scary Pockets "the most fun cover band on the internet."[3](https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/scary-pockets-lizzy-mcalpine) • [14](https://www.followfriday.email/p/why-you-should-follow-scary-pockets)
The band tours actively. In November 2023 it played the [Palladium](https://www.edgepedia.org/palladium) in Warsaw and the Echoplex in Los Angeles with David Ryan Harris and John Scofield, and in December 2023 it performed at the Troxy in London, where a five-star review noted that with hundreds of collaborators audiences never know exactly which lineup they will see, and that Lerman is a strong bandleader.[4](https://www.jazzpress.pl/wyroznione/scary-pockets-najbardziej-funkowe-jak-tylko-mozliwe) • [3](https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/scary-pockets-lizzy-mcalpine) • [9](https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2023/12/gig-review-scary-pockets-at-the-troxy/) Live sets draw on the cover catalog, ranging from "Stayin' Alive" and "Come Together" to "Creep," "Wonderwall," and "Sweet Child o' Mine."[15](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ9179Bd0/scary-pockets-events)
## Discography
The weekly covers have been collected into numerous albums, including *Stick the Landing* (2019), *Agoraphobia* (2020), *Technicolor Magic* (2021), and *Life* (2021), alongside the Scary Goldings releases.[16](https://music.apple.com/by/artist/scary-pockets/1243834167) • [2](https://scarypockets.bandcamp.com/music) Newer singles pair the band with guest vocalists such as [Judith Hill](https://www.edgepedia.org/judith-hill) and, on the Scary Goldings side, Larry Goldings.[16](https://music.apple.com/by/artist/scary-pockets/1243834167)
## References
1. [Interview with Bassist Ryan Lerman, Bass Musician Magazine (May 2021)](https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2021/05/interview-with-bassist-ryan-lerman/)
2. [Scary Pockets, Bandcamp artist page](https://scarypockets.bandcamp.com/music)
3. [Scary Pockets funkify pop classics (with Lizzy McAlpine), Switched on Pop, episode 289](https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/scary-pockets-lizzy-mcalpine)
4. [Scary Pockets: Najbardziej funkowe, jak tylko to możliwe, JazzPRESS (7 November 2023)](https://www.jazzpress.pl/wyroznione/scary-pockets-najbardziej-funkowe-jak-tylko-mozliwe)
5. [Inevitable Funkiness: A Conversation with Larry Goldings on Scary Goldings, PostGenre](https://postgenre.org/inevitable-funkiness-scary-larry-goldings/)
6. [Scary Goldings: Live! Featuring John Scofield, Jazz Journal (2 November 2023)](https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2023/11/02/scary-goldings-live-featuring-john-scofield/)
7. [A sultry funk version of AC/DC's Back In Black starring Joe Bonamassa, Louder / Classic Rock (1 May 2023)](https://www.loudersound.com/news/a-sultry-funk-version-of-acdcs-back-in-black-starring-joe-bonamassa-step-right-this-way)
8. [Ryan Lerman Of Scary Pockets On Trusting The Process And Viral Fame, All About Jazz (20 June 2022)](https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ryan-lerman-of-scary-pockets-on-trusting-the-process-and-viral-fame/)
9. [Gig Review: Scary Pockets at the Troxy, Terence Eden's Blog (December 2023)](https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2023/12/gig-review-scary-pockets-at-the-troxy/)
10. [Patreon CEO on the Problems (and Solutions) of Digital Art, The New Music Business with Ari Herstand](https://shows.acast.com/thenewmusicbusiness/episodes/patreonceoontheproblems-andsolutions-ofdigitalart)
11. [How YouTube Stars Can Actually Make a Living, Time (21 July 2014)](https://time.com/3012914/patreon-kickstarter-youtube-crowdfunding/)
12. [Drunk in Love | Beyoncé | funk cover ft. Kenton Chen, InfoSearched](https://www.infosearched.com/drunk-in-love-beyonce-funk-cover-ft-kenton-chen/)
13. [Unbedingt reinschauen: „Scary Pockets", Fusion Revival (4 January 2020)](https://fusionrevival.com/2020/01/04/unbedingt-reinschauen-scary-pockets/)
14. [This funk cover band is a "party in a video", Follow Friday (18 April 2022)](https://www.followfriday.email/p/why-you-should-follow-scary-pockets)
15. [Scary Pockets, Live Nation artist page and setlist](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ9179Bd0/scary-pockets-events)
16. [Scary Pockets, Apple Music artist page](https://music.apple.com/by/artist/scary-pockets/1243834167)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Musical duos, supergroups, and collaborative projects › Side projects and band offshoots*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license