I was a late starter on the guitar in most people's eyes, having first picked up the guitar at the age of 16. However, I grew up in a house filled with music in every room, having a mother who was of child of the 60's and 'into' a massive range of sounds, from the rock of Hendrix, through the Rolling Stones, and out the other side to the Moody Blues, Donovan, The Incredible String Band and the like. I changed schools for sixth form and landed in the alternative melting pot that is Totnes in South Devon, which was a real eye opener - loads of musicians and arty types at school inspired me to have a go, and it grew from there.
When at university I started to play live, and with the development of the Internet and particularly with friends made on www.guitarwar.com, messed around with collaborative work with other individuals from the UK and beyond. This accelerated my learning process immensely and brought about a development of a playing style which nods respectfully to all the modern tricks and ideas, with tapping, whammy bar work and minor third harmony a la Iron Maiden, but also brings in more complex arrangements where it's appropriate. The piece 'Playtime', for example, utilises the well-known delay effect first used by Eddie Van Halen in Cathedral to add a delay one and a half beats from the original - but unlike Cathedral, Playtime incorporates three guitar lines using the effect to produce a slightly more complex counterpoint harmonic movement over the central chordal tone.
As a result I don't really think I sound much like anyone else, or alternatively and more likely I sound a bit like all the guitarists that have influenced me from my teens, from Knopfler to Slash, Vandenberg to Schenker, Johnson, Knopfler and Moore. It's all gone in and got mixed up in there.
Why bother?
Well, it's fun, I enjoy playing immensley and it's a great way to meet other people. Given what I do with my work, family and mountain rescue, it doesn't leave a whole lot of time. I managed to complete an album just about the period of my first child's birth, but it's been hard to fit a sustained period in since then - as a result I'll just do what I can and post it here - anyone who enjoys my music is welcome to conatct me for copies or download from the paysites.
If you'd like to commission something, I'm extremely competent at all aspects of rock guitar and particularly interested in extreme sports/film projects. I will consider session work subject to contract negotiation and time commitments. I also do bits of DJ-ing for local events so if you want a party, let me know!
Equipment
Marshall Amplification, Line 6 FX, Ibanez guitars, D'addario strings, Ableton Live, Dunlop picks.
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