As a youngster growing up in northern Wisconsin and learning the piano, Phil Cook didn't feel connected to any particular artist — until he found his parents' Bruce Hornsby records. "He was somebody who really spoke to me when I was a kid," Cook says. "He was somebody who was playing and he could really sing and he had all this talent and was writing songs."

It was Hornsby's music that ultimately inspired Cook to play live, covering a Hornsby tune at his middle-school talent show. "That was the first time I performed in front of my peers," Cook says. "That dude [Hornsby] changed my life."

Cook is now a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter who's performed with Megafaun and with Gayngs. He's also a solo artist, and his new album, Southland Mission, is out now and Cook is touring in support of it. Cook — along with bandmates Ryan Gustafson on guitar, JT Bates on drums, Michael Libramento on bass and James Wallace on keys — stopped in to The Current's studio for a session hosted by Bill DeVille.

Having relocated to Durham, N.C., Cook has collaborated with many musicians there, and Southland Mission was recorded in Asheville, N.C., over the course of six months.

With so many musical projects going on, Cook says he does his best to prioritize while also appreciating the short-term nature of the work. "Some things are really beautiful when they're just an event and blossom like a flower and it's like, 'Damn — that was cool!'," he says.

Listen to the complete interview to hear more about Cook's work with Hornsby, with the National, and with Charlie Parr, and about Megafaun's efforts to save a favorite local bar in Durham, N.C.

Songs Performed

"Belong"
"Time to Wake"
"1922"
All songs from Phil Cook's album, Southland Mission, distributed by Thirty Tigers.

Hosted by Bill DeVille
Produced by Derrick Stevens
Engineered by Michael DeMark and Sasha Druva
Visuals by Nate Ryan
Web feature by Luke Taylor

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