“I started to sing and write songs, just after high school, it felt more aligned and a lot of fun. The discovery is that I have to follow the fun as sincerely as possible,” notes Brendan Philip of his beginnings. However, it’s always been about the music for him, and continues to be as celebrates his 2024 release, “The Witness.” We talked about not only that but also travels, working with Andrew Gordon, and so much more – like what’s to come this fall – in this back-and-forth exchange!

Kendra: You’ve been dropping music for almost a decade now, with a pair of EPs and an LP already to your name but what about the man before the music came out? Were your goals always music-orientated? 

Brendan Philip: Before that, the music you’re referring to came out there was more music. It’s always been music for me, but the way that I understand my involvement in music is what keeps on expanding and changing. I was a kid who always had music on at all times. For a time my goal in music was just to challenge myself to be as good as I could be, I didn’t really understand there were business things to consider or things like marketing until I was around 23, that would be where an evolution in my musical practice elevated. When I started making music as a teenager, I was writing raps and I would spend any moment I had trying to be as good as the artists I admired like Andre 3000, Nas, or Jay-Z. 

Kendra: Now let’s talk about your 2024 single, “The Witness.” This is such a striking song. Not only are genres blended into a magical confection like they came straight from a Cold Stone Creamery, but lyrically they take hold of listeners. What did you bear witness to that inspired this track to come to fruition? 

Brendan Philip: Thanks very much for saying that! We’re always interested in hearing how people interpret the music. This answer may be more thorough on an episode of your podcast. But for the sake of everyone’s time, I suppose the most concise way to answer that question is that what I saw was my shadow and that everyone has a shadow! I saw that we aren’t all that different from a potential context, person to person, even though that’s a difficult concept to agree with these days. “The Witness” or “seeing” is a clarity we can embody through a type of acceptance and submission to life outside ourselves. I didn’t really know that I was going to write this song or any other song for that matter, but ideas just show up and you decide to unearth them!

Kendra: Again, this song definitely doesn’t stick to one defined sound. When I pressed play, the music roared with the same vibes I often feel when an Incubus record begins, but then you come in and deliver this R&B vocal that definitely has a funky soul backbone. I can only assume your music collection is not only vast but also very varied?  

Brendan Philip: I love that Incubus mention. I didn’t get too deep into listening to them, but I think I will now, always looking to uncover something I haven’t heard much of or at all. As Andrew Gordon has stated, “‘The Witness’ is when you let two guys into a studio who love Radiohead and Zamrock (70s-era psych rock from Zambia), but I digress! Yes, my music collection is super varied, I can almost find a way to appreciate just about any music. My most recent purchases for my vinyl collection are dub reggae and ambient. 

Kendra: Your music has been featured on the small screen before and you did work with TV composer Andrew Gordon MacPherson on your fall 2024 release, ‘What You Fear Already Happened.’ How do you feel working with someone who has a television mindset has shaped how you approach the overall production of your music?

Brendan Philip: Andrew and I both share a love of TV and movies so it’s easy to decidedly approach our music more cinematically. I would say it’s a crucial pillar of our creative partnership. When Andrew and I met, he was already moving into a professional composer role. But over the years he has spent more time in that realm. 

So it feels great to work alongside someone steeped heavily in a realm I have always admired, and from a process and development perspective, some of what Andrew has learned in his various roles in film and television he has suggested we employ in our creative process. Andrew has also carved out a philosophy that was instrumental in distilling the why and how for the lyric writing this time around through using a game, things moved quickly and clearly.

Kendra: You travel quite a bit. I saw you’ve been to places like London and New York City, but earlier this year you got to head down to Detroit, the birthplace of Motown. I’ve yet to go there, but I feel like the same musical magic one feels in a place like Nashville has got to be present in Detroit as well. Perhaps not to the same degree as Detroit doesn’t have the countless bars blasting country tunes, but still – did you feel a powerful creative presence when you were there that inspired any tracks on the upcoming release? 

Brendan Philip: I would absolutely say that Detroit is a powerful hub and the folks I met there really uphold the ideal very well! The reason for the trip was to see Andre 3000 perform New Blue Sun which was very special to me. Out of all my musical fandom, OutKast and Andre 3000 are a major inspiration. Even during the show, he remarked on the notable imprint that Detroit has made on American music as we know it! 

With that, Detroit is for sure an inspiration overall! We also were able to check out a party after the show that was focused on the more house and techno side of things, Hitsville USA/Motown museum was an important stop, People’s Records offered an amazing selection of vinyl, Third Man Records, which is Jack White’s label and shop was also fun! At the end of the day, Detroit is important and there’s no debating that, what I find upsetting is how abandoned a lot of that central place seems and feels. It begs the question: how do we let these important hubs filled with brilliant folks fall to the wayside like that? I cannot wait to get back to Detroit.

Kendra: Time for a side note – With it being summer, I’d love to know – and for you to share – your favorite road trip song. Like, what’s the one song that has to be on your mix when you hit the road?  

Brendan Philip: Years ago, The Killers’ ‘Hot Fuss’ album became a notable road trip record to me. Bloc Party’s ‘Silent Alarm,’ again another album, is also really perfect for the road trip because it is visceral and propulsive. I am sure that there are more songs or albums that fit this bill in my experience, BUT these albums have such an impact when it comes to relating to moving down a road. Really big and vibrant artifacts!

Kendra: Lastly, with “The Witness” out now and ‘What You Fear Already Happened’ coming later this year, what are your other plans as we start to roll into the fall?  

Brendan Philip: I have ideas for some other things that I am looking forward to. As we roll into the fall I would like to finish a few books I have started. I’m looking forward to cooking more also. I have another project that is on the go called, Nothing Kingdom, which is sound sculptures essentially, so more work on that. We have some live shows lined up for “What You Fear…” in Toronto (Tranzac, Oct 19) and Montreal (Bar Le Ritz, Oct 23). 

There’s also a vinyl coming out for the album. All in all, I just want to enjoy life and be grateful in whatever way it comes about. Thanks again for reaching out and supporting this work. My last album ‘Lizard King’ is also available for purchase digitally and on cassette here, and ‘What You Fear Already Happened’ will be out this fall!