Cuervo guitar. Built by Lou in 2008

MUSIC

THEY SHOE HORSES, DON'T THEY? Acoustic duo with Nick Peachey (guitar, banjo & accordion) playing bluegrass, blues and old time music. Sometimes expands to trio (or more) with Pete Durgerian (Guitar, harmonica) et al. Barn dances are a speciality. Played at opening of Lewes Guitar Festival (www.lewesguitarfestival.co.uk) July '07.

THE SCRATCH BAND High energy electro-acoustic blues and originals with Pete Durgerian, Mark Dobson (guitar & mandolin), Beccie Mannall (drums), Mark Slater (bass) & myself on keyboard & guitars.

MAINTENANCE Duo with long time associate Chas Dickie (cello & keyboards, ex-Van der Graf).Supported by Arts Council England in 1993 (with Clive Bell, shakuhachi, accordion & woodwinds) and again in 2004 for tour of Western Gobi as part of Mongolian Roaring Hoofs Festival. Original music and songs. Available for weddings & assorted bashes, parties etc, often joined by Beccie Mannall on drums as trio HIDDEN CORNWALL

Pending DUO projects:- MANGOWIJI with Ben Taylor (guitar & keyboards). Also getting together with über drummer Tom Compton (ex-Johnny Winter/Savoy Brown).

SOLO gigs - parties, gallery openings, festivals &c - doing mainly old time acoustic blues on guitar and piano. Increasingly focused on busking - no administrators, no overheads, no bullshit - and have produced a budget CD - Corvine Outreach - available on the street or from the contact number/address on this site.

BUILDING GUITARS

Finished building my first guitar in September '08 (right). Model #1 of Guitarras Cuervo (reflecting an obsession with all things Spanish) it is probably the best guitar I've ever played. It took me 200 hours to build, working as a student in the workshop of ace Lewes luthier Richard Osborne. (See his website at www.osborneguitars.co.uk.). Cuervo #2, a Weissenborn style lap steel, is well underway (below). I've already finished the top and back, built the mould from stacked 18mmm birch ply and bent the sides to shape. The body/neck is all mahogany and I have bought a gorgeous slab of snakewood - from celebrated Lewes luthier, Nick Benjamin www.benjaminguitars.co.uk - (Lewes, like Granada, is a guitar town) - for the fretboard. One thing I've learned is that these things take time so I won't be playing it just yet...