history
I was born to Irish parents in Coventry, England. As a result of my
father’s career I spent the bulk of my first decade living in Cyprus.
My mother’s family were naturally musical (all eight children) and I
recall fond memories of visiting them in Dublin. The family would all
get together around a set of guitars or a piano and spend an evening
running through a variety of Irish folk and other popular songs.
Despite an early introduction to music and my parents’ vinyl
collection, my attempts to learn an instrument (oboe, flute and piano)
didn’t progress well. However, at the age of 17, after just two
beginner’s guitar session, with 36 other would-be guitarists, I was
immediately hooked and knew the guitar was the vehicle for my
creativity. I decide to teach myself and within a year began playing in
a number of post punk bands, the most notable being V-Sor,X (pronounced
‘Vee Sore Ex’), which to this day continues to sell albums in mainland
Europe. Over the next ten years, having moved to London, I continued to
play in bands, Dum Dum Zed, Scare and others, and as a member of Paris
Working supported Duran Duran at Wembley Arena. In parallel to
performing and writing I worked as a keyboard technician in Prince’s
studio, Paisley Park Minneapolis, and touring with Adamski.
In the 1990s I took a break from song based composition and released a
number of instrumental albums (‘Asleep While The Rain Falls’ and ‘Under
Every
Sky’), the first of which sold over 7,000 copies across Europe and
Scandinavia. However it was time to get a ‘proper job’ to facilitate a
roof above my family’s head. Musically this was a dark period where I
struggled to maintain a basic level of musical creativity. Over the
past two years I refocused my love of guitar based composition and
playing live. It is the output from this period, playing many venues in
London and the Midlands, that goes into my latest album – “In This
Moment”.
This album is a mix of acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies, with some
keyboards, violin and whistle. The subject matter ranges from my own
take on current events in the world at large, praise for other hard
working and dedicated musician friends, to relationship that are no
longer connecting. The album title references the many influences and
styles that have shaped my creativity (ambient trance, post punk
alternative, modern Celtic folk, electronic pop, film music and more).
It is the bands that have demonstrated diversity that have exerted the
biggest influence on his writing style (e.g. The Cure – “A Night Like
This’ vs. ‘’Wrong Number’, Muse – ‘Hysteria’ vs. ‘Sing For Absolution’,
Led Zeppelin – ‘Trampled Under Foot’ vs. ‘Kashmir’, Starsailor – ‘Tel
Me It’s Not Over’ vs. ‘Tie Up My Hands’, Depeche Mode – ‘It Doesn’t
Matter Two’ vs. ‘It’s No Good’, Stranglers – ‘Get A Grip On Yourself’
vs. ‘Golden Brown’ and a book full of other acts).