Dorset singer/songwriter Jonny Phillips has got together with Kris Venzi-James on bass and Justin Young on drums to bring together a new venture. The trio has a history together as they have played previously before as part of Krista Green & The Bees. Jonny himself has plenty of history within the local music scene with his first band Willowen and also with his extensive solo work. There have been many notable support slots including gigs opening for Wille & the Bandits, MarthaGun, Beans on Toast, and Mark Chadwick of the Levellers.
The band is releasing a three-track EP entitled “Yin” on the 14th January; with the lead track called “Admiring The View” available now on streaming platforms, along with a rather splendid video to go with it. The video is a heady mix of live performances; coupled with various news reports, with all three band members multitasking as themselves and various characters. It was filmed locally in Bournemouth with lots of significant locations used; along with cameos of many of Jonny’s friends, family, and fellow bandmates. The video was filmed, directed, edited, and produced by Charles Donnelly, an old-school friend of Jonny’s. Check the video out below.
The lyrics “I don’t know why it bothers me when there is nothing we can do, we are living at the mercy of the self-entitled few” shows Jonny wearing his heart on his sleeve about the global environmental issues. Jonny explains “it’s societal corruption to heartbreak, it’s a reflection on our individual positions in the world and how we fit into it”. The track shows the trio’s fine musicianship with many wonderful twists and turns, taking in a host of colourful influences. There is some notable electric guitar work from Jonny with Kris and Justin proving a catchy rhythmic backdrop.
Next up is “Burning Rocks”, a slice of Blues-infused Rock, showing the band taking a big leap out of their usual comfort zones with something sounding so different than anything they have done before. The trio here stretches their creative musical legs with all areas brightly shining, to deliver a rather special number. There’s some really big guitar moments and a wonderfully smooth vocal delivery. “Black Hole” starts off with a riff obviously stolen from “Sweet Home Alabama”, with a few slight changes before Jonny asks “what is this Black Hole, I thought it only existed in Space” referring to the Black Hole Theories of Social Power looking once again at the ecological damage caused. Musically once again the band pushes the envelope with some majestic, inventive sounds that take the listener through a rollercoaster of a journey through a host of wholesome textures.
The EP “Yin” is Part One of a set with the second due to be released later in the year.
Track-Listing
Admiring The View
Burning Rocks
Black Hole
The Jonny Phillips Trio
Jonny Phillips – Guitar/Vocals
Kris Venzi-James – Bass
Justin Young – Drums
Links
https://www.facebook.com/TherealJP3
https://www.facebook.com/jonnyphillipsmusic
https://soundcloud.com/jonny-phillips-music
Words by David Chinery (Chinners).
