Joshua Bauer
Staff Writer
Posted: 07.28.2010Five minutes into a conversation with Chicago born musician Phil Circle and you’ll know there are some who still put their soul into music, who do it for the love of the show and the joy of the crowd. Bringing a classically trained hand and blues/jazz/jam band roots to Backstage Lounge on Wednesday June 28th, Phil puts yet another mark on a tour summer tour calendar that’s gone from his new home in Texas to Nashville, New Orleans, and stops all over the Sunshine State.
Doing it all from his little blue Honda, this is a man who’s lived several musical careers in his 40 some odd years, travelling now to try and infuse some independent spirit into a music scene that has degenerated into radio replay of the same top pop. Working for enough money to travel town to town, encouraging and mentoring younger musicians along the way (often over beer and cigarettes in the smoky aftershow hours), he serves to remind that your love should never be relegated to a hobby.
For more years than most can hack it, Phil has been playing for any who’ll listen, sometimes giving it a little more Grateful Dead, sometimes a little more Willie Nelson, but always playing with great enthusiasm and talent. Whether it’s an Irish themed ditty (complete with fiddle accompaniment) or a more bluesy/countrified, steel guitar sound, the years of practice have birthed a sound to please most any musical palette and the dust from years on the road has given his voice a world-wise/weary sound that works across the musical spectrum. With such an eclectic style, his performances appeal to entire crowds of dissimilar listeners, ensuring that he’ll be enjoyed for many more years on this long, winding road.
Check out philcirclemusic.com to hear more, to donate to this nomadic musician, and to encourage him to continue bringing his acoustic guitar driven, cross-genre sound to stages across the country. The man says it’s all he knows how to do and, man, does he do it well.
Phil Circle: Press
Phil Circle is a musician I first saw perform about eight years ago in what used to be the legendary CBGB’s in New York City. And I’ve been a fan ever since!
The Chicago native plays all the local clubs in and around the windy city and has a great onstage presence.
His most recent CD Minutes to Circle is an eleven-song set of original tunes. His voice and his guitar talent make this a great CD to listen to over and over again.
All the tunes are worth repeat listens, but I especially like “Surreal Life,” “Lipstick & Whiskey,” “Down to the Sea,” “There’s a River” (great guitar solo), and “Psychosis.” The last two tracks “Everything I Touch” and “Will You Go Lassie Go” have a touch of the Irish.
Minutes To Circle is singer/songwriter Phil Circle’s eighth CD, and it’s a nice surprise to hear both how much he still has to say and the diverse yet delightful manner with which he relays his musical message. There are a couple of duds among the 11 tunes — most pointedly the pedestrian “Surreal Life” — but much of the guitar-driven melodies are imaginative, especially the languid, country-flavored “Lipstick & Whiskey” and the bluesy “There’s A River.”
ReviewDuJour
MINUTES TO CIRCLE (CD): Chicago musician Phil Circle's 8th disc. 11 mostly solid guitar-powered songs brimming w/ élan.
Founder of the critically acclaimed rock-jazz-blues progressive crossover band Guilty and an extremely busy solo performer, Phil Circle's prolific songwriting and powerful performance is a staple of Chicago music. Circle also recently joined with world famous blues fiddler Ruby Harris for a live album recorded at a Chicago venue, that has drawn attention a new musical medium.
After Guilty albums--two studio, two live--a new solo effort, and the "Live at The Gateway" CD with Ruby Harris, Phil Circle is now beginning production with other local artists in an effort to empower them in their own promotion through Guilt By Association Records.
In 2009, Phil Circle released a new CD entitled Minutes To Circle
Phil Circle (Episode 88) is an amazing singer/songwriter and an excellent guitarist. His songs range from heart rendering songs of loss to bawdy outrageous stories from the "Edge". He will make you laugh and cry and then laugh again.