I just figured I'd stick with the name I've been using since I arrived on earth.

I do play live, mostly on my own, mostly playing cover versions, it's how I earn a living.
But that's not why I'm here. I'm here like everyone else to try and gain a slightly wider audience for my own songs.

Ideally control of music and it's output is more in the hands of the artists than the 'business'. It's possible to get your music heard on a global level with very little financial outlay.

If they really wanted me and the deal was right (oh who am I trying to kid? of course I would!).

I'm in my mid-forties, I've been playing music since age seven. It's paid my rent and let me see the world. In the past I have been involved in any number of 'unsuccessful' music ventures, I've formed bands, joined bands, made recordings, and generally frittered away my time on music. But I've enjoyed every minute of it and see no good reason to stop now. I've worked on theatrical productions (both touring and in London's WEST END) and I've also endured a stream of crappy dayjobs.

I've spent 2006 playing guitar, dobro & banjo for a band called Hey Negrita.

I was born in the 60's, my parents left a radio in my cot/pram to keep me company. My earliest years were filled with great music, the 60's was a good time to have the radio on a lot. TV wasn't too bad then either, when I was four years old The Monkees TV show became a hit, I was hooked, they're still my favourite band. I started music lessons age seven on accordion, this combined with the fact that the only place musicians could get up and perform live was the local folk club led to an ongoing love of acoustic music. My parents didn't have much of a record collection, what they did have was nearly all country music (country music was hugely popular in Scotland at the time, it's still pretty big now). So there you go, my main influences are classic sixties pop, country music and folk music.

the beach at Gland, looking out over Lake Geneva towards the French Alps.

I use loads of instruments, mostly stringed.

I've made these songs available here so that they might reach a slightly wider audience. I've sold as much of this stuff on CD as I think I ever will, and would like to thank anyone who's ever bought one at a gig or online. There are two albums worth of songs here (well, an album and a half).

Elise, my first album was recorded in late 2000-early 2001. I'd had a bit of a tax rebate and used some of the money to pay for it. My friend Martin Fisher produced & engineered the recordings at his studio in Islington, I am indebted to him, not only for the fine job and hard work that he did, but also he cut me an incredible deal on the recording costs. He also programmed all the drums and helped out with some of the instruments. I'll try and credit exactly who's playing what on each track.

The other set of recordings - or '6 Songs From The Kitchen' to give them their working title - were recorded entirely on my own using a Boss BR864 digital 8-track recorder. I recorded these in the kitchen of the flat I was renting in Charlton. The tone of these recordings is deliberately rougher, I was trying to make them sound as 'live' as possible. This music is still available on CD for a nominal sum, contact me via Soundclick or Myspace if you'd like to buy a copy. The CD's are of a higher sound quality than the MP3's available here. The songs are all copyrighted, so please feel free to download them, do cover versions, annoy the neighbours with them, put them on your Ipod, clutter up your hard drive, impress your friends with them. I really just want them to be heard.