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 skillfully juggling between shaking up rhythms with his aslatua, driving the dancefloor 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 February 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 Shane's 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's toured Canada extensively, often putting in triple overtime in the mountains and islands east of Calgary, including an epic five-night stint at Wild Bill's in Banff, Alberta.
In 2007, Shane released "Earthshake," a collection of songs he'd been working on for the past couple years, with production assistance from long-time collaborater, Corwin Fox.
2008 will see their collaboration expanded and revamped with the release of Shane's newest album, "In the Moment" which continues his strivance for balance in his songwriting. While some of the songs are rhythmically focused (bursting with high energy and powerful dance rhythms), others drip with melodical 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.
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