Phil X is cool and that is all

[Ritualee]

I realized I hate arguing on the internets. I don't know why I started the one I did. i get zealous in defense of virtuosity. So, toward that end, I repost a great video from a guy who definitely brings it:

mpI9EYYU-LA&playnext_from=TL&videos=_ICHl0_WNso&feature=sub-

[rmj254]

Agreed, man. That guy is a killer player. Great intensity, too!

[DaGlenster]

I meet this guy at one of the Vinatge Guitar shows in LA. When not on video, he is a down to earth, calm, soft spoken guy. He came over and talked to me about some Tiesco's I had for sale. I guess he turns IT on when he does the vid's. i enjoy his antic's, but I don't think that is his real personality.

[joeybsyc]

No question... I have been known to sit and watch his Fretted Americana demos for hours. Cool guy, cool guitars, what's not to like.

[TubeStack]

Guy annoys the hell out of me on any clip I've seen.

He can play, though. Used to see him jam in bars on wing nights, around the Brampton/Mississauga, Ontario area, back in the early 90s. Would really rip it on "Foxey Lady" and go nuts with that custom penis-wang bar he invented.

[Tone_Terrific]

He came to my attention years ago when he was with Triumph (a short relationship).
I wondered what had happened to him a while ago and now he seems to be popping everywhere.....virtually, that is.
Entertaining (seems to try to be) and knows scads of hooks.

[Fretgears]

I'm blown away by how much recording he has done. I mean, the guitar playing on Daughtry's multi-platinum album came from the weirdo in these videos! :eeks

[sahhas]

one nite i sat down and watched a bunch of his vids demoing gtrs, he can play. and he's pretty funny, doesn't seem to take himself too serious from what i've seen-a nice quality i think....

[daveS]

Phil X rocks ! Great guitar player. I'm always entertained by footage of him talking and playing guitar. He kind of reminds me of younger Sammy Hagar.
-d

[TubeStack]

///He kind of reminds me of younger Sammy Hagar.
-d

Ugh... maybe that's why I'm so edgy and revolted! LOL! :D

[TNJ]

Cool player...

EXTREMELY COOL GUITAR!!!! :eek: :dude

S.
j

[Zero G]

Great vid! Phil X rocks and I'm proud to say he's Canadian.

[zaddn]

i wish i could play 2% as well as he can...working on it though...

he seems like a cool guy too, but i have to believe he is performing in these videos and isn't always like that. but what's wrong with putting on a performance?

[Cody Anchor]

definitely a great guitarist who is also very entertaining.

[Cornbread]

BIG fan of Phil X

:dude

[pickaguitar]

I'm a fan

[kidderminsterbro]

Ritualee you are the bigger person for reposting this thread.
It's hard to question why you do something, but you did and that makes you wiser.

Phil X is not only a great guitarist but he has one heck of a rockin' voice.

peace,
rich

[Elmer]

Phil X kills on all of his demo videos, I could watch him play all day. Hell of a guitar player, seems like an overall pretty cool dude. Nothing wrong with that.
Oh yeah - is it just me, or is demoing great vintage guitars possibly the sweetest gig there is?

:beer

[greyhound]

Most guitar and amp demo are so boring I can hardly wait for them to end, but this guy brings them to life and is really entertaining.

[Tone_Terrific]

Great vid! Phil X rocks and I'm proud to say he's Canadian.

YEAH!
Phil X vs Peter Thorn...gotta start a poll...make it very competitive...a troller's paradise!

[Ed DeGenaro]

Where us the argument? Killer player with cool vids...was there some kinda pissing contest thread about it I missed?

[rmj254]

Where us the argument? Killer player with cool vids...was there some kinda pissing contest thread about it I missed?

There was. The thread seems to have been deleted. There was a disagreement about Phil X playing on Orianthi's album, and how that pertained to Orianthi's talent level. It was more about Orianthi than Phil X.

[Ed DeGenaro]

There was. The thread seems to have been deleted. There was a disagreement about Phil X playing on Orianthi's album, and how that pertained to Orianthi's talent level. It was more about Orianthi than Phil X.

Thanks. I'm glad I missed yet another go around of "coulda done it better" guys judging guys who actually are doing it.

[Ritualee]

Thanks for digging it up, Ed. I'll be elbowing you in the ribs next time I see you.

Anyway- Phil X is awesome! Dude comes up with the craziest sounds on his seemingly innocuous ESP or LTD SG or whatever the hell it is. No whammy, but he just makes these SOUNDS. Great player.

[sodapopinski]

cool, i'll be watching his other vids now :)

[ROKY]

I digs me some Phil X .

