The Philharmonik, a musician currently based in Sacramento, believes that in today’s music world, there are only two paths to success. “You either have to have a plethora of talents that you .can use, a very wide skill set,” he suggests, or you have to have a lot of money so you can bring in people who have that skill set. “And let me tell you,” he says with a smile, “I do not have the money.”
Having a wide skill set no doubt helped The Philharmonik become the 2024 winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. And he’ll be in Santa Cruz showing off those skills at a concert at Woodhouse Blending & Brews. The event is cosponsored by Soul Good Entertainment and Creative Minds.
Even before he first picked up an instrument, The Philharmonik (born Christian Gates) was a serious music lover. “I was listening to a lot of ’70s music, he says. “But I wasn’t allowed to listen to hip hop; it was the thing I listened to in secret, to rebel.”
And he went deeper than merely listening. “I’d read all the credits, see who was producing,” he recalls. That was especially true when he immersed himself into hip hop. “I’d find out where the samples were coming from,” he says. “And then I’d listen to those songs. So hip hop played a huge role in my returning back to the classics.”
Those classics include an eclectic assortment of the very best: Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix and even Elton John. Listening to The Philharmonik’s music, keen listeners may hear the influence of Donny Hathaway. “When I was a child, one of the first CDs I got was a compilation,” he recalls. “So I grew up on a lot of Bobby Caldwell, Christopher Cross, Prince … all of those are right down my alley.”
Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, The Philharmonik was also immersed in other musical forms; he learned piano and studied classical music, and he sang in a choir. “Those things gave me a foundation,” he says. “They gave me a head start when I wanted to create. When I started making my own music, I already knew how to play piano and sing, so all I had to do was write.” He believes that his musical self-sufficiency developed in large part thanks to those formative years of study.
In high school, The Philharmonik enrolled in a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) class. MIDI is a technical standard that allows multiple digital instruments to communicate, synchronize and work together. For a self-sufficient, multi-instrumentalist in the tradition of Stevie Wonder, Todd Rundgren, Prince and Paul McCartney, MIDI opens up a world that allows a solo musician to create and render fully arranged music.
Combining his keyboard and MIDI skills, The Philharmonik began working as a producer while still in high school. He was still involved in the sorts of musical activities his fellow students enjoyed—“having rap battles, beating on desks,” he says—but he took everything several steps beyond. By graduation in 2011, he was “messing around” with a demo copy of Fruity Loops, a computer-based digital audio workstation.
The Philharmonik released his self-titled debut album in 2018 on Sacramento-based Sol Collective. The following year, he toured as the opening act on Hobo Johnson’s first national tour. Sidelined (like everyone else) during the worst of the Covid era, The Philharmonik dove into the creation and development of his second long player.
Released in 2022, Kironic expands his artistry in many directions. Across its ten tracks, the album moves seamlessly between styles— funk, R&B, pop, rock, psychedelia and hip hop—in a way that effectively erases the divisions between those styles.
The album’s opening track “Am I Dreaming?” asks the musical question: What is the meaning of life? In addition to a rich and soulful musical foundation, The Philharmonik’s music features thoughtful lyrics that probe such big questions. “I like to observe a lot,” he explains. “And I like to reflect that in my music.” He says that he endeavors to put a philosophy class into his music. But there’s still room for ruminations on love. “I study a lot of musicians,” he says. “But I also study a lot of poets.” And that emphasis makes itself known in a real, organic form on Kironic.
Considering such a directed, together artist as The Philharmonik, it might come as a surprise to learn that as recently as a few years ago, he considered giving up his musical pursuits. “When the second album got released, we were still coming off the pandemic,” he explains. “When it was released, I feel like it flopped.” Dealing with the aftermath of an auto accident, The Philharmonik hit what he describes as a dip, a dark moment. He recalls thinking, “I’m creating my best work, but I don’t know why I’m doing this any more. And I don’t know how much more I have in me.”
Back in 2019—“just as a feeler,” he says—The Philharmonik submitted an audition to NPR’s Tiny Desk program. He wasn’t chosen, but he tried again a few years later. “The second time, I knew exactly what to do,” he says. “I trusted myself.” He told himself, “This is the last thing I’m throwing at the wall. If this doesn’t make it, I’m done.” He won the 2024 competition, and performed on the popular program in May.
But it wasn’t the accolades that came with the Tiny Desk win that got The Philharmonik back on track. “It was the win itself,” he says. “I needed proof [to] myself: ‘This is worth it to me.’” He says that if he encounters another difficult point in his career, he can look back to Tiny Desk and remind himself: “Remember what you did when you saw nothing ahead? You kept going.”
The Philharmonik plays at 7pm July 28 at Woodhouse Blending & Brews, 119 Madrone St, Santa Cruz; 831-313-9461. $15 adv/$20 door. Tickets through Eventbrite. And check out his Tiny Desk video.
