Philip Sayce was born in Aberystwyth, Wales, and grew up in Toronto, Canada… Read Full Bio ↴Philip Sayce was born in Aberystwyth, Wales, and grew up in Toronto, Canada. He started his career recording and touring with Jeff Healey, Melissa Etheridge, Uncle Kracker, and others. In 2009 he released a solo album, "Peace Machine". In 2010 he released "Innerevolution" (Europe/UK only), "Ruby Electric" in 2011, "Silver Wheel Of Stars" in 2012 (EP version), and "Steamroller" was released in 2013. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Growing up in a musical household and exposed to his parents’ eclectic record collection that included the likes of Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder and Dire Straits, he was particularly drawn to the guitar – being taken by his parents to an Eric Clapton concert left the young Sayce awestruck and in no doubt about which was the instrument for him.
By the time he was 15 he was playing guitar in his first band; he was up and running. He soon became a regular fixture on the Toronto club scene, where his fluid soloing and mesmerising overall musicality turned heads an earned him many fans. With an insatiable appetite for jam sessions at the likes of Grossman's Tavern in Toronto, Sayce began rapidly distilling his own singular guitar style and tonal palette from a melting pot of influences that included such greats as Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Cray, and in particular Stevie Ray Vaughan, to whom he is, understandably, probably most often compared.

While still a teenager, Sayce was held in such high regard that, after jamming on stage with one of his heroes, guitar player and fellow Canadian Jeff Healey, he was invited to join Healey’s band. Sayce was now living the dream. He can still remember the first time he heard Healey – and the effect it had: “It was in a supermarket car park. I was 11 and my parents had gone into the store. This song, See The Light, came on and I was just overwhelmed. I literally punched the radio.”

After three-and-a-half years with Healey’s band, playing with them at the Montreux Jazz Festival and at gigs around the world, Sayce, the apprentice having learned well from the master, felt it was time to move on.

Looking to further expand his musical horizons, in 2001 he moved to Los Angeles. He joined Uncle Kracker, and was with the band when they had their massive US No.1 hit song Drift Away. He starred in and wrote the music for the short film Cockroach Blue, directed by the award-winning Robert Crossman, which received high acclaim when it was shown at the Woodstock Film Festival. Then, in 2003, Grammy and Oscar winner Melissa Etheridge came calling (“very talented – like Stevie Ray Vaughan,” she enthused), and he enjoyed an “awesome” time playing and recording with her band until 2008.

During his stint with Melissa, Sayce released his debut solo album, Peace Machine, using what he describes as Etheridge’s “shit-hot” band and producer Michael Nielsen. Recorded live in the studio in just a couple of days, it’s full of raw, high-energy, low-maintenance retro-blues delivered with startling punch and real style, and showcases Sayce as a soulful, powerfully expressive vocalist as well as a supremely talented guitarist and all-round musician. The album also includes a crunching version of the Neil Young classic Cinnamon Girl, the song often a resonant inclusion in Sayce’s thrilling live shows.

And live is where Sayce, his jam-club years in his pocket, shines brightest, he and his band performing with a potent mixture of power and finesse, the guitarist regularly pulling the trigger and unleashing visceral, mesmerising solos. And while they’re checking out the hot licks, it’s clear that many of the girls in the audience are equally taken by the good-looking guy with the swept-back blond hair and charisma to spare. If you’ve got it…

May 2010 saw the release of, INNEREVOLUTION, recorded with his live band - keyboardist Fred Mandel (Queen, Supertramp, Elton John, Alice Cooper), bassist Joel Gottschalk and drummer Ryan MacMillan (Matchbox 20). This collection of songs, some co-written with Richard Marx, busbee, Mike Bradford, Dave Cobb and Marti Frederiksen among others, further establishes Philip Sayce not only as one of the finest blues guitarists around, but also as a musician, singer and songwriter with tremendous talent and potential.

“Richard came out to a show and we immediately hit it off,” Sayce explains of how he came to write with Richard Marx. “He's a massive talent and to have the opportunity to collaborate and learn from him is something I am grateful for. Anyone I collaborate or co-write with, the goal is to be open and learn, and I've been blessed to work with some of the best of the best.”

More varied than Peace Machine, and overall more sophisticated and more polished in terms of songwriting, sonics and performance, Innerevoltuion is a stylish, engaging and thrilling album that should bring Philip Sayce to the attention of a bigger and wider audience.

With Peace Machine, Innerevolution, Ruby Electric, Silver Wheel Of Stars, and Steamroller, Philip Sayce continues to write his own chapter in the long and continuing history of popular music. And it’s clear that this gifted young musician has many more pages yet to write.

Changes
Philip Sayce Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Saw the writing on the wall today
It was calling for me
Yeah, wildfire
Yellow moon in the sky tonight
And its falling on me
Yeah, wildfire

I got no choice but to roll with the changes in my life

I've got to believe in the life thats helping me get by

Spent my time in the hot of the sun,
But the clouds were empty
Yeah wildfire
A million miles from the one I love
But I can't forget her
Yeah wildfire

I got no choice but to roll with the changes in my life
I've got to believe in the life thats helping me get by
I've got no choice but to roll with the changes in my life
I got to believe in the life thats helping me get by

Yeah, ooh yeah

I got no choice but to roll with the changes in my life
Got to believe in the life thats helping me get by, oh
Cause I got no choice but to roll yeah
I got no choice, no
I got to, I got to got to
I got to got to got to, oh yeah

Cause I got no choice but to roll with the changes in my life
I got to believe in the life thats helping me get by, now
Cause I've got no choice but to roll with the changes in my life, woo
I got to, I got to got to
I got to got to got to, alright

Oh yeah,

I've got no choice, I got to roll with the changes
Yeah

Overall Meaning

In Philip Sayce's song "Changes", the lyrics depict a man who sees a profound realization about his life. He saw the "writing on the wall today" signifying that he saw the inevitable happening. He heard the call of the "wildfire" and saw the "yellow moon in the sky tonight" falling on him. These metaphors may represent the coming changes that may be abrupt and out of his control. He acknowledges that he has "no choice but to roll with the changes in [his] life" and accept that life is helping him to move on.

The lyrics also show his nostalgia towards his past, as he states that he spent his time "in the hot of the sun" but was left with empty clouds. He reminisces about being "a million miles from the one I love", unable to forget them. This can represent a longing for the past, wishing things could go back to the way they were before these changes. However, he comes to terms that he must roll with the changes and trust that everything will work out in the end.

Overall, the lyrics showcase the inevitable changes that one may face in life, symbolized by the "wildfire" and "yellow moon". The song urges the listener to accept these changes and believe that life will help them get through it, even if it feels impossible at first.

Line by Line Meaning

Saw the writing on the wall today
I became aware of something that was about to happen

It was calling for me
It was meant for me

Yeah, wildfire
It was a very intense experience

Yellow moon in the sky tonight
There was an unusual occurrence that night

And its falling on me
I was directly affected by it

I got no choice but to roll with the changes in my life
I must accept and adapt to the changes that occur in my life

I've got to believe in the life thats helping me get by
I have faith that things will work out for me

Spent my time in the hot of the sun,
I invested time and energy into something

But the clouds were empty
It didn't yield the expected results

A million miles from the one I love
I feel far away from someone I care about

But I can't forget her
I still think about and miss her