Phil Rock

“I’m not just singing; I’m screaming into the void. Hoping someone else will hear me, hoping someone else will feel me.” For Philip Rock, music isn’t just a fun pastime or hobby, it’s a passion. To him, music is a way for people to connect. It allows performers who may not be able to speak up and share their experiences and allows the listener to know that they’re not alone. Like the song states, Phil Rock has been writing music to help people find common ground and connect for years. Whether it’s through songs and covers he’s posted on YouTube, or with his band Second to All, he works to inspire.
Phil Rock has been writing music for much of the past decade. He’s been in two different bands including St. Louis pop-punk band Second to All. On his own, he has regularly played open mic nights, singing more personal and intimate songs, and experimenting with a more vintage sound. Despite his love of music, Phil spent many years playing music as a hobby while studying psychology. It wasn’t until his friends pointed out to him that he talked about nothing but music and artists he loved that he decided to make music his primary focus. He then started Second to All with his friend Lyss Pisciotta. After building a fan base in St. Louis he started studying music at Rollins College to better his understanding of music, music business, and production, further proving his dedication to his craft.
Philip’s first brush of success was appearing in the Rise Against documentary “How We Survive,” which was featured on their promotional DVD “Generation Lost,” where he performed their hit song “Swing Life Away” with lead singer, Tim McIlrath. He then formed an alternative band called “Principles and Purposes” that competed in multiple Battle of the Bands in St. Louis. After a few years of recording and playing open mic nights around the St. Louis area, he co-founded Second to All. They took off running gaining praise from local promoters, making it to the final round of the Next Big Thing battle of the bands and playing with national acts like Not My Weekend and being hand selected to open for Emery.
Phil has continued to improve his abilities whether it’s singing, writing, or recording. He is getting ready to release his first solo EP this summer titled “Past Mistakes” made up of three previously unreleased studio recordings and one brand new track to help tie in the overall theme of the release. He will be promoting this by traveling around the Orlando open mic scene, premiering a different song each night. He is also working on a larger project to be released some time at the beginning of 2020 that will be a semi-autobiographical work that will be, in his words, about “finding yourself after going through hell.”
Phil Rock comes from a show business family. His great grandfather, Harry Tobias, and his brothers were known as “the royal family of tin-pan alley,” having written such hits as “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree,” “Lonesome Old Town,” “Sweet and Lovely,” and “Sail Along Silvery Moon.” His grandfather, Phill M. Rock, was a jazz drummer, who taught him the basics of drums and instilled a love of Jazz in him. As he got older, he took up the alto sax and in high school picked up the guitar. Phil’s mother made sure he had an eclectic upbringing, both taking him to the St. Louis Symphony and getting him involved in politics at a young age, which lead him to discover the Folk and Punk scenes, and eventually Hip-hop. Due to his love of so many genres, Phil loves to experiment with combining genres within his music.