The following is an interview originally conducted on www.TheWallBreakers.com with New Age composer and pianist Philip Wesley shortly before he released his seventh full-length LP Transcendence and embarked on a national tour. You can also read the interview here.
We're bringing back Our interview series! In Vol. 15, we sit down with Philip Wesley, a solo piano artist who releases his music independently. His music has been featured in radio, TV, film and print. It can be found on many of today’s most popular platforms including Pandora, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby. His music continues to dominate the genre of New Age music and has reached #1 on the iTunes charts, The Top 100 on Amazon, Best Seller at CD Baby, and most recently #12 on the Billboard Charts (New Age Catalog Chart), charting with The Piano Guys and Jim Brickman. The music reviewer Reviews New Age recently called Philip’s album Dark Night of the Soul one of the “50 Greatest New Age Albums of All Time.”
I discovered Philip's music through Pandora and was immediately taken by it. I've been listening to his piano compositions for some time, and reached out to Philip for an interview. He was happy to answer some of my questions. He's very approachable and offered many insights into how he became a pianist and why he composes the kind of piano music he does. Take a look at our interview with Philip below, as well as some of his wonderful compositions. Also, be sure to subscribe to Philip's mailing list at philipwesley.com to be kept informed of his upcoming fall tour and other news and notes.
WB: You mention that you were born and raised to be an athlete. What sports did you play? Even though you're now an accomplished pianist do you still enjoy sports, or were your experiences with sports as a child forced upon you, and so now as an adult you have no emotional connection with them?
PW: I played soccer from ages 6 - 13 and football from 13 - 16. I don't play sports anymore, but nothing was ever forced. My family was always supportive of my extracurricular activities. Injuries forced me to take on something less physical and that was music
WB: What drew you to the piano? Do you remember some of your earliest experiences with music and/or with the piano. You mentioned that you figured out at twenty that you wanted to be a pianist. Did you play an instrument growing up? When did you first learn the piano and what were some of those early moments like? Did the sound come naturally to you? I'm not a musician, although I'm an artist in many other ways and, I noticed that I don't hear a guitar well (and string instruments in general - except for the bass) when in symphony with other instruments, but I can pick out individual notes from brass instruments and the piano very audibly. Do you have similar experiences?
PW: I began playing guitar regularly at sixteen and eventually moved to the piano at twenty while in college. I always loved music as a kid but it never dawned on me to play an instrument until later in life. I was in college and heard the music of other modern composers and was instantly captivated by it. It was like magic! Something clicked and I just new it was for me.
WB: Do you classify yourself as a "New Age pianist." As an artist, graphic designer, painter, etc... I don't really classify myself as anything, other people tend to do that. How do you perceive yourself as a recording artist. Do you feel as though you fit into a genre? I know someone like George Winston finds inspiration from nature, the seasons, and growing up in a wide-open part of the country. Are you a city boy or a country boy? What are some of the composers from both past times and modern that you look towards for inspiration or enjoy? What other genres of music do you find yourself often listening to?
PW: The music industry classifies my music as New Age. I just see my music as my music. It's modern solo piano. I grew up in the suburbs and I tend to write about life experiences. My music is very autobiographical, especially lately. I listen to all kinds of music... rock, pop, blues, etc. In the early years I used to listen to Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson. Later it was David Lanz, Yanni, Jim Chappel, and Suzanne Ciani.
WB: What were your experiences like recording your 2002 first album, Finding Solace? Was this the first time you were in a recording studio as the lead artist? How long did it take you to complete the recording of that album? What were some of your inspirations for that album?
PW: Finding Solace was recorded in 4 hours. I had been sitting on the music for years and the recording process was rather naive to me. I thought "oh i'll just make an album." I had no expectations other than creating something and putting it out there. It was a very nature inspired album, and it was a collection of songs I began writing in college.
WB: On your second LP, In a Lifetime, you include both "Comfort & Joy" and "Greensleeves." Your following album was Comfort & Joy, your Christmas album. I happen to be a Christmas junkie! I can never get enough of the holidays or holiday music (it's how I first discovered you a few years ago). What were some of the reasons you decided to record a full-length Christmas album. Not everyone cares all that much about the holiday season. How do the holidays resonate with you?
PW: Those songs on In a lifetime were a bit of a hint of things to come, since I knew I wanted to release a christmas album next. I always liked Christmas music and had been playing my own Christmas arrangements for years, so I decided I would release my versions. Holidays were magical as a kid, but never the same after my grandmother passed away. I do now have my own traditions as an adult.
WB: Dark Night of the Soul is such a departure from your previous work. It also came four years after your last non-Christmas LP. Were there things that happened in your life between 2004 and 2008 that greatly contributed to the, as you say, "allegory for a journey through darkness, coming into the light and a new day." I consider this album a compositional masterpiece, and I'm not just blowing smoke. It's emotionally moving in ways that make me continue to come back to it time and time again. It builds strength in the soul as you listen to it. It's also such a solitary grouping of music. I think it's the kind of listening journey one must experience on their own. Do you agree? How do you feel six years later if and when you go back and listen to it?
PW: Dark Night is definitely my most popular album. Again I had no expectations, so when it took off and became as popular as it did I was pleasantly surprised. I'm humbled and grateful that so many people love this album and how it has changed their life in such positive ways. It was written in a very dark time in my life. I went through a painful divorce, major life changes, and uncertainty in my life. The music is a reflection of that. It is also about God's great love for us, and that he never forsakes us even in the darkest of times.
WB: The personal growth you've experienced it quite evident in Hope Endures. I love this. You begin with "The Unknown." Often times life is very much an unknown, but you do need to leave the darkness in your heart behind in order to continue to grow and be a happy person. What things in your life were driving you between 2008 and 2012? Why close with "America The Beautiful?"
PW: Hope Endures picks up where Dark Night of the Soul left off and continues telling the story. This album is more about the flip side of that darkness: Walking in faith, hope, love and gratitude. My life got back on track and had hope and optimism again. "America the Beautiful" speaks to me as being an important part of the album because of the great opportunity that this country provides people. If there is any country where hope can endure, it's this one. You hear positive stories from people that come to this country broke and make a good life for themselves all the time. This country has a lot of problems, but it also has potential, and is the home to so many good people, and so many creative and innovative people. It's why I believe that if there was any place where hope can endure it's here.
WB: What's next for Philip Wesley? I know that you've recently been in the studio recording new music. Do you still feel the same excitement now to record as you did in 2002? Do you ever see yourself going on a large tour to promote any of your music?
PW: I'm working on a new album to be released in the fall. To be honest the recording process is tedious. Composing is more fun than recording. My process for recording takes longer as the years go by because I'm a lot more picky when it comes to the takes. I try to make them perfect or as close to perfect as possible. It's taken me 8 hours to record 15 minutes of music. I'll be touring this fall for about 3 weeks. I did a similar tour last year. Touring is expensive because of all the travel costs involved. Also because not enough people are subscribed to my mailing list! I can't promote a tour to people that's don't know me, and I can't promote to my fans unless I have a way to contact them. That's why it's important to be subscribed to my mailing list at philipwesley.com I rely on my mailing lists to show me where my fans are and I play those areas where I have lots of fans!
