Shadyphil

Shadyphil wrote his first song in 2002, written for his girlfriend's 21st birthday present naturally it was a love song however even at this early stage a pretty unconventional one heavily influenced by the music of bands 'Lamb' and 'Portishead'. Writing and playing solo for 3-4 years meant that much of the early material was of an acoustic nature drawing on influences from folk music such as Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie and Martin Bennet amongst others but also the grunge legends of the 90's, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains not forgetting Nirvana and contemporary artists like Ben Harper. From the off however one thing was very apparent these were social/politically motivated songs written during the invasions of Afganistan and Iraq and reflecting a fear and distain for the state of global affairs and its politics. It could be said that these acoustic folk numbers were and remain 'protest' songs. A 6 month tour of Brazil led to a deliberate change in direction however led by a desire to see people dance and the belief that you can better affect change through joy and happiness than melancholy, Shadyphil now started to write reggae songs. Inspired by Bob Marley's ability to unite peoples of all colours and creeds through the joy of dance and song and still carry some of the most powerful messages of the times. Reggae cannot exist without bass however so Big Al a school friend started to flesh out these songs and early in 2006 with the meeting of Soza an Ozi drummer a truly great rhythme section was born. Together 'The Spectres' developed an up tempo, driving sound with Rock & Reggae playing their part in equal measure. The lyrical content remained driven by social, political and environmental commentary and the music often reflects the conflicts and confrontations these issues present. Their debut album which was recorded over the course of a week in an 18th centuary Scottish manor house was released in March 2009 and sold around 600 copies. With The Spectres, Shadyphil played venues in all Scotland’s cities and on festival stages from the north to the south of the country including the Main Stage at Knockangorrock festival 2007. Their album was Top4 recommended by Music News Scotland when reviewed in March; ''What's taken them so long? Formed 2 years ago this is the much awaited debut album from Edinburgh's The Spectres - Scotlands own reggae stars. With hard hitting rythmes and ska derived guitar we challenge you to stay still to these lads.'
Music News Scotland March 09
and likened to The Police by The Skinny; 'With off-beat, syncopated guitar work and funky driving basslines, there's an air of the Police about it all.' The Skinny 05/09
With the breakup of The Spectres in 2011 Shadyphil has returned to his solo material which reflects a growing maturity as a song writer. He still writes about the socio/political world and still with his trademark scepticism and carefully observed commentary now however he has allowed his more sentimental side out of the box and to great effect. There is now a depth of subject matter tackled throughout his back catalogue proving there is nothing about which he cannot write a beautifully crafted song.