Phil Tessis
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
After Funk
www.afterfunk.ca
How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place?
I’ve been playing guitar for around 20 years now. I first became interested in playing by watching my cousin play and thinking that it looked like a lot of fun. I bugged my parents for a guitar until they finally gave in and bought me one and signed me up for lessons. I loved it right away and I’ve never looked back.
Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present?
When I started getting serious about guitar, I started studying with an amazing Cuban musician named Luis Mario Ochoa. He mentored me for years and got me started playing jazz. I probably wouldn’t be working as a musician if I never studied with him. 2 other huge influences on my playing are John Scofield and Eric Krasno. Scofield is a very calculated player with amazing phrasing and a unique vocabulary, you can always tell when it’s Sco playing. Eric Krasno was the guitarist that bridged the gap between rock and jazz for me and got me excited about jazz and funk guitar.
What drew you to using pedals initially? Have you been using them throughout your playing career? How have pedals helped to shape your sound, or influence the style that you’ve created?
I’ve always loved pedals and messing around with different sounds. Since I got my first electric at the age of 10 I’ve been drawn to effects. I use distortion and overdrive frequently for solos or parts, I love delays and reverbs, and fun pedals like the Digitech Whammy.
Photo by Aaron Wynia
What’s your current setup look like? Take us through your pedal rig (feel free to include amps and instruments as well if you’d like):
Pedals: Tuner > Digitech Whammy II > Cry Baby > TC Electronic Little Spark clean boost > Fulltone Fulldrive 2 > Empress Multidrive > Voodoo Lab Tremolo > Boss volume > TC Electronic Flashback Mini > Line 6 DL4 > Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb
Amp : ‘65 reissue Fender Twin Reverb
Guitar: 2003 Gibson ES-137
Favorite type of pedal (drive, delay, fuzz, etc. – more than one answer is always acceptable!):
My favourite type of pedal would be a drive pedal. There’s nothing like taking a ripping guitar solo with some nice drive or distortion.
You’re stranded on a desert island – which three (3) of the following do you want to have?
Instruments: I love my guitar, so I’d want my Gibson ES-137, but I’d also want a 335 and a nice American Strat
Amps: Fender Twin, Deluxe, Princeton, I’m a big fan of Fender amps
Pedals: Full Drive 2, Empress Multidrive and Line 6 DL4
What’s up next for you/your band(s)?
My band After Funk just released its first full length album. We’ll be touring coast to coast in North America over the coming months, keep an eye out!
The Klon hype: Love it or Hate it?
Never paid too much attention to it!
Thanks so much to Phil for taking the time to answer some questions! Make sure to go check out www.afterfunk.ca to see when they’re coming to a town near you – Cheers!
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