PHIL LEWIS Full Circle (3,5 points)
I honestly do admit that if I would take the decision to become
a musician I'll never would have the courage to do some singer-songwriting
stuff. If you're in a rockband you can always play on safe and hide
your errors behind a guitar sound (just imagine how many "singers"
would sound like without their usual wall of sound!!!). Being on
your own requires two important factors : you have to do it all
on your own (logic, not?) and most above all you have to come up
with some strong songs to held the attention of your audience, and
not so many can... I like that kind of "a man and his guitar"
a lot but I also have my own standards which are not that so logic
to many ears... a "legend" like Bob Dylan is nothing but
a boring twat to me while someone like Edward Ball is seen as a
genius by me... But what about Phil Lewis? It never bores me...
so that's already a merit... but I especially liked this because
of Phil's voice which sounds a bit as Bill Pritchard, does someone
still know him? "Full Circle" by Phil Lewis shows the
guy is able to stand on its own musical feet, although it's all
quite mellow there's always something that made you love it... It
takes a lot of courage, but he hasn't to fear anything.
Taken from issue 18 of The Original Sin.
Phil Lewis is a 25 year old from South Wales who
has always wanted to make good music. From his early years, when
there was a tradition for all of his family to gather around the
radio on a Sunday evening to listen to the top 40, to the day when
he wrote his first song at the age of thirteen, he has been constantly
refining his song writing skills and soaking up a dramatically diverse
range of influences.
WHO IS PHIL LEWIS? Phil Lewis - solo artist + guitarist
in tow-Andrzej Legierski
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC Eclectic rock/pop utilising
a variety of influences
WHAT ARE YOUR RELEASES SO FAR? Demographic ( 6 tracks),
Better (6 tracks), Fidei Defensor (8 tracks), Generation Ecstasy(6
tracks) and of course 15 minutes
CAN YOU GIVE US A SHORT HISTORY OF YOUR BAND? NO! the biog
you have is fine except that I'm 26 now, not 25
WHAT'S THE SUCCESS STORY SO FAR? Consistently good reviews
from a variety of mags. I've had a couple of articles written about
me. I was the only unsigned artist featured on a tape given away
with the national music mag "CROSS RHYTHMS"
HAVE YOU PLAYED ANY IMPORTANT GIGS? Not yet. We're rehearsing
and will start gigging in the new year
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE HIGH POINT OF YOUR CAREER? Haven't
reached it yet.
WHAT DO YOU THAT ABOUT THE CURRENT UK MUSIC SCENE AND DO YOU
THINK YOU WILL CHANGE IT'S FACE? The current UK music scene
is too easily packaged. Even though barriers between genres ( e.g.
dance & rock) are coming down, whole LPs still sound homogenised,
bands still comfortably have "a sound". Bands may initially
have a challenging sound but that normally loses it's edge after
the first few singles. Few bands can hold a listeners interest for
a whole LP. I would like to challenge the way that artists are presented
and packaged and challenge the way that LPs have to sound and what
they have to say.
WHICH BANDS INFLUENCE YOUR SOUND? U2, Crowded House, Primal
Scream, David Bowie
WHATS YOUR FAVE RECORD OF ALL TIME AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE IT?
"Together Alone" by Crowded House. Superb songwriting,
subtle yet powerful production and arrangements, enough variety
to keep it interesting. A band that bowed out at their peak. "Sign
O' The Times" by Prince is a close second. Eclectic and sprawling
but absolutely beautiful.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? Megastardom & critical
acclaim followed by an unexpected withdrawal from the music scene
to set up a trout farm in Yorkshire after starring in the sequel
to the Spice Girls movie.
STRANGE BUT TRUE? I don't want to sleep with any of the
Spice Girls. That's about as interesting as I get suckers!
*******
After spending 1994-1995 as the main songwriter and vocalist with
the acoustic rock/pop group Full circle, Phil decided to take advantage
of a hiatus in the group's activity by making a solo demo tape.
Ever prolific, Phil wrote six songs included on "Demographic"
in the two months proceeding the recording. The six songs on the
new demo tape mean that Phil has written, recorded and released
a total of 25 songs in the last twelve months.
"Demographic" reflects Phil's finely honed ear for melody
while employing an eclectic range of sounds and musical styles.
This tape has been made to please his own ever changing musical
tastes and represents Phil's musical vision more clearly than the
homogenised sound of Full Circle.
The Phil Lewis Column
The only thing that I can think of that may be of interest for
your newsletter is this- Following the positive feedback about my
cassette 'Better' (the one I recorded with Mark from 25 Records),
Cross Rhythms magazine have recently interviewed me for an article
that they want to write about lil' ol' me, Should be good publicity.
The editor of this mag Tony Cummins apparently used to write for
either the NME or Melody Maker and has in recent years penned a
number of articles for Billboard magazine. He's also my newest fan
and he even rung me up on new years day to wish me happy new year.
Me thinks a good contact has been made.
Feel free to contact the band at 25 Records
anytime for interviews/Band features/ gig info etc. at: 25 Records
PO Box 3006, Poole, Dorset, BH12 2HU. or Phone/Fax on (01202) 749244.
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Phil's latest offering can be heard on '15 minutes' which
five of his best songs (to date), '. This CD would provide
a good insight in to the world of Phil Lewis and his view
of the church, life and love.
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