Brand New CD-"Home to Me" Thanks to everyone that helped make it possible!
PLAYERS
Phil Minissale - guitar & vocals
------Featuring------
Ken Korb - harmonica
---and also featuring---
Abbie Gardner - dobro
Mike DiGeronimo - drums
DOWNLOAD PHIL'S MUSIC at:
CONTACT or BOOK Phil at: minissalemusic@yahoo.com
Acoustic LI- St. James, NY w/Ken "The Rocket" Korb
"Blues Boy"-Towne Crier- Pawling, NY w/Fred Gillen Jr.
Me- Guitar/Lap Steel/Harmonica/bit of piano
Influences
Dave van Ronk, Bob Dylan, John Hammond, Keb Mo, Chris Smither, Canned Heat, Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, Son House, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Mississippi Sheiks, Bhukka White, Charlie Patton, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Blake, Blind Willie Johnson, Elmore James, Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King..... and many more...
Sounds Like
The Ressurection of the Piedmont Blues...
Phil Minissale, Home To Me
"Phil Minissale is a young acoustic bluesman from Long Island, NY who's been rapidly ascending the ladder of recognition, and with good reason. Though his youthful voice hasn't acquired the gravitas we associate with traditional blues, these eleven songs are loaded with down-home honesty.
Minissale respects the traditions but writes his own songs. He tickles the guitar with assurance but without excess flash or flab, and happily offers the spotlight to his guest musicians, notably Ken Korb on harmonica and Red Molly's Abbie Gardner on dobro.
His approach to blues guitar traditions is reverent, but not so careful and precious that it sounds academic, as can sometimes happen with students of blues guitar. Finally, lest anyone claim that country blues is a game for the grizzled, let's not forget that Robert Johnson never made it past age 27.
Securely recommended for fans of traditional blues and folk."
-Jon Sobel, “Soul of the Blues”-
Catch Phil's Music on the Following Radio Shows:
WFUV 90.7 "City Folk Sunday Breakfast" w/ John Platt -- New York, NY
WGBH 89.7 "Blues on WGBH" w/ Brendan Hogan--Boston, MA WBFO 88.7 w/Jim Santella -- Amherst, NY WUSB 90.1 "The Blues Show" w/ Sam Taylor -- Stony Brook, NY WUSB 90.1 "Sunday Sreet" w/Charlie Backfish -- Stony Brook, NY WUSB 90.1 "Local Live" w/ Bill Frey --Stony Brook, NY WVOF 88.5 "The Upper Room" w/ Joe Kelly & Gi Dussault -- Fairfield, CT WRCN 103.9 "Graveyard Blues" w/ Jerry Schaefer -- Medford, NY WFTU 1570 AM Five Towns College, Huntington, NY KDVS 90.3 "Front Porch Blues" w/ J.D. Esquire & Angel Child -- Davis, CA WVKR 91.3 "Thin Air" w/ Jay Spica -- Poughkeepsie, NY
WUSB 90.1 "Local Insomniac" w/Rich H. -- Stony Brook, NY
MOJO STATION 88.9 "Radio Citta' Aperta" w/Gianluca Diana-- Rome, Italy
WMIR 100.9 "The Indie Revolution" w/ Joann Gullo/Scott Kuchler--NY WVBR 93.5 "Nonesuch" Music in the Folk Tradition w/Tracey Craig --Ithaca, NY Heritage FM 107.3 "Cruizin fora Bluezin" w/ Jayme --Perth, Austrailia WYEP 91.3 "An American Sampler" w/ Ken Batista --Pittsburgh, PA WRUR 88.5 "A Variety of Folk" w/ Ray Baumler --Rochester, NY WRKF 89.3 "Hootenanny Power" w/ Taylor Caffery --Baton Rouge, LA CHES 101.5 "Acoustic Planet" w/ Steve Clarke --St. Erin, ON, CAN CKUT 90.3 "Folk Directions" w/ Gerry Goodfriend --Montreal, CAN WXOU 88.3 "Old Front Porch Radio Show" w/ Maggie Furgerson --Auburn Hills, MI Com. Radio 2air "Grassroots" w/ Jenny Flux, Toormina, NSW, AU KXCI 91.3 "Simple Folk" w/Henry Hallett --Tucson, AZ Blue Smoke"Town and Country Radio Show" w/ Eddie O'Strange --Belmont, NZ Folk on Sunday w/ Mitch Park --Hastings, NZ 2hhh 100.1 "Northside Folk" w/ Barry Parks --Ryde, NSW, AU CJTR 91.3 "Regina's Mighty Shores" w/ Brenda and Roman --Regina, CAN 2MaxFM "The Danny Watson Folk Radio Show" --Maules Creek, NSW, AU KGNU "Restless Mornings" w/ Roger Wise --Boulder, CO CKLN 88.1 "Acoustic Routes" w/ Joel Wortzman --Toronto, ON, CAN
License this music for commercial use through Pump Audio
"2008 NORTHEAST REGIONAL FOLK ALLIANCE TRICENTRIC SHOWCASE PERFORMER !"
