BIO
There’s a push-pull in everything Phil Pickens says and doesn’t say, in what he sings and doesn’t sing. “The words I do not say speak louder than I want them to,” he sings in “Fool’s Gold.” Born and raised in Georgia, his crooked smile and royal blue eyes perfectly embody the double edge of kindness and menace in southern hospitality. Pickens has a bracing, expressive voice and a style that blends folk sensibilities and contemporary indie rock.
His debut album, Cathedrals, seeks solace in loss. “Re-accounting all the landscapes, the heartaches, and places yet to go,” he sings in “Cathedral”. To Phil, each song is its own cathedral – a sacred place to ask questions without easy answers. In “Arizona”, he tries to make sense of his father’s mysterious death. In the studio, Grammy Award winning producer James Frazee (Sharon Van Etten, Patti Smith, Carla Patullo, The Modern Savage) pushed him to go deeper, to face the thing he did not want to face. “We call each other out,” he says. The result is a song that pulses with an urgency to understand his own true nature.
As a boy in Georgia, Pickens’ picked up a used guitar at a garage sale and learned to play southpaw from a wise lady named Miss Genie. His friends would come over to jam in his parent’s basement to best one another in the latest guitar lick on the radio and later on sneak into clubs to check out the local bands at Eddie’s Attic or The Tabernacle. Phil began writing his own songs in college. Taking influence from playwrights, poets, and novelists of the beatnik era, he began to create his own writing style with a backbone in landscapes, unexpected characters, and unique story twists.
After college in southern Indiana and a year in Louisville, Kentucky, he made his way north to New York City.
It’s not unusual to find Phil devoted to a conversation after a set. Not in a rush, but not wasting time. And in each of his songs, there is the sense of a new conversation being had – of a questioning that comes from a musician who needs to make music. Mix in his southern roots, his time in the fire of NYC and the result is the unique indie folk rock music of Phil Pickens.
-Mat Smart, award-winning playwright
Bob Boilen (NPR) and Rita Houston (WFUV) invited Phil Pickens and his band, the Astronauts, to join NPR’s tiny desk contest tour as one of the top three band submissions from NYC. Packed with friends and newcomers alike, they played their set at the legendary Hit Factory. The studio had the most beautiful Gibson guitars Phil had ever seen, but not a single leftie in sight, much to his chagrin.
“Big-Hearted, Rootsy” - NPR
“Pickens’ vocals come at us like a friendly carnival barker trying to hawk his wares” - Pancakes & Whiskey
TO BE RELEASED
I’m thrilled to share my upcoming album! The record is a collection of ten songs that recall stories spanning from childhood memories at the Gwinnett Mall Arcade, now easily recognized as an iconic location in Netflix’s “Stranger Things”, up to the present. Each track aims to explore the enigmatic journey of life, reflecting on the path chosen, the detours along the way, the complexities of love, and the significance of setting boundaries.
As opposed to Cathedrals, this new album differs in its approach to storytelling. While it contains the same amount of heart as the previous release, this new project gives a vibe that rings grittier, groovier, and more soulful.
The Team
PRODUCER, ENGINEER, MIXING:
James Frazee - Grammy Award Winning Producer (Sharon Van Etten, Patti Smith, Carla Patullo, The Modern Savage)
PLAYERS:
Therese Anderberg - Vocals (Wind and the Why)
Andy Burton - Keyboards (John Mayer, Rufus Wainwright, Ian Hunter)
Daniel Kwiatkowski - Guitars, Vocals (The Hollows, DK Allen)
Erik Della Penna - Electric Guitar (Natalie Merchant, Hazmat Modine)
James Preston - Bass (Trace Mountains, Zachary Cale, High Time, Alana Amram)
Max Maples.- Drums (Blak Emoji, Milagres)
Erica Swindell - Fiddle (The Eagles)
Richard Thieriot - Bass (Phil Pickens, Poor Richard)
and more!!
THE MATERIALS
We have documented the recording sessions with Polaroids and pictures on a DSLR, as well as behind the scenes video.
For album artwork, we are planning to collaborate with talented photographer Britannie Bond, who was also behind the design of Cathedrals. Below is a sampling of her work. You can view all of her media here - BBond Photography
I have the equipment to create videos and additional material for any songs we decide are ideal for promotion.
Recordings of every song, previous and current, were isolated. Instrumentals + stems are available for film/tv collaboration.
ADDITIONAL SINGLES/ALBUMS TO BE RELEASED
The Singles - Protest Songs (Preview below)
The Vault (Preview below)
Cathedrals (Instrumental Version)
THE ALBUM (Still in progress)
THE SINGLES - PROTEST SONGS
“So” and “No Joke” were recorded remotely in the thick of NYC’s lockdown during the COVID pandemic. “So” was written to pay tribute to RBG and the everlasting change and impact she brought to the world. “No Joke” is a call to action.
