Phil Lomac

Phil Lomac’s musical roots trace back to the cold war era Berlin in which grew up. The city is and always has been a cultural melting pot, unique unto itself. Permeated by musicians and artists from all corners of the globe the creative energy was magnetic and inescapable, igniting a spark that would set off his lifelong pursuit into music and shape his eclectic approach to the craft.

Over the years Lomac has been equally comfortable performing as a singer/songwriter in coffee houses as he has been pounding out ear-splitting guitar riffs in rock & roll honky tonks and dive bars. Filling lead guitar and backing/lead vocal roles in a variety of bands including The Brown Root Seed Company, Ron Neill & the Eleventh Hour, Senatobia (Performing Songwriter top 10 DIY pick) and Bugs Multiply, he eventually kicked-off a solo career with his own self-titled release. The lo-fi, four track recording was marked by a modest PR campaign with Atlanta based ShutEye Records and a handful of local shows around the Asheville, NC area. The Asheville Citizen Times noted Lomac’s writing had taken on a different life with his solo work, “exposing a depth and maturity to his lyrics, offset by creative melody and minimalist production”.

This was followed up by "Stranger's Funeral", recorded during a 6 month stay on the island of St. Lucia, and supported by a string of acoustic solo shows throughout the Southeast and Midwest United States, including an interesting yet notable selection to support country music legend Ronnie Milsap for a sold out show at the historic Watseka Theater. Soon after Lomac ventured back into band territory co-forming the Chicago based outfit Lovely Tyrants. After releasing an EP with the group and a further string of shows both solo and with the band Lomac consciously took an extended break from performing and recording.

8 years is an eternity to go without releasing new material but it took that long for Lomac to find the right direction for his next record. The result is “Northern Cities Southern Stars”, Lomac’s third official release and his most attentive in terms of production and song arrangement. Recorded primarily in Chicago over the course of 2016, he took the helm as multi-instrumentalist, engineer and producer, tracking softer material at his apartment and louder material inside the 100 year old Unity Lutheran church in Edgewater. The setup proved key to achieving the core sound of the album, a profusion of both intimate and intense musical components placed in juxtaposition throughout the songs. The finished recordings feature an eclectic mash-up of genres, including indie rock, pop, folk and roots music, without compromising the characteristics Lomac is known for: solid songwriting matched to lyrics that have power and genuine depth.

Place means a lot to records. And though his albums don't necessarily describe Chicago nor his adopted home state of North Carolina too much they do map out a certain evolution of the DIY music market. With an approach that belongs to the experimental popster and a core that is pure and rich with instrumentation the unrefined sound of Lomac's music continues to be a refreshing contrast to the overly-produced, mechanized feel of modern fare.