(Indie Rock/Pop/Alternative) Phil Monsour - Ghosts Of Deir Yassin (2012), MP3, 320 kbps

Phil Monsour is an “Australian troubadour who sings songs of hope, humanity, invasion and occupations”. (Limelight Magazine). He is a committed independent singer/songwriter with a history of producing music that travels beyond the mainstream to explore complex issues of identity, solidarity and politics. Phil’s songs speak with honesty and insight about people’s lives and personal experiences. He is an accomplished musician on both acoustic and electric guitar and has a strong and passionate voice. Phil’s performance style is both energetic and moving.
Based in Brisbane Phil Monsour has extensive performing and recording experience as a solo performer and with his bands, the Phil Monsour Band, the Cutters and Popproperly. Recent releases include Ghosts of Deir Yassin (2012), the Empire’s New Clothes (2008), Live at Ahimsa House (2010), Lies and Silence (2009), and the Smart Bombs EP (2001). With the band Popproperly, Phil released two albums: Popproperly (1999) and Faint Blue Glow (1998), as well as a number of EPs and singles. Renowned for their high energy folk rock performances, Popproperly toured extensively throughout Europe.
100 days is an acoustic flavoured CD that features Sydney Oud player Mohamed Youssef on half of the tracks. The album is a step in the direction of one of Phil’s long term ambitions of blending some Eastern sounds from his family’s heritage with his contemporary acoustic rock style. “100 days” is the Phil Monsour bands third studio album and reflects a cohesive sound developed over time. On many songs electric guitars are swapped for acoustics, and Jon Lloyd has moves off the drum kit to play the Djembe. A number of the songs on the album were previously recorded with the full rock band, but for this project they’re recorded in a stripped back acoustic mode. The songs continue to feature Phil’s unique lyrical concerns and the title track 100 days is about a boat load of Palestinian refugees lost a sea while trying to reach Australia.
Ghosts of Deir Yassin 2012 Phil Monsour Ghosts of Deir Yassin was recorded at Wavelength Recording in Brisbane with the full band which features Jon Lloyd on Drums, Ian Kimber on Bass and Vocals, Graham Jackson on Guitar and vocals and Phil Monsour on Guitar and Lead Vocals. The music that emerged over a period of several months is an upbeat and dynamic vehicle for Phil’s unique lyrical concerns.
In 2010, Phil Monsour travelled to Lebanon and visited the Burj el Barajneh refugee camp. He also travelled to the West Bank in the Occupied Palestine Territories and attempted unsuccessfully to enter the Gaza Strip. Most of the songs on this CD were written during and shortly after this trip. Inspired by a number of actual experiences, the lyrics are serious but have an accessibility grounded in real experiences and the stories of real people.
In early January 2012 Phil returned overseas to film a video clip for the title song of the CD and spent 5 days filming on location in a number of refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon. The video was released in May 2012 and coincided with tour dates in Scotland, Ireland and England.
20% of the money from Phil’s CD sales are donated to the Australian Council of Trade Unions overseas development agency for projects in the Middle East.
In 2008, with his new band Phil Monsour recorded and released a 13- song CD, The Empire’s New Clothes. The result described by Noel Mengel in the Brisbane Courier mail is “ the most passionate album of his career…..The Empire’s New Clothes shows traces of his interest in folk and world music but also rocks with amp-rattling intensity on songs like the blazing One Step and the anthemic Sing Your Song”. The album is a bleak and insightful statement, a unique mix of personal and related narratives about ordinary people whose stories and circumstance are ignored or pushed to the edges.
Musically, The Empire’s New Clothes builds on Phil’s acoustic rock style and creates a contemporary and complex musical landscape. For the project, Phil worked with a range of musicians from a wide variety of musical backgrounds to develop arrangements and instruments that best supported the power and passion behind the songs. Musicians included Jon Lloyd on drums, Graham Jackson on guitar and vocals, Lachlan Hurse on bass, Lorne Gerlack on keyboards, Bryan Pearson on piano and organ, and the ever versatile Simon Monsour (Phil’s cousin) as producer engineer and occasional musician.
Phil Monsour performs regularly locally and internationally.

The Phil Monsour Band:
- Jonathon Lloyd / Drums
- Ian Kimber / Bass and vocals
- Graham Jackson / Lead electric, acoustic guitar and vocals
- Phil Monsour / Lead vocal, acoustic and electric guitars
Plus:
- Tom Mason / Keyboards
- Joe Panetta / Percussion
Backing Vocals Ghosts of Deir Yassin: Simon Monsour, Marina, Njemere, Elsha, Angelique, Edie, Anisa, and Aleea.