I'm Scott Phillips, and I've been making music in Raleigh, North Carolina for 25 years. My singer-songwriter project is called The Monologue Bombs. As an unsigned artist (day job: teaching 3rd grade :)), the support of the North Carolina music community has meant the world to me. I have been so fortunate to play and connect with so many creative and gifted people through the years. Now I have a batch of songs that I truly feel reflect the best of my writing and singing. I'd be grateful to be able bring a bunch of these folks together in the musical sandbox and make something special. I am so humbled to have found this far-flung assemblage of super-talented area musicians, happy to journey with me and bring these songs to glorious life. You can be part of the journey, too.
While writing this batch of songs, it became clear to me that the album divides nicely into two thematic halves--the "Orchard Side" being about coming of age in suburban Cleveland; the "Reaves Side" focusing on moving to Raleigh and the more late-period coming of age that followed. I've decided to accentuate the duality by recording the halves in two different places, with two different sets of personnel. Luckily, I've made a lot of musical friends that I respect and admire in the community to help me out! To wit:
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The Orchard Side will be recorded at The Shed here in Raleigh with Matt Douglas (The Mountain Goats). Confirmed guests include John Teer (Chatham County Line), Skylar Gudasz , David Mueller (Birds Of Avalon), Reid Johnson (Sun Studies), Anne-Claire , Rachel Kiel , Anne Polesnak, Greg Eyman (GNØER), and Chip Crell.
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The Reaves Side will be recorded at Dark Pines Studios in Graham NC, with a production team of Greg Elkins (Pershing Hill Sound) and Ryan Johnson (Silkworm Sound). The core band will consist of Jesse Huebner (Maldora , Console Command) on guitar; Christopher Scully-Thurston on stand-up bass; Matt Vooris on percussion; and myself. (I sing and play piano & accordion & guitar, by the way. :)) Confirmed guests for the Reaves Side include Kate Rhudy, Dan Phillips (Zapruder Point), Reese McHenry, Nathan Golub, Caitlin Cary (Tres Chicas), Andy Kerr, Caroline Mamoulides (Pinto), David Morris, and Chip Crell (again!).
Recording for the Orchard Side is booked for the first week of October 2019. Then rehearsals for the Reaves Side will begin in earnest, with recording most likely in January or February. After that, the album will be mixed & mastered at Pershing Hill. Artwork will be created by Skillet Gilmore (Crawlspace Press). The street date will be in Spring or Summer 2020.
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Here's a breakdown of where your contributions go:
- Studio Time
- We're using three studios over the course of at least 11 days.
- Musician Pay
- There are gonna be 22 musicians and singers helping me out! Holy cow! This project will help me give back to the artistry of so many folks who support and inspire me.
- Rehearsal Space
- Me and the core band for the Reaves Side have got to be "tight like Rush" before we step into the studio proper. We're hoping to have some of the guests sit in ahead of time, too. Gotta pay for the space.
- Producer/Engineer Pay
- Three very accomplished folks handling all the technical aspects of recording that I don't understand like "faders" and "microphones."
- Rescheduled Overdubs
- At least two of the guests for the Reaves Side will not be able to do their parts live with us, maybe a couple more, depending on scheduling.
- Mixing & Mastering
- Artwork
- Indie Go Go Platform Fee
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And now the good part--the perks! Check that section for details, but here's what's on offer:
- The new album, Orchard & Reaves, of course
- A collection of older Monologue Bombs tracks
- Prints of the album artwork by Skillet Gilmore
- A way-behind-the-scenes Little Raleigh Radio interview about the making of the album
- A nerdy podcast episode from my twin brother & I (you pick the topic) :)
- An exclusive cover song of your choosing
- A custom-made original song--not mentioned in the video, but an available perk nonetheless!
- A private solo house show
I have been so fortunate to be a part of this vibrant North Carolina music community. I see this album as a chance to bring some of that community together and make something really extraordinary. Please consider backing us and coming along with us. Thank you so much!
