Today we’d like to introduce you to Phil Hurley.
Hi Phil, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started singing in bands with my older brother when I was eight years old. By the time I finished high school, we had blossomed into a good original band called Gigolo Aunts. We moved from our hometown of Potsdam, NY, to Boston, MA, and as fate would have it, on our first show in New York City, we got a record deal with a small independent label. That grew into a major label deal with RCA Records. We could tour worldwide, performing on shows like Conan O’Brien and MTV. After a decade of playing in that group, I continued to tour and record with other artists like Tracy Bonham, Fountains of Wayne, Lisa Loeb, and more. While living in Los Angeles, I founded an excellent harmony singing band called Stonehoney that quickly got a record deal. Our label wanted us to relocate to Nashville. We agree, but fate again stepped in with an amazing Austin, TX, visit. We did time in Nashville but relocated to Austin as quickly as possible. Austin was fertile soil for me. When Stonehoney split, I went to work playing lead guitar for the legendary Texas singer/songwriter Jimmy LaFave, touring nationally and internationally. I also helped form the Texas supergroup The South Austin Moonlighters, with whom I made four records and played thousands of shows. The isolation of the pandemic convinced me to start my own group. I released an Ep called “The Firebird Sessions” in the summer of 2022, and it did very well for me, getting picked up by many radio stations from coast to coast and spending more than three months on the national Americana charts. I have a new Ep recorded. It needs to be mixed still. But I’d like to have it out in the next few months.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
So many ups and downs. The hardest part I’ve found is finding others, like managers and booking agents, who are willing to work as hard as we musicians have. Broken hearts, broken promises, broken dreams. Shitty gigs, crappy hotels, bad meals, long days of travel. We put up with these things for the joy of that one hour on stage.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I was known for years as a lead guitar player and a musical spark plug on stage. I brought energy and enthusiasm. I’ve been honored to have many friends tell me my generosity on stage has encouraged them to bring out their best. I’ve always seen music as communication and cooperation, not competition. In the past few years, I’ve taken large strides in my songwriting and my ability to front a band. Being the leader is a whole new skill set. Not only the engagement with an audience, but now I’m a booking agent, accountant, social media director, soundman, and more. Wearing this many hats is new to me, and it gives me so much more respect for the guys I have played with in the past who took on these roles. Additionally, I’ve stepped up my game as a recording engineer. I’m still amateurish. But I’ve learned enough to get great ideas down with good tones, plus how to send and receive tracks properly. I’m smart enough to let the real pros take it from there. I recorded all of my Ep “The Firebird Sessions” myself. And I learned a lot from it. I recorded the new one on all my gear, which will be even better.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Sure. First, I am incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful partner. My gal Carrie and I were supposed to get married just as everything shut down. I can’t imagine what I would have done without her friendship and support. To stay creative, I wrote many new songs during our quarantine. It forced me to become a better audio engineer. I also started doing a weekly video broadcast to keep my juices flowing and make a little bit of income. Each week I challenged myself to play a unique set and to up my game as far as the quality of both my audio and video feed. It was gratifying. All of this gave me the confidence to step away from a group I had been in for ten years and take the chance to start my group under my name for the first time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.philhurleymusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhurleymusician/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philhurleymusicpage
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo5S97Hs8ecUv9zeeqgt86Q
- Other: https://philhurley.bandcamp.com/
