GLENS FALLS -- The post-punk rockers of Phillips Head are having a party for the release of their first CD, "II," in more than four years. The band is scheduled to perform for the first 550 people who get tickets to an event on Sept. 8, at Heritage Hall in the Glens Falls Civic Center.
Doors open at 7 p.m., and band members said they promise the Phillips Head dancers will put on a show that's appropriate for all ages.
Tickets are $5, and are available at Ticketmaster locations or Sounds Unlimited at 175 Glen St. The band plans to give away a guitar in addition to its other promotions. A ticket is good for the party, a copy of the new CD and free admission to an after-show party at Dave LaPoint's Pitchers on South Street. A ticket stub must be shown at the door to Pitchers for free admission to the party, band members said.
Phillips Head produced a CD before becoming a well-known trio frequenting the bar scene from Utica to Schroon Lake, and of course, in their hometown of Glens Falls.
In the four and a half years since their first album, they have worked to create a tight sound, said bassist and vocalist Steve Graves.
"It's definitely faster-paced," he said of the current album. "It's a real driving sound."
Band members say their true identity is revealed on this album, unlike their first recording, which included a fourth musician.
"This is really who we are," said guitarist and vocalist Jason Irwin. "We've been playing as a three-piece for so long, we don't even practice any more."
Phillips Head gets its practice while playing every weekend to a loyal group of fans, who will recognize some songs from the new CD.
"We've been playing some of these for years," Irwin said.
The CD will be available for sale at stores throughout the area, he said, at about $10 each.
There are 15 tracks with lyrics written by Irwin. The lyrics take the listener into the lives of a casual slacker and a musician ranting as he plays in a lame bar that charges $5 for a beer.
Several songs talk about the prowling and loneliness of a man
who meanders through relationships over the phone in "1-900
Girl," and an attempt to retrieve his ex-girlfriend in "Something
About You."
Reprinted from The Post Star, Friday, August 31, 2001