COVER STORY

So Much to Tell

Glen Phillips shares newfound hope on latest record

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

The title of Glen Phillips’ latest album, “There is So Much Here,” is telling. His 2016 effort, “Swallowed by the New,” was a post-divorce story of grief. This time around, the Toad the Wet Sprocket singer’s first solo album in six years sees Phillips writing love songs again, focusing on gratitude, beauty and staying present. And, to think, all of it came from a songwriting game that he plays with musician Bob Schneider and singer-songwriter Matt the Electrician. “There are 20 of us and every week he (Matt the Electrician) sends out a prompt, some set of words,” said Phillips, who lives in Santa Barbara. “You have to write a song. It doesn’t have to be good. It just has to contain those words in the lyrics. They’re purposely awkward; things that wouldn’t be easy to write around. I’ve done this on and off with him for about 12 to 15 years now.” During his years as lead singer and main songwriter of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Phillips helped to create songs with introspective lyrics such as “All I Want,” “Something’s Always Wrong,” “Walk on the Ocean,” “Good Intentions” and “Fall Down.” When Toad went on hiatus, he launched a solo career with “Abulum,” and stayed busy collaborating with other artists on various projects, including Mutual Admiration Society, with members of Nickel Creek and Remote Tree Children, an experimental outing with John Morgan Askew. The songwriting games that Phillips has “played” have inspired tracks on solo and Toad the Wet Sprocket albums. When Phillips realized he had several of these songs, he put them together into “There is So Much Here.” “For every one of these songs, there are at least 12 other songs in the world with the same title,” he said with a laugh. “I love writing from the title. I get to surprise myself. The song that emerges is usually not the song you intend on writing. When they’re good, it’s particularly surprising.” He said some of the songs he pens are “terrible” and “luckily, I don’t have to share them all.” “But, I’m really in love with this collection and I think my favorite thing about it is writing a love record. My last solo record was all about divorce and disillusion and kids growing up, and trying to learn about grief. I suddenly realized I’m at a point in my life where I’m between major grief episodes, on a personal level.” The first single, “Big Changes,” serves as a bridge between the two albums. If “Swallowed by the New” taught Phillips anything, it was the lack of discussion about grief. “It is the backdrop of being human,” he said. “It’s one thing we all share. The things we love will change and go away and we have to figure out how to relate to that. In the meantime, with this group of songs, my mind had been on subjects other than loss. I like that I wrote a bunch of love songs. For me, this was the market that made me realize that I’d turned a corner.”

Fans will hear songs from “There is So Much Here,” including “Big Changes” — and a healthy dose of Toad the Wet Sprocket — at Phillips’ show at The Venice West on Wednesday, Dec. 7. “I always do a good amount of Toad the Wet Sprocket,” he said. “I know the deal. I understand. I try to play enough Toad stuff to keep the people who are there for that happy. I’m also lucky enough that a lot of people like the new stuff. “There’s a bit of everything. It should be a fun time. I understand what the past is. You can’t compete with songs people heard in their early 20s. They totally leave a mark, and you have to respect that.”

Glen Phillips w/Garrison Starr

WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7 WHERE: The Venice West, 1717 Lincoln Boulevard, Venice COST: $22 in advance; $27 day of show INFO: thevenicewest.com Phillips' first solo album in six years sees him writing love songs focused on gratitude, beauty, and staying present.