TEE "The Earth Explorer"

TEE is a five piece flute front progressive rock band from Tokyo, Japan. Their so-called 'European' sound is unique considering their far-east origin. The imaginative tunes with complex ensembles and rhythms will definitely catch the attention of prog lovers all over the world. Their sound will remind you bands like Camel, King Crimson, Asia Minor or even Frank Zappa on some parts. The band was formed in 2004 when... more

Kevin BARTLETT

You may not know his name but you have definitely heard his music more than once or twice in your life. Maybe on HBO, or on MTV, or on VH1, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel. Doesn't ring the bell? How about American Idol Rewind, or Dr. 90210? We had interviewed Kevin Bartlett a couple of years ago when his second solo album GLOW IN THE DARK was released. Bartlett has been quiet since that time but but he has been secretly brewing new projects. A few months ago he had put a new song...more

Peter Hammill, founding member of Van Der Graaf Generator, released his 28th solo album " nearly 3 months ago. He recently got back home from a short tour covering North America, Canada and Italy. In the 70's when bands like...more

FRIGHT PIG Barque At The Lune *** REVERSAL OF GRAVITY Scuba Gear ***

Interview with SHAWN PHILLIPS by Dale JUDAY

We here at TheProgFiles are very excited to bring a recent interview we had with Mr. Phillips to our readers. After nearly 4 decades of innovative works and constantly pushing the musical envelope, Shawn shows no signs of slowing down - for that we are grateful! Not only was he a fascinating interview, he was also extremely generous with his time... so much so in fact, that when asked about the technical side of his recent work we were given a wonderfully detailed list of equipment and methods used. For those interested, this portion of the interview is found as an amendment to the interview at the end. You're encouraged to visit his official site at www.shawnphillips.com and catch him when he goes out on tour in the coming year, TheProgFiles will be there too!

Shawn Phillips has almost twenty albums to his credit (of which millions have been sold) and a host of associations with some of the most respected names in the industry including Donovan, The Beatles, Paul Buckmaster, J Peter Robinson, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and many others. The Texas-born singer/songwriter was called "The best kept secret in the music business" by the late rock impresario Bill Graham.

Four of his albums "Faces", "Bright White", "Furthermore" and "Do You Wonder" made it into the Billboard Top 100. In addition, the singles, "Lost Horizon", "We" and "Woman" made Billboard's top 40.

TPF:Shawn, thank you kindly for granting us an interview. Your music is a favorite around here and we are honored that you accepted. Considering your long career, it seems only natural to try and start before the beginning. You've always been ahead of the curve in introducing music from other cultures into your own brand of folk, but when did you first find yourself attracted to world music? Was it as a child?

SP:My Dad bought me a Stella guitar when I was 6. I drove him nuts with E Min, and A Maj. for several months. He was a world reknown author who always wrote on location. A good deal of my childhood was spent traveling with him. Before I was 16, I was influenced by many different cultures and their music. From the workers in the banana fields in the Canary Islands, to the rhythms of the south Pacific in Tahiti, and Mexicano Mariachi bands, and back to the blues oriented music of the southwestern U.S. I was a sponge for all of this, and as I evolved as a musician, I was able to integrate a little bit of each in the music I was/am composing. To be truthful with you, I think the fact that I never learned to read or write music, or be conditioned into the dogma that befalls the absolute scholar is why I've always composed the way I do. The only limitations I've found are the physical limits of my voice, (at 65 becoming decidedly more so), and the speed of my fingers (ditto).

TPF:...and now we see your hands in classical music. This transition isn't necessarily a surprise since your music has always been well crafted, but do you find yourself listening to classical music for enjoyment? What other artists or groups do you find yourself going back to for casual listening?

SP:If a friend sends me a piece of music, or a song, I will sit down, and focus 150% on it. I hate it when you try to play a piece of music for someone, and they talk, or make comments while it's playing. That means they're not LISTENING. I hear the music that is being played around me, by my wife, or in an office while I'm waiting, or the radio in the car if I'm with my family, and I do enjoy listening to classical music, but for the most part, I try to keep a great deal of silence in my immediate surround. That's because I'm constantly hearing music in my head, and sorting out what is original, and what is influenced, is a full time gig. I've said this many times before, but the singular most difficult thing for a composer to do is to create a unique melody that no one has ever heard. Recently, I made the acquaintance of a man named Benjamin Lloyd who is a string player in the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. I sent him everything I've written of a classical nature in the last 40 years, and he took various pieces, and put a 9 movement suite together called, "Disturbing Horizons, Events In The Life Of A Prince". This was performed by the NSO on June 13th, 2006. in Centennial Park before 3000 people. I am extraordinarily fortunate to have had my work performed by a world famous orchestra, and have the possibility that this will continue.

TPF:Your folk compositions, which really ring of progressive works, are completed in the studio with a very interesting result. At times it seems you practice the "less is more" approach in that you haven't gone overboard with layers and overdubs, which wonderfully brings about an intense piece of music. Do you consciously think about the end result when recording? Do you ever find yourself going back to remove parts because it was too much? Do you have an "image" or vision of what the completed track will sound like before you've recorded it?

SP: Yes, I do have an audial, (if you will), image of what I want a piece, or song to sound like, but it's important to understand that the other individuals involved with you in making that music also have their "visions", of what it should sound like. I've always had the honor to work with musicians that are of the highest caliber, and if you give them free reign I've always found that they will only enhance the basic structure of the audial image. One must trust their expertise, and professionalism. You don't tell Leland Sklar how to play the bass !!! It's what makes a good band work. You are all following a basic set of rules, but you're allowed to bend them at any given moment. When this happens, you end up with a wonderful spontaneous moment in music. Frankly, I'm quite surprised that you allude to the "less is more", in my work. I've always been accused of just the opposite it seems. So Thank you. The deal is though, that what I just expressed in the above paragraph is precisely where you get the "less is more". You don't need to add layers. Maybe the initial accusation is my propensity to go slightly overboard of the primary enhancement. Bottom line..........I love the energy of music that will shake the world, and resonate throughout the universe. I think the reason we have rings around planets is because of some primordial resonance.

