Ross Phillips
Encyclopedia
Ross Phillips is an English musician
. He is the guitarist
of indie rock
band Hard-Fi
and also provides backing vocals for frontman Richard Archer
. Phillips previously worked in a local hi-fi shop in his home town of Staines
. It was here that Archer, who used to listen to his demos under the pretence of checking out equipment, came to play his demos on the latest systems. After Phillips told Archer that his music was rubbish, he was recruited to play lead guitar for the group.
While the band rehearse in their Cherry Lips studios, he is the one who makes tea for the band stating that "it's good to make a strong tea", there's even a whole Hard-Fi Rockin' the City podcast dedicated to Ross' way of making tea. This episode was also nominated for Best Podcast Award.
Bands such as Nirvana
, The Clash
and AC/DC
inspired him musically, "I was really into them. As soon as you could suss out how to play barre chord
s, you could sit, work out and play along to all of their songs, so I used to sit there for hours, just playing along." He also likes Boy Kill Boy
, who are friends of Hard-Fi
, and Paul Weller - when asked to describe what it was like performing with him, Ross said, "Yeah, loved it. He came down to rehearsals as well, beforehand. I came in (I’d been down the shop for the bacon sandwiches and cups of tea) and he was sitting on the couch. He just came down for a couple of hours. I forgot all about it. I walked through the door with my breakfast and he was sitting there. He came in. It was just f**king brilliant. He did Town Called Malice
, and he stayed on and played one of our tracks. He did a little bit of a solo on it. It was like a call-and-answer thing. I’d play something and then he’s play another bit. I was like "Yeah! He’s a hero, man!" I f**kin’ love him to bits. And he’s still looking cool as f**k and just on it. He came down and he just fit straight in; done the job. That’s an experience."
His first band was called Fluid.
If he had not been a musician he says he'd either be a drug dealer, a doctor or steal car stereos and sell hooky equipment out the back of a white van.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He is the guitarist
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
of indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Hard-Fi
HARD-Fi
Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. The band's members are Richard Archer , Ross Phillips , Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp .They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat" and then followed by other successful singles such as...
and also provides backing vocals for frontman Richard Archer
Richard Archer
Richard John "Rich" Archer is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, principal songwriter and main composer of indie rock band Hard-Fi. Hard-Fi have produced several top 10 hits and two #1 albums. The influence of Archer's hometown of Staines is often...
. Phillips previously worked in a local hi-fi shop in his home town of Staines
Staines
Staines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and Greater London Urban Area, as well as the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in...
. It was here that Archer, who used to listen to his demos under the pretence of checking out equipment, came to play his demos on the latest systems. After Phillips told Archer that his music was rubbish, he was recruited to play lead guitar for the group.
While the band rehearse in their Cherry Lips studios, he is the one who makes tea for the band stating that "it's good to make a strong tea", there's even a whole Hard-Fi Rockin' the City podcast dedicated to Ross' way of making tea. This episode was also nominated for Best Podcast Award.
Bands such as Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
and AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
inspired him musically, "I was really into them. As soon as you could suss out how to play barre chord
Barre chord
In music, a barre chord is a type of guitar chord, where one or more fingers are used to press down multiple strings across the guitar fingerboard , enabling the guitarist to play a chord not restricted by the tones of the guitar's open strings...
s, you could sit, work out and play along to all of their songs, so I used to sit there for hours, just playing along." He also likes Boy Kill Boy
Boy Kill Boy
Boy Kill Boy were an English rock band based in Leytonstone, East London. Perhaps Best known for their highest charting single "Suzie", the band produced two studio albums and six singles before splitting in 2008.- History :...
, who are friends of Hard-Fi
HARD-Fi
Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. The band's members are Richard Archer , Ross Phillips , Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp .They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat" and then followed by other successful singles such as...
, and Paul Weller - when asked to describe what it was like performing with him, Ross said, "Yeah, loved it. He came down to rehearsals as well, beforehand. I came in (I’d been down the shop for the bacon sandwiches and cups of tea) and he was sitting on the couch. He just came down for a couple of hours. I forgot all about it. I walked through the door with my breakfast and he was sitting there. He came in. It was just f**king brilliant. He did Town Called Malice
Town Called Malice
"Town Called Malice" is a song recorded by The Jam from the album The Gift. It reached number one in the UK singles chart.-Song profile:It was a double A-side single release featuring "Precious" as the flip side...
, and he stayed on and played one of our tracks. He did a little bit of a solo on it. It was like a call-and-answer thing. I’d play something and then he’s play another bit. I was like "Yeah! He’s a hero, man!" I f**kin’ love him to bits. And he’s still looking cool as f**k and just on it. He came down and he just fit straight in; done the job. That’s an experience."
His first band was called Fluid.
If he had not been a musician he says he'd either be a drug dealer, a doctor or steal car stereos and sell hooky equipment out the back of a white van.