Phil Ward is one of only a few artists in folk music performing comedy--and probably the only person in folk music doing comedy this twisted and unique. His takes on everything -from romance to English writing assignments to discount pain therapy- will leave you laughing uncontrollably, sometimes while nodding in amazed recognition.

A charter member of legendary Los Angeles-based rock band The High Lonesome from its founding in 1987 through its present, fragile state of retirement, Phil has long been a respected member of the Los Angeles Acoustic Underground. Aside from The High Lonesome's two albums and Phil's 2001 release EASILY AMUSED on Trough Records, he's been heard on a number of albums by other artists, and would happily appear on your album for a very reasonable rate.

His solo career -composing, playing and singing humorous songs for guitar- has taken him to venues all over Southern California, from comedy clubs like The Ice House and The National Comedy Theatre to legendary music joints like The Whisky and Highland Grounds.

Audiences have been laughing themselves silly at Phil's songs for the past fifteen years, and it's high time you brought that same giddy feeling into your home. Or your car. Phil's 2001 album Easily Amused was recorded live at Kulak's Woodshed, an acoustic music hangout in North Hollywood. Guest players who lent their considerable talents to the project include Mark Allen and Gary Grantham of The High Lonesome, Russell Smith of Kyler & Tyler fame, and wailing soul singers Pat Dade and Robyn Roth. The songs include some that have developed cult followings of their own, such as the mind-bending "I Am Wearing Blue Bedroom" and "Jenny Chow," perhaps the most definitive ode to obsessive love ever written. All of them are pretty much guaranteed to make you laugh out loud, or at least smile knowingly. There is also a song during which an actual live frog appears as a surprise musical guest, which Trough Records believes to be a recording industry first.

And now, as of March 2008, Phil has recorded a live concert of all new songs! These are being mixed and will become his next solo album, due later this year. One of the songs, "Stupid," has been released as a downloadable single and is already getting radio play, due to being a) perfectly timed with the presidential elections, and b) hysterical.

Trust the experts! SING OUT! magazine said, in its enthusiastic thumbs-up review of Easily Amused:
"His risky, rapid-fire rhymes, oddball topics and deadpan delivery bring to mind Tom Lehrer and Loudon Wainwright III."

And the PASADENA STAR NEWS said of Phil in concert:
"Like listening to set-to-music entries from an obsessive-compulsive's diary...a really funny one."

You can send him an for all sorts of reasons: to , to , or if you just need to vent.

To order your copy of Easily Amused, simply send a check or money order (no cash please) for $12.99, made payable to Phil Ward, to Trough Records, P.O. Box 8174, Van Nuys, CA 91409-8174. Price includes shipping and handling.

- Return to the Trough Records home page -

Photo by Alison Inconstanti | Page design by Tracy Berna
© 2008 Trough Records. All rights reserved.