TPF:You're often considered to be a progressive folk artist, and it's obvious in watching the evolution of your work over the years that you embrace the growth, even at the cost of music industry abandonment. Perhaps this question is more-so about your world view in light of music in general, but what would you like to see happen in the future of music?

SP:Oh dude, you done pushed the button now. I want the music business to stop being driven by the hormones of adolescent teenagers, and for the individuals who are in positions of power in that same industry to recognize the musicians who dedicate their lives to the creation of music that truly touches the souls of all who listen. Only those who can send that shiver up your spine, or give you goosebumps, should be granted the privileges that many morons in the business today have. Most of these people won't have anything to do with music in the latter years of their lives, and it is only in the latter stages of creative evolution that the true musician comes into his/her own. It has always befuddled me that someone who puts on a baseball cap with the bill sideways on their head doesn't realize what an idiot they look like. Or that if you wear a cowboy hat, that makes you a musician. However, that being said, I grant all due respect for the effort. The industry can make the same amount of money from quality music than they do from trash.

TPF:You make music outside the mainstream and obviously don't record new material for an industry "hit", but are there any albums from your catalog that surprise you didn't click with the masses?

SP:Yeah, how about 85% of them?

TPF:It wasn't too long ago you were here for a tour of North America, do you plan to visit again?

SP:I will leave my home in Port Elizabeth South Africa in the early part of Feb. and will tour again in the states, and Canada for about 4 to 5 months. Folks can check the website for the dates.

TPF:I understand there was recording of a concert you did in April at The Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in CapeTown that will be released as a double CD next year, would you care to indulge us on the equipment setup, etc?

SP:It is part of a complimentary package that stems from a DVD of a concert I did at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in CapeTown last April. It will be a double CD. The entire package is to be called the "Living Contribution" series. The CD will be subtitled "Both Sides". One side with a band, and the other solo.

This was done on a 17 "MacBookPro", running MOTU's Digital Performer V. 5.12 using MOTU's UltraLite interface via Firewire. The gig went well, though my voice was completely buggered after 21 tunes. We had a little bit of an issue with feedback getting the sound out to the house , 'cause of the Neumann 87 AI, and AKG BTL II for acoustic guitar, but everything recorded very well, and the audience, was for the most part quiet so it didn't have to be very loud in the 1st place. DP didn't give any problems whatsoever. I kept the gain down to 10Db on the Neumann, and 15 Db on the AKG. I used the Apple AUpeak Limiter in input, and didn't red line, or clip once in the vocals.

The next day I set up my big speakers in the sky, JBL 4331 studio monitors with 15" woofers, and High/Mid Freq. cast iron horns, powered by a very old Scott tube amplifier, which has a beautiful warm sound, and started listening back. I had to redo 7 tunes, 'cause there was simply too much ambient noise, doors slamming, loud laughter at a couple of points, etc. or I just didn't like the way I did the tune. Anyhoo, I set up the proper bundles and came out of the analog outputs 1>8 of the UL into the Mackie 24/4. Vocal was centered, as was acoustic guitar, and the 2 separate sets of guitar effx were split hard left, and right for all tunes. On the tunes I redid, since they were either a tad longer or shorter, I copied the original mic tracks to 7 and 8, and then copied, pasted, and shifted the 1st handclap of the audience reaction to it's proper place at the end of the tune, on 5 and 6. Since I have no outboard gear whatsoever, I used the DP plug-ins. I had lovely bass response in the tunes I re-recorded, and wherever I thought it sounded a tad thin, in the gig tunes, I used the MW Equalizer and put a little bump in @ 100Hz. Since during the gig I had the MOTU reverb happening, I got a little ring in a couple places, but used the same plug-in to filter a bit out. Of course everything was recorded dry. I was quite surprised, as I thought there might be quite a difference in the gig recording and what I did at home. Very little actually. I tried to be as consistent as possible for each tune, and to get as close to unity gain as I could. Everything went onto a Tascam CD RW900 professional burner.

TPF:Wow, and the mastering?

SP: I sent the 19 tunes I chose to be mastered, (actually by the guy who did some of Paul Simon's stuff, Peter Thwaite), up to Johannesburg.

TPF:Dare I ask for the set list and guitars used at this concert!?

SP:1. Coming Down Soft And Easy / Godin / Robert Godin Nylon String Multiac with midi capabilitiy
2. Landscape / Godin
3. Devil's Highway / Godin
4. Early Morning Hours / Strat / !967 Fender Stratocaster
5. Hey Miss Lonely / Gibson / 1982 Dove
6. It Takes No Time / Gibson
7. For Her / Breakthrough / Gibson
8. One Way Ticket / Gibson
9. Spaceman / Gibson
10. Blunt And Frank / Washburn / Steel String 1994
11. Man Hole Covered Wagon / Washburn
12. Fondest Dreams / Gibson
13. Discoveries / Gibson
14. Ballad Of Casy Diess / Gibson
15. Dream Queen / Godin
16. Serendipity Peace / Godin
17. Lovely Lady / Godin
18. Lady In Violet / Gibson
19. Moments / Godin
20. Woman / Stratopaul / Doubleneck Combination of 1964 Gibson Les Paul, and 1968 Fender Stratocaster made by Dick Robinson at the House Of Guitars in Rochester NY.
21. We / Gibson