Sacramento artist Christian Gates, better known by his musical persona The Philharmonik, has made waves in the four months since his NPR Tiny Desk Contest win and the ensuing 10-city tour across the U.S.
After having competed in various contests over the years, Gates rose to the top over the thousands of other competitors with his original song “What’s It All Mean” — and the compelling video he made to go along with it.
Set in an ordinary corporate office, the video ponders the meaning of working everyday along with other existential questions we all face. That idea, and its execution, is what made The Philharmonik’s submission stand out among the others.
Since winning the contest in May of this year, The Philharmonik and his 9-piece band have toured the country, bringing their unique sound of hip-hop, funk, and soul to a whole new audience. Gates has several concerts lined up for the rest of the year, including one at the legendary Blue Note jazz club in New York City.
CapRadio Excellence in Jazz host Avery Jeffry recently sat down with Gates to discuss his upcoming concert at the Blue Note, and what his life has been like since winning the prestigious NPR contest.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Interview Highlights
On how he got his name
I started out on the violin in my middle school orchestra. I learned how to do everything and picked up more instruments. When I realized I was doing the entire process myself, I was like a one man orchestra. The Philharmonik is basically me being a one man orchestra. Later I realized that the definition of philharmonic in the dictionary is dedication to music. Although it means a city or an orchestra that’s dedicated to music, I interpreted it as my life being dedicated to music. I think that my life’s a testament to that.
On filming the video that rose to the top
There was a lot that went into it. I think there was this underlying obsession for me. I knew that, especially if you’re going to enter a contest as a musician, you have to know that everybody’s going to bring their best. And when you’re competitive, you have to look at things from a different perspective in order to have an advantage. I expect everybody to be a better musician, to be a better artist and to have a better song. I had to think differently. There was a quote that really inspired me by Arthur Schopenhauer. It said, “talent hits a target that no one else can hit, but genius hits a target that no one else can see.” I wanted to hit the target that no one else could see.
When everybody says you work in something that you love and you’ll never work a day in your life, I believe that’s a lie. In everything we do we work. We work on our relationships. We work on ourselves. We work on our passions. We work on resting. We work on improving. Everywhere in life is work. The work is always going to be there so it only makes sense that if I’m going to do a song that includes a tiny desk that I show up in a suit ready to work.
On how he’s keeping himself looking to the future
You hear a saying like, “this too shall pass,” and we only attribute that to negative things. But they also attribute to the positive things. Nothing lasts forever so I thought, “How do I ride this wave, and how do I catapult this into making a sustainable life and career for myself?” I’m still thinking about that and I’m still planning and executing off that move. I’m open and receptive to as many opportunities that come my way. I’m making sure that I put the videos on youtube and everybody’s like, “come here, come here come here.” By next year, I think we’re going worldwide.
On playing at the Blue Note jazz club
I was like, “really, the legendary Blue Note. We gotta do it, we have to.” What they’ve seen is what they’ve wanted. I’ll make a slight alteration because jazz is a big part of the reason why I’ve gotten here. We’re gonna bring some jazz and a few more chord changes for sure. They’re gonna be in for a treat.
On staying grounded
Winning the NPR Tiny Desk was the runway for what I wanted to achieve and now I’m off the ground and we’re flying. It’s good to think in the realm of dreams, but I also want to stay grounded in the meantime and understand that this is still a business. This is still life, this is still a job and this is still work. I have to get up every day and I have people that I care about that I have to take care of. They believe in the vision and they show up for me so I have to show up for them. Now I feel like the pressure is higher than it ever was, but I also have a lot of success. I’m gonna be successful and I am.
