Biography
Philpot sprouted from a flower shop in Dugger, Indiana (pop. 955), a town without a stoplight. In this blink-and-you'll-miss-it rural setting a couple of hours southwest of Indianapolis, Philpot front man Kentz Ward toils by day among the blossoms and, by night, is joined by his five band mates, who grow their, by turns, rocking, bluesy, and emotive music inside the musical laboratory of the shop.
Hard rocking but melodic, Philpot is anchored by Caleb Smith and Josh Kennedy’s deeply layered wall of guitars, AJ Boone's ambient keyboards, and the propulsive rhythm section of Arthur Ready and Tyler Evans. Kentz Ward’s growling vocals – and brooding, pugilistic (yet hopeful) – lyrics complete the tapestry.
Philpot first shook up the music scene in late 2004, with a head turning 3 AM set in front of celebs at a ritzy New York City night club owned by the members of Velvet Revolver and Fuel. The show created a buzz in the New York City media. Equal parts eagerness, confidence, naïveté – and balls – compelled the band to drive uninvited to Manhattan that night in the pouring rain and demand the owners give them the stage
A great New York story, especially for rocker wannabes from the boroughs, but Philpot (then teens) had come 800 miles from rural Indiana; a place checkered with farms and abandoned coal mines.
Since forming in 2000 on the way home from a concert, Philpot has recorded three albums. The latest, Hate Writes Better Than Love, (Toucan Cove /Universal Records) speaks well to Philpot’s musical evolution. HWBTL is a distinct amalgamation of the band’s roots, influences and unbridled talent, one that unleashes itself full throttle in their epic four hours shows in Indiana.
The story behind the new record fits this homespun American story like a glove. In 2006, a Los Angeles A&R executive from Toucan Cove journeyed the southeastern Indiana back roads to a Philpot show at the Ooodle Inn in Switz City, a gin mill/roadhouse worthy of a Tarantino film. Barely detectable on a GPS, the motto at the Oodle is “Walk In, Waddle Out.” Philpot stumbled out that night with a record deal.
This band has balls, and the musical prowess to back that up. Together they have penned nearly 200 songs in the flower shop. 2007 has seen them perform with Snoop Dogg, Kings of Leon, The Sick Puppies, Days of the New, Seven Mary Three, Drowning Pool and Flyleaf. Television appearances include CBS News. NBC News, Fox TV, and PBS. Their music is featured on The Speed Channel (Fox/NASCAR). NFL.com, The N (MTV Networks), and ESPN.
Hate Writes Better Than Love, was produced by Bill Klatt (Days of the New, QOTSA, Sneaker Pimps) with Philpot singer Kentz Ward. In late 2007, with typical DIY/Indiana bravado, the band sent an MP3 of “Girls Don’t Know” to the UK, and BBC Bristol threw it on the air immediately.
On its My Space page, Philpot has accumulated more than half a million plays. There the band asks its fans “Are You Ready For The Revolution”. Are you? Listen.
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