Bay Announces Local Artist, Phil Lynch with Special Guests in Concert

News

Join Bay College and Phil Lynch with special guests Katie and Eli Bender, on the Besse Stage Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 7pm EST. Phil Lynch offers audiences a joyful and heartfelt blend of music and good humor. Think James Taylor meets Billy Joel with a dash of Randy Newman for good measure.

Doors open at 6:30pm EST and the concert starts at 7pm EST in the Besse Center on Main Campus in Escanaba. Tickets are $12/public and $6/k-Bay students and employees. Tickets are on sale now www.baycollege.tix.com. Bay students and employees can purchase tickets at the Box Office in the Besse Center (please bring your Bay ID).

The College asks that masks are worn while on campus and to please not come if you or someone in your party is feeling ill. Thank you for helping keep #BaySafe!

BIOGRAPHY

With his positive vibe and original songs, Phil Lynch has been delighting audiences for over 30 years. His piano-based style has been described as "James Taylor meets Billy Joel with a dash of Randy Newman for good measure." Phil's thoughtful songs about life, love, and time are proven to make audiences laugh . . . and occasionally even cry.

These are "songs that hit your heart," as one festival organizer put it. Because of Phil's Facebook Live sessions to encourage people during the pandemic, WLUC news anchor Elizabeth Peterson declared, "You're bringing happiness into our living rooms."

Both as a solo act, and as leader of the Phil Lynch Jazz Quartet for 15 years, Phil has sung his songs in historic theaters, festivals, concert series, and other venues throughout the Upper Midwest and Chicago. Career highlights include repeat engagements at the Calumet Theatre, where Phil's quartet premiered several of Phil's original works; and a well-received performance at Nashville's world-famous Bluebird Café.

Steve Goodie, host at the Bluebird, summarized Phil's performance: "You can't help but sway to his infectious, smiley groove."

Though not really a "regional" artist, several of Phil's songs do focus on the Northwoods. His single, "Upper Michigan Christmas" has garnered considerable regional radio airplay during the holiday season since its premier in 2018. He released "U.P. Love Letter" during the height of the pandemic and was twice featured on WLUC-TV6.

A songwriter and performer all his life, Phil was also an award-winning public-school educator for three decades. One day he found a piece of paper left on the copier. The mysterious paper stated, "If you're lucky enough to get a second chance at something, don't waste it." So Phil took a leap of faith and retired from a successful teaching career to focus exclusively on music.

As Phil puts it, "My aim in life is to help people recognize and remember the good that's all around us." To complement this mission, half of Phil's net earnings goes to support the vital cause of helping people and families find freedom from human trafficking and domestic abuse.