Phil Walton studied at St Cuthbert’s Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne. where both Sting (Police) and Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys) also studied. (Neil was in the year above.) Phil started learning the Violin there from an old teacher who had played with Chico Marx (Marx Brothers) in the old music hall days .

In 1978 he went to Sheffield University to study Music, and was in the same class as John Hackett, (brother of Steve Hackett, ex-Genesis). After leaving university with a B.Mus. degree, Phil stayed in Sheffield until 1982, during which time he played Bass Guitar, played Greek folk music, joined a medieval folk trio called Grynwode, founded by Enzo Puzzovio (Dante Ferrara), and conducted the Sheffield City Comic Opera for four years.

After a year of Orchestral Studies at Goldsmiths College, London, Phil joined the Ulster Orchestra, Northern Ireland, and has been a member of the Viola section ever since. He has led a busy life performing, teaching and conducting. He appeared on BBC TV and Radio 3 conducting the Ulster Orchestra for the Queens Jubilee in 2002. In recent years he has shown his versatility conducting the Ballylone Concert Flute Band, the current ‘World Champions’ for two successive years, and is arranging the set piece for the next contest.

A few years ago, after meeting his wife Brigid, Phil decided to combine his interest in composing and poetry, and began writing songs. This led quickly to the production of his first album Reason to live, which he wrote and recorded in their TV room. Much of the work was done after everyone else had gone to bed. The entire album was completed on his computer, with all the parts created, recorded, mixed and mastered by himself. An unintended result of this activity was his decision to sing the vocals, but the result has led to comparisons in reviews to Jim Morrison (The Doors), Ian Curtis (Joy Division), Robert Wyatt (Soft Machine) and Phil Oakey (Human League). Similarities with Depeche Mode and Divine Comedy have also been noted. Read reviews of 'Reason to Live' at http://blaristrax.com/Reviews.html

(Visit the Listening Rooms to hear the complete album).

While working on a follow-up album, Phil decided to postpone completion until he had a purpose-built recording studio set up in his garage. Phil’s brother Stuart (pictured left) offered to come over from Germany to help with the studio, and Brigid’s nephew Michael (below) arrived on the scene to combine into an effective team. The resulting studio is just over 14 ft long, and 8 ft high and wide, with Soundblock Plasterboard and Rockwool on a wooden frame using 2x4 timber to produce a vastly improved room for uninterrupted work. Acoustic foam from Advanced Acoustics on walls and ceiling add the finishing touch.

Phil records using an AKG C414B microphone and a Focusrite Voicemaster Pro for vocals, and runs Cubase for mixing and mastering on his PC, with a large collection of UAD mastering plugins. His first album was recorded at the keyboard using virtual instruments and sampled sounds, but the new recordings will include live electric and bass guitars. These are recorded using Guitar Rig 3 from Native Instruments. At the heart of his system is an RME Fireface 400 Audio-midi interface.

The music is sometimes reminiscent of the Eighties, but one could find elements from most periods in it. Phil allows each song to grow without forcing it to fit a style or formula. His tastes a varied and include such diverse artists as Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), Ray Davies (Kinks), Led Zepellin, Steely Dan, Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers),Chicago and The Beatles. 

Phil has had a page on MySpace since 2006, and you can find it at http://www.myspace.com/philwal

Over the years Phil has also written Poetry and you can read the poems at http://blaristrax.com/Poems.html