Characters of the Village

Scot Gropper: Father, Musician, Village Connector

By Brian and Joy Pape

“Character of the Village” is about regular people who are dedicated to the community. Scot Gropper, like several of our characters, objected to our offer by saying, “I’m just an ordinary person; I know many others who are more qualified.” But when your school-age child pipes in saying, “You should do it, Dad; it would be cool,” that is hard to turn down.

We got to know Scot through his wife, Erin Rogers, who we got to know through our mutual friend Doris Diether. Doris was not only active in politics, zoning issues, and the community board, she also was a constant presence at Washington Square Park where she loved to interact with people, pigeons and the squirrels. For Scot, Doris was family. She was like a grandmother to his son, Lou Davies Daniel. Doris called him Lou DD (as if he was named after her).

Scot has been a musician since high school and Erin’s encouragement really helped him develop his skills. Scot plays regularly with a number of bands, both locally and with those touring the country.

Scot and Erin moved to the Village in 2011 from suburban, conservative Long Island where they had a single-family house, yard, and lots of family and friends. They met in high school and were good friends long before they became a couple in adulthood. In 2013, their first child, Lou, was born. The family loves to travel around the country, camp out and attend concerts. When asked, “What is your passion?” Scot was quick to answer, “My son!”

What happened when the pandemic hit? With some of their work drying up, they were able to spend time on Long Island. Although nearer to family members, they were still isolated because of the restrictions. As soon as they could, they returned to the Village and started with remote learning for Lou. They even arranged for a daytime study group at Gaetano’s Restaurant, since they were not open for customers during the day. They are grateful that things have returned to normal for school, work and play.

Today, Scot plays for benefits and charity events to give back to just causes and community efforts. He and his son like to get around town on their “not motorized” scooters.

Another game changer for the family was getting their dog, Rocky. This was a big decision because Erin is allergic to most dogs. So they chose one that is considered less allergenic than most. Now they all love having Rocky in the family.

Scot works at Cowgirl Restaurant in the Village and hosts a hootenanny of sorts, an open mic night in the restaurant’s back room on the last Monday evening of each month. It features local talent with original songs only, and stand-up comedians or poets. Scot loves working at Cowgirl because it feels like working family.

Scot’s group is called Noah’s Arc, which plays mostly reggae music.

Scot loves to go out with his family for a weekly dinner at different places around the village. So besides Cowgirl, he recommends Moustache Mediterranean Restaurant, Corner Bistro and Oscar’s Diner.

Stop by Cowgirl and say hi to Scot most any time and especially on the last Monday evening of each month, for the open mic, starting at 6:30 pm. Enjoy experiencing his talent and see how he can fill and work the room!