Raised in metro Detroit, Scales calls his music ‘dive bar soul’ — and it’s getting him noticed

Growing up in metro Detroit, singer-songwriter Phillip-Michael Scales had plenty of local musical influences to draw from, from the Motown his parents listened to in the house to buzzy rock ’n’ roll bands like the White Stripes, the Sights, and the Von Bondies, in addition to more typical teenage fare of the era like national acts Fall Out Boy, Weezer, and Bright Eyes. But thanks to a connection made through his aunt, he also grew up in the musical shadow of no less than the King of Blues, B.B. King — or “Uncle B” as Scales says he simply called him as a child...