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Six Strings of TensionAuthor: Duncan Park
Conversations about guitar with the best underground guitarists currently tickling the strings. From acid folk to avant-garde, and death metal to minimalism - if there's tense wood and tense strings, we are willing to embrace tense conversation. Hosted by Duncan Park in Durban, South Africa. Language: en-gb Genres: Music, Music Interviews Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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SSOT 17 - Darren Cross (DC Cross; Gerling; Jep and Dep; etc.)
Episode 17
Saturday, 4 November, 2023
For the first time on the podcast we have the privilege of being joined by a guitarist extraordinaire from that most illustrious of cities straddling between the Pacific coast and Blue Mountains, Sydney, Australia. He is a man with three decade's worth of experience as an active musician and DJ, and is currently carving out a path as an ecstatic primitive acoustic guitarist who dabbles in the blues-rooted traditions of American Primitive, but also bends this medium into what can be termed "madcap ambient" forms - most evident on his most recent album, Wizrad, which dropped last Friday. This isolated Australian axe-wielder is none other than Darren DC Cross. Our conversation veers through Darren's rich musical history, including collaborations with the likes of Kylie Minogue and Kool Keith, playing gigs with the Avalanches and hearing the songs that would later become their breakthrough album "Since I Left You", as well as touring with an endless list of the finest and wildest musicians and bands of the 90s and 2000s. And while a history like his undoubtedly makes for interesting conversation, the real meat of our chat (for me at least) lies in Darren's philosophy around solo acoustic guitar, as he talks about how he approaches each album and adapts his playing by adopting a new tuning and embracing new techniques. I reckon there's a lot to be learned and embraced by other players in listening to how he pushes himself on the instrument to expand his technique and compositional prowess. We also talk guitars and discuss his most recent custom made Opus acoustic, and bond over our shared feelings of disgust for Ovation guitars. Key takeaway is that plastic guitars are awful and Florentine cutaways are the best. Anyway, check out the interview, but much more importantly, go and listen to his latest album Wizrad on thee bandcamps (while it is still alive)!
