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Phil Volan
by Lyn
Akers
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1980-ish. 9:00 p.m. Finally!! The girls are sleeping. The husband is snoring, I wait for the noise of a passing train to mask my leaving sounds and make my break. The V.W. (yes, the same blue one) roars... OK, OK, putters to life and I'm off... to the bar. P.D. Wheeler is playing. It's not the blonde girl with the pretty voice or the young man on bluegrass guitar I watch. There is another young man, playing fingerstyle guitar on a small Martin. I can't understand why he's in the background. But even in the back of a band, the quality of Phil Volan's playing and singing shines through. True story! For a while even I doubted myself, wondering if I had ulterior motives. Whenever Phil played I wanted to be there. As the years have passed and I continue to follow Phil's career, it has become obvious that he was and IS one of the most talented musicians from our fair city. He is able to play classical, folk, jazz, new age, ragtime, blues, bossa nova, stride or samba. The rhythm is solid and each style has its own integrity and uniqueness. Phil's meticulous attention to detail pays off when a song is played. Each note is clean, each chord is right. Every lyric is clear and warmly phrased. Phil's cover tunes satisfy, and his originals are at once surprising AND comfortable. In other words, the listener does not have to strain to follow the music. Yet, an unexpected movement or chord will bring a smile. |
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Phil has two releases out now. The first, "Dancing On Thin Air," was a joint effort with Denver artist Joe Uveges and is primarily a vocal release. It does display a bit of Phil's talent as a singer, guitarist, and writer. Seven of the songs were written or co-written by him. The second release, "Favorite Colors" is a solo release of instrumental music with covers and originals. Phil is very much in the foreground and allows his considerable talent to shine.
At times, I now have the privilege of performing with Phil. But, even after 15 plus years of his music, most nights you'll still find me somewhere in the audience grinning. YOU can listen to Phil at the Art of Espresso, The Picnic Basket, The Black Rose open stage, and at Adam's Mountain Cafe. Phil is also performing at La Dolce Vita the second Saturday of each month. I help host the evening and there is a guest artist performing each month also. For those of you who are purists, this is truly acoustic...no sound system. I strongly suggest that you go see Phil play. And if you need some hints on how to sneak out of the house, call me!
