Phil X
Encyclopedia
Philip Xenidis, better known as Phil X (born 10 March 1966), is a Greek
-born guitarist
and co-founder of the Los Angeles
-based turbo pop band Powder. He also has a second band, the Drills. He is best known as the guitarist who replaced Rik Emmett
in the Canadian rock band Triumph
, for the Edge of Excess
album and tour. The band folded shortly afterwards.
An early opportunity in Xenidis's career came when he was asked in 1990 to tour with Randy Coven, whom he met through Aldo Nova
; in 1991, he toured the US with Aldo Nova.
Phil X is a prolific session guitarist, having played on albums by Tommy Lee
, Methods of Mayhem
, Avril Lavigne
, Kelly Clarkson
, Orianthi
, Rob Zombie
, Chris Daughtry
, Alice Cooper
, Thousand Foot Krutch
and many others. He wrote the song "Tired" and also played guitar on Tommy Lee's Tommyland: The Ride
album. He has appeared with Lee on Ellen
and The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno
. He's one of the most viewed guitar players, especially among youngsters on youtube when presenting vintage guitars for Fretted Americana. He's also known for being very energetic on stage, where he usually throws his guitar in the air and catches it before it hits the ground while playing or even pushes it on his right and makes it spin clockwise, passing through his back and then grabs it back on his left. This can be also seen in the "Up Here" video clip with Powder whereby he adopts a different look with black nail polish and spiked hair. Phil X was featured in the "making of" video for the movie Josie and the Pussycats
. He, along with his Powder bandmates, taught the young actresses to appear as if they were actually playing their instruments.
He has performed with the band Frozen Ghost
. Phil X is also the inventor of the "Flip Stick," an innovative replacement for the "whammy bar" on Floyd-Rose-equipped guitars.
Phil X also performs in videos for Fretted Americana (a company that deals and sells vintage guitars and related equipment). In the videos he demonstrates an extensive range of vintage guitars playing some classic rock riffs. In the videos he generally uses two different guitar amplifiers; a 1960s Magnatone 'Tonemaster' and a 1960s Vox AC30, however he has recently started playing 15 and 30 watt clones of the Tonemaster, named the 'Evil Robot' Phil X Custom 214 built by John Kasha and sold exclusively through Fretted Americana. The original Evil Robot Combo 214 now been joined by an Evil Robot Head and Cabinet.
Since 2008, Phil X has been a faculty member of Camp Rock, a camp in Ontario for aspiring musicians.
In April and May 2011, Phil X substituted for Bon Jovi
's lead guitarist Richie Sambora
, who could not be present and was on rehab. He played the last 13 American shows of Bon Jovi's 2011 world tour.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
-born guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and co-founder of the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based turbo pop band Powder. He also has a second band, the Drills. He is best known as the guitarist who replaced Rik Emmett
Rik Emmett
Richard Gordon Emmett is a vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of the Canadian rock band Triumph. Emmett left Triumph in 1988 to pursue a solo career. His first solo album, Absolutely, was released in 1990 and became a moderate hit across North America thanks to the hits "When a Heart...
in the Canadian rock band Triumph
Triumph (band)
Triumph is a Canadian hard rock power trio that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.Like their fellow Canadians...
, for the Edge of Excess
Edge of Excess
Edge of Excess is the tenth studio album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, first Triumph album released after original guitarist and lead singer Rik Emmett left the band in 1988...
album and tour. The band folded shortly afterwards.
An early opportunity in Xenidis's career came when he was asked in 1990 to tour with Randy Coven, whom he met through Aldo Nova
Aldo Nova
Aldo Nova is a Canadian guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and producer, Nova gained fame with his self-titled debut album Aldo Nova in 1981, and its accompanying single "Fantasy", which climbed to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Career:Signing with Portrait Records, Nova released a self-produced...
; in 1991, he toured the US with Aldo Nova.
Phil X is a prolific session guitarist, having played on albums by Tommy Lee
Tommy Lee
Thomas Lee Bass , best known as Tommy Lee, is an American musician and founding member of glam metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem, and has pursued solo musical projects...
, Methods of Mayhem
Methods Of Mayhem
Methods of Mayhem is an American rock band formed in 1999 by Tommy Lee, who had temporarily quit his position as Mötley Crüe's drummer.-History:...
, Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
, Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, Orianthi
Orianthi
Orianthi Panagaris , better known simply as Orianthi, is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist. She is perhaps best known for being Michael Jackson's lead guitarist for his ill-fated This Is It concert series. Her debut single "According to You" has peaked at No. 3 in Japan, No. 8...
, Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
, Chris Daughtry
Chris Daughtry
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry and as the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, from which he was eliminated on May 10, 2006...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Thousand Foot Krutch
Thousand Foot Krutch
Thousand Foot Krutch is a Canadian Christian rock band formed in 1995. They have released five major studio albums: Set It Off , Phenomenon , The Art of Breaking , The Flame In All of Us , and Welcome to the Masquerade . They also have one live album, Live at the Masquerade...
and many others. He wrote the song "Tired" and also played guitar on Tommy Lee's Tommyland: The Ride
Tommyland: The Ride
Tommyland: The Ride is the second solo album by Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, released in 2005. The album is released in conjunction with his book of the same name, as well as his new reality television series Tommy Lee Goes to College...
album. He has appeared with Lee on Ellen
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
and The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
with Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
. He's one of the most viewed guitar players, especially among youngsters on youtube when presenting vintage guitars for Fretted Americana. He's also known for being very energetic on stage, where he usually throws his guitar in the air and catches it before it hits the ground while playing or even pushes it on his right and makes it spin clockwise, passing through his back and then grabs it back on his left. This can be also seen in the "Up Here" video clip with Powder whereby he adopts a different look with black nail polish and spiked hair. Phil X was featured in the "making of" video for the movie Josie and the Pussycats
Josie and the Pussycats (film)
Josie and the Pussycats is a 2001 comedy film released by Universal Studios and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed and co-written by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, the film is loosely based upon the Archie comic of the same name...
. He, along with his Powder bandmates, taught the young actresses to appear as if they were actually playing their instruments.
He has performed with the band Frozen Ghost
Frozen Ghost
Frōzen Ghōst was a Canadian rock band formed in 1985 by Arnold Lanni and Wolf Hassel who were previously with the band Sheriff. The band received a Juno Award for "Most Promising Group of the Year" in 1987....
. Phil X is also the inventor of the "Flip Stick," an innovative replacement for the "whammy bar" on Floyd-Rose-equipped guitars.
Phil X also performs in videos for Fretted Americana (a company that deals and sells vintage guitars and related equipment). In the videos he demonstrates an extensive range of vintage guitars playing some classic rock riffs. In the videos he generally uses two different guitar amplifiers; a 1960s Magnatone 'Tonemaster' and a 1960s Vox AC30, however he has recently started playing 15 and 30 watt clones of the Tonemaster, named the 'Evil Robot' Phil X Custom 214 built by John Kasha and sold exclusively through Fretted Americana. The original Evil Robot Combo 214 now been joined by an Evil Robot Head and Cabinet.
Since 2008, Phil X has been a faculty member of Camp Rock, a camp in Ontario for aspiring musicians.
In April and May 2011, Phil X substituted for Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
's lead guitarist Richie Sambora
Richie Sambora
Richard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer, and songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the rock band, Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band...
, who could not be present and was on rehab. He played the last 13 American shows of Bon Jovi's 2011 world tour.