To say Phil Minissale is a busy guy is probably an understatement.
"I'd love to chat. I'll be free tomorrow afternoon, but I have a gig tomorrow night and a festival Saturday and Sunday," the former Towson student replied to a request for an interview.
Minissale, a 20-year-old former resident of Tower D, now hailing from Stony Brook, N.Y., left TU a couple of years ahead of schedule to pursue a music career and has been building a name for himself in the New York/Pennsylvania areas ever since. According to his Facebook profile, "college is on the backburner."
"I left for personal reasons and money. It was a combination of things. I knew I wanted to play music all along, the opportunity just never presented itself. So the things the drove me to leave were sort of blessings in disguise," he said.
Leaving though, even to chase a dream, came with its downsides.
"It was hard for me and my friends at Towson when I told them I was leaving. And of course I got the 'why are you dropping out of school, you need to go back to school,' reaction," he said. "I still get that now, and it probably won't end any time soon."
But, with the support of his family, friends and fellow musicians, Minissale is pursuing a love of music, specifically blues and folk that seems to have been engrained in him since he was young. A guitar and harmonica player since age 14, Minissale grew up listening to blues and folk musicians including Bob Dylan, who he lists as one of his main inspirations.
"I've been singing Bob Dylan songs since I was little. I think my first words were probably from a Bob Dylan song because I've always listened to it," he said.
Now Minissale continues his career with a schedule busy enough to match any students' back at Towson. Averaging three gigs a week, managing his own promotions and bookings while holding down a regular job, keeps him running.
"I play a lot of restaurants, coffeehouse gigs, and a lot of folk society shows. I also play a lot of the emerging artists showcases," he said. "I'm hauling all my own stuff. It's just an acoustic guitar and a mic and a PA system when the venues don't have them It's kind of like living out of my car right now, but I have a bed to sleep in, its just everything is in my car. I also take around a bunch of demos and posters that I sell at each gig."
But Minissale isn't complaining.
"You do what you've got to do. You've got to work and do all of that stuff, but it all goes back into the music. The music is really the main focus and you do whatever you need to keep it going," he said.
Minissale's drive has allowed him to play and make friends with several well-known blues and folk musicians including guitarist Hubert Sumlin, who played with another one of Minissale's inspirations, influential blues singer Howlin' Wolf.
"I opened for [Sumlin] back in May," Minissale said. "That was one weird thing that has happened to me at a gig. I go to the show, and [Sumlin] was convinced he knew me, like I'm the son of someone important that he knew, and he was all excited and talking to me like he knew me. And everyone around was like, 'Wow this kid knows Hubert Sumlin, that's wild.' But really he just thought he knew me. I gave him my demo though and he actually invited me to his birthday party so it all worked out pretty well."
Minissale said other blues musicians are eager to help him out, and blues artist Little Toby Walker has helped him out a lot.
"Musicians get really excited and eager to give advice when they see youth playing, like me. Little Toby Walker really took me under his wing. He showed me the ropes around here, the good places to play, he's brought me on stage with him, and he's really talked me up and helped me get some great gigs and radio shows," Minissale said.
Minissale said other folk artists are glad to see a new generation entering the genre.
"When they see young kids, like myself, if they're an older folk or blues artist a few of them would say 'I wish I had the drive that you had when I was your age.' They'll say they were too busy doing psychedelics or something, you know the whole hippie thing. Then they get stuck in jobs and get married and stuff and they just lose track of the music," Minissale said. "But they like seeing young kids pursue it, and I think part of that is why I've done so well. I play these folk societies and they haven't seen a young kid since they were young."
Minissale said he has not forgotten about his friends in Towson and hopes to set up a few gigs in the area.
"I'd love to come back to Maryland or Towson for a show. It's hard because I can't travel that much," he said. "I'd love to get out there, I miss everyone from Towson and I think it would be a really fun show."
For more information about Minissale, to listen to his demo, or for inquiries about bookings, visit his MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/philminissalemusic.
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