While new to Chicago, Phillip-Michael Scales is no stranger to the Midwest nor to packing up a van and playing original music to a crowd. He is the man-behind-the-curtain of Briar Rabbit. Raised in a suburb of Detroit, Scales began playing music at a young age. By high school he was self-releasing records, fronting bands, and went on to formally study music at college in Boston. A return to the Midwest allowed time to process his stay on the east coast resulting in the debut release “Briar Rabbit & The Company You Keep.” Using his powerful, yet dynamic voice, Rabbit delivers a lyrically sharp, self-analytical collection of songs that chronicle leaving one place for another. Appropriately, Company was recorded between Boston and Chicago (CarterCo studios) with friends and former band mates. The sound is best described as well-thought indie-pop that draws its influence from folk, blues, and rock. With an unruly amount of Chicago pride, Briar Rabbit is a promising talent to keep your eye on in 2011.

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.