'Spellbound' has a lot of guitar playing on it, obviously, but I wanted to keep it with a more straightforward beat. It doesn't have so many stops and things like that. Whereas if you listen to 'Majestic 12,' that's like a little symphony.
In terms of tone and style, I've always been influenced by a lot of different players. I love Nick Drake, Mike Bloomfield and Sonic Boom. I like those three a lot!
Some songs are just going to be acoustic with just maybe some light background stuff going on and maybe violin or something like that. Or sax - I mean, I'm definitely having some sax. That's just what I love. It's going to be jazz-rock stuff. That's what I'm aiming for.
I mean, there's times to rock and roll, and I love that too. But I think my first love is acoustic music.
I love the sound of voices singing together, congregational singing, anything like gospel, or folk, or sea shanties.
I've got a couple of bands that I'm working on. The one I'm really excited about, we're called London The Child. It's folky music and it's really cool.
I play and I've played in heavy bands, but when I write for myself, I don't particularly feel like writing huge rock riffs. It just doesn't work for me and my voice.
The music I wrote as a kid already was always instrumental. It was never based on lyrics.
I approach playing acoustic guitar more of as a percussive instrument. It's fragile. I don't have a lot of finesse when it comes to my guitar playing.
I really consider myself more of a rhythm guitarist than a soloist.
What we're most known for is the catchy choruses and the big hooks.
I love the subtlety and tonal range of the acoustic guitar.
I always thought of myself as more of a rhythm player than a big soloist.
I've never been a big soloist; I just put in what needs to be there. I'm more of a rhythm player who plays lead - or tries to play lead.
I'm more of a strumming guitarist, instead of a lead soloist guitarist.
Deep down, classical Romantic music is what I love: Brahms, Tchaikovsky, the Romantics.
The guitar has a kind of grit and excitement possessed by nothing else.
I have been a harmony enthusiast since I was a child, singing in choir and with friends growing up. I always put a ton of harmonies on my demos.
I try to, at least, think very melodically, and my band forces me to think very melodically.
Yeah, I'd always wanted to do a song with finger-picked, nylon-string guitar.
I love most melodic music - classical, reggae, big band, jazz, blues, country, pop, swing, folk.
When I write, I write the drum beat. Though sometimes I write on piano or guitar.
I come from a jazzy, acoustic, folky background. Everything has to work with melodies; the words have to have meaning.
I usually listen to the same thing over and over again: Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major. And Leonard Cohen.
I have an all-black Mahalo ukulele - it's like my baby. It has brought me so much peace and comfort.
