New CD gets Phil back on the road

Veteran musician Phil Toms used to play bass for the classic Kiwi band Herbs.

But there’s much more to the New Lynn resident’s musical career than his one-year stint with the chart-topping reggae group.

He’s been playing to crowds since the 1970s and has just released a CD, Tall Stories From Beyond the Grassy Knoll with his band Electric Car.

And he’s now hitting the gig circuit to promote it.

Phil recorded the album at home over the space of several years, learning a fair bit about sound engineering in the process.

"I took a bit of a chance and saved myself some money."

Phil had a release party for his new album at Lopdell House on Labour weekend with his son Jacob’s band Roofdog.

Phil has enjoyed playing music since he was a young boy.

He first started playing guitar as an 11-year-old.

Three years later, Phil recorded a classical guitar recital for National Radio.

He formed the five-piece jazz fusion band Tribrations which played at the 1979 Nambassa Festival but he moved back to Auckland in 1981 and joined Herbs.

Phil wrote some of the songs on the band’s album What’s Be Happen? which dealt with many of the social issues in New Zealand at the time, including the Bastion Pt occupation of the late 1970s.

"It was released just before the 1981 Springbok tour," Phil says.

Tensions in the band saw him leave in 1982.

"When I finished with Herbs it was easy enough to get gigs playing bass."

Phil went on to play with other bands including The Neighbours and Hattie and the Hotshots.

He had a bit of a break from music before recording a solo album Storm Warning in 1999.

Phil is enjoying getting back into live performance and says the music scene in Auckland has changed a lot since the 1970s and 1980s.

He’s thrilled to be doing it with a full band.

"It’s really great," he says.

"All the guys in the band are really creative."

And he’s happy to be performing to a younger audience.

"The young people are more into it than the old ones."

- © Fairfax NZ News