ACCEPT Guitarist PHILIP SHOUSE On Debut EP 'Side 1': 'I Really Didn't Know What It Was Gonna Sound Like'

Acclaimed guitarist Philip Shouse has just released his debut EP, "Side 1", via Wild Kingdom/Sound Pollution. To celebrate the release, Philip has also shared his new single "It Gets Better".

Written and composed by Shouse and Alex Rahal, "It Gets Better" highlights Shouse's unmistakable melodic sensibilities and his deep rooted influence from THE BEATLES, blending timeless pop craftsmanship with a modern, heartfelt edge.

After decades backing up a who's who of country, rock and roll and heavy metal stars, Philip finds his own voice on "Side 1". Handling all lead vocal duties (and most background vocals),as well as all guitars and bass, Philip steps out from the sideman role to frontman, and he wears it well. The five-song EP opens with "Run Away From You" and "The Naked Empress", a one-two punch of THE ROLLING STONESy swagger and sticky power-pop. "It Gets Better" hints at Shouse's BEATLES jones mixed with some country-rock sway. On "Won't Let Go Again" and closer "Time Bomb", he echoes the acoustic/electric light and shade of classic LED ZEPPELIN and HEART without aping those legendary bands.

"Side 1" track listing:

01. Run Away From You
02. The Naked Empress
03. It Gets Better
04. Won't Let Go (Again)
05. Time Bomb

Shouse has been a member of legendary heavy metal band ACCEPT since 2019, appearing on four albums and many international tours. He's also worked with bold-font names ranging from KISS icons Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley to country hitmaker Rodney Atkins to ex-MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman John Corabi. Shouse was a member of Frehley's solo touring band for four years and Simmons's solo band for two years. Those stints included memorable tours in which Shouse backed each of those Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers every night. He also appears on late great guitar hero Frehley's 2020 album "Origins, Vol. 2".

For more than 20 years, Shouse has been based in Nashville. There, he cohosted "Thee Rock N Roll Residency", a recurring jam-session night that's featured the likes of shock rock god Alice Cooper, CHEAP TRICK singer Robin Zander, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale and DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover. Away from the stage, Shouse, an Alabama native, is also co-founder and co-owner of Swedish non-alcoholic beer company Rock N Röll.

In a recent interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, Shouse stated about the songwriting process for "Side 1": "I had no direction. I didn't know, 'cause I've been a side man, side guitar player, hired-gun guy for my entire music career. And so I didn't really know what I sounded like because I'm always playing covers. It may be with the person that wrote them, but, to me, they're covers. And when I'm doing those gigs, I try to show respect for what came before me and play as close as I can, even the solos, try to get — even on the ACCEPT stuff that I play and for sure with the Gene and Ace stuff — try to play it just like the record. I think it's kind of disrespectful if you don't do that, if you come into one of these legacy acts and just go, 'I'm here. It's my way.' I don't do that."

He continued: "So, yeah, I really didn't know what it was gonna sound like, and I didn't really go anywhere. But at the time of writing — I wrote all the songs with my friend in Nashville, Alex Rahal. He's in a great band called THEM VIBES and does his own solo stuff. And so he and I — he got it immediately and so we wrote everything together. And it just ended up that way. The producer's Brad Jones, and when he and I got together, it was just acoustic work tapes, and he said, 'Let's keep 'em acoustic work tapes until we get in the studio and then we'll just go from there.' So it just kind of ended up that way. And at the time of writing, it wasn't monster riffs and it was just, like, 'There's probably not gonna be any guitar solos on here.' And I didn't care, 'cause I had no expectations or direction about where it should go. I was just gonna let it kind of organically work itself out… For this one, I made the sounds that I normally make. I guess that's the best way to put it. I can make a lot of sounds — I'm a pretty good mimic and I can sound metal, I can sound country, I can sound all these things for playing all the tribute and cover things I've done all these years, but as far as the sound I make, I wanted to find that out and put that on record for once."

After Itter noted that the title "Side 1" sounds "very anticipatory", Shouse concurred. "It leads one to think there might be a 'Side 2'. Who knows?" he said. "'Cause it is an EP, it would all fit on side one of an LP. And I'm, like, 'Well, this is the beginning of it, maybe the beginning of something.' So, it seemed like a good title."

Photo credit: Libby Danforth