Phil Roy  Writing… for his own voice by Richard Cuccaro

All right…let's get it out of the way right up front. Phil Roy is a big teddy bear.… Listening to his song "Melt," 
from last year's debut solo CD, Grouchyfriendly, it's pretty near impossible to avoid wanting to give him a big 
hug. Normally, the kind of naked emotionality on display here results in an amateurish tackiness. "…last night…
I had a dream… I saved your life… I proved my love… I took the bullet… I killed a shark… I kissed your hand… 
I thawed your heart …" Phil overcomes this with deceptive ease. Sung deftly, with understated desperation mixed 
with hope, the song walks a tightrope of violin and fingerstyle guitar. 
It continues even more powerfully with "Show Me the Way Home. "The well is dry… the wounds are deep… 
there's cold between the cold…" Here, his voice rides lush swells of orchestration. The results are intoxicating. 
He's got you… You know it, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Just hit the replay button until 
you get it out of your system.
While the album has a dark undercurrent, it is laced with hope. We decided to get to know Phil better and went 
to see him live last Fall We brought up the possibility of a feature on these pages and he agreed. After conducting 
an interview by e-mail, we gathered more information about the "inner" Phil Roy from an interview conducted 
by John Schoenberger of Totally Adult, a radio trade magazine. The result is this "fleshed-out" article.

"Bumps of Goose"
Describing his early influences in his own words: "Philadelphia radio from the mid 60's through the 70's was amazing. 
I basically was glued to the radio growing up. From the "Philly soul" of Gamble and Huff to The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, 
Jimi Hendrix and all the great "pop" records that the AM stations played. I remember bringing in a "45" of "White Room" 
by Cream for show and tell in 5th grade. That record still gives me "bumps of goose".

The Player's First Steps
Phil picked up a toy guitar at around six years old and at around nine started taking actual lessons. He had a mentor 
in a man who was a 6th grade teacher at his elementary school and he says, "I used to play his beautiful Martin guitar
after school. I basically took it real seriously from a very early age." 
He adds: "In High school I discovered People like Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock ,John Coltrane. I knew I 
loved it. I was the lead guitar player/singer guy that you would see at the high school dances and I actually thought about 
making it my job and making a living at it, but it did seem a bit unrealistic.
I was applying to colleges and my father mentioned to me, 'Why don't you go to music school? Why don't you go give 
this music thing a shot?' My parents have been very supportive all along. So I ended up in Boston at the Berklee College 
of Music and got into the Jazz thing."
Part of what makes Grouchyfriendly such an enjoyable listening experience is the extraordinary production. Phil's fascination 
with the production of a song was evident  from the very beginning. He states:
"I took this course called Pop Songs 1 and wrote a song. In Pop Songs 1 you write the tune and then in Pop Songs 2 you 
get to go into the recording studio and record it. After I got in the studio and recorded the song, and I actually had a cassette 
with my first song recorded on it, I was hooked. From that point on, all I wanted to do was be in the recording studio and 
write songs and make records. I really didn't want to be a studio player. I didn't want to be a side guy in a band, I just 
wanted to write songs and make records."  I knew I had to give the "songwriter/artist thing" a shot right after my first 
demo. I had a lot of positive feedback and encouragement from a couple of teachers that were leading the class. I felt I 
had found a place were I "belonged." I loved being in the studio.(That class was my first experience.) I wasn't as good as 
a "Jazz" player as others that I went to Berklee with. I felt I could be competitive in the songwriting area."
Staying in Boston for about five years, Phil met Chris and London McDaniels, sons of Gene McDaniels, ("A Hundred Pounds of Clay") 
a '60s recording artist. Chris  and London then moved out to LA and Phil got a phone call. They said, "Come on out, we've made
 some connections out here." Phil moved out there and within three months, the three were signed to Warner Bros. as a band 
called Carrera.