"Add some hiss and crackle to the latest record from Stony Brook's Phil Minissale and it would sound like it had been recorded in a Mississippi delta juke joint sometime in the late 50s or early 60s. 'Home to Me' is rootsy with a capital R. Minissale's voice has authentic, gritty character and the instrumentation is solely acoustic." --Michael Isenbek-- WEHM's New Release Tuesdays, LI Pulse Magazine, October 2008
click the images for details
"You're sounding good, kid. I like that 'Just Getting Started' piece. Reminds me of the good old days in NYC back in 1964." --Billy Cross--
"Gotcher CD this week n truly enjoyin it. Feels like theres much more to you then this li'l sweet baby.!!?... I'm playing it (already) on me Blues Radio Programs in West Australia." --Jayme--107.3 Heritage FM- "Cruizin' fora Bluezin'"
“It’s not that someone chooses to play the Blues, rather, the Blues chooses who will play it. The Blues has chosen Phil Minissale as its next torch carrier, and in that regard, has made a wise decision. Phil has what it takes, and will be someone to watch for in the near future. My hat’s off to him.” -–Little Toby Walker–-
"I hear a lot of people tryin' to do this music, but few coming across with it. (He's) doing it no doubt."
--David Mowry of Beaucoup Blue--
“It does my heart good to see a young man, like Phil Minissale, playing the blues and doing it well! He’s walking in the footsteps of folks like Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Blake…with an old Gibson strapped to his back! Phil’s got the heart and soul of an ‘old bluesman’ along with the drive and enthusiasm of a young musician just starting out! I’ve got the feeling this kid’s going places…and thankfully he’s taking us along for the ride.”
--Jerry Schaefer, "Graveyard Blues" on Long Island’s 103.9WRCN--
Influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan, Toby Walker, John Hammond, and Chris Smither, Phil is on a crusade to introduce the Blues to younger audiences. "Cats my age know nothing about roots music, and that's a shame."
Although Phil is Long Island born, he grew up in the Brandywine Valley of Eastern Pennsylvania. In September 2006, Phil returned to the area and now lives in Stony Brook, New York. "It's nice to be back around my extended family. It's like coming home to my own roots."
In just a few short months, Phil has become a crowd favorite at folk societies, festivals and coffee houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states. His fingerstyle guitar playing and instincts for finding new melodies are far beyond his years.
Recent gigs include: Huntington Folk Festival, Riverhead Blues Festival, Budgiedome and Acoustic Live @FRFF, Eclectic Cafe, University Cafe, Cornelia Street Cafe (Soul of the Blues Series), Grounds and Sounds Cafe, The Hard Luck Cafe, Cedar Beach Blues Festival, and Steel City Cafe.
Major "congratulations" from the "Brick Wall" here, on your recent acceptance as a 2008 NERFA Tricentric Showcase Performer. This is wonderful. I have always known your talent would and will continue to take you very far in your music career. I will update your accomplishment on the "Brick Wall"
Hi Phil, finally got around to listening to you - and I really like your tunes, your work, and your style. And your gig schedule is an inspiration. I'll be stopping by more often. All the best Zelda
I have a hazy memory of sitting under a tent with you and a group of folks at Falcon Ridge 2 years ago. It was 3am, I was playing my little rubber string bass and every song just seemed to sound even sweeter than the one before it. Man that was fun!
