Rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Philip Sayce is excited to announce the release of his highly anticipated studio album “The Wolves Are Coming”. The album is released by Atomic Gemini/Forty Below Records on Friday February 23rd, 2024, and is available to order here.
The album features the new single “Black Moon”. Watch the official music video below.
“The new single, ‘Black Moon’, is a song about ruthless individuals that often pollute the music business”, says Philip. “It’s about being tricked, violated, hurt, and manipulated but still holding on to my personal power and self-worth, and trusting that these fools will one day end up laying in the bed they’ve made”.
The release of the new album coincides with the news of Philip’s November & December 2024 UK Tour. The UK tour kicks off at Leeds Brudenell Social Club on Thursday 21st November 2024.
Planet Rock’s 48-hour ticket pre-sale starts 10am on Monday 26th February here.
Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Wednesday 28th February, from thegigcartel and here.
The nine-date tour will see Sayce perform songs from his forthcoming full-length album, “The Wolves Are Coming”, and selected songs from his previous releases. Sayce’s special guest on his forthcoming UK tour is British slide guitarist Troy Redfern. See all dates below.
UK Tour Dates 2024:
21 NOVEMBER 2024 – LEEDS, BRUDENELL
22 NOVEMBER 2024 – GATESHEAD, GLASSHOUSE ICM
23 NOVEMBER 2024 – GLASGOW, ORAN MOR
25 NOVEMBER 2024 – MANCHESTER, BAND ON THE WALL
26 NOVEMBER 2024 – NOTTINGHAM, METRONOME
28 NOVEMBER 2024 – BRISTOL, FLEECE
30 NOVEMBER 2024 – SOUTHAMPTON, THE 1865
3 DECEMBER 2024 – COLCHESTER ARTS CENTRE
4 DECEMBER 2024 – LONDON, ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY
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”.
Weblinks:
www.philipsayce.com
www.facebook.com/PhilipSayceMusic