Lessons in "The Profession"
That deal didn't lead to great success, but Phil had a very quick, focused and detailed orientation as to what it's like to be signed 
to a major label and to see what the process really is.
He states: "Someone's signing their first record deal right now and they have no idea what they're getting themselves into, 
because for 99 percent of the people, it doesn't work. 
Phil looks at that time as the starting point of his professional career. "We were able to get a good attorney from that and 
it legitimized what we were doing, that we were really in 'the business." 
They got another record deal as another band: "World Citizens." Although that record was very good and very well-reviewed 
by the press, but the first seven bands the producer signed, including World Citizens, just didn't happen."
Some important lessons were learned and Phil says: "It was good just to be able to make these records and be in the studio 
and make the connections and do it on that level, which I've continued throughout my career. For most artists it's just the door 
opening, being able to get in there and have access to people. I'm still finding that even though I've been doing this for a long 
time now&emdash;and my songs have been heard all over the world and I've had five publishing deals and so on&emdash;I've found doing 
my own album, Grouchyfriendly, has been very positive for me. I've written for Academy Award-winning films and I've had 
some of the greatest artists in the world sing my songs." Included in that number are Joe Cocker, Widespread Panic, Pops Staples, 
Paul Young, Cliff Richard, Aaron Neville, Ray Charles,Tuck & Patti, Eddie Money, Alannah  Myles, The Neville Bros, and Katey Sagal.

The Artist's Path
While performing live, Phil has said that a major reason he struck out on his own was because he saw himself becoming a "song salesman," 
peddling his artistry to others, and he wanted to do do something more personal with his music.
He states: "Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for the success my songs have achieved. Because of that, I get these royalty checks. 
That's how I'm able to stop for a minute and do the Phil Roy artist thing right now …I've been trying to finish this record for a while. I've 
been writing for other people for so long, it took me a while to find my own sound -- in the songs, the arrangements and even the way 
I sing. I look at my album as a little independent film. It's not for everyone; it's the kind of thing where if you do take the time to go to my 
little movie, so to speak, I think that you will find some things in it that are very personal."

Writing Philosphy
"I'm a big co-writer. I really like tossing the ball around. I do write songs by myself, but I really prefer the experience of sitting there and 
writing with someone. I think that for me, it becomes a part of something greater than I could have thought of myself. 
I generally only (now) write with friends or writers I truly admire. I did so many writing sessions in LA for so long, it left me very tentative 
about collaborations with relative strangers. I was a staff writer at 5 major publishing companies for over 12 years.

Hollywood & Vegas
One off the songwriting collaborations I was most surprised by was when I learned that Phil had co-written "Melt" with actor Nicolas Cage! 
He describes the genesis of that collaboration: "I was introduced to Nic on the set of 'Peggy Sue Got Married,' one of his early films. I had 
a roommate at the time who had a small part in the film. He invited me up to visit the set. Nic and I met and I became very good friends. 
We were at his beach house in Malibu. It was about 10AM. I showed him this little melody idea and chord structure. The lyrics just started 
to come. He's a very creative guy. We collaborated and by 10:45 the song was done. We've written several songs together. One of them 
ended up in 'Leaving Las Vegas'  They continue to be some of my favorites."
[Nicolas Cage, songwriter! Life just ain't fair!]

Inspiration & Direction
We asked which artists he looks up to today: "For me Joni Mitchell 'sets the bar' in overall pop record making. So creative. So vital. There is 
an artist named Brad Mehldau that makes these incredible jazz records. Art of the trio Vol.3 is one of my favorite records of the last few years. 
His piano playing really speaks to me. I also think last year's Coldplay CD [Parachutes] was pretty fantastic too" [We agree].
We asked, "Is there a creative direction do you see for yourself at this point?"
He stated: "I'd like to continue to make records that are hard to classify. The albums I make are not folk, or soul or jazz. It's some kind of 
"stew" that I'm able to cook-up with my incredibly talented collaborators. At the heart of it all, I want to be considered a singer-songwriter, 
a storyteller. That's the focus. I also want to play more live shows. Being on a stage, performing for people makes me very happy.
In response to what advice he'd give to aspiring singer/songwriters, he responded: "One (1) incredible song written, recorded, performed and 
mixed properly is worth much more than a hundred "good" demos. It's not the quantity. It's the quality that will open doors to opportunity.
As we inferred at the beginning here, Phil Roy is capable of wreaking emotional havoc with his art -- One listener …wrote "WXPN in 
Philadelphia is playing 'Melt It's my first exposure to your music. Way to go. You made some woman in Lederach, Pennsylvania, sit weeping 
in her garage with groceries thawing in the trunk. My check for Grouchyfriendly is on its way."

See him live at the Mainstage in White Plains Saturday, February 16th this month.  You'll be glad you did.


