Phillip-Michael Scales
Dive Bar Soul
The Story
As a kid, Phillip-Michael Scales didn’t understand what it meant that his aunt’s close friend, the guitar player who called him “Nephew” and he called “Uncle B,” was B.B. King. Once Phillip-Michael began guitar lessons, the significance became so clear that he shied away from soloing and most things blues. Instead, he fell in love with songwriting when an English teacher told him “A great writer can make their reader identify with anyone.” The trouble was he couldn’t find his story in the blues.
With a fierce independent streak and a passion for performing, Scales fronted his own indie bands, wrote and recorded his own music, and worked to make a name for himself on his own terms. All the while, his “Uncle B” just smiled a knowing smile and encouraged him to “stay with it.” Their relationship grew closer as Scales began to discover “the blues” in his personal and professional life.
“Phillip Michael Scales bounces between tall tales and biographical stories while a folk-pop band churns up some rootsy, rollicking noise in the background...Get ready for storytime, folks.”
When his Uncle B passed away, Scales began incorporating more of the blues into his music as a way to honor him. “These days I’m finding more of my story in the blues. A lot has led me here between politics, my identity, and the idea of Legacy.” The result is a sound he calls “Dive Bar Soul” which takes a bit of indie rock storytelling and couples it with the passion of the blues.
His single “Find a Way” attracted national radio attention in 2022 and garnered an invite to perform on the Ellen Degeneres Show. His music has taken him all the way to the Middle East, as well as festivals across Europe and North America. He has opened for Milky Chance, Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains), Caravan Palace, Fantastic Negrito, The New Respects, Anderson East, Guster, The Record Company, and Cory Brannan.
Written with
Tony Esterly (Sia, BTS, Andra Day), Phredley Brown (Bruno Mars, Selena Gomez), Andrew Peroff (Sheryl Crow, Devon Gilfillian)
Notable Festivals
Toured with Caravan Palace Jan-Feb 2022 * Toured with Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) April-May 2022 * Blues Passions Festival (Cognac France), Summerfest, MusikFest, Mile Of Music, Taste of Chicago, Taste of Randolph, Ann Arbor Top of the Park Festival.
Live performances
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On Road Again Touring
Aurelie Roquet
aurelie@ontheroad-again.eu -
Brooklyn Basement Records |Susan Hamilton susan@brooklynbasementrecords.com
“Is it too early to anoint the Chicago native as one of America’s great soul singers? We don’t think so. If anything, we’re too late in making such a pronounced statement because the young man is a talent.”
“Scales has an incredible vocal style that takes the lead on a groove-heavy, fun track about perseverance. If you or someone you know is going through a difficult time (hmm?), this is the kind of music that will get you moving and thinking hopefully about finding a way to survive. It’s fantastic!”
“From the very onset, the retro-soul track Find A Way by Nashville’s “dive bar” soul artist Phillip-Michael Scales, feels supremely funky and ultimately cuts a deep, deep grove that cuts a wide cultural and cross genre’d swath.” - ”
Debut Album
