Photo by Carl Schlacte
"Tumble Stairs...wormed
its way into my regular rotation this summer with unabashed pop hooks,
sugar-sweet harmonies and some of the cathciest damn melodies this side
of the La's."
- Dan Bolles, Seven Days, Burlington, VT, December 7-14, 2011
"Local Burlington, VT twangy country-rock/pop with Yates' thin, boyish voice and witty lyrics. "Good Morning to You" sets the EP's joyously jangly tone with jaunty guitars, loping drums and verse after verse of classic, harmony-laden melodies. The remainder of the EP follows in kind, with Yates ruminating on topics from love to, um, ninjas."
- WRUV, 90.1 FM, Burlington, VT, August 31, 2011
"Tumble Stairs...it's fun, and it's light-hearted. [Phil]'s driven by seeing if he can make sharp and quick tunes."
- John Powell, Angelica Music, August 2011 - Full Review
"Phil Yates doesn't write good pop songs. He writes really good pop songs. And that's no mean feat. Tumble Stairs by Phil Yates is as close to a perfect pop record that Burlington has seen in years."
- Dan Bolles, Seven Days, Burlington, VT, July 20-27, 2011 - Full Review
"Phil Yates traipsed about town in the early part of the millenium, schlepping engaging and endearingly silly folk tunes about French-Canadian waitresses and kazoos. After bouncing around Chicago and Los Angeles, Yates returned to...Vermont, where his tunes have dipped into winsome, twangy country-rock akin to Old 97's and Clem Snide. There's still a silly streak; the centerpiece of Tumble Stairs, Yates' upcoming release, is a tune called "Ninjas Versus Zombies," which tempers its inanity with a Big Star-ish power-pop riff and a big, hooky chorus."
- Patrick Wall, Free-Times, Columbia, SC, June 15-21, 2011
"Local songwriter Phil Yates recently sent along a rough mix of a new cut that will appear on his forthcoming, asyet-untitled EP. I gotta say, I’m intrigued. Yates admits to a touch of Old 97s hero worship, which is evident on the track. As someone who spent a fair amount of time bowing at the altar of Rhett Miller with my own musical ventures, I can’t hold that against him. You shouldn’t, either. Catch Yates and his backing band the Affiliates at Radio Bean this Friday."
- Dan Bolles, Seven Days, Burlington, VT, March 2-9, 2011
"I highly recommend that you request [Phil Yates & The Affiliates] play "Ninjas vs. Zombies (Let's Keep Our Heads)." You'll thank me later."
- Dan Bolles, Seven Days, Burlington, VT, November 10-17, 2010
"Phil’s a legitimately funny musician. Many of the form’s wannabe practitioners skimp on the “musician” part at the expense of the “funny,” and vice versa. What’s more, Phil pulls it off with an ability to pull emotional strings as well. For example, from Phil’s “Without You”: “…Like a funeral without any dead/ Like the Flintstones without Fred…” Oh, and Phil’s known for whipping out a kazoo now and again, so what’s not to like? "
- Sloop Biederman, DailyLimerick.Net, 2007
"Headliners held its first singer/songwriter night. The guitar strumming was smooth, and the songwriting was witty. The best lyrics I heard were from Yates, singing about a Canadian coffee waitress: It'd be fun to kiss you in French/It'd be fun to tickle you in French/Sure wish that I knew French."
- Otis R. Taylor, Jr., The State, Columbia, SC, April 30, 2004
"Steeped in the barbed lyrical tradition of Elvis Costello and Randy Newman, Yates is a clever songsmith with an indelibly off-kilter sense of humor. His songs are simple and folk-based and, much like Newman before him, he sings from the heart, generally about what he sees. His simple, strumming style blends perfectly with his straightforward vocal delivery, incorporating the witty words with sweet, simple melodies that stick in your head like peanut butter to the roof of your mouth."
- Patrick Wall, Free Times, Columbia, SC, March 31, 2004
"Any songwriter bold enough to namecheck himself in song is immediately worth your attention. Phil Yates put(s) his clever craft and composition to use as a singer-songwriter."