He truly loves what he does, does it well, and that's really what it's all about, anyway.. :rockin

[jackbart1960]

He truly loves what he does, does it well, and that's really what it's all about, anyway.. :rockin

If we could be half as lucky and talented. Peace.J.J.B.

[rmj254]

What bands has Phil X played a major role in? I listened to a band once that he was in (Powder, I think?), but his leads weren't showcased much if I remember correctly. Any other bands that show his playing off like these videos do?

[Marc Roy]

Most guitar and amp demo are so boring I can hardly wait for them to end, but this guy brings them to life and is really entertaining.

Same here. I'd rather watch Phil with his screams and classic rock licks than some tight ass who just sits there explaining his gear and playing to a backing track.

[Ritualee]

What bands has Phil X played a major role in? I listened to a band once that he was in (Powder, I think?), but his leads weren't showcased much if I remember correctly. Any other bands that show his playing off like these videos do?

Well, I looked at his discography at philx.tv and he's played on the first Daughtry CD (every guitar bit except a Slash guest spot), he did CD's with Tommy Lee, He's on some Kelly Clarkson stuff, and yes it turns out he did ALL the main guitars on the Orianthi CD (not the solos) but... There's also a Rob Zombie, several Powder things, Andrew WK, an old Triumph record. Anyway, you can check it out if you like. If you listen close to the chorus on that Ornianthi single you can hear some of his cool tricks. He plays well on that rhythm track. I was surprised and impressed by his resume. I want some of that work!

Oh, and his band where you can really hear him play is called The Drills.

[rmj254]

Well, I looked at his discography at philx.tv and he's played on the first Daughtry CD (every guitar bit except a Slash guest spot), he did CD's with Tommy Lee, He's on some Kelly Clarkson stuff, and yes it turns out he did ALL the main guitars on the Orianthi CD (not the solos) but... There's also a Rob Zombie, several Powder things, Andrew WK, an old Triumph record. Anyway, you can check it out if you like. If you listen close to the chorus on that Ornianthi single you can hear some of his cool tricks. He plays well on that rhythm track. I was surprised and impressed by his resume. I want some of that work!

Oh, and his band where you can really hear him play is called The Drills.

Thanks! I really want to hear more of this guy's playing.

[Johnny LaRue]

I love the guy( and I say that with a strict history of hetrosexuality). Would love to hang out in that store with him with a case of brew all day and just jam and talk guitars.

[TuftySpoon]

His version of Frankenstein is excellent He even replicates the moogs bleeps and bloops.

[bkd_guitarist]

Great chops, funny guy, cool guitars. What's not to like? Long term his relentless energy might get a little overwhelming, but I thoroughly enjoy the video clips.

[aeolian]

Don't know what became of the other thread, but my wife has these NOW! compliations of pop music and I listened to the Orianthi song. For the life of me, I couldn't hear any Bozooki Tuning or anything of the like (although I now know what that is all over the White Album). If it's there, it's burried under layers of Sholtz multi-tracked guitars. Whether all those layered rhythm parts are Orianthi, Phil or any other session player, it's hardly the "heavy lifting" implied in the other thread's title. Producer manufactured pop song. It's entirely possible that some producer had all the tracks down and just brought her in to sing and toss solos on it. Anyone that thinks the pop world is any different is just stuck in That Thing You Do. How many Beach Boys records have any of the guys other that Brian Wilson playing on them? Hal Blaine, Glen Campbell, yep. Dennis Wilson, nope.

While it is not PC to rag on other players, I also don't think it's very PC for someone to come off like they are gods gift to the instrument. I get Greg Koch. He comes off as a goof with a repetoir of one liners. If I had a nickle for every rocker I've seen who comes off as "hey dude, I've got this thing totally wired, watch this...", I could afford that 53LP. To steal a quote from one of my favorite Deep Purple albums "I can't stand pretention, especially when it's based on limited talent". For all I know, Phil may be the second coming of Holdsworth, although he sounds more like Gary Moore to me. But if we're going to be all PC, that's not how you do it.

And I still think he has Funk 49 wrong.

[AdamCook]

How does he come off like he's god's gift to the instrument? He just seems like a goofy high energy guy who loves to talk about playing guitar.

With regards to the Orianthi song... SOMEBODY behind the scenes had to come up with the "Scholz multi-tracked guitars" and if that person was Phil X then more power to him. The song is impeccably produced and arranged and even though I hate the tune itself I can appreciate the effort done by the session guys behind the scenes.

Some people take guitar things way too seriously. I'll never understand why so many people post in threads just to complain.

