I began playing guitar at the age of 14. Caught up in the Britpop movement of the nineties, I started out learning electric guitar in Brighton from various tutors. After a few years, I took an interest in fingerstyle and began learning to play acoustic steel-string, again being taught locally. My tutor kindly asked if I would consider playing second guitar in his own band, and that experience gave me the encouragement to perform onstage in front of an audience.

 

I left Brighton to go to university, and continued my interest in fingerstyle guitar, exploring the blues of Mississippi John Hurt in great depth. Around the same time, I discovered the "outlaw country" American singer-songwriters (principally Townes Van Zandt - who had also used fingerstyle acoustic guitar to great effect) as well as heavier "alternative country" bands, like Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, and Drive-By Truckers, although recordings were somewhat difficult to find at that time, and performances were even rarer.

 

I spent one year in Oklahoma, studying at university. That year gave me the opportunity to completely immerse myself in American music. I could not believe how readily available the music was and how many live performances there were of exactly the music I had such a hard time finding back in the UK. It was in Oklahoma that I first saw live bluegrass music, and I was instantly taken by it. I picked up the banjo right away, but on returning to the UK I couldn't find anyone to play with.

 

I moved back to Oklahoma in 2005 and stayed there until 2008 when I moved to Austin, Texas. During those years, I performed with Rum Fellows and the Electric Mountain Rotten Apple Gang.

 

On returning to the UK in 2009, I immediately sought out fellow musicians to play with, and began playing guitar and singing harmony for Amy Harrison & the Secondhand Stringband. Shortly after that, I started on banjo and lead vocals for So Last Century Stringband. More recently, I have been performing with my good friend Max as one half of the duo Solid Gone (guitar, banjo and vocals), and with Long Hill Ramblers (banjo, backing vocals), Hot Rock Pilgrims (banjo, vocals) and the Eva Abraham Band (banjo and guitar).

 

I currently live in my hometown of Brighton, where I perform and teach banjo and guitar.