Philharmonik Audio | Good Times

The Philharmonic, a musician currently based in Sacramento, believes there are only two paths to success in today’s music business. “You either have to have an abundance of talent that you can use, a very broad skill set,” he suggests, or you have to have a lot of money so you can bring in people who have those skills. “And let me tell you,” he says with a smile, “I don’t have the money.”

Having a broad skill set undoubtedly helped The Philharmonic become the winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2024. And he’ll be in Santa Cruz to show off those skills during a concert at Woodhouse Blending & Brews, co-sponsored by Soul Good Entertainment.

Even before he picked up an instrument for the first time, The Philharmonik (born Christian Gates) was a serious music lover. “I listened to a lot of ’70s music,” he says. “But I wasn’t allowed to listen to hip-hop; that was something I listened to secretly, to rebel.”

And he went beyond just listening. “I would read all the credits, see who was producing,” he recalls. That was especially true when he got into hip-hop. “I would find out where the samples were coming from,” he says. “And then I would listen to those songs. So hip-hop was a big part of me getting back to the classics.”

Those classics include an eclectic collection of the very best: Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix, even Elton John. Listening to the Philharmonic’s music, you can hear the influence of Donny Hathaway. “When I was a kid, one of the first CDs I got was a compilation,” he recalls. “So I grew up with a lot of Bobby Caldwell, Christopher Cross, Prince… those are all right up my alley.”

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, the Philharmonic was also immersed in other musical forms; he learned to play piano and studied classical music, and he sang in a choir. “Those things gave me a foundation,” he says. “They gave me a head start when I wanted to create. When I started making my own music, I could already play piano and sing, so all I had to do was write.” He believes his musical self-reliance developed largely because of those formative years of study.

In high school, The Philharmonik enrolled in a class on MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). MIDI is a technical standard that allows multiple digital instruments to communicate, synchronize, and work together. For a solo, multi-instrumentalist in the tradition of Stevie Wonder, Todd Rundgren, Prince, and Paul McCartney, MIDI opens up a world that allows a solo musician to create and play fully arranged music.

Combining his keyboard and MIDI skills, The Philharmonik began working as a producer while he was still in high school. He was still involved in the kinds of musical activities his fellow students enjoyed—“rap battles, banging on tables,” he says—but he took things a step further. By the time he graduated in 2011, he was “messing around” with a demo copy of Fruity Loops, a computer-based digital audio workstation.

The Philharmonik released its self-titled debut album on Sacramento’s Sol Collective in 2018. The following year, it opened for Hobo Johnson’s first national tour. Sidelined (like everyone else) during the worst of the Covid era, The Philharmonik dove into the creation and development of its second full-length.

Released in 2022, Kyronian expands his artistry in many directions. Across its ten tracks, the album moves seamlessly between styles—funk, R&B, pop, rock, psychedelia, and hip-hop—in a way that effectively erases the lines between them.

The album’s opening track, “Am I Dreaming?”, poses the musical question: What is the meaning of life? In addition to a rich and soulful musical foundation, The Philharmonik’s music features thoughtful lyrics that explore such big questions. “I like to observe a lot,” he explains. “And I like to reflect that in my music.” He says he strives to inject a philosophy lesson into his music. But there’s still room for musings on love. “I study a lot of musicians,” he says. “But I also study a lot of poets.” And that emphasis comes through in a real, organic way on Kyronian.

Given such a directed, collaborative artist as The Philharmonik, it might come as a surprise that he considered giving up his musical pursuits just a few years ago. “When the second album came out, we were still recovering from the pandemic,” he explains. “When it came out, I felt like it was a flop.” The Philharmonik, dealing with the aftermath of a car accident, hit what he describes as a slump, a dark moment. He remembers thinking, “I’m making my best work, but I don’t know why I’m still doing this. And I don’t know how much more I have in me.”

In 2019 — “just to put out a feeler,” he says — the Philharmonic submitted an audition for NPR’s Tiny Desk program. He wasn’t chosen, but tried again a few years later. “The second time around, I knew exactly what to do,” he says. “I trusted myself.” He told himself, “This is the last thing I’m going to throw against the wall. If this doesn’t make it, I’m done.” He won the 2024 competition and performed on the popular program in May.

But it wasn’t the accolades that came with the Tiny Desk win that got the Philharmonic back on track. “It was the win itself,” he says. “I needed proof (to) myself: ‘This is worth it for me.’” He says that when he hits another rough patch in his career, he can look back at Tiny Desk and remind himself: “Remember what you did when you couldn’t see anything? You kept going.”

The Philharmonic plays July 28 at 7 p.m. at Woodhouse Blending & Brews, 119 Madrone St., Santa Cruz; 831-313-9461. $15 advance/$20 at the door. woodhousebrews.com

MASTERFUL FUNK Now it’s time to catch soul man, the Philharmonik, because he looks like he’s about to explode. Check out his Tiny Desk video.