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(153 words)
BTS060: Phil “Bad Mister” Clendeninn
Blake and Nate chat with Bad Mister!
Behind the Synth showcases the people bringing you Yamaha synthesizers. In this episode, Blake and Nate celebrate the career of Phil “Bad Mister” Clendeninn. Phil recently retired from Yamaha after 35 years. We chatted with him about growing up in the Bronx, NYC (“
the Boogie Down” as Phil calls it) and his formative years. We discussed his college years at Syracuse University, his work as a founding member and keyboardist for the band
Tarika Blue, his work as a recording engineer in NYC and the circumstances that brought him to Yamaha in 1987. It’s been an honor working with Phil over the years. He’s mentored many people in the industry and within Yamaha. Check out our hang with the Baddest Mister of them all!
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About the author
Yamaha Synthesizer Product Specialist Blake Angelos has over thirty years of experience with music hardware and software. An expert in music technology, Blake has conducted numerous clinics, master classes and presentations throughout the United States, Europe and Canada. In his role as Product Specialist for the Synthesizer Department Blake appears in many product videos and artist interviews, writes many articles for YamahaSynth.com and co-hosts a regular Podcast called “Behind the Synth”.
Before his work with Yamaha, he taught music theory and jazz studies courses at Arizona State University; managed a technology-focused music store in Seattle and was a production supervisor at Microsoft, where he led a team that developed groundbreaking interactive music content for the Microsoft Network. Blake holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a Master of Music degree from Arizona State University. Blake currently resides in Bellingham, Washington with his family, and between his travels around the world for Yamaha, he performs as much as possible with several jazz and creative music groups in Bellingham, Seattle and other places in the Pacific Northwest.