Philip returns for solo show at Communitea

DREW HOSHKIW

Shane Philip

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Recurring favourite Shane Philip – known for his one-man-band style of foot-pedal drums, guitar, harmonica and multiple didgeridoos – returns to Communitea this Friday (Sept. 14).

At the end of a summer filled with touring, Philip recounted his recent experiences at a festival in Ecuador last week.

“I’ve never done music in South America before, it was my first time going,” he said, in an interview with the Outlook. “It was interesting, a big learning curve. The festival was great.

“Ecuador was nothing like what I expected it to be – the terrain was a lot like Kamloops – with the rolling mountains and the dry desert. It wasn’t as hot as I thought it’d be, it got up to 20, and it was interesting how it goes from day to night in about 10 minutes – there’s no twilight, it’s like instant darkness.”

The festival was oriented toward yoga, with yoga workshops accompanied by a variety of live and electronic music.

“The good thing about playing a festival in South America is the contacts one makes,” said Philip. “I’ve got all this potential for shows and doing a lot more there.

“I played with a couple of really fantastic musicians. One was a flute player from Chile – he sat in with me for a couple songs during my set and we worked out some arrangements – it really worked well for me, so I’m going to try to get him on my album.”

While the last appearance had him playing with another drummer, this time Philip reverts to his more familiar style of playing solo.

“A lot of times I find solo works out better for me,” he said. “Then I don’t lose that connection with the audience.

“It’s great to connect with another musician, but I find it takes a lot of work when I play with someone to focus on me and listen to another part and still connect with the audience. My brain wants to explode.

“Who knows, next time, maybe I’ll have my guys from Chile,” he said, eluding to his experiences with the flutist. “They were really interested in coming to Canada and doing some shows with me.

“I never in a million years thought I’d enjoy playing with a flutist, but he played it so well and it sounded so good with the didgeridoo.”

Following this show, Philip heads home to the B.C. coast to finish work on his next album.

“I’ve got three songs recorded for my new CD, and now I want to stay home for a bit, so I can finish that,” he said. “The songs are going to be more acoustic and rootsy, less effects and distortion, and more of just the sound of what you hear.

“I’m going to make it more simple that way.”

Philip was also recently honoured by the Vancouver Island Music Awards.

“I was nominated for a few and I won Best Live Artist,” he said. “It’s good that maybe it’ll get more people to come check out my live to show, but to say someone’s the best at this or that, I don’t think there is such a thing.

“Best is what moves one person, the listener. I think there’s a place for everybody and an audience for everybody.”

After finishing his next album, Philip will be back on the road, with plans of heading south and west.

“This winter I’m lining up shows in Hawaii and I’m going to do a trip through the States,” he said. “And Ecuador opened up doors and it opened my eyes too. It wasn’t your average festival, it was a real spiritual experience.”