Leading up to the Melbourne Guitar Show, What’s My Scene will be celebrating GUITARISTS. Stay tuned for our exclusive Q&As, Vintage Guitar Scenes, Snap Scene features, and much much more.
Peter Baylor answers our questions:
How long have you been playing guitar? Why did you first start playing guitar?
40 years now. It was actually upon hearing a Django Reinhardt Swaggie label album that inspired me to play guitar.
Which guitarist most influenced your playing?.
I play a lot of different styles and am influenced by everything I’ve heard but in the top 5 would be Django, Jimmy Bryant, Charlie Christian, T Bone Walker and Norman Blake.
Describe your favourite guitar.
An Es 250 Gibson. Super rare guitar that I’ve never played, a Charlie Christian pickup in an L5 guitar. I’ve owned and played so many but my own 1937 es 150 is one of the most compelling.
How do you prepare for a show?
I’ll write a loose set list of some tunes and as i play everydy i’ll do a minimum Hour and a half of practice/ play/ warm up if i can.
Which artist/band was/is your favourite to play guitar with?
I love playing my gypsy guitars with my band Ultrafox and my telecaster in my rockabilly/ Hillbilly swing band The Roadhouse Romeos. I loved playing guitar in the Starliners, a melbourne based Hillbilly bop I was a member in. I was a sideman so all i had to do was play hot guitar solos and play in the team without having front it.
How would you describe your sound in food form and why?
One thick hot louisiana gumbo. So many different styles and flavours in the pot from old time jazz to western swing, country styles and rockabilly to french gypsy jazz and early blues.
Tell us a quick, on the road or studio, anecdote.
Never travel/ tour with your partner unless she is in the band . Tours are sacred for bonding band members to the band dynamic and the music and having no distractions..
What, or who, inspires you?
I’m inpired by paintings, landscapes and strange extraordinary people and of course thousands of great recordings from the past in all styles.
Which song do you wish you wrote the riff for?
C jam blues by Duke ellington
If you had unlimited money, what would your dream guitar setup be?
a vintage selmer guitar similiar to Djangos or an es 250 gibson played by Charlie Christian. Also a pre 1930 gibson L5
What’s next for you?
gigs..some more recording and possible tours
What is the best thing about the Melbourne Guitar Show this August?
Bringing together a wide, varied and large musical family that normally wouldn’t be under the same roof at the same time.
What’s your scene? www.ultrafoxswing.com
Whats my scene….I’m a fulltime playing musician who survives off gigs. I run my own bands Ultrafox and The Roadhouse Romeos and do plenty of freelance work for other bands and events The occasional recording session and private student. I practice alot and play a wide variety of styles that have enabled me to move between a lot of different musical scenes and guitars. From Roots music { Rockabilly, Western swing and jump blues to various forms of jazz and gypsy jazz}.
Connect with Peter Baylor:
It was big in 2015, huge in 2016, and today the Australian Music Association has announced the 2017 return of the Melbourne Guitar Show to rock Caulfield Racecourse on August 5 and 6 – and this year, it’ll be bigger than ever. Proudly presented by Triple M and Australian Musician, the line-up boasts not only an incredible haul of local guitarists, but also massive international artists – UK’s legendary Steve Hackett (Genesis), Canada’s renowned Nick Johnston and UK superstar Alex Hutchings.
In addition to some killer performances, MGS will also hold a monster exhibition that will feature a gigantic variety of electric and acoustic guitars, effects pedals, amps and more state-of-the-art guitar technology, both home-grown and from around the world. It will continue to be Australia’s biggest guitar pop-up shop…and that’s not all. In addition to this, the Melbourne Guitar Show will host information seminars, demonstrations, and live performances from Australia’s most talented guitarists, including: Lloyd Spiegel, Nick Charles and Bob Spencer with many more to be announced.
This year will be extra special as the Melbourne Guitar Show welcomes UK guitar royalty, namely, the original Genesis guitarist and successful solo artist in his own right, Steve Hackett, in a very special premium ticketed event. Hackett will be touring Australia for the very first time with his lavish Genesis Revisited tour, playing classic Genesis prog-rock tunes as well as selected material from his 25 solo albums. For the Melbourne Guitar Show however, in a more eclectic and informal setting, Steve will play an exclusive up close and personal acoustic-based show featuring musical director Roger King on keyboards and woodwind/ brass virtuoso Rob Townshend. This will be the only Australian performance by the Steve Hackett Acoustic Trio. Genesis, only ever made it to Australia once, in 1986 – years after Steve and singer Peter Gabriel left the band, so Steve is making it up to fans by bringing some Genesis magic to our shores. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for long serving Genesis fans and aficionados of 70s prog-rock. Steve will also participate in an onstage Q&A session following his guitar show performance. Excited about the upcoming tour, Steve says, “I’m thrilled to bring my Genesis Revisited tour to Australia. I’ll be playing there for the first time and I’m hugely looking forward to it! It’ll be great to meet fans and friends, and I know it’s an incredibly beautiful country. I can’t wait!”
Another star joining the stacked line-up is the Canadian guitar virtuoso Nick Johnston. Known for his catchy, melody-driven instrumental music Nick has been able to carve out his own unique style within a crowded landscape of instrumental guitarists. Nick’s playing has attracted sponsorship from massive international brands including Friedman Amps, D’Addario and Schecter Guitars. Also on board this year, we welcome world-renowned guitarist Alex Hutchings (UK), a modern fusion guitarist par extraordinaire, lauded by many as one of the finest players in the genre. His international following has exploded in recent years thanks to millions of YouTube views via both his own channel and JamTrackCentral (alongside such contemporaries such as Guthrie Govan, Andy James and Jack Thammerat). Regularly touring around the globe, Alex performs under his own name and as an international demonstrator for BOSS/Roland.
Drawing over 5,500 guitar lovers and enthusiasts to last year’s exhibit, the Melbourne Guitar Show is gearing up for the biggest event yet. The voice of the Australian music products industry, the Australian Music Association (AMA) will be teaming up with Australianmusician.com.au and presenting sponsors Triple M and Aon to present this year’s guitar-centric weekend. “We are looking forward to a show this year that builds steadily based on the merit and popularity of the first two and on the presentation of the best people we can find”, says AMA executive officer and MGS organiser, Rob Walker. Not only will the 2017 MGS provide a hands-on chance to see, hear and play a broad range of the world’s favourite brands, it will also see exhibitors offering great show deals, plus an opportunity to get close to some hand-crafted, locally made instruments and epic guitar and gear collections. Describing the exciting developments, Rob continues, “We will have more exhibitors this year, as well as bigger stand presentations by many brands. We are in discussions with an increasing list of players who want to be a part of it, so we are sure this show will provide great value for guitar enthusiasts once again.”
The first artist line up announcement includes: Steve Hackett (UK), Nick Johnston (Canada), Alex Hutchings (UK), Lloyd Spiegel, Nick Charles, Bob Spencer, Shannon Bourne, Lloyd Spiegel, