Name: Phil Venable
Nationality: American
Occupation: Bassist, guitarist, composer, improviser, label founder at Soul City Sounds
Current release: Phil Venable teams up with drummer Tommy Jackson for orbital decay. Also, Live in Carrboro by Perelman/Shipp/Cosgrove is out now via Soul City Sounds.
Recommendations: I will say listen to Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov. I’m currently reading a book called Japanese Death Poems that are haiku and short poems written by zen monks and poets on the verge of death. One poet prefaced his poem with the words, “laughing at myself.” Seems like a pretty good outlook to have.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

When I listen to music, I tend to feel calmer and synchronized to the music. I brain prioritizes it over other senses.

Typically my eyes are open, but, unless I’m driving or occupied with a task, they are not specifically focuses on anything.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

It began in elementary school, mostly singing songs to myself about my day or a story I read. I also had a music education and played the recorder, xylophone, etc in elementary school.

Having experience on an instrument is great, but it’s hard after playing for years to play with fresh ears / eyes. That’s why I tend to take a break from an instrument and pivot to another. Or use the same instrument for a different genre.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

Music was my protector and comforter at a very young age. As an only child, it was my constant companion.

Obviously, music and other new experience are vivid and long lasting. You can only hear something the first time once and that’s it. And at a young age, everything feels brand new and earth shattering. I’m fortunate to still feel music, love it and have a private dialogue with it.

What’s really changed is having to juggle that joy with the humdrum of life as well as other joys / responsibilities like my family.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

It all started with the electric bass for me. Both as a practical need (all my friends wanted to start bands but wouldn’t play bass) as well as being drawn to it.

I still find the bass a fundamental instrument for most types of music I compose and playing it allows me to participate in a variety of musical moments. After that, the guitar because when I played rock music, it was the easiest instrument to demonstrate chord voicings on.

I’d say learning a few scales and practing them was important, but what I believe I primarily important is seeing other musicians in action. Participating in a musical community is the best way to become a better musician.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

Terrible music motivates me. When I hear it, I feel obligated to work on something.

As far as key ideas, it’s to try and convey honest emotions through the music, both beautiful and ugly.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

I can understand that impression. I’m not entirely certain I agree with it. Some lyrics are so striking they dwarf the sound.

If there’s such a thing as my own sound, I would hope it is the sound of engagement.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I’ve always enjoyed the sound of rain at night and wish the music I make could instil that sense of wonder. I would certainly describe that sound of rain as very musical

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

I like all extremes, mostly for the astringent effect of pivoting from one extreme to another. What better way to confound expectations to play a 1 minute long loud blast of music after 20 minutes of quiet restful melodies

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

I’ve played music for 35 years and I suppose it breaks down to traditional songs (folk, country, punk) or experimental (drone metal, free jazz, etc).

When I was younger, having a structure to aspire to and attempt to master was really helpful. At some point, I got pretty bored with that and began to do anything BUT rock music which resulted in this piece.

Sometimes you tell a story with sound and sometimes sound is the story

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

For the star city survivor track “The Sun Is A Ball Of Hate”, I just tried to push as much of the frustration of 2 years of Covid through a marshall amp and a Big Muff pedal just to try and get that overwhelming bee buzz tone that I feel when I have a mental itch I cannot scratch.



Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

I’m very much self taught but I read a lot about musicians and when I read about how so and so used a certain scale or idea on a piece of music I admire, I’ll sit with the scale and practice it for hours and record myself trying to use the same notes but in different ways to create different vocabulary. Almost like an exercise for one day when I have to run the race.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Music allows me to be selfish and pursue my own vision almost exclusively which I something I cannot nor should I do in real life.

What it reflects in my life is the deep passion I have for the things I care for and love and yes, sometimes the things I hate.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

There is nothing mundane about a great cup of coffee! There’s a craft to making music that can sometimes replace inspiration.

Writing and performing great music captures the ineffable

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

“Surfin’ Bird” by the Trashmen.



I mean c’mon, it’s not poetry, but when that song kicks off it is like someone flooded my body with electricity. It’s beyond dumb and transcendent all at once.

For fancier people, I would recommend John Coltrane.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

I love the growing diversity within music and the musicians. I would love to see a serious work put out that had broad appeal.

I think it’s great that everyone can curate their listening experience, but I wish we had a common listening experience as well.