The Trio was formed in 2008 when the three musicians decided to join forces after a jam session in Livermore. Playing favorite hits of the 60's through today, The Why Not? Trio's lively and upbeat connection with audiences make them a favorite of local wineries, coffeehouses, restaurants and private parties.
Why Not perform our favorites for folks at local venues?
Why Not take time from our busy professional lives to entertain people from kids to "Boomers"
John Phillips
At fifteen, John started playing bass. Why? Because his best friend got a guitar first, so he HAD to be the bass player. Oddly enough, he came to be fascinated with the instrument's sound, role, and playing experience. It quickly became quite an affair which continued off and on with multiple instruments ... Fenders, Gibsons, customs and an upright bass. Ultimately he settled down with the Modulus Quantum fretless five string. During the time with these instruments, he played in funk, pop, rock, and jazz fusion bands as well as a stint with a full classical orchestra. Now, he is busily seeking the answer to the very important question "How do you get the most music out of two instruments and two voices?" Does he have the answer? Check out the Why Not? Trio and get ready for an entertaining experience.
Joan Phillips
Joan first sang in the Dutch Reformed Church Choir at age five. Her grandmother took her there because her last name was TenEyck and there were no Southern Baptist churches in upstate New York. She cut her first album at the age of six. A 78 RPM would you believe. Then there were High School Hootenanny groups and coffeehouses where she played nylon string guitar with a "Let's Get out of Vietnam" sticker on the case. She spent 8 months in Heidelberg playing and singing in cafes. Then she returned to the US to became part of the SF music scene and quite a scene it was. Contrary to popular belief, you could Live Live Live through the 60's and remember it. She had stopped performing for a few years until she met Tim through Steve Powell's jam sessions a few years back. The rest is yet to come.
Tim Barry
Tim began playing guitar at age nine, learning Beatles songs from his big brother Mike. He had a Stella nylon acoustic guitar that his brother found in a trash can. Tim still has that guitar to this day. Growing up on folk music and the British Invasion of the 1960's, Tim honors this magical period of folk-rock music with the music he plays with the trio today. He had played in garage bands while in middle and high school and played church folk music of the times in high school and college (remember George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord?"). While taking a decades-long hiatus from playing in groups, Tim met some very nice musicians when he moved to Livermore in 2003. He began singing and playing on drop-in jam nights at a local winery graciously hosted by Steve Powell, the Singing Winemaker. This group, who enjoyed the same 60's-70's folk rock music also attracted Joan and John Phillips, with her voice and his bass guitar. One night one of us said to the other two "should we start a trio?". And the obvious answer was "Why Not?"
