ALICIA WAGNER CALZADA | 210SA CONTRIBUTOR Scott Walsh, aka ‘Notes', uses any sample or instrument he can find to transport the music from his head to the speaker box.

HE IS: Notes, 32

THE SOUND: Hip-hop influenced by jazz and soul. Notes (born Scott Walsh) calls it “gunk.” “Gunk is like the stuff you find under the rug,” he said. “I call it that because it's the collection of sounds you find. It's all these sounds mushed together. It's a little rugged at times. It's not crystal clear and clean.” He samples everything from Cabbage Patch Kids records to his grandfather's eight-tracks to jazz and psychedelic rock albums.

THE WEB: myspace.com/notes

ALBUMS: As Grapefruit: Morse Code (1998); The Second Wind (2000). As Notes: Warm Speakers (2003); Undescribable (2004); You Name It (forthcoming)

THE BACKGROUND: An Atlanta native, Notes grew up in Houston and moved to San Antonio three years ago. He originally called himself Grapefruit and sold his CDs on Guadalupe Street in Austin for $8 a pop, letting passersby take a listen through his headphones. That sort of persistence led to his single “It's a Good Thing” being released worldwide on the British label Melodic in 2005 and a subsequent appearance on MTV2 Europe.

HIS WORDS: “Basically I have the music in my head, and I go around to find the instruments needed. I celebrate when I hear a drum break off an old record; that gives me the opportunity to record it and make my own sound.” — Notes

WHERE TO SEE HIM: Notes usually performs with DJ Epsr, but at Ruta Maya Riverwalk Coffee House on Nov. 10, he'll perform alone and with his side group, Tree Stump. The group consists of Notes; his girlfriend, sparkLove; and Mnolo.

THE 210 TAKE: Notes blends comedy, smooth rhymes and startling morsels of real insight in his songs, which range from the sweet and relatable “Love Grows” to “Wild & Wooly,” which deals with the gritty side of city life.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA contributor