INTRODUCTION
My first proper group was called Stroll.
We were driven mainly by teenage angst, youthful exuberance and a general sense of recklessness. I think the music we made, reflected a lot of our anxieties, as we were searching for our identities, and place in this world.
Those were heady days (late 90s).
There were four of us in Stroll.
In a 'live' context, we presented our music through a single bass, guitar, and drums.
I was the voice of the band.
I played a second guitar occasionally, usually on 1 or 2 of the tracks, when we wanted to conjure sounds that were a bit more nuanced, and layered.
Otherwise, we mostly charged through the shows with very minimal set-up.
In spite of that, I remember us being loud.
Really loud.
We weren't very skilled musicians at that time. We had very little awareness of what we were doing technically with our guitars, but I believe our desperate need to express ourselves, translated into something that was quite emotionally compelling.
I mainly played the guitar, off stage, in the studio, or 'behind-the-scenes'. For me, it was just another instrument for song writing. Of course, I eventually had to present those songs to the band. I did 'live demos', where I sang, accompanied by my own rudimentary playing.
There were times where my inadequacy on the instrument, left me feeling not only vulnerable, but also frustrated. I could not fully express what I was hearing in my head.
Keep in mind that these were days when the internet was still in it's primitive stages. It was nothing like the force that it is, today. Most of the technology that we now have at our fingertips, were not accessible to everyone. They were certainly beyond the reach, of a poor, young national serviceman/undergraduate like myself.
The build-up of these frustrations, and the subsequent evolution of our respective musical directions, were probably amongst the key reasons that eventually led us to go our separate ways.
Without a band, my limited abilities on the guitar really came to the fore. I no longer had a band to hide behind, or band members to translate my musical output. It was exasperating, to say the least.
I began seriously questioning my original musical philosophies (and general disdain for technical knowledge). After all, albums from my childhood musical heroes - Sgt Pepper, Revolver, Rubber Soul, Magical Mystery Tour, Loveless, Surfer Rosa etc - were full of sophisticated and intricate musical innovations.
When I heard Pets Sounds for the first time, the need for change became even more pronounced.
I started to invest more time, into understanding my guitar, and studying musical arrangements.
I applied some of the results, in my next proper musical group, Dreams Of Day Architecture. For better or worse, the sounds we made, were more quirky, nuanced and melodic than what we had generated in Stroll.
Unfortunately, life (and death) eventually took its toll on my new gang.
I'm currently back to making music on my own. The discovery of the Garage Band application on my little mobile device almost a decade ago, was a major turning point for me.
I think I'm still fairly inadequate on the guitar today (sorry, I know this is Guitar Forum!), but I'd like to believe that I now have a deeper awareness of how I can use those 6 strings, to supplement and elevate my creative ideas.
I don't know why you are still here, but thank you nonetheless, for lasting this long, through my self-indulgent ramblings about an insignificant journey!
PLAYING STYLE
I'm influenced by a disparate bunch...
From the major 7th arpeggios & chorus-laden melodic lines of twee/indie/dream pop - Kenji Ozawa + Keigo Oyamada (Flipper's Guitar) / James Kirk (Orange Juice) / Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) / Kurt Vile...
To the aggressive, angular sounds of Andy Gill (Gang of Four) / David Byrne (Talking Heads) / Guy Picciotto + Ian MacKaye (Fugazi) / Joey Santiago (Pixies)...
To the noisy washes of Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine) / Neil Halstead (Slowdive)...
To the experimental, eccentric sounds of Thurston Moore + Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) / Charles Bullen (This Heat) / John Waddington (Pop Group) / So Yoshikane (Zazen Boys)...
To the free jazz of Eric Dolphy and Ornette Coleman.
I'd like to believe that if I had a playing style, it might probably be located somewhere in between this 'schizophrenic' cacophony of sounds?
MAIN INSTRUMENTS
My first guitar was a beaten, nondescript, hand-me-down acoustic guitar from my uncle. He gave it to me when I was 13. It felt really heavy and solid. The action was astonishingly high. It was memorable, because there were a whole bunch of nails sticking out at an odd angle, from the neck! Of course, at that time, I thought this was normal!
The following year, I bought my first guitar - a cheap, bright blue Aria Pro Stratocaster copy. It only cost around $150, but I had to skip recess over several weeks, just to be able to afford it. I hid it in my wardrobe, away from my parents, because I didn't have permission to make this transaction. My mother found the Aria, long before I came clean, but she played along with my clandestine 'operation', just for the fun of it.
The first guitar I truly loved playing, was the Fender Squire Telecaster which I had bought in Perth, when I was pursuing my degree there. It came customised with humbuckers at the neck, which was awesome. I had access to both the wonderful telecaster twang, as well as a sound that was more rude and raw.
I’m currently still infatuated with my Epiphone Casino, which I acquired at a sale, about 5 years ago.
I also have a Fender Jazz bass, Japanese Fender Stratocaster, and an Epiphone Les Paul in the stable. I think I should make more time for the Stratocaster, because it definitely deserves more love and attention!
On my wish list... A Fender Jazzmaster, a Rickenbacker Capri 325, and maybe a standard '50s Gibson Les Paul? One can dream…
OTHER EQUIPMENT
I have a bunch of guitar pedals, but the ones I really love are the Fredric Super Unpleasant Companion, and Electro Harmonix Stereo Memory Man With Hazarai pedals (both for their zany names, & the far-out sounds they make!)
OTHER LOCAL GUITARISTS/BASSISTS YOU FIND INTERESTING
I remember being impressed by the racket that Rick & Morris (of The Pagans) were conjuring on their guitars, when I was a youngling.
The guitar stylings of Ben Harrison (in Etc. & Padres) & Don Bosco (in Daze) were also pretty inspiring.
PHOTO ABOVE
My current go-to guitar, the Epiphone Casino.
In the background, my Japanese Fender Stratocaster is crying out for some tenderness.