Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy guest: Bobby Phillipps

By Kimberli Pierantoni

Twenty three -year-old Bobby Phillipps is known around the southeastern Wyoming area for his virtuosic guitar playing skills.

Kimberli Pierantoni did a Q and A session with Phillipps about his musical inspirations, his life-long goals with music, and you can find out all about the band Steel March, that he plays in.

Steel March will be playing today, June 15th at 5:30pm to 8pm at the Cheyenne Depot Plaza for Fridays on the Plaza and theWyoming Brewers Festival.The Steel March show is for all ages. The Cheyenne Depot Plaza is an outdoor venue. http://www.wyobrewfest.com/Event.html

Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy Guest:  Bobby Phillipps

Kimba: When was the first time you played guitar?

Bobby: I started playing guitar when I was 12 years old. My grades were slipping in junior high. One of the things that I had to do to bring my English grade up to passing, was to do a book report on a biography. Dad gave me a Stevie Ray Vaughan biography, and shortly after, I decided to try my hand at guitar.

Kimba: What inspired you to be a musician?

Bobby: For the longest time it was just something I did for fun, but then around the time I was 15 or 16, I had started writing my own songs. I had no idea that that was something I could do; I thought it was reserved for rock gods like the Jimi Hendrixes and Jimmy Pages.

Kimba: What kind of music do you play?

Bobby: Several kinds. My first love is instrumental rock. I write and record all of it in my apartment’s studio and release it online on my Facebook, Twitter, and the website I’m currently revamping. After that, I play in a three-piece hard rock/heavy metal band, Steel March. We play music from Pink Floyd to Van Halen to Metallica to Pantera. We have a blast every night we play. Finally, I also play solo acoustic music around town. I sing and play guitar at the local bars. Everything from 70s and 80s classic rock to modern radio hits; Eagles, Jimi Hendrix, Bruno Mars, Mumford and Sons, Sublime, Aerosmith. It’s got a little bit of everything in it.

Kimba: What other skills do you have?

Bobby: I play bass, dabble in drums, and sing. Outside of music, I play around with web design and programming, but most of my free time is spend writing and recording music. I have my own little recording studio in my apartment
that I use to write, record, and share my music online.

Kimba: If you can meet one musician, who would you meet?

Bobby:  Joe Satriani (of Chickenfoot) hands down. Stevie Ray Vaughan got me playing guitar in the first place, but Joe Satriani is the reason I play the way I do now. After my friend Dominic played Joe’s album “Surfing with the Alien” for me, I was hooked. I loved the sound, I loved the way he approaches the instrument. He just consistently blows my mind.

Website for Joe Satriani: http://www.satriani.com/site.shtml

Kimba: How many songs have you made now?

Bobby: For complete songs, probably something on the order of 80. I have a hard drive full of incomplete songs or works in progress that numbers over 250.

Kimba: Is there a story behind each song?

Bobby: Most of them. A lot of them are written just because I think they sound cool. Some of them tell a story, or they reflect how I’m feeling at the time.

Kimba: Would you mind sharing one of those stories?

Bobby:  My song “The Joker” is the best example of a story. It tells, without words, the story of a guy known as the Joker who always seems to be getting himself into trouble, but never really learns his lessons, and always manages to weasel his way out of everything. One day, he gets into some really deep problems, stuff where he might have to really change his ways, but in the end, he doesn’t. He’s hardwired that way. He just does what he does and never learns his lesson. It was actually based on a guy I knew at the time of writing it.

Kimba: I’ve noticed you have five guitars. Which one is your favorite guitar and why?

Bobby: I actually have 10 total guitars if you count the bass. My favorite is my black Ibanez S320. It’s all beat up because I play it the most. I love the way it sounds. It’s just got that right amount of bite that I like, but it can still sing like an angel if I want it to. I also love the way it feels in my hands. That guitar just fits like a glove. If there were a Bobby Phillipps signature guitar model, it would be that guitar.

Kimba: As a musician what are your dreams for the future?

Bobby: The ultimate dream is to make a living off music. For me, that could mean one or more of the following: Playing live shows with my band, playing my instrumental music with a band backing me for that stuff, playing acoustic shows across the country, recording and producing albums for bands, even just being a session musician when another artist needs a guitar part.

Kimba: Do you plan on performing the rest of your life?

Bobby: Absolutely.

Kimba:  You play as a soloist and with a band. What is the name of your band?

Bobby: Steel March

Kimba: Did you sign up with a record label?

Bobby:  Not yet, but we’re open to it. As for my solo material, I’m actually in the process of starting my own record label to produce that material. I have a very DIY outlook on that side of my music.

Kimba: Have you traveled for a gig?

Bobby: Steel March plays in Wellington, Colo. about once a month. In earlier bands, I’ve played in Fort Collins and Denver, Colo., a couple small towns in Nebraska, and further west in Green River, Wyoming. I’d love to travel further, maybe a tour one of these days.

Kimba: Where can we see you play in public?

Bobby: Every Friday with a few exceptions, I play solo acoustic material at the Crown Bar (222 W. Lincolnway, Cheyenne Wyoming) from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  You can reach the Crown bar at (307)778-9202

For the band’s shows, check our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/SteelMarch and check out the events.

Kimba: Do you have any upcoming gigs that you are willing to share?

Bobby: All of them! The majority of my shows are 21and over since they occur in bars, but keep an ear to the ground. Every now and then I play at Suite 1901. On June 18, I’ll be playing the front lawn of the Laramie County Library from noon to 1 p.m. https://www.facebook.com/Suite1901

The Laramie County Library’s official website: Http://lclsonline.org

Suite 1901: https://www.facebook.com/Suite1901

Crown Bar http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Crown-Bar/116084228412002