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.
My Pearl
Philip Sayce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll be my treasure queen.
What you mean to me yeah, got a whole lotta Boom, boom, boom.
Girl there's something about your smile,
Don't you wait too long.
Oooooh pretty lady, let me put you
Where you belong.
My pearl, my precious little girl...
Enchanted lovers, that's what we'll be,
And it seems that we'll always,
Be this way.
Girl there's something about your smile
Don't you wait too long.
Oooh Oooh my lady, let me put you
Where you belong.
My pearl, my precious little girl.
My pearl Uuuuh you my precious little girl...
My precious little girl...
Mmmm... Baby
Can you see you my precious little girl...
The lyrics of Philip Sayce's song, My Pearl, express the singer's love and admiration for his significant other. The first verse alludes to the notion that time cannot diminish the love and value he has for her - she is his "treasure queen." The almost euphonious repetition of "boom" in the succeeding line emphasizes how much she means to him. The chorus, where Sayce addresses his partner as "my pearl, my precious little girl," is particularly heartfelt. The imagery of a pearl representing the woman he loves is powerful because pearls are precious, rare, and beautiful. Additionally, the use of the term "little girl" could be interpreted as a term of endearment or a reference to the innocence and purity he sees in her. The second verse is equally affectionate as Sayce suggests that they would be "enchanted lovers" for always. The chorus repeated at the end of the track is a reminder of the depth of his love and how much he cherishes her.
Line by Line Meaning
As long as time allows,
You will always be valuable to me, no matter how long we have together.
You'll be my treasure queen.
You hold great worth and power in my life, like a queen who owns a treasure.
What you mean to me yeah, got a whole lotta Boom, boom, boom.
Your importance to me fills me with joy and excitement, like a steady beat in my heart.
Girl there's something about your smile,
Your smile is special and has a great effect on me.
Don't you wait too long.
Do not delay, act now and be with me.
Oooooh pretty lady, let me put you
Where you belong.
Oh lovely lady, let me bring you to where you belong, which is by my side.
My pearl, my precious little girl...
You are my pearl, a precious and valuable object that I cherish, and you are also like my little girl, someone I care for deeply.
Enchanted lovers, that's what we'll be,
We will be lovers who are under a magical spell, overwhelmed by each other's love and charm.
And it seems that we'll always,
Be this way.
It appears that we will always be in love and enchanted with each other.
Oooh Oooh my lady, let me put you
Where you belong.
Oh my lady, let me bring and keep you close to me where you belong.
My pearl, my precious little girl.
My pearl Uuuuh you my precious little girl...
My precious little girl...
Mmmm... Baby
Repeating the same sentiment as before, emphasizing the value and adoration for the woman he loves.
Can you see you my precious little girl...
Do you understand how much I value and love you, my beloved partner?
Writer(s): MICHAEL SHRIEVE, TODD COCHRAN, PAT THRALL, DONI HARVEY
Contributed by Bentley V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cora Bruins
This is so great! I keep playing it over and over again!
Reverb
Killer video of 330 VOS thought you might like. http://youtu.be/CKa0PnyTNv0