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Philip Polk Palmer
a few words about Philip Polk Palmer
If we had a dictionary which used sounds instead of sentences to define words, “melancholy” would be best represented by the haunted, heart wrenching croon of songwriter Philip Polk Palmer. His voice carries the deep, somber blues of Jim Morrison, Mark Sandman, & Nick Cave, but it also conveys the broken, deadpan delivery of artists like Hank Williams, Ian Curtis, & Rick Shaffer.

Philip was born in Savannah, GA, the youngest of nine children. His father, Ken Palmer, was a professional jazz composer & pianist, considered to be among the best musicians & songwriters to come out of Savannah, & had worked alongside such luminaries as Johnny Mercer, Glenn Miller, Ray McKinley & Jimmy Dorsey. Philip’s mother, Betty, was a professionally trained vocalist who toured with Ken’s orchestra.

Philip wanted nothing to do with jazz, & instead delved into the world of rock & minimalism. After playing in several garage bands, he was invited to play in a local Goth band called Sunday School. He started writing songs & along the way, discovered a variety of artists including Bauhaus, The Reds, The Beatles, Psychedelic Furs, Syd Barrett, James Brown, the The, Lightning Hopkins, X, Television, Donovan, Low, Hank Williams, & Morphine to name just a handful.

Leaving his hometown for Athens, GA, Philip started recording with his good friend Andy Baker. He landed a job scoring an independent film titled Distant Tribes which, though completed, never saw the light of day… it did, however, give a new dimension to Philip’s songwriting – visual imagery with sound.

Philip moved back to Savannah, & formed Vermillion X, a female fronted outfit which released one CD & made an impact on the local scene. A second project, Port City Blues was an outlet for the many songs which weren’t making their way into Vermillion X. Eventually, feeling dissatisfied with the direction Vermillion X was headed in, Philip turned all of his attention towards Port City Blues which eventually became his solo project.

In 2012, Philip coaxed friend & Silber Records owner, Brian John Mitchell, to come & stay at his Savannah home for a couple of weeks & act as engineer for some of the newer songs he had at the time. Philip’s idea was to get Brian to work on all the fussy, technical aspects of making a record, while he just focused on conjuring music, the way it was done not too long ago. His idea worked better than expected & Philip & Brian wound up spending a lot of time playing editors as a result of the outpouring of creativity. After a few initial bumps, Philip & Brian found a chemistry & that really shows in the co-written song, “The Call.” Brian encouraged Philip to improvise on the already multi-layered guitar melodies in that song & in the end they made some real magic. After that, the project just flowed.

After the recording sessions were finished, a lot of speed bumps & hurdles, both personal & circumstantial, almost ground that flow to a halt. But perseverance has won out & now these songs are finally being released.

Philip’s music demands more than just casual listening – it pulls you into its world of aural layers & an eerie sense of déjà vu & refuses to let go. It is, at once, perfectly singular, yet strangely familiar. His writing & his voice are genuine & genuinely mournful, yet there is hope in there as well & a timelessness to each piece that beckons the listener to keep coming back.

Philip Polk Palmer Silber Discography
Philip Polk Palmer - Who Knows? Philip Polk Palmer - Who Knows?
MP3 Single 2017 | Silber 243
1 tracks, 3 minutes
Free Download on Bandcamp

“Social networking has made pundits of us all & yet for all of our hellfire & brimstone, nothing significant changes.”
~ Philip Polk Palmer

An outtake from 2015’s Here in the Deadlights, it seems the time has come around for a song admitting what we’ve become.  There’s a mood to this moody pop gem.

: Listen to the track Who Knows?
: Listen on Spotify
: Listen on Bandcamp
Philip Polk Palmer - Here in the Deadlights Philip Polk Palmer - Here in the Deadlights
CD Album 2015 | Silber 192
9 tracks, 31 minutes
$12 ($18 international, $5 download)
Influenced by bands like Joy Division, The Church, The Reds, Nick Cave & the Badseeds, Echo & the Bunnymen, & Bauhaus; Palmer takes post punk & shoegaze & melancholy pop & mixes them with the ghosts, hopes, legends, & life of Savannah. Engineered by Brian John Mitchell (Remora) & mixed by Brian McKenzie (Electric Bird Noise).

: Listen to the track The Call
: Press Release
: Listen on Bandcamp
: Reviews

Philip Polk Palmer Official Website
Philip Polk Palmer on Facebook