When you experience Brendan Philip you know you are encountering an old soul.  A backbone of 88 Days, he is quiet and reserved with a lot to say.  Calm and serene, his music talks about young love and trying to navigate life. His sound is heavy with sentiment, but light footed.  It reminds me how confusing and torturous love is. It also reminds me of how much I like being there.  You’d say he has the sound of a folk singer with his guitar but Brendan Phillip started out as an MC, kicking rhymes in hallways back in his high school days…

Full interview after the jump!

Photos: Kevin Robert Fong www.copymyrecords.com
Space: Soundscapes www.soundscapes.com

So I hear you started out as an MC, when did you start rapping?

I started rapping at around 14 or 15…well it was more like really bad spoken word. I didn’t really have a concept of stanzas or creating lines with the right amount of words so that each rhyme lined up nice. It was just bad long winded sentiments mostly, or just trying to create something clever or impressive, as most rap music exists today. But it wasn’t all bad, I loved the fact that I got better through freestyling and just being in the moment I remember feeling really good about myself, no matter what I think it looks like in hindsight, I really still do have fun rapping by myself when a beat comes on my ipod on shuffle.

Who were your influences back then?

I really liked Jay-Z and Nas, at some point I was into DMX and Ja Rule, a lot of the Def Jam artists. But on occasion I would dabble in Rakim or Beastie Boys; Dr. Dre’s Chronic 2001 was one of my favorites, I managed to burn a hole in it from playing it so much. I liked Eminem, Snoop just about anything that was maintstream from like 92/93 to 2001 or 2002.

What led you to picking up a guitar and singing about Mountains and girls..?

Well my writing began talking about girls, as a young man that was a focus, impressing a girl…I don’t know that I cared to be in love or anything of that nature, I just wanted a girl. As far as guitars came in the picture, that was influenced by some good people who I was spending a lot of time with, primarily some brothers of mine, Grant and AHI (pronounced “I”), a lot of years spent with those fellas who constantly reminded me that it was ok to just be me and work hard to be the best me possible. Great experiences there! So I bought a guitar and was learning through different folks, one cat in particular was named Ricardo, who I built a lot of things with. As far as mountains go, I don’t know they’re cool…they have their own stories to tell, can’t say anything too deep about them.

How is having a son effected your music career?

Having a child came along way after I started considering myself a musician or songwriter or whatever. So not a whole lot as far as the content of the art, but as far as taking the art seriously, its made reality a very stark experience, one where I feel like anything I go through with I should be really sure about, because I don’t want to be a miserable person based of feeling like I had to sit at a desk for him to have a good life. I feel like the more I keep focus on music and art, and the more that I am fulfilled by my ability to follow through with it, I can then relate something clearer to him that I can genuinely and cliché-dly say “Boy you can be anything you want to be just make sure it makes you happy”.

Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?

In the future I would like to collaborate with KJ more, we originally along with some other kids, started learning about recording and writing and all those things, but its been a while since we just sat around and built something. I mean I used to get on my bike rain or shine and show up to his crib just so we could work on songs. Most of them were just dubs, but what a great exercise it was. Nowadays we have actually become like brothers, so we talk about what we’re doing and such but we haven’t talked about doing something together in a while. I know it would be fun and really good, we have both come along way in the 7 or 8 or 9 years we have known each other

The 88 Days collective has taken a really unique approach to addressing the lack of opportunities and support that is sometimes found in Toronto. What do you hope to achieve with the collective?

I think we’ve achieved what we wanted. People always want more cus our eyes are too damn big BUT, all of us have achieved creating and participating in a platform where we can share our art. I will say though this is a personal sentiment, I haven’t said this too anyone else but I feel we got what we needed as far as building the confidence to want something and then make it happen and be pleased with the results. It’s a beautiful thing, but yet and still we have our eyes still set on our own goals. We all want different things from the art we put out in the world and that in of itself is a personal 88 day journey that we can all support each other in but will still probably have to walk “alone” and figure it all out as well.

What is your dream performance/stage/country?

For some reason I really just wanna be in Paris, I don’t know what it looks like never even been on that side of the world, but it feels like there is something there.

How do you feel about your style?

Well I’m a pretty big scardy cat…When I began doing songs on guitar all that stupid ego of mine could think was, “is anyone gonna like this???” As I shifted to more beat based music again, like the stuff on Sex Symbols & Love Conspiracies, I began to get more comfortable about it. But what was also cool is that due to the fact I recorded most of it by myself with no one in sight, I got a chance to fall pretty deep into the work where I didn’t have a voice in my head that I could hear except the one I was writing from. There was no silly self criticism in the process, maybe upon reviewing the tracks, but I was in love with them, I was really happy about the flow of things and just the confidence and the ideas, it was great. Now I feel like I have found a good balance between an “organic” and “electric” feel, I think its perfect for performances, to be able to present the music in various ways because its not all created in one format.

What are upcoming projects/releases?

My upcoming project is called Blood & Dust. Its really about my philosophies I suppose. Ones that I have learned from people along the way and lessons that only I had to face and how I had to deal with it and what I learned from it. I’m taking my time with this one, the last release, “Song of Songs” felt a bit rushed for me and as a result I don’t enjoy it the same way I enjoy “SSLC”. So “Blood & Dust” will have more TLC involved and will feature some new voices accompanying mine, and be mostly minimal in its musicality. I am excited about it, and that may show up in September. Hopefully by July it will be finished and then I can start rehearsing for shows and putting together the way I want it to be heard live.

Any last words?

These could be my last

….

These won’t be his last. See Brendan and the rest of the 88 Days of Fortune fam: abstract random, Ayo Leilani, T. Ana Cole, Yannick, KJ, Deon, Wolf J, THEESatisfaction, Maiko Watson, Amenta, Brendan Philip and Nadine.

Cine Cycle, 129 Spadina (Down the ally way)
19+

$10 @ THE DOOR – OR $6 GUEST LIST IF YOU EMAIL YOUR NAME TO 8daysoffortune@gmail.com or ayoleilani@gmail.com

Proceeds going to a program close to my heart:

LOST LYRICS PROGRAM –

Lost Lyrics is an alternative educational program which uses Hip Hop culture as a base to understanding self-identity and the complexities surrounding young individuals in stigmatized communities. Lost Lyrics operates out of sites in Malvern and Jane and Finch for youth between the ages of 11 to 14. The young people critically engage with issues which reflect their fluctuating self-identities through the art of rhyme, rhythm and visual arts.

COME OUT AND PARTY WITH THE WHOLE 88 DAYS FAMILY – SUPPORT GREAT PROGRAMS LIKE ‘LOST LYRICS’ !!!!!