Why this name? I didn't have much option. It's all my parent's fault. ;-) Although, if I were to have a band, I'd call it "Cardinal Sin and the Fallible Popes". :-) I have played in bands with the names of "Joint" and "Soft Edges".

I don't play live. Well, that's NOT to say that I'm dead yet. ;-) However, I performed for a week in 2006 with Jeannie Lewis, an Australia icon in jazz/blues/cabaret, in a small music club in Potts Point. I played bass a few weeks ago in a school production of "Godspell". That was fun. :-)

It gives the likes of me a chance to have my music heard by countless ears.

They wouldn't have me.

Well, I'll use this space to tell you a bit about the album.

The guys who played on "Take Your Pick" were well know Sydney musicians. They include:

Andrew James on bass. Andrew was an original member of Midnight Oil;

Andrew Gander, the most sought after session drummer of that time, was the drummer and a mighty one at that;

The vocalist on one track was Doug Williams, a fantastic African/American who had a residency at the famous Sydney Jazz venue, the Basement, for many years back then;

The sax player and flautist was Mike Haughton who went onto to international success in the UK playing with the likes of Cliff Richard and Robert Fripp.

It was recorded at "The Wireless Set" in Sydney and mastered at Studio 301. I had 1,000 records pressed and 100 cassettes made.

Late 60s, early 70s rock and jazz/rock fusion bands too numerous to mention. The Beatles started off my love of music and "Little Wing" on Hendrix's "Axis: Bold As Love" album hooked me forever on guitar.

My room.

I've got an old Strat, an Ibanez Studio Series 200, a Mk 1 Boogie, a Zoom 707, a dodgy bass, a Yamaha nylon which I play the most, a Guild dreadnought, a Yairi 12 string a Suzuki mandolin. I also have some rack mounted FX and a Korg keyboard but I don't use them at all. I have an old Tascam cassette eight track recording desk. I don't use that either. I have a couple of old MXR units including a Phase 100 which I believe is currently a highly sought after piece of equipment. I only use the Zoom 707 for FX. It's very simple to use and sounds pretty good.

My biggest claim to infamy is the fact that I used to have a 1960 Les Paul with a PAF pick up. This is the type that Jimmy Page, Slash and all those archetypal rock guitarists use. It's the one on my album cover! I sold it to buy the recording gear that is now worthless! Oh my, will I ever live that down? :-) Someone said that George Harrison bought it when he was living in Adelaide but I don't really know. It's probably in some collectors vault, never to see the light of stage again. :-( Oh the shame ......

These days, I tend to be composing meditational/reflective music, often in response to nature or environmental causes. It comes with my life stage, I think. ;-) I'm experimenting with various guitar tunings including Drop 'D', DADGAD, Gsus4 (Page's Rain Song tuning), Open D, G and C. I'm also using exotic scales, my current favourite is the Phrygian with a major third. It has a middle eastern feel to it which I love.