PRINTLooping musician advances to world championship
Phil Stendek won national title in looping and now heads to the world level
November 25, 2010 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Editor's Note: The Tin Can Tavern and Grille is now closed. Phil Stendek is looking to play at other Columbia venues.
One-man band and U.S. looping champion Phil Stendek plays at the Tin Can Tavern and ...
Musician Phil Stendek is putting a new face on the one-man band. He plays energetic shows at the Tin Can Tavern and Grille every Thursday, and he doesn’t sacrifice lyrics or melodies. Stendek is a looper. With his loop station, Stendek can record and instantly play back portions of his performance to create new songs. Stendek’s emphasis on the music and fluid transitions into every role as a solo band member let him stand out. Soon those qualities could make him a musical staple.
In summer 2010, Stendek took a risk and entered the Boss Loop Station national championship. On Oct. 23, he was announced winner of the U.S. Finals, and in January, he will compete in the World Championships where he could potentially be crowned best loop artist in the world. The most extraordinary part of Stendek’s story is that this was his first competition as a looper.
The 37-year-old multi-instrumentalist was introduced to looping — the art of recording live samples of music for instant playback — in 2002 when a friend handed him a cassette of loop artist Keller Williams. Stendek’s first thought was: “I can do that.”
Soon he added a Boss RC-20 loop station to his acoustic set. Although he thought he was great at the time, Stendek admits now that he wasn’t particularly good. “My mom loved it, and that’s pretty much all that mattered,” Stendek says.
However, eight years of playing regular sets around St. Louis, including Tin Can, has increased his aptitude for the unusual art form. The Maplewood artist also increased his loop station, finally settling on four RC-20s — the foot pedals used to capture and replay the recorded sections — by the time he added Columbia’s Tin Can to his standard rotation.
“It is actually a pretty unconventional way to do it,” Stendek says.
Most artists only use one station, the more capable RC-50 model, but Stendek got into the habit of using more than one station and never stopped. By using more stations, he is able to put numerous loops into his songs.
In late spring, Stendek’s friend told him about the upcoming Boss Loop Station competition. Stendek entered the contest by filling out an online form and submitting a five-minute original piece. The video submission had to feature a Boss RC-Series looping product — his RC-20s.
Stendek’s entry piece was “Nuclear Fusion,” a song that has been on his roster for eight years. “Nuclear Fusion” has a funky mellow sound with visceral lyrics akin to reggae. He uses it to build up from the bass line, but for the competition he changed it to showcase his talent on drums as well. Along with the new parts, he also added a vocal loop that gave the song a mysterious, ethereal quality.
“When it starts off, the listener doesn’t really know where it’s going,” Stendek says.
Out of 178 eligible entries, the best six were chosen and invited to the U.S. Loop Station finals at Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. Each performer played a contest piece before the judges; the other entrants were kept in the green room. “It helped ease my mind that there wasn’t someone in the audience watching who was also competing against me,” Stendek says. “It allowed me to focus on the music.”
Stendek already plays three to four times a week, so he didn’t feel the need to include extra practices leading up to the contest. By playing so frequently, Stendek’s top concern was the maintenance of his equipment. “My preparation pretty much started about two years ago when I rebuilt my rig,” Stendek says. Since then he has improved everything from his drum kit to his microphone.
Columbia Tin Can manager Eric Abney says Stendek has played there almost every week since Abney found out about him from the St. Louis location.
“He interacts very well with the audience,” Abney says. “Everyone responds to him.”
For his world championship appearance at the Winter National Association of Music Merchants Show 2011, Stendek will prepare even more. “I’m definitely going to work on a new routine,” Stendek says.
In Anaheim, Stendek will aim to impress judges with his mastery of the equipment. He will focus on showing them tricks and contributing to the excitement of the performance. Although it is not his normal style, Stendek has no qualms about playing up the X-factor. “It makes things a bit more interesting,” Stendek says.
I've been watching Stendek for 8 years along with running a live music club in Rockford, IL. for over 9 years and I have yet to have ever seen an act comparable to Phillip Riely Stendek! His song writing is profound while his song structure is complex and simply elegant all at the same time.... but the best part about his music is his live experience! Stendek will move you with his music and make you cry laughing with his stage banter... if you ever have the chance to see him live I suggest you see his one man show!
Posted by Chris Wachowiak on Nov 28, 2010 at 7:39 p.m. (Report Comment)