The dynamic duo of Phil & Foster show off their sense of humor and harmonious sound each week in Mobile.
For Phil Proctor and Stan Foster, life in the Mobile musical spotlight is nothing new as they’ve been performing together since 2014.
Along with the duet of Phil & Foster, the two have performed together in other bands such as the Deluxe Trio and Marlow Boys, while also playing solo gigs on occasion. As both are not natives of Mobile, their experience ranges far and wide, literally. Proctor and Foster both began playing guitar at young ages, and soon after went through the “let’s start a band” phase in their respective hometowns.
As time went on both grew up, improving their skills and gaining experience in the musical world, by either performing, studying or teaching music. During this time, Proctor explained, his musical passions shifted as he began practicing more and more frequently, which led him to find inspiration outside the typical genres he would play for college party gigs.
“I wanted to be the guy who’s playing the screaming solos, and so I practiced and practiced and the stuff that I practiced to was The Allman Brothers,” Proctor said. “I of course liked stuff like Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton, kind of classic stuff that every guitar player in the 70s was listening to.”
This growth in Proctor’s musical taste and talents showed him that he was open to branching outside of southern rock and country, and into the world of bluegrass. Along with Proctor’s shift in music taste, Foster’s taste in music evolved around the year 2000. “None of us grew up listening to traditional bluegrass, we kind of got into that much later. That’s when I saw the energy and the power of it, and how cool it was,” Foster said.
Foster explained that he believes this change was due to the release of the hit movie, “Oh Brother Where Art Thou?” Foster feels that it gave bluegrass music a new connotation, and people became “interested in bluegrass, ‘roots’ music,” once again.
Now as Phil & Foster, the two work together to create authentic, bluegrass music. “Let’s write a bluegrass song that uses some different cords,” Proctor explained how the two collaborate. “So we’ll mix a little bit of this Beatles influence, but it’ll still feel and mostly sound like bluegrass.” He explained that the songs they draft on stage begin coming together over time to create something unique for the audience.
Foster went on to express his gratitude toward the venues of Mobile, as the duo works to put out special pieces during their gigs, the response from the local audience gives them a sense of reassurance.
“We’re blessed in this area and the venues that people want to come and hear something fresh,” Foster said. “We can come out here, work up the songs, get’em tight, and figure out if ‘that song’s just not working for whatever reason.’”
The popular local venue Phil & Foster often report to on Wednesday nights is Callaghan's Irish Social Club. During their shows at Callaghan’s the duo does their best to keep the audience entertained for the three hours they are there. Through their original music, less-familiar cover songs and witty jokes on stage they capture the audience's attention. If things get even more exciting, special guests will join in to jam or Phil Proctor’s mandolin skills will make an appearance.
The two pride themselves in that they try to produce original content rather than the traditional cover songs played nowadays. Using hand gestures to represent a physical continuum, Proctor explained, “It’s like a continuum. There bands that play a bunch of covers and others that play a bunch of obscure originals. We want to be somewhere in the middle.”
To learn more about the band and their showtimes, you can visit their Facebook page, facebook.com/philandfoster/.
Music Sample: Phil & Foster - "From the Fire to the Fryin' Pan"
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