Quiet Power

Singer-songwriter Phil Roy kicks off the season at Concerts at the Crossing in Titusville.

By: Susan Van Dongen
   It’s an old-fashioned love story.
   Boy writes and records samba-inflected song titled "Melt." Girl hears song on her car radio, is moved to tears and pulls to the side of the road, waiting to hear boy’s name. Girl e-mails boy, via his Web site. Boy invites girl to his concert. They meet and, voila, fall in love.

Although some of his L.A. friends are making a fortune churning out hit tunes for the likes of Christina Aguilera and Brandy, Phil Roy wants to get away from the pop-song factory.

   It’s true.
   Thanks go in part to 88.5 WXPN-FM in Philadelphia, which put Phil (the "boy") Roy’s solo debut album, Grouchyfriendly, into steady rotation.
   "WXPN pulled out the royal treatment," says Mr. Roy, 42. "In fact, it was one of the station’s best-selling albums last year. But ‘Melt’ is the song that gained the most attention. That’s how I met my future wife, Abbie. I figure, if the record doesn’t do anything else, it will have brought us together."
   Mr. Roy brings his subtle storytelling to Titusville, performing at the Unitarian Universalist Church Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. Mr. Roy shares the bill with fellow alternative folk musician Jess Klein.
   Although he’s spent the last 20 years in Los Angeles writing songs for music luminaries Ray Charles, Aaron Neville and the late Pops Staples, Mr. Roy had never broken through as a solo artist. The veteran singer-songwriter — still searching for an established record label — says he feels like destiny is pulling him toward wider acceptance.
   "It’s been a long road," he says. "I just figured it was time for Phil Roy to find his own voice."
   His lengthy stay in L.A. had other advantages. Mr. Roy gathered a flurry of friends who aided the Philadelphia-area native in building his catalog and reputation. For example, his friendship with actor Nicholas Cage helped get one of his songs on the soundtrack to Leaving Las Vegas.
   Another buddy — film composer Hans Zimmer — introduced Mr. Roy to director James Brooks, who helped him land a song on the soundtrack to As Good As It Gets.
   "It’s a great way to get your songs out there," he says. "Being so close to Hollywood, it gives you an opportunity you wouldn’t have living elsewhere."
   Grouchyfriendly also found its way into the hands of German director Wim Wenders and songwriting legend Tom Waits. Both gave a thoughtful listen to the work and wrote glowing reviews for the artist’s Web site.
   "Tom Waits was so encouraging," Mr. Roy says. "He is one of my favorite artists in the world. He’s been like a mentor. As for Wim Wenders, it’s amazing he would take the time out to write a blurb for me. That was one of the highlights of my career, if not my life. I would love to work with him. I would love to have a song on one of his films."

Mr. Roy describes Grouchyfriendly as a "quiet little record, like an independent film."

   Mr. Roy grew up in Dresher, Pa., buying 45s and listening to great ’60s-era Philadelphia radio stations like WFIL. Later, his musical inclinations leaned toward jazz, and he chose Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he planned to focus on jazz guitar.
   "At a certain point I was only playing jazz and standards, taking composition classes (and such)," he says. "Then I took a course called ‘Pop Songs 1,’ and had an epiphany of sorts. I wrote a song for the class and was hooked. Songwriting was something I felt could excel at."
   Mr. Roy describes Grouchyfriendly as a "quiet little record, like an independent film. It has a small, subtle tone, like something Nick Drake might have done, or maybe like Frank Sinatra’s ‘Wee Small Hours of the Morning.’ There’s so much music out there that is very aggressive and dance-oriented. I figured it was time to do something quiet, but powerfully so."
   The independent CD marries Mr. Roy’s background in jazz with his folk and soul influences. His voice sounds a little like Bono, but without the bombast. Or maybe Tom Waits before he ate glass for breakfast. Mr. Roy sings his highly personal songs with tenderness, and the backing instrumentation — samba guitar, trombone, flugelhorn, violin and cello — gives it a certain noir quality, which Waits called a "wicked, atmospheric beauty."
   Mr. Roy pairs two of Brazil’s most accomplished guitarists as backing musicians. Hector Pereira and Ricardo Silveira lend a gentle, sensual sonority to several songs on the album, including "Melt."
"That was one of the beautiful parts of making this record, bringing these master musicians together," Mr. Roy says. "I met one in London in 1993, and the other in L.A years later. I didn’t realize they were friends. It was the first session they’d played on in years."
   Although some of his L.A. friends are making a fortune churning out hit tunes for the likes of Christina Aguilera and Brandy, Mr. Roy wants to get away from the pop-song factory.
   "I decided if I’m going to be doing music, I’m going to make the kind of records I like to listen to," he says. "I’m trying to take the high road.
   "Things are cool. I’m being played on the radio alongside Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, people like that. I’m happy to be out of L.A., and I’m happy to be in love."
Phil Roy and Jess Klein perform at the Unitarian Universalist Church
at Washington Crossing, 269 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, Titusville,
Sept. 8, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15. For information, call (609) 406-1803. Phil
Roy on the Web: www.philroy.com