Phil Shurger
Lead Guitars, Vocals
Phil Schurger has been an active performer and teacher for over 25 years. He holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Music from Northern Illinois University where he studied with Fareed Haque. He is a Music Professor at the University of Saint Francis, where he teaches Music Theory, Ear Training, and Piano, as well as Guitar, Jazz Ensemble, and Electronic Music Ensemble.
Phil has been playing professionally since the age of 17 and has played throughout the United States and Europe, sharing the stage with such artists as Fareed Haque, Greg Ward, Nick Roth (Yurodny Ensemble), and Bolokada Conde. In 2017, he signed with the Chicago-based Ears&Eyes label, releasing his albums "Echoes of the Ancestors" and "the Waters Above" (2018). Echoes received airplay in North and South America, as well as Europe, and was reviewed in the internationally acclaimed jazz magazine, Jazziz.
Phil's current solo projects include his Chicago-based jazz quintet, his indie/jam/folk band the Sungate, and Phil Plays Dead (playing the music of the Grateful Dead).