10 Questions With…Phillip Daniel

aka “Philly Ocean,” lead singer of Yächtley Crëw

How did Yächtley Crëw get started?

We started putting the band together in 2016. It was the brainchild of our bass player and our drummer, who were listening to this music on SiriusXM. Like so many of our fans, we love this music. We grew up with it and thought it would be a fun thing to do, but very quickly it became apparent that people were into it and wanted to be a part of it. At our first show, people showed up wearing captain’s hats and were ready to sing along. It was pretty amazing.

What drew you to yacht rock?

This music is incredibly technical. There are a lot of complicated chord progressions, incredibly high-end vocals, some amazing guitar riffs, bass riffs and keyboard solos. We wanted to play the music as close to the original artists as we could, so we dedicated ourselves for the better part of six months to really nailing the music. All of us are passionate performers, and we wanted to bring a new energy to it. We wanted to put it into a high-energy, fun show that people would get excited about.  

How do you bring a coastal energy to a landlocked place like Arizona?

This music is a vibe, and people want that feel-good, easy-going vibe you’d get sitting on the sundeck of a yacht. I wouldn’t say it’s escapism. People, on a psychological level, need music and experiences that bring them together in a way that feels good. This is what life’s about — we want to be happy together. Not to wax poetic, but I think we have too few spaces in our world that provide that right now. We want to be a place where people have a good time, feel safe and make some awesome memories together.

Do you have a favorite yacht rock anthem that always gets the crowd going?

The great thing about our set is literally every song is that song. I’m not being hyperbolic. “Africa,” “Escape,” “You Make My Dreams Come True,” “Hold the Line” — our set list is full of absolute bangers. When you play a two-hour show and every one of the songs gets people screaming, it’s an amazing experience. As soon as we start playing “The Piña Colada Song,” they hear that drum solo, and it’s game over. People are ready.

As the frontman, how do you connect with the audience to create those memorable experiences for fans?

That’s my job. I grew up listening to singers like Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Hall & Oates and my personal idol, Freddie Mercury. So those are the people that I want to emulate, because they were the best of the best. I see my job as giving the audience permission to let their guard down and have fun.

How do you keep your live shows from feeling like a parody?

We understand the irony with which we perform, but we never wanted people to think we were a joke band or a comedic act. That’s not what we do. It’s really about a culture. People show up dressed like us, and that is exactly what we want. We want everybody to be on the boat with us.

Yächtley Crëw has recorded original music. How do you balance being true to the genre while also making it your own?

It’s hard because these songs are so beloved, and writing a good song while trying to pay tribute to a genre is a tough task. The good thing is we’ve played these songs thousands of times. They’re in our DNA at this point. So, you use that for inspiration. Then it comes down to writing something you hope fans will appreciate. We have our original song called “Sex On the Beach.” Basically, it’s a song about getting drunk and falling in love, which fits really well in the yacht rock genre. It’s about capturing that fun as much as we can. 

If you were curating the perfect yacht rock playlist, which three songs would absolutely make the cut? 

Oh gosh. I would say, “Reeling in the Years” by Steely Dan would have to be on there. I would probably put “This Is It” by Kenny Loggins on it. And then “What a Fool Believes” by Michael McDonald. But, you know, there are so many quintessential yacht rock songs, by narrowing it down to three, people are going to be up in arms. That’s the great thing about the genre. It invites passionate participation and debate about what is and isn’t yacht rock. All that stuff just serves to get people engaged in what we do, which is great.

Beyond your Arizona shows, what’s on the horizon for Yächtley Crëw? 

We have a full-length album coming out this year, which we’ve been working on for the last year and a half. It’s called “Seas the Night,” and we’re incredibly proud of it. It really captures what we do live and the energy with which we play these songs. This year is the busiest, biggest year for us ever. We’re touring Australia, we’re going to be in Germany, we’re playing a number of huge music festivals. All of our dates are on our website and our social media. 

Why do you think this music resonates so strongly with people today?

Even if you have never heard of yacht rock, you already know these songs inside and out. There’s such a hunger for this music out there and for places in the world where people can come together and have a good time and create awesome memories. We want to take it as far as we can.

Yächtley Crëw will be performing June 6 and 7 at The Marquee Theatre in Tempe and on June 21 at the Pepsi Amphitheater in Flagstaff.

To learn more, go to yachtleycrew.com.