Although he wasn’t born on Vancouver Island, multi-instrumentalist Shane Philip is an Island boy through and through. So much so, that when he returns to Ontario, where he was born and raised, everyone assumes he hails from the west coast.

Philip made the move out west 20 years ago in search of a place where the mountains met the ocean. 

“Once I got out here I fell in love with it and never thought about going back. I’m definitely an Island boy now,” he said from his home in Courtenay, B.C.

Since the initial cross-country move, which took him to Golden, B.C., Philip has lived all over the province, either for cross-country ski racing, white water rafting or work as a high school teacher. 

“I’ve lived in 100 Mile House. I’ve lived in Gold River. I’ve lived in Clearwater and Kamloops. I’ve been a wandering gypsy all my life,” he said.

Always living in small towns, Philip never had much of an option but to play his music solo. So, to express his songs, he learned to play multiple instruments, ranging from the slide guitar to the djembe. And now that he’s a full-time musician, when on stage he surrounds himself with all of those instruments, at times playing the didgeridoo with his mouth, guitar with his hands and electronic kicks with his feet, all at the same time.

“It’s kind of a fun schtick,” he said of playing all of the instruments himself to create a reggae-inspired, tribal sound that he refers to as Island soul. “When people don’t know it’s one guy playing and they come into a room and see me playing by myself and they say, ‘Wow it sounds like a band,’ that’s kind of cool.”

There are also advantages to playing alone. 

“I can change a song midway through. I can do anything I want with the song and nobody has to follow me and there’s no possibility of train wrecks unless I make a mistake,” he said. 

Philip has released four albums since he made the transition from goofy, fun-loving teacher to full-time musician seven years ago. The latest, titled life. love. music., was released last year. 

The inspiration for the 12-track album came from his experiences on Vancouver Island, his experiences as a father of a nearly three-year-old son and his experiences starting a family.

“I have nature all around me, that’s a big part of my life and I have a family, that’s a big part of my life, so I write what I know about. I write what’s directly affecting me in my life.

“The songs are really spawned here on the Island and it is from my heart and soul that I write.”

Philip, who has a large following in British Columbia, especially on the Island, started a new tour last week. His first show was in Vancouver, where he had the opportunity to open for the Wailers, Bob Marley’s former backing band.

The day before the show, Philip, a life-long Marly fan, who knows every lyric to every song, said sharing the stage with the Wailers is like a dream come true.

“That’s a big one,” he said. “I’ll get to meet them and share the stage with them. I’m really excited about that.”

Following the show in Vancouver, Philip will make his way east, stopping in Revelstoke, Golden, Banff, Blue River and then Jasper on Jan. 28.

This will be his third show at the Royal Canadian Legion. 

He said fans can expect something a little different this time around, as it won’t just be him on stage.

Zach Sukuweh, who taught Philip to play the didgeridoo, will be backing him on the drums.

“It’s going to be more danceable, more tribal, so that’s exciting,” Philip said. “But I guess that shoots the whole one-man band thing out the window with this tour,” he said with a laugh.

To check out Philip’s music or to learn more about him visit shanephilip.com, or see him live at the Legion Jan. 28.