What's a Phankl?

Got two minutes?  Watch this informative video on the Origins of Phankl

Phankl is the truncated name for Phil Klahn's solo work. Songwriter, musician, audio engineer and producer, Phil has been playing and producing music in Portland/Vancouver for more than 20 years.  Phil played Christian and Gospel music in numerous ministries and produced his own and other artist's solo projects, as well as the Gospel Sons' "Tears of Joy" project.  In the late 1990's, he joined local band Anonymous as a keyboardist, which then morphed into keyboards and guitar for Mr. Completely.  Mr. Completely underwent a personality makeover for the purpose of producing an original CD project under the name The Rust.

Phil contributed a large number of songs and ended up writing or co-writing 8 of the songs on the self-titled project, The Rust, which was an engaging modern take on melodic rock, featuring the powerful voice of Pat Yadon on vocals, Charlie Swift on drums, Jim Beaty on bass and Dan McAlister on guitars.  Along with his keyboard and guitar contributions, Phil teamed with Pat Yadon to get the project to final product.

After the dust had settled, Phil was left with over a dozen songs that did not make the original project and did not seem destined for the rumored, yet never realized second project by The Rust.  Phil decided to take on this unused collection of mostly guitar-based blues and rock songs as a solo project, using loops for drums and horn parts, and performing all other parts himself.  The result: Large Lard Canard, featuring the acoustic "Setting Sun" and steady blues rocker "Anything But" as highlights.

After a futile attempt to settle on an original band name, he chose a name first invented in his high school days, using the first two letters of his first, middle, and last names; i.e. Ph + An + Kl, to make Phankl.  This also led to the motto "Phankl, because all of the good band names were taken."  Bumperstickers to follow...

The second Phankl CD Rare Indigo followed, featuring the Hawaiian-inspired title track, the upbeat opening track, "Strike the Romance", and the true story inspired medium rocker, "Cruise In."  After years of focusing on audio and with no prior background in visual arts, Phil jumped into world of animation and video as a creative diversion, which resulted in the Phanklmusic YouTube Channel, featuring music videos of various Phankl tunes. On the 3rd Phankl CD, he returned to his first instrument, writing and performing on the piano. CD number 4, Act Ur Age, is a complete self-indulgent work of bombastic puffery.

Phankl project #5, Known Entity Greatest Hits, tells the musical story of a fictional band so obscure their tale had to be told in the companion book, Known Entity - An Unauthorized Biography, adding author to the many hats Phil tries to fit on his head.

Phankl #6 - named Ester Park, is a surprisingly upbeat work, considering it is the result of months of isolation, an attempt to stave of the boredom and frustration of 2020. The title track is a song of lament and hope, of lost opportunity and future to be found. Featuring many remote performances from friends and strangers, Ester Part pushes the boundaries of Phankl in many directions.

Phil plays with various bands and projects, which have included Jilt, the Cliffhangers, the Backburners, the Gospel Truth Vocal Band, North Point and sits in with other great local bands when he can.  He continues to support ministries and is a mentor to musicians and performers, young and young at heart.