Phil Rockrohr profile picture

Phil Rockrohr

About Me

After playing in more than a dozen local bands, Chicago singer-songwriter Phil Rockrohr set out on his own in 1999. His first solo CD "Popcycle," recorded with The Lifters, was named to the Top 5 of 1999 of Chicago music by DJ Richard Milne, host of "Local Anesthetic" on WXRT-FM. In 2005, Chicago Tribune rock critic Greg Kot called Rockrohr and the Lifters a "national level act" and featured Rockrohr's CD "Buxom" on his weekly radio show, "Sound Opinions." In 2007, Rockrohr and guitarist Owen Cooper, who both play in the Clash tribute band London Calling, released "Washington Bullets" on "The Sandinista Project" Clash tribute album. In 2009, Rockrohr wrote compositions, selected songs, and directed music for the Piccolo Theatre's production of "Twelfth Night," Shakespeare's most beloved comedy set in riotous, sex-crazed 1968 London and directed by Karen Yates.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 05/12/2005
Band Website: www.philrockrohr.com (under reconstruction)
Band Members: Beth Bratkovic - backing vocals, keyboards, percussion; Owen Cooper - lead guitar, backing vocals; Frank Pistorio, bass; Phil Rockrohr - lead vocals, rhythm guitar; Bill Willlams - drums ..
Influences: Too many to mention, but primarily Saturday Night Live-style humor, circa 1970s, especially the visionary Bill Murray; '60s, '70s and '80s rock, in particular Bob Dylan, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Stooges, Neil Young, Allman Brothers, New York Dolls, Bruce Springsteen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Ramones, Tom Petty, The Clash, The Jam, Graham Parker, Nick Lowe, The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Husker Du, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, De La Soul, and Public Enemy; and love, sex, and a perverted obsession with, sometimes rationalized justification of, and genuine spiritual connection with rock 'n' roll.
Sounds Like: A virtual idiot savant of music and culture who, until recently, refused to learn formal musical techniques and thinking and basically winged all musical endeavors, based on a lifetime listening to popular music, and somehow came up with something relatively unique but certainly not groundbreaking.
Record Label: PopUlysses
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

What the hell I've been doing

So this is what I've been up to for the last few months: Writing music, selecting songs, and directing actors to play and sing them in the Piccolo Theatre's production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, ...
Posted by on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:28:00 GMT

Wow, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?

I figured I'm almost a year due for checking in. Much Lifter news: Original bass player Tony Wisniewski has left the band for the second time. Third drummer Tom Jasek has left the band. We have some f...
Posted by on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:21:00 GMT

Sandinista tribute pushed back to May 15

Since I previously announced The Clash tribute CD The Sandinista Project's release as today, I figured I better correct that, since it's been pushed back a few months. It is now slated for release on ...
Posted by on Tue, 27 Mar 2007 09:36:00 GMT

Illinois Entertainer review of "Thru the Haze"

The following review appears in the March 2007 issue of Illinois Entertainer. It can be accessed at http://illinoisentertainer.com/2007/02/28/1652/#more-1652: Landing in the area of Pete Yorn or Steph...
Posted by on Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:25:00 GMT

Lifters gets lots of new press

I can't remember the last time I posted a blog, so at the very least I gotta point out the press, ranging from neutral previews to critics' choices, me and the Lifters have gotten in recent months. Fo...
Posted by on Tue, 23 Jan 2007 14:42:00 GMT

CD Release Take 2: Licensed to Sell -- PLUS, 3 new songs uploaded

Yo, yo, yo, kick it over here, baby pop. And let all the fly skimmers feel the beat....ummmmm, drop! Allow me to indulge my favorite soundcheck opening (if the p's don't pop and the s's don't sibilate...
Posted by on Tue, 28 Nov 2006 22:01:00 GMT

Life & Death

I've been due for a new posting for a long time and just been putting it off. Mostly because I feel like so much weird shit keeps happening to people I know and love and I don't know how to process it...
Posted by on Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:55:00 GMT

Sandinista tribute out in 2007

After a self-aborted attempt at rock criticism and self-help philosophy yesterday, I have a real post today with real news. "The Sandinista Project," The Clash tribute album for which we contributed a...
Posted by on Tue, 18 Jul 2006 08:50:00 GMT

The CD Release Show is booked

Well, I'm finally gonna get this sucker out. I guess I've only been working on it for about a year, but it seems like longer, because the basic tracks have been done for about nine months. I take blam...
Posted by on Wed, 07 Jun 2006 05:21:00 GMT

What's up with the new album, dude?

All right, it's been four months since I posted rough mixes. I'm not quite sure what the problem is -- or if there even is a problem. I just haven't felt the desperate urge to get it out there NOW, wh...
Posted by on Mon, 17 Apr 2006 21:41:00 GMT