[CyberFerret]

I woud love to just sit in when they are preparing to shoot the sequences for Fretted Americana. Mainly because I always wonder: Do they spend ages and ages trying to get the best tone out of the rig by fiddling with pedals, guitar and amp controls, or does Phil X simply pick up a vintage guitar, and because they are amazingly cool guitars, and he is an amazingly cool player, it all just sounds like heaven sent tone from the first note? :)

Seriously, I would kill to get some of the tones that he gets in these clips...

[Nathan]

Yeah I found this guy about 2 weeks ago and am impressed. I thought for sure he was on drugs but he claims not. I don't really care for his hyperactive rock dude thing, but imagine how great a teacher he would be for kids who are learning! Excellent chops.

[Ulysses]

I've seen nothing pretentious about Phil Xenidis. For me he serves as a reminder of why I fell in love with music as a kid and chose it as my career. Enthusiasm is the largest part of what makes playing music rewarding for everyone involved.

[Marc Roy]

How does he come off like he's god's gift to the instrument? He just seems like a goofy high energy guy who loves to talk about playing guitar.



I was asking myself the same thing. I've never heard Phil brag about his playing. Quite the contrary, he makes mistakes in those Fretted Americana videos and laughs about it. In my opinion, he's great with the classic rock licks whether they're played the right way or not. Has a good attitude too. I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there who think they're God's gift to music (I played with a drummer who had this problem), but Phil isn't one of them.

[aeolian]

I guess it's just perception. Having grown up in the classic rock era, what he's doing in that video is pretty much standard for anyone aspiring to be a journeyman rock guitarist (for instance, Mayer blows licks like that all the time but gets panned as a Berklee dropout who can't really play). But the "Let me show you how it's done" and "whoa, check that out" after ripping a rock pentatonic lick, just smell like typical rocker attitude to me. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but I've seen it so much that I don't have time to wade though everything to see if it's just a misperception. Greg Koch on the other hand, immediately shows breadth and command of the instrument far beyond standard rock licks that makes you see past the goofyness and bad puns and enjoy the whole bit for what it is.

These days, with so much out there, you need filters to separate out what you want to invest your time and attention to. There are lots of things that come up on these boards that invite research. Sorry, at this time in my life, another rocker dropping names and "I did this, I did that" just doesn't do it for me. YMMV.

[TubeStack]

He was a member of Frozen Ghost, as well.

[TubeStack]

Here's some pics from the brief Triumph stint:


http://www.rockandrollmachine.net/News___Info/Articles/Back_from_the_Edge/edge-group.jpg

http://www.rockandrollmachine.net/News___Info/Articles/Back_from_the_Edge/edge-phil.jpg

http://www.rockandrollmachine.net/News___Info/Articles/Back_from_the_Edge/edge-gil.jpg

http://www.rockandrollmachine.net/News___Info/Articles/Back_from_the_Edge/edge-mike.jpg

[Ritualee]

Aeolian, I certainly won't be arguing with you about this but I will tell you what I liked so much about Phil. First of all, I get a kick out of his personality so that probably immediately makes me more amenable to his playing. If you don't like the guy, you'll probably not want to hear him positively either. I have this relationship with one or two other good players who I think are jerks so I find things to not like about their playing.

Anyway, if you heard some other vids of Phil where he's playing his own guitar through his own rig you start to hear a lot of crazy sounds coming from god knows where. He has a big imagination and doesn't sound at all like a regular classic rock player. He's playing classic rock tunes, but that's about it. There's no whammy on his guitar but there are whammy sounds. He mimics the keys from Frankenstein REMARKABLY well. Now, that's just Frankenstein, yes but it gives you an indication of what he's capable of and you can infer how he might use that on his own. Plus, I like his picking technique. I like how that sounds and I think he has excellent control of it which is tough to do.

If you're missing the bazouki tuning in the Orianthi song, I think it's in the choruses except for the first one. You can definitely hear it and it's cool. It's mixed low, but it's cool. And it's innovative.

But if someone rubs you the wrong way then I understand that it's REALLY hard to find something to like in their playing. I'll admit to having the same feelings sometime. So if you're just not feeling Phil, then that's OK. I do think he's far more than a dime-a-dozen classic rock player.

[traviswalk]

He rocks, nuff said.

[joeybsyc]

hard not to dig this at least a little...

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[Tone_Terrific]

That Franky cover is really a cover and a half, maybe a double.
Those who pooh-pooh covers should look at how much work went into that.

[Marc Roy]

That Frankenstein cover is insane! I love listening to this guy.

[AndyZ]

It still amazes me what some people decide about someone they don't know. As a friend of Phil's for years, he's one of the friendliest, nicest, most humble players I know. While his personality on video is over the top, he's pretty down to earth off camera. He's probably one of the least braggart musicians I've encountered in years.