- Kevin Foster Langdon, Free Times, Columbia, SC, December 17, 2003
- Dan Bolles, Seven Days, Burlington, VT, December 7-14, 2011
"Local Burlington, VT twangy country-rock/pop with Yates' thin, boyish voice and witty lyrics. "Good Morning to You" sets the EP's joyously jangly tone with jaunty guitars, loping drums and verse after verse of classic, harmony-laden melodies. The remainder of the EP follows in kind, with Yates ruminating on topics from love to, um, ninjas."
- WRUV, 90.1 FM, Burlington, VT, August 31, 2011
"Tumble Stairs...it's fun, and it's light-hearted. [Phil]'s driven by seeing if he can make sharp and quick tunes."
- John Powell, Angelica Music, August 2011 - Full Review
"Phil Yates doesn't write good pop songs. He writes really good pop songs. And that's no mean feat. Tumble Stairs by Phil Yates is as close to a perfect pop record that Burlington has seen in years."
- Dan Bolles, Seven Days, Burlington, VT, July 20-27, 2011 - Full Review
"Phil Yates traipsed about town in the early part of the millenium, schlepping engaging and endearingly silly folk tunes about French-Canadian waitresses and kazoos. After bouncing around Chicago and Los Angeles, Yates returned to...Vermont, where his tunes have dipped into winsome, twangy country-rock akin to Old 97's and Clem Snide. There's still a silly streak; the centerpiece of Tumble Stairs, Yates' upcoming release, is a tune called "Ninjas Versus Zombies," which tempers its inanity with a Big Star-ish power-pop riff and a big, hooky chorus."
- Patrick Wall, Free-Times, Columbia, SC, June 15-21, 2011
"Local songwriter Phil Yates recently sent along a rough mix of a new cut that will appear on his forthcoming, asyet-untitled EP. I gotta say, I’m intrigued. Yates admits to a touch of Old 97s hero worship, which is evident on the track. As someone who spent a fair amount of time bowing at the altar of Rhett Miller with my own musical ventures, I can’t hold that against him. You shouldn’t, either. Catch Yates and his backing band the Affiliates at Radio Bean this Friday."
- Dan Bolles, Seven Days, Burlington, VT, March 2-9, 2011
"I highly recommend that you request [Phil Yates & The Affiliates] play "Ninjas vs. Zombies (Let's Keep Our Heads)." You'll thank me later."
- Dan Bolles, Seven Days, Burlington, VT, November 10-17, 2010
"Phil’s a legitimately funny musician. Many of the form’s wannabe practitioners skimp on the “musician” part at the expense of the “funny,” and vice versa. What’s more, Phil pulls it off with an ability to pull emotional strings as well. For example, from Phil’s “Without You”: “…Like a funeral without any dead/ Like the Flintstones without Fred…” Oh, and Phil’s known for whipping out a kazoo now and again, so what’s not to like? "
- Sloop Biederman, DailyLimerick.Net, 2007
"Headliners held its first singer/songwriter night. The guitar strumming was smooth, and the songwriting was witty. The best lyrics I heard were from Yates, singing about a Canadian coffee waitress: It'd be fun to kiss you in French/It'd be fun to tickle you in French/Sure wish that I knew French."
- Otis R. Taylor, Jr., The State, Columbia, SC, April 30, 2004
"Steeped in the barbed lyrical tradition of Elvis Costello and Randy Newman, Yates is a clever songsmith with an indelibly off-kilter sense of humor. His songs are simple and folk-based and, much like Newman before him, he sings from the heart, generally about what he sees. His simple, strumming style blends perfectly with his straightforward vocal delivery, incorporating the witty words with sweet, simple melodies that stick in your head like peanut butter to the roof of your mouth."
- Patrick Wall, Free Times, Columbia, SC, March 31, 2004
"Any songwriter bold enough to namecheck himself in song is immediately worth your attention. Phil Yates put(s) his clever craft and composition to use as a singer-songwriter."
- Kevin Foster Langdon, Free Times, Columbia, SC, December 17, 2003