Phydeaux has performed a gritty mix of metal and tunes to sing along with since 1991. After the band's mutual split in 1996 they have reunited for several concerts, but Friday’s 8 p.m. show in Uptown Normal will mark its last.
The concert, part of the annual Make Music Normal festival, will celebrate the band’s only album, Revolutionary Product. The album was pressed in 1995 and was taken on the road a year later, making this year the 30th anniversary.
Lead singer and bassist Greg Magnuson coined Friday’s show as the “Hello goodbye 30th anniversary comeback farewell show.” From celebrating Phydeaux’s sole album to performing its first concert since 2019, the lengthy name represents how important Friday is to the band.
“It's the last show, it’s the last time to play this album [on its] 30th anniversary. It all converges to focus on what we did in ‘95 on that record,” Magnuson said.
Phydeaux blended a variety of genres on the album. Magnuson wanted to create a sound inspired by the Smith’s lead singer Steven Patrick Morrissey while tapping into Metallica’s heavy metal influence.
Phydeaux guitarist Tony Smith came from a thrash metal band and brought a Primus influence to the table. The band’s second drummer, Atticus Tournear, who joined a few years later, gave the band a Rush inspiration, Smith said.
Combining their influences with musical technicality while adding a “weird” twist, Smith said, led to the unique record Revolutionary Product.
“I feel like we pushed the limits of what we were technically capable of doing within making it like a song somebody wanted to listen to,” Magnuson said.
“We were the music nerds, but the music nerds that smoked and had long hair.” Smith said. “When we get together and write, it's like we're talking music theory and people around us are going, ‘What is happening?”’
The upcoming concert is intended to celebrate a sound that is rare in music now, inspired by the member’s favorite bands.
“You're not going to find that anywhere else. I mean, it's just not anything that anybody does anymore,” Smith said.
Where it began
Phydeaux will perform on Make Music Normal's Alley Stage in Uptown Normal, where the former music venue The Gallery was located. Phydeaux played at the Gallery many times in the 1990s, making the reunion even more of a full-circle moment.
The band was first formed after Smith and Magnuson played two benefits across town together. The two had been part of different high school bands that assembled a temporary group for these shows.
“It was just just a bunch of kids from high school that all put together a show,” Smith said.
“We just kind of hit it off because of our musical interests. There were some extra members, we were a five piece and then we were like we can do this with three,” Magnuson said.
Since Phydeaux formed in 1991, the two have found a connection that has lasted for over 35 years.
“Doing it with this guy [Magnuson] is really special to me,” Smith said. “Doing these songs in my hometown, in this environment, it's important for us. And to see our friends and have one more time.”
“Part of the fun with these guys is we lived together, we were on the road together. We were staying in each other's homes. There's a lot of good memories [and] there's surprisingly few bad,” Smith said.
'Back in Phydeaux'
The band parted ways mutually in 1996 after Smith was about to become a father and Magnuson was looking to build a career after graduating from Illinois State.
Smith became the co-owner of Lucca Grill and Magnuson developed into a director of online sales and support for Latin America for Ticketmaster. Although the two built separate careers, they continued to play for several different bands.
But nothing compared to Phydeaux.
“I moved to LA in ‘98 and played with a ton of other bands and started my own band, but nobody has come close to the vibe, the dynamic [and] the intensity of what we would do,” Magnuson said.
“Anything I've done musically since then, I compare it to that, " Smith said. “I go, ‘We could do it a little better, guys, because back in Phydeaux…’ and I'm sure every musician I've ever played with is going, ‘Yes, he talks about Phydeaux a lot.”’
Although this concert will be their last, the band has five unrecorded songs that Magnuson alluded to.
“I've recorded a couple of them as my project Magnuson, just because I like them and I needed filler, but they're a Phydeaux song, so they would be much better served as an actual Phydeaux recording,” Magnuson said. “I've got a studio, Atticus has access to recording his drums and Tony just needs to show up with a guitar. So we'll see.”
The three, alongside backing member Kyrsten Magnuson, will accompany more than 50 artists and bands at Make Music Normal. The free festival will return for its 12th year on multiple stages in Uptown Normal from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.