[aeolian]

Aeolian, I certainly won't be arguing with you about this but I will tell you what I liked so much about Phil. First of all, I get a kick out of his personality so that probably immediately makes me more amenable to his playing. If you don't like the guy, you'll probably not want to hear him positively either. I have this relationship with one or two other good players who I think are jerks so I find things to not like about their playing.

Anyway, if you heard some other vids of Phil where he's playing his own guitar through his own rig you start to hear a lot of crazy sounds coming from god knows where. He has a big imagination and doesn't sound at all like a regular classic rock player. He's playing classic rock tunes, but that's about it. There's no whammy on his guitar but there are whammy sounds. He mimics the keys from Frankenstein REMARKABLY well. Now, that's just Frankenstein, yes but it gives you an indication of what he's capable of and you can infer how he might use that on his own. Plus, I like his picking technique. I like how that sounds and I think he has excellent control of it which is tough to do.

If you're missing the bazouki tuning in the Orianthi song, I think it's in the choruses except for the first one. You can definitely hear it and it's cool. It's mixed low, but it's cool. And it's innovative.

But if someone rubs you the wrong way then I understand that it's REALLY hard to find something to like in their playing. I'll admit to having the same feelings sometime. So if you're just not feeling Phil, then that's OK. I do think he's far more than a dime-a-dozen classic rock player.

This is how to have a meaningful discussion and open people's ears to things they may not know about.

It still amazes me what some people decide about someone they don't know. As a friend of Phil's for years, he's one of the friendliest, nicest, most humble players I know. While his personality on video is over the top, he's pretty down to earth off camera. He's probably one of the least braggart musicians I've encountered in years.

This on the other hand is not.

The sequenced keyboard arps in Frankenstein were cool. Guy is definitely a solid player who spends a lot of time with the instrument in his hands. It takes some playing around with the instrument to work out stunts too. I once got a giggle out of Red Suede while we were playing ELP's In The Beginning as I similarly detuned the low E and was pushing between the bridge and tailpiece of my 335 making the big glissando synth sounds at the end of that song. It's like the high G on the neck pickup screw of a standard Gibson. All kinds of ways to make funny musical noises with the guitar if you think about it and fiddle around a bit. And after 40 years of picking them up here and there, I guess it would have to be something pretty remarkable to make me go Wow!

[Marc Roy]

It still amazes me what some people decide about someone they don't know. As a friend of Phil's for years, he's one of the friendliest, nicest, most humble players I know. While his personality on video is over the top, he's pretty down to earth off camera. He's probably one of the least braggart musicians I've encountered in years.

I've got a friend out in the Toronto area who knows Phil from way back. Says the same thing. Just a regular guy who loves playing guitar and is lucky enough to make a good living from it.

[pekip]

Great showman and player

[ToneBrokerBill]

Like anyone with a personality, some people love him, some not. That's a risk you take when you're not bland.

I get a huge kick out of his videos (although I typically need to a periodic break from them.) Behind the on-camera goofiness, there is a lot of knowledge, experience, and some serious chops.

My only request is that he tailor what he plays to the guitar a bit more. Playing heavy metal on a vintage Gretsch, for example, is not helping to sell that guitar. All told, however, that is a minor point, and I love Phil X.

[tele_phil]

Having worked with so many people over the years who take no joy in what they do it is refreshing to watch someone like Phil X having a blast, even when he screws up. If you can't have fun doing your job you should be looking for another line of work.

[Devnor]

He's entertaining & a great player. Man I wish I had his energy.

[sshan25]

Well, all I can say is he's a hell of a lot better player than I'll ever be and I would imagine he'd be a hell of a lot more fun to listen to and hang out with than some of the snobs above who have derided him. Keep on rockin' Phil.

[pickaguitar]

hard not to dig this at least a little...

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That was great!

[Marc Roy]

Having worked with so many people over the years who take no joy in what they do it is refreshing to watch someone like Phil X having a blast, even when he screws up. If you can't have fun doing your job you should be looking for another line of work.

It's hilarious when he screws up because he laughs about it himself. There's one video where he's just playing and singing something, then all of a sudden "I dropped my pick!", then keeps going. Once I start watching those vids, I can't stop. He's definitely got the feel down for the stuff he's playing in those videos too.

[Loni Specter]

Phil's band THE DRILLS played at the LA AMP SHOW a few years ago. He's a super nice guy and great showman. He gets super pumped up for a show. Just adrenaline flowing. You can feel his energy in the room. He is what rock is all about for me.