Imagine that Billy Joel and Coldplay had a kid, and you're on the right track. Phil Putnam is one of the most poignant, fresh voices of today's singer/songwriters, crafting a piano-based contemporary/alternative sound that is both melodic and intense.

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POP: Today's Top 40, POP: Piano



Details:
1:16am. Phil Putnam flips his bedroom light on for the fourth time after trying in vain to fall asleep for the past two hours. Exasperated, he grabs his pen, opens his notebook, and scrawls another line of lyric onto the page that has been keeping him awake. Just three days before, Putnam had released his second record, the Long Story Short EP, and imagined that he would not be writing again for some time. However, the wee-hour disco dance of his bedroom light was telling a different story.

This nighttime struggle between sleep and song became the beginning of All the Courage Required, Putnam's third release with Box of Wood Music. On All the Courage Required, Putnam takes greater hold of his piano-based alt/contemporary style and stakes his claim in the company of today's great singer/songwriters. Having been seasoned by time and the experience of his previous two releases (Healer, Box of Wood Music, October, 2001; Long Story Short EP, Box of Wood Music, December, 2002), he quickly connected with the material and set out to integrate the best elements of his previous projects with the unique tone of All the Courage Required.

"Throughout the process of making Courage, I knew that I wanted to combine the emotional intensity of Healer with the melodic listen-ability of Long Story Short to create a record that people will connect with on musical and emotional grounds. Courage ended up joining these elements in a powerful way."

The unexpected, surprise arrival of the songs for All the Courage Required signal a general theme in Putnam's writing and recording career. Born and raised in a suburb of Sacramento, CA., music in general and writing/recording in specific were certainly not what Putnam saw on his horizon. However, to his surprise the choirs at his church and high school got him hooked on singing. His experience with vocal music in high school motivated him to study Music at Simpson University in Redding, CA., where he added piano to his collection of skills. While at Simpson another surprise turn awaited as he began feeling drawn to songwriting and recording. After 18 months of playing "The Very Reluctant Recording Artist" bit, Phil took a chance on his first project in the summer of 2000 and quickly realized that this is where he belongs.

"Though it was a shock at first to imagine myself writing and recording, now I can't fathom doing anything else. Through the process of creating my first three records I have come to realize that this is why Iâm alive: to write and record music."

Shortly after the release of All the Courage Required (July, 2004), Putnam began a ten month tour in support of his new release. For nearly a year solid he enjoyed the privilege of sharing his music with people all over Northern California and began to see the purpose of his work mirrored back to him in his audiences.

"The main goal of my music is communication. Everything I do in the studio or on stage is all for the purpose of communicating through the song, and in turn having that song impact its listeners. That never gets old. Witnessing people having an almost palpable reaction, knowing that what I'm singing and playing is interacting with their soul at that moment; I just canât get over that."

These trademarks of surprise success and powerful, communicative music are continuing steadily into the future for Putnam. During his fall 2004 performances Phil found himself crafting the songs for his fourth studio project, and is looking forward to a 2006 release.

With the momentum of three independent releases, a successful string of live performances, and a fourth studio project in the works, Phil Putnam has more than enough fuel to keep making his mark. With his unwavering commitment to excellence and trademark determination, you can bet thatâs exactly what he's going to do.

To learn more about Phil visit www.philputnam.com.