Website: www.philroy.com
Jody Gill  With These Hands…(and a whole lot more) by Richard Cuccaro

    

We first directed our readers' attention to Jody Gill this last September in our venue-of-the-month feature on The Mainstage Coffeehouse, 
where she is co-manager. 
We've watched her enriching, expressive interpretations of songs for the past seven years. This past summer at Winterhawk, Steve Forbert, 
seemingly questioning the validity of this practice asked, "Are there really deaf people out there?" [There are, and I've met them.]
Jody's statement at a recent Mainstage concert put it into perspective: "The primary reason all our concerts are interpreted is because 
I believe deaf and hard of hearing people should have the choice to attend a concert or not.  Most deaf people are born into hearing 
families and I like the idea that this can be a shared experience for them. Also, we have a volunteer who is deaf and she has the right 
to participate fully in the evening. People need to understand that music is not just about sound.  There are emotions evoked by music 
that can be interpreted through the body and… songs are stories.  The lyrics speak of love, freedom, struggle, pain, etc. which are universal 
themes.  Folk music is music of the people. Which people? Not all deaf people are interested in interpreted music and that's fine! But for those 
who wish to, I feel good that without a second thought, they can show up and be entertained."
She grew up listening to Pete Seeger, The Weavers and Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, The Kingston Trio and then later,  Joni Mitchell, 
Cat Stevens, The Moody Blues, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Memorable musical experiences included watching The Hootenany Show on Sunday nights. The only festival she attended was the Clearwater 
Revival but she was already older by that time.  She remembers: "The most memorable musical experiences were from my home.  Both my 
parents played guitar, my mom sang (dad tried but we asked him to stop) and often after dinner while my mother and I cleaned up the kitchen, 
we would sing with my mother doing the melody and me learning how to harmonize.  On Sunday mornings after brunch, we would sit as a 
family (with my two older brothers) and sing together. One brother played the bongos and my other brother harmonized. We pulled out sticks 
and maracas and had a blast.  I later played guitar myself and for a short time, it was a big part of my life.  My mother also listened to classical 
music and opera constantly and my oldest brother was an accomplished pianist.  My father played piano by ear (wonderfully) so there was never 
a time where there wasn't music in the house.  Of everything in my childhood, the presence of music (and humor) taught me more and influenced 
and shaped me more than anything else."

"I was a modern dancer and also studied ballet for many many years.  I saw sign language as an extension of my dancing and loved the idea of 
communicating through body language.  I had no idea how complex it was!  I took one beginning sign language class and through that met a deaf 
man and his wife.  They took me under their wing and really learned the language from them. After working as an interpreter for many years 
(mostly freelance up until 6 years ago) I finally became certified by a the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.  That helped me to believe 
in myself.  While working as an interpreter, I went back to school and got my Master's in Applied Counseling.  Now I work full-time in a mental 
health setting with deaf and hard of hearing people (hearing impaired is considered pejorative) and do some freelance work on the side, including 
the performing arts interpreting."

"I began interpreting music at the Clearwater festival about 14 or 15 years ago and it was just a natural fit for me.  Music, dance, American Sign 
Language (ASL).  I then began interpreting at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival where I've been interpreting for the past 11 years.  Now I've added 
Winterhawk to my calendar as well.  I've done a host of concerts, shows and some other festivals and now, of course, at the Mainstage Coffeehouse. 
Nancy Kaplan, who also interprets at Clearwater and Falcon Ridge, splits the interpreting with me at Mainstage.  We also have guest interpreters 
sometimes."

We asked who she liked interpreting for and she replied: "I love working with Vance Gilbert! He works with the interpreter well, availing himself 
to our questions about his lyrics, images, whatever helps us to interpret. He connects directly with the deaf audience members and has developed 
his own relationship with them.  He engages with them like no other performer has. [Vance caught some of them signing in the audience during a 
set and said, "Hey! Tell those deaf people to shut up! They loved him for it.] He 'uses' the interpreter as part of his show rather than pretending 
there's no one standing on the stage with him.  That doesn't mean that every performer should work the way Vance does. There are some artists 
I love to work with because I love their music or their lyrics lend themselves to a rich interpretation in ASL or because they have a great attitude 
and 'get it' like Janis Ian. It often is about the relationship that gets established and that relationship may be solely through the music or it may be 
more personal. I try to be very respectful of the performer and will reassure those who have not worked with interpreters before that it is still their 
music, their story, their performance.  I'm just making it possible for people to 'see' it as well as hear it. There's nothing wrong with hearing people 
enjoying it even if they don't understand the language."
Most of us can hear the music just fine. We enjoy the music that much more, with Jody's interpretations.