Rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Philip Sayce has delivered a sonic attack with the release of his new single, “Oh! That Bitches Brew.” The blistering track is released on Friday 29th September and is available on all streaming services HERE.
“Oh! That Bitches Brew” is Philip’s first new music in three years. This is the first of a slew of activities for Philip in 2023, including tour dates and more new music. Released on Sayce’s label, Atomic Gemini, with exclusive license to Forty Below Records. “Oh! That Bitches Brew” is also the first single from Philip’s highly anticipated new album, “The Wolves Are Coming,” released February 23rd, 2024.
The album is available to pre-order HERE.
Philip’s new album is more powerful, unique, and brash than anything he has written or recorded to date. “These songs and stories came into focus during my darkest times,” says Philip. “The Wolves Are Coming” represents a bridge — a connection between despair and hope — that invites broken spirits to be transformed and healed.”
“The Wolves Are Coming” follows the album “Spirit Rising” which has over 13 million streams to date. It is a career highlight, exemplifying Sayce’s commitment to his craft and using the power of music as a uniting force to welcome in the light during incredibly turbulent times.
On the new album, songs like “Oh! That Bitches Brew” and “Backstabber” hit like hurricanes, while “Lady Love Divine” explores the light in contrast to darkness with an uplifting, foot-stomping, funk groove that delivers hooks in all the right places. Ballads like “It’s Over Now” and the magical instrumental “Intuition” round out Sayce’s signature fuzz tones and sledgehammer mountain-sized drum grooves with delicate, intimate, and dynamic performances.
The bold and brash performance on “Oh! That Bitches Brew” turns out to be a musical interpretation of a memory that came flooding back to Philip one day.
“The song came together quite quickly one evening,” recalls Philip. “I was sitting on the couch and started playing the riff that became the song’s main riff. I dug it and thought, ‘What am I going to say about this? Oh, I know, I remember that time someone gave me a drink at a party called “The Bitches Brew”, and it totally fucked me up.’ And that’s what the song became. It came together in about ten minutes.”
Produced by Philip at Station House Studio in Los Angeles, the track, engineered by GRAMMY award winner Mark Rains (Rival Sons, Shooter Jennings, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club), mixed by Brian Moncarz (Fantastic Negrito, Alice Cooper, Ian Moore), and mastered by Brian Lucey (Lizzo, The Black Keys, Michael Bublé) features Michael Leasure (Walter Trout, Edgar Winter) on drums, with Philip providing the guitars, bass, and vocals.
From a young age Sayce began touring internationally, first with Jeff Healey’s band, performing at the world’s most prestigious festivals. Shortly after, Sayce began recording and touring for four years with musical icon Melissa Etheridge, including performances at The Oscars and The Grammys, before launching a solo career and establishing a rabid fan base in Europe and beyond, opening shows for the likes of ZZ Top and Deep Purple. Sayce is a rare artist, a combination of outstanding songwriter, unparalleled guitarist, soulful singer, and electrifying performer.
In April 2020, Philip released Spirit Rising, his seventh full-length album. The timing couldn’t have been worse. The release coincided with the reality that the Covid pandemic was going to take its toll on the concert tour business and seriously limit promotional appearances that would traditionally follow the release of a new album. Undaunted, Philip turned to Instagram and built on the relationship with his fans. He began posting daily videos that showcased his explosive and emotive playing, increasing his following by over 300%, and without touring, promotional visits, or radio play, Spirit Rising has eclipsed 13 million streams on Spotify alone – a remarkable feat for any independent blues rock artist.
Born in Wales and raised in Toronto, Canada, Philip’s love of the guitar started at an early age when his parents introduced him to all of the greats, notably Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins, Albert King, Freddie King, Jeff Beck, and Jeff Healey. As a teen guitar phenom, Philip was plucked from the Toronto blues scene by the legendary Jeff Healey, who took the young guitarist under his wing and showed him the ropes, touring the world and recording as a member of Healey’s band.
In the early 2000s, a move to LA landed Philip a gig with Melissa Etheridge, which included numerous recording contributions, including the Oscar-winning “I Need To Wake Up”. While Philip’s time with Melissa Etheridge was jammed with touring, recording, and television appearances, he was able to find some time to get himself in the studio to record his first solo album, Peace Machine. Buoyed by guitar fans’ response to the album, Philip turned his attention to his full-time solo artist career, and subsequent releases garnered high praise in both the blues, rock, and guitar worlds. He has since released six studio albums as well as the incendiary live Scorched Earth, Vol. 1.
Philip Sayce has a full schedule of tour dates on the calendar through the rest of 2023, including a number of North American dates and a long-overdue and eagerly anticipated return to the UK and Europe. Joining Philip on the road are drummer Bryan Head (Roger Hodgson, Foreigner) and bassist Sam Bolle (Agent Orange, Donavon Frankenreiter), both of whom have played live dates with Philip for the past few years after having cut their teeth together as Dick Dale’s rhythm section.
https://www.thegigcartel.com/Artists-profiles/Philip-Sayce.htm
