Talk about living out a dream. When Weehawken resident and musician Phil Risen was a teenager, growing up in Port Jefferson on Long Island, he would somehow manage to sneak into the local recording studio to watch the widely popular ’70s and ’80s rock band Foghat record and rehearse.
"It was pretty cool," Risen recalled. "I was in high school and was hanging out, sneaking in to watch Foghat play all the time. From hanging out, I became friends with one of the guys in the band [Erik Cartwright]. I used to listen to their records. Sometimes, they let me sit in and jam with them."
In 1988, when Risen, then known as Phil Nudelman, was studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he came home and found a message on the answering machine. It was from Cartwright.
"He said that Foghat needed a new lead singer and would I be willing to head out on the road with them," Risen said. "I would have been crazy to say, ‘No.’"
With that, Phil Risen spent the next two years as the lead singer for the heavy metal band, known best for its Top 40 mega-hit, "Slow Ride."
"It was amazing," Risen said. "It was like a paid camping trip. I got to see the entire country on a tour bus. I got to see places that I will never see again. I loved being on the road. I got to meet so many cool people."
Risen spent two full years belting out the tunes that made Foghat rock legends.
"We were playing big arenas and big-time festivals, but we were also playing some local pubs," Risen said. "There were all different kinds of venues. It was great for a while. I met thousands of people."
However, the novelty soon wore off.
"It really wasn’t what I thought it would be," Risen said. "We were doing six shows a week and traveling 400 miles a night. After a while, we lost track of reality. I maybe came home for a week, then I was back on the road. After two years, it was the best of times, but it was the worst of times. I felt like they were on the way down and I thought I was on the way up."
And with that, Phil Risen left the life of a big-time rock star.
"I wanted to re-invent myself," Risen said. "I wanted to do my own music. I loved being with Foghat, but I had enough of singing Foghat songs. I wanted to do my own stuff."
That’s when Phil Nudelman became Phil Risen professionally.
"Nudelman just never rocked," he said. "Risen, like on the rise, that was catchier."
Original songs
Risen started playing with some established groups, like the Tony James Band and the Larry Mitchell Band. He performed some music for children’s television on Disney, like the show Out of the Box. He also performed the theme music for CBS-TV’s Market Watch, which he also works on as a director – as Phil Nudelman. He’s been directing TV shows for the past decade.
But recently, he’s had the creative juices flowing again, wanting to explore his musical roots.
"Like the Foghat song says, ‘When I was stone blue, rock and roll helped me through,’" Risen said. "I couldn’t get away from it. I had the feeling like I wanted to perform again. The music really never left me. It was just put away for a while."
For the last two years, Risen has been hard at work, writing and composing the music for a new CD entitled, Things Are Different Now, which was produced by his long-time friend Larry Mitchell.
Risen just recently released the CD, which features 10 songs that Risen considers "acoustic rock."
"It has a world beat feel, like Peter Gabriel, with a blues edge of Seal or Eric Clapton," the 40-year-old Risen said. "That’s the best way I can describe it. It’s totally not Foghat."
Risen has been touring, introducing the CD to college campuses, like Florida Atlantic University, where Risen played recently, and local clubs, like the Liberty Café and the Liquid Lounge in Hoboken.
"The CDs are in stores around town and they’re selling pretty well," Risen said. "A lot of it is by word of mouth. We’re getting the word out wisely and having fun doing it."
The title track has never been more prophetic, especially after the events of Sept. 11.
"Things are certainly different now," said Risen, who lost his good friend and fellow Weehawken resident Robert Vicario in the World Trade Center tragedy.
"While I was recording this CD, Rob would come over to my place and listen to the songs," Risen said. "We had a blast hanging out and he really loved one song, ‘Destiny’. He would say, ‘Play that Destiny song. Play Destiny.’ It’s a real empty feeling that he’s gone. His presence is felt even more now than ever."
As a tribute to his friend, Risen has recorded a special single CD called USA, with all the proceeds from the sale of the CD going to Vicario’s wife Jill and daughter Savannah. The cost of the special tribute CDs are $5 each and are found throughout local music stores. Risen said that he received lower pressing rates from a CD production company in order to bring up the profit margin. The song was recorded in Risen’s own studio in his Weehawken home.
"A lot of people have waived their fees in order to raise more money," Risen said. "They’ve been very helpful. I heard the song on the radio when I was in Florida, so it’s picking up steam."
Added Risen, "After the tragedy, it was so frustrating. I felt helpless. I felt like I should have been over there at Ground Zero, passing buckets, doing something to help find Rob. But writing songs is what I do best. And I know that Rob loved music so much. I think the song makes people feel good. It’s an uplifting, patriotic song. I think we all need something like this to make us feel good. That’s what we’re all about."
And that’s what Phil Risen is all about, making music and making people feel good. It really has been one long slow ride, but he’s back on track once again.
Phil Risen’s CDs, "Things Are Different Now," and "USA" can be found at local music stores and can be purchased online at cdbaby.com. For further information, check out Phil’s website at www.philrisen.com.