“I love when the crowd is involved and enthused... That moment at the end of the night when everyone’s singing, making requests, and begging you to keep going—there’s no ‘last call’ for me until the venue shuts us down.” – Phil Kominski

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Phil Kominski is a musician who lives for connection. As a founding member and chief songwriter of the acclaimed Washington, D.C. rock band Lloyd Dobler Effect, Phil has performed over 3,000 shows around the world—from RFK Stadium in front of 65,000 fans to dive bars barely big enough to fit a Golden Tee machine. His performances are marked by energy, authenticity, and a deep love for live music.

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Phil has toured across Japan, Singapore, Afghanistan, Africa, the UAE, Guam, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Bahrain, Diego Garcia, and nearly every U.S. state—including Hawaii. Along the way, he’s opened for major artists like Eminem, Santana, Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Grouplove, Colin Hay, Better Than Ezra, and Kansas, and recorded with industry legends such as Gary Katz, Camille Barbone, and Elliott Randall.

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But Phil’s journey didn’t stop with Lloyd Dobler Effect. After the band disbanded in 2019, he continued building a rich, multifaceted career in music. He is:

• A solo acoustic artist and session musician

• A guitar instructor and live/studio sound engineer

• Owner of Freestyle Booking & Events, a successful agency for live music and events

• A USA Swimming coach with NATIONS CAPITAL SWIM CLUB and a Country Club Swim Coach with Avenel Country Club.

• A songwriter with over 200 original songs and 18 released CDs to his name

 

Originally from Silver Spring, MD, Phil still calls the Washington, D.C. area home. "When I was younger, all I wanted to do was leave," he admits. "Now that I’ve seen the world, I realize how much I love this place. It supports live music in a way that truly feeds my family and fuels my soul."

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Phil's passion for music spans genres, formats, and generations. He performs with The Breakaways, a high-energy party band; Guys and Doll, a retro-inspired trio in the style of Postmodern Jukebox; and The Bubbas, a children’s music duo featuring his wife of 15 years, Elizabeth Coyle Kominski. The Bubbas released their debut CD, The Winter 3 EP, in 2015, and in 2020, Phil engineered and produced his first solo album, on which he performance all the instruments and sang all the vocals.  His second album will release in 2025.

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At home, Phil is a proud dad to two musically inclined swimmers—Tyler (15) and Harper (13)—who inspire and ground him.

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“I started writing songs at 14 as a kind of therapy. I never imagined I'd be performing them for thousands of people, hundreds of times a year. If I can lift even a little weight off someone's shoulders with a song, then I’ve done what I was put here to do.” – Phil Kominski