Sonny Boy Mick

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Melody Man plays The Harp





By: Mike Beggs

June 24, 2008 02:26 PM -
Melody Man.
That’s the name of the teaching/recording studio owned by Burlington singer/guitarist Steve McPhail, a.k.a. Sonny Boy Mick.
It would also serve as a pretty good indicator of what’s on his new CD, Peace, Love and Sonny Boy.
He and bandmates Tom Lewis (bass) and Owen Durkin (drums) will air it at The Harp, this Friday and Saturday.
The wide-ranging disc reflects McPhail’s involvement in various bands over the past 15 years – Pepper Kat, Dizzy Bites, the hard alternative Fall From Grace, and the acoustic-oriented pop of Sonny Boy Mick. But the common denominators are his strong vocals and a feel-good vibe that wouldn’t be a million miles away from Jack Johnson’s folk-meets-reggae stylings.
“I think that has evolved from the fact I’ve done a lot of acoustic shows with Sonny Boy Mick,” McPhail says. “It comes down to a nice melody and chord structures. I think that has rubbed off. You’re always stripping the songs down, and it’s about the melody after a while.”
He co-produced the disc at his studio; he considers it “a good melting pot” of songs, reflecting influences as broad as The Beatles, Oasis, Prince and Buddy Holly, topped off with cool sonics and sound effects.
“It was a year’s project. I think I’ve just grown as a writer,” he adds. “The songs are a lot more personal. They have meaning to me.”
Lewis agrees it’s an indie record that sort of has it all.
“Steve’s so versatile and so good, he can make anything he sinks his teeth into sound aesthetic,” Lewis offers. “The biggest comment we’ve had is, the whole album flows.”
Sonny Boy Mick’s covers list, likewise, runs deep and wide — Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, U2, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana.
“At a lot of the gigs now, if they yell out a tune, we’re playing it,” McPhail says.
Since buying Melody Man five years back, McPhail has seen the student body grow from 100 to 300. He opened the recording studio two years ago, and recently had the chance to co-produce a CD with Nick Blagona (whose credits include Deep Purple, April Wine and Police).
In doing all that, and his new CD, he has “learned a ton.”
His disc is available at sonnyboymick.com, and will soon be on itunes. With the record industry having been stood on its ear, what expectations does he have for it?
“I think, for myself, it would be nice to get airplay for some songs,” he says. “I’ve got some nice responses.
“It’s such a different business now than 10 years ago. I find it’s kind of cool. For me, there’s a lot of different-sounding singles on the CD. As far as singles, I’ve got a broader range of stations I could reach.”
That’s not uncharted territory for him.
“I’ve had 6,000 downloads of one single (the Leonard Cohen masterpiece) Hallelujah; I did it for a Christmas album,” he says. “I did it after Shrek (where it was popularized by Rufus Wainwright), but before 10,000 people did it.”
Showtime is 9:30 p.m. at The Harp, in Port Credit.

- MISSISSAUGA NEWS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

News Arts & Entertainment Sports Business People Police Wheels Editorial & Opinion

Melody Man plays The Harp





By: Mike Beggs

June 24, 2008 02:26 PM -
Melody Man.
That’s the name of the teaching/recording studio owned by Burlington singer/guitarist Steve McPhail, a.k.a. Sonny Boy Mick.
It would also serve as a pretty good indicator of what’s on his new CD, Peace, Love and Sonny Boy.
He and bandmates Tom Lewis (bass) and Owen Durkin (drums) will air it at The Harp, this Friday and Saturday.
The wide-ranging disc reflects McPhail’s involvement in various bands over the past 15 years – Pepper Kat, Dizzy Bites, the hard alternative Fall From Grace, and the acoustic-oriented pop of Sonny Boy Mick. But the common denominators are his strong vocals and a feel-good vibe that wouldn’t be a million miles away from Jack Johnson’s folk-meets-reggae stylings.
“I think that has evolved from the fact I’ve done a lot of acoustic shows with Sonny Boy Mick,” McPhail says. “It comes down to a nice melody and chord structures. I think that has rubbed off. You’re always stripping the songs down, and it’s about the melody after a while.”
He co-produced the disc at his studio; he considers it “a good melting pot” of songs, reflecting influences as broad as The Beatles, Oasis, Prince and Buddy Holly, topped off with cool sonics and sound effects.
“It was a year’s project. I think I’ve just grown as a writer,” he adds. “The songs are a lot more personal. They have meaning to me.”
Lewis agrees it’s an indie record that sort of has it all.
“Steve’s so versatile and so good, he can make anything he sinks his teeth into sound aesthetic,” Lewis offers. “The biggest comment we’ve had is, the whole album flows.”
Sonny Boy Mick’s covers list, likewise, runs deep and wide — Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, U2, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana.
“At a lot of the gigs now, if they yell out a tune, we’re playing it,” McPhail says.
Since buying Melody Man five years back, McPhail has seen the student body grow from 100 to 300. He opened the recording studio two years ago, and recently had the chance to co-produce a CD with Nick Blagona (whose credits include Deep Purple, April Wine and Police).
In doing all that, and his new CD, he has “learned a ton.”
His disc is available at sonnyboymick.com, and will soon be on itunes. With the record industry having been stood on its ear, what expectations does he have for it?
“I think, for myself, it would be nice to get airplay for some songs,” he says. “I’ve got some nice responses.
“It’s such a different business now than 10 years ago. I find it’s kind of cool. For me, there’s a lot of different-sounding singles on the CD. As far as singles, I’ve got a broader range of stations I could reach.”
That’s not uncharted territory for him.
“I’ve had 6,000 downloads of one single (the Leonard Cohen masterpiece) Hallelujah; I did it for a Christmas album,” he says. “I did it after Shrek (where it was popularized by Rufus Wainwright), but before 10,000 people did it.”
Showtime is 9:30 p.m. at The Harp, in Port Credit.

- MISSISSAUGA NEWS