Born and raised in the SF East Bay, Phil grew up watching local legends Y&T and Metallica work their way through the clubs and achieve international success. Forming the legendary thrash band Violence in high school, he would start his own journey into the music industry and worldwide acclaim writing songs and performing in some of the biggest metal acts on the planet.

A 16-year career (including a Grammy nomination) with Machine Head, immediately followed by fill-in spots with Slayer (on their farewell tour), indie rock band Nonpoint, thrash legends Overkill and several spots serving as Lamb of God’s man out of the bullpen, playing bass in certain situations. There have been multiple “Jam” occasions with him playing alongside the largest names in the biz and his cover band called “The Merkins”, made up of some local rockers and his high school buddies. There was a BPMD release of covers songs with Bobby Blitz, Mike Portnoy and Mark Menghi and a new Violence EP with his old band.

Time at home finds him owning a bar with his wife, raising his 3 kids, recording at home in his Home Studio collaborating with an eclectic group of well-known musicians covering a broad scope of genres. His new band, Category 7 made up of Metal stalwarts John Bush, Jason Bittner, Mike Orlando and Jack Gibson, sees its debut record released summer 2024.  He began golfing with his Father at an early age after driving the cart for his Dad at tournaments. He caught the bug and has been chasing a single-digit GHIN and his elusive first Ace.