Wicked Wisdom Interview

The Gauntlet: What's been going on?

Phillip: Traveling, a lot of traveling.

The Gauntlet: How has the Sevendust tour been?

Phillip: They are like family. They are good folks.

The Gauntlet: Are you a Sevendust fan?

Phillip: Definitely. I have known them for a long time and watched their career change.

The Gauntlet: Being a music veteran, do you notice a lot of bands that were influenced by your old band Fishbone? Sevendust have a little of that funky sound going.

Phillip: You know, I haven't really asked them who their influences are. Me and Morgan talk about where we have crossed paths in the past. There is a lot of mutual influence there. I can't take all that credit. There are a lot of good bands.

The Gauntlet: Fishbone were famous for their live shows. Do you bring that same energy to Wicked Wisdom?

Phillip: Absolutely. I am able to do me, and that's just how I do it all the time. I bring it on stage and give it my all. Take it or leave it, I bring it on stage.

The Gauntlet: You have been in many different bands with different styles over the years. You played with Fishbone, Justin Timberlake, and now Wicked Wisdom.

Phillip: You know, fortunately for me I grew up in Fishbone where I was able to play a lot of different styles of music. Doing that for the length of time I did Fishbone just really got me versed in those styles. Over the years I have traveled with the the English Beat, Les Claypool and the Frog Brigade. There are so many bands, I can't really name them all. Some underground, some pop, some old-school. From Reggae to you name it. One thing I have been fortunate with was I always got to play my way. Even with Justin Timberlake. He let me play the way I play. I have a double bass drum, solos. He let me do me. He called me and asked if I could do me on his shit. For me, the transitions aren't really difficult. I love music. If I got asked to do Reba McEntire, I would have done it. Those transitions are particularly difficult as I play music all over the world. My plan as a child was to adapt.

The Gauntlet: Do you have any drum solos on the Wicked Wisdom show?

Phillip: There are some moments to show off. No real solos, but I have some moments.

The Gauntlet: What music has influenced your playing?

Phillip: It's all over: classical, funk, ska, big band, country, rock, whatever. From the garage bands to the biggest bands.

The Gauntlet: Wicked Wisdom's self-titled album is out now. How has fan reaction been?

Phillip: It's been growing. Trying to make the best music possible, people migrate towards it. People are coming up to us giving us a lot of positive feedback. It's been really amazing. I have been fortunate to do a lot of projects from the beginning. We had a lot of the negative speculation turn positive and it's a beautiful thing.

The Gauntlet: Finally putting the album out solidifies the band is real.

Phillip: Probably more than anything, it's nice to see people walking through the parking lot and saying 'hey, nice show last night'. People have been driving from state to state. There is a lot of love. We do a lot of handshaking in restaurants while we are eating food. It's nice.

The Gauntlet: What do you hope fans take away from listening to the album?

Phillip: There is a lot of content in the record from the lyrics to the music. I really hope that people get it and feel the passion that went into it and really grasp the messages in the songs. There is some tough subject matter in the songs.

The Gauntlet: Wicked Wisdom was already a band before you joined. What was it that finally got you to join?

Phillip: I had seen a lot of change. I had watched the band for a little over three years. I watched the band grow. At one point I went to a show. These guys were already my friends. I went to a show and I could see the growth and I saw the seriousness and commitment to what they were putting out. I had some time off and Pocket, Rio and I were already talking. I decided to just see if they wanted my assistance, my help. They said 'yeah' basically. I saw what was going on with them. Pocket was talking to me about playing harder and heavier music with a lot more precision with the parts and I was up for that. I was looking for somebody that wanted me to play all out and challenge me.

The Gauntlet: Talking to Jada a few minutes ago, she gave me a different version.

Phillip: Ok [laughs]

The Gauntlet: Jada said you walked up to the band, said 'you guys need me' and she replied 'yes we do'.

Phillip: [laughs] It wasn't quite like that, but I did kind of walk into their spot to meet Pocket and looked around and kinda said 'you guys can use me here'. They had a drummer that wasn't going to take things where Pocket wanted to go. I knew I could do that much for them.

The Gauntlet: Is it difficult being an accomplished musician and being in a band with Jada who is going to be more in the spotlight?

Phillip: No, not at all. It's very positive. At the end of the day, everything is about Wicked Wisdom. She's established her celebrity in a different medium, but she is a celbrity. It's to be expected. We just take it all in stride. We are all in Wicked Wisdom and that's what she's about.

The Gauntlet: The video for 'Something Inside of Me' is coming out soon. Any airplay expected?

Phillip: It will be on FUSE. I think our next song might be getting on Headbangers Ball. I hope so.

The Gauntlet: The band has done a lot of high profile shows, Letterman, Carson Daily, Ozzfest, etc

Phillip: Yeah, a lot of people have been checking out the Ozzfest DVD, the anniversary DVD. They really like what we did on there.

The Gauntlet: Any plans after this tour?

Phillip: We are going to go work on some more music and make some summer plans. Hopefully we will do some more shows with Sevendust. There is such a good vibe with all of us together.

The Gauntlet: What bands would you like to tour with?

Phillip: I would love to go out with Mastodon, Candiria, Killswitch Engage, and A Dozen Furies. My dream would be a tour with Meshuggah and Slipknot. I can just keep naming bands. There are a lot of good ones out there. Bands like Crowbar and BLS also.

The Gauntlet: My last question for you is why shouldn't you smell your hand after you wipe?

Phillip: [laughs] My Brother!!! That can lead to some other fetishes that might make you sick. [laughs] You never know what you are gonna get.

The Gauntlet: Jada helped me write that question for you.

Phillip: Yeah [laughs] I wasn't expecting that. I like that though, that was a good one.