Swelling in primordial pulses and wholloping whoops, the tacit tones
of Shane Philip's didgeridoo hold the power to still listeners into
silence or encourage audiences to rise up in a tribal swell of
intoxicating spirit -- with sometimes but a heartbeat in between.
Meanwhile his hands will be skilfully juggling between shaking up
rhythms with his aslatua, driving the dance floor with his djembe
and sliding out grooves on his Weissenborn-style guitar while his
foot taps in earthshaking electronic kicks wherever they might fit.
He is a one-man show weaving sounds that inspire audiences anywhere
he goes.
From early childhood moments of drumming kitchen tables and car
dashboards, to January 2008's release of his latest album, "In The
Moment" Shane's musical stylings have been self-taught and
self-motivated every step of the way. Borrowing from folk, reggae,
blues and beyond, he blurs the boundaries of expectation and music
into an altogether unique soundscape. "We are influenced by
everything we listen to, see and do," Shane reminds. "So much of
what shapes the music, vibe, content, and overall feeling of the
songs is unconscious. I write music that results from everything
that goes on in the life I live."
While Shanes' current musical forays tend toward an organic dance
sound, his first album was a folk-rock collaboration aimed at
planting the seeds of Canadian history into the minds of youth. The
project came about as part of Shane's past incarnation as a high
school social studies teacher. 2005 saw the end of his teaching
career, the release of "OM Cooking," and the beginning of Shane's
life as a non-stop touring musician. Since then he has toured
In 2007, Shane released "Earthshake," a collection of songs he had
been working on for the past couple years, with production
assistance from long-time collaborator, Corwin Fox. 2008 will see
their collaboration expanded and revamped with the release of
Shane's newest album, "In The Moment." While some of the songs are
rhythmically focused (bursting with high energy and powerful dance
rhythms), others drip melodically with honey and sunshine -- deeply
moving songs that reflect on the environment, social justice and
personal experience.
Whether playing with spirited mayhem, or with mellow gold, Shane
Philip presents songs that are consistently well crafted, while
always leaving listeners with a positive afterglow