Phil Devencenzi
Phil Devencenzi is a lifelong musician from Alameda, CA. At the age of nine, he began taking guitar lessons at Starland, where he instantly fell in love with music. By the time he got to high school he was playing in Jazz Band at Bishop O’Dowd, then he soon started playing in punk bands that would go on to tour the west coast and even led to a performance at the Vans Warped Tour in 2005 with Kid Innocence.
After his punk days, Phil decided to go academic with the guitar and was able to enroll at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. There he developed his affinity for rock, blues and soul into even more genres and styles. He graduated with a degree in Professional Music and moved back to the Bay Area to teach guitar and became a sideman for various artists and bands including Lisa Marie Johnston, Big X, The Chaw and more. In 2013 he joined indie band Why These Coyotes which led to a few small tours and have currently amassed over 10 million streams on Spotify.
As a teacher, Phil has covered almost every musical style imaginable from jazz to country to death metal. From beginners to seasoned veterans trying to gain advanced fretboard knowledge and practice techniques, Phil’s love for all music knows no bounds and has led hundreds of students to pursue their musical passions.
Alive or Dead, What Musician would you do anything to see?
So many incredible options, but I think the ultimate performance would be to see Jimi Hendrix with his trio at The Fillmore. I would also be fine with Thelonius Monk playing solo piano at a smoky jazz club in Greenwich Village in NYC or maybe Green Day circa 1993 at the Gilman in Berkeley.
Greatest Musical Influence?
TLC “Waterfalls” during the summer of 1995 is what got me rolling on the music train at a young age so I’ll credit them. There’s an endless list of artists as well including Metallica, Wes Montgomery, Frank Ocean and many others but they all graced my ears much later!
What did you want to be while you were growing up?
NBA power forward. It’s still in the cards!
If you could have any ‘Super Power’, which one would it be?
To be able to turn any liquid into any other liquid I want. I’d probably turn most of it into coffee but it’s good to have other options too.
If you could master any other instrument which would it be?
Rhodes Keyboard. the most beautiful sounding instrument in the world (to me!)
Have you had what people would consider your “15 Minutes of Fame”, and if so when/what was that?
I was briefly on TV during a Warriors game in 2006 during a shot of the crowd. That was cool.
It’s your last meal: What would it be?
Tuna melt with cheddar, some Flamin Hot BBQ ruffles and a can of Coke Zero. This is hardest question I’ve ever been asked.
You are sent to a deserted island, and you only have one album to listen to: Which is it?
I could listen to Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves on a loop for the rest of time.
If you could leave one lesson with your students what would it be?
Very simple: try to stay engaged with music in your life! This can mean practicing your instrument, putting music on while you do chores, blasting music in the car on the freeway, even just thinking about a song you like and trying to figure out why it connects with you. Music is the most powerful language in the world and is meant to be cherished. As long as you keep music in your life on some level, you’ll have a lifetime of memories to look back on and everything else will just makes more sense!
