Homegrown Music Network (HGMN): Wicker CD Review
by Brent Fleury on 10/29/2008
Josh Phillips is joined by a huge cast of players for his first "solo" offering, Wicker. Having parted ways with his former group, Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, Phillips finds a comfortable space here to showcase his earthy, arresting vocals and poignant songwriting. He's ably accompanied by musicians that lend everything from horns to vibraphone, banjo, and djembe, turning his personal songs into ensemble pieces with a wide variety of moods and textures. ... read more
BoldLife: Wicker CD Review
by Brent Fleury on 10/29/2008
The name of this band is a bit of a misnomer. While it certainly hits the "festival vibe" squarely on the head, the eclectic nature of styles goes miles beyond folk. Comprised of members from some of the area's favorite bands such as Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, Toubab Krewe, Acoustic Syndicate, STRUT, Laura Reed and Deep Pocket and Blue Rags, Josh Phillips Folk Festival runs the musical gamut. The opening track ("You are Loved") greets the ears with a quiet piano and vocal number that immediately struck me as being a collaboration between Tom Waits and Rufus Wainwright, and from there it goes careening about the spectrum. Soul, hip-hop and reggae rub elbows with emotive acoustic guitar confessions, and even a tune that sounds straight out of an Irish pub. The sheer depth ... read more
SoundTrack
by Alli Marshall on 09/03/2008
Wicker, the title of the debut solo CD by former Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band musician Josh Phillips, is a spin on the phrase “we care.” Which might be a hard sell amid the politically charged, hard-news-hungry post-9/11 cynicism—but from the disc’s opening organ strains on the song “You are Loved”, Phillips (fronting his band Josh Phillips Folk Festival) proves himself to be unflappably genuine. And his positive, inclusive, everything’s-all-right lyrics are as contagious as Marlo Thomas’ ode to childhood, Free to be ... You and Me. (Only with innate cool, like De La Soul, circa 3 Feet High and Rising.) ... read more
Listening Party: Barrel House Mamas, Josh Phillips Folk Festival and Shannon Whitworth
by Steve Shanafelt on 04/23/2008
... Next up, we have the Josh Phillips Folk Festival, the side/semi-solo project of Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band songwriter and percussionist Josh Phillips. While Phillips’ music is a bit less party-oriented than his work with YMBFBB, there’s still a strong current of upbeat and largely positive views in his songs. Backed by the Folk Festival, a group largely composed of his friends from the Asheville music scene, Phillips has been crafting a diverse collection of songs for his eventual debut album. We suggest starting with the lighthearted “I’d be mad too,” available on his MySpace page. ...
Here you can download PDF versions of some concert posters and flyers.
Posters for specific shows
