Anyone who hasn't felt the vibe Shane Philip exudes when he begins to play will have a chance to experience his enchanting musical stylings at the Brackendale Art Gallery (BAG) this Saturday (Feb. 19).
Philip's unique one-man band is at once primal, pulsing and organic, intoxicating his audience with driving dance rhythms and grooves. He blurs the boundaries of expectation and music into an altogether unique soundscape by combining flavours of raggae, blues and electronica with a hint of folk rock.
The multi-tasking, talented musician from Vancouver Island plays the drums, guitar, three didgeridoos and the harmonica all at once. His intense combination of rhythm, beats and strums is an awe-inspiring one-man show every audience seems to groove to.
"When I get really into the music and the crowd responds by dancing more animatedly, it's like an energy transfer back and forth," he said. "It creates that sort of musician-crowd relationship."
From early childhood, Philip was drumming on kitchen tables and car dashboards, and his musical stylings have been self-taught and self-motivated every step of the way.
Although he has played a number of instruments throughout his life, Philip only started playing professionally about five years ago.
"I wanted to send a message and actually touch people's lives, and I realized music was an ideal way to do that," said Philip.
"It's there when I wake up in the morning, stretch, go for a walk or go for coffee - I just know that the music is super powerful for changing moods, thinking and memory."
Philip's last visit to Squamish was during the Dancing Bear festival in April 2010 and if that event was any indication, the audience at the BAG will be overwhelmed with an intense desire to jump, twirl and dance in a trance-like frenzy.
As a full-time touring musician with four albums under his belt, Philip charts on national, independent and campus radio stations and is a regular on C小蓝视频 Radio shows across Canada. He arrives in Brackendale on the heels of his latest release, Life.Love.Music.
Tickets are $20 and available at the Brackendale Art Gallery and The Bookshelf.
