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If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to transform into a world famous musician, as a tribute act, a new podcast by Phil Roberts of Manly reveals all.
Phil, who has been a guitarist for more than 30 years, formed The Hendrix Project tribute band – in which he takes on the mantle of Jimi himself – towards the end of 2015.
Phil says the podcast began as a personal audio diary to document the ups and downs of life on the road.
“It started as a way to remember the quirky things that happen on tour, and to document my frame of mind before, during and after the shows”, he says. “The people we’ve met and the situations we’ve found ourselves in have been pretty interesting, some funny, some uncomfortable, some a bit hair raising.”
He admits putting himself in the shoes of such a guitar legend can be scary. “Jimi was my first guitar hero so it’s important that I do justice to his music. If I couldn’t deliver it would be an insult to Jimi’s memory.”
After recording hours of his audio diary, Phil realised that others might be interested to know about the preparations for a big show. He was also inspired by another podcast called Back From The Gig by Nashville guitar player, Jim Lill.
“The audience usually just see the show – they don’t witness the backstage dramas or the post-show fallout.”
In his podcasts, Phil talks about dealing with over-amorous fans, overcoming the challenges of playing on the same night as a big rugby game, and performing at an outside festival in gale force winds.
The podcast, called Being Jimi is available on iTunes and Phil describes it as “a warts and all account both before and after the performances”.
The Hendrix Project play at Ascension Wine Estate, on Saturday, September 30. Tickets from iTicket or phone 0508 484 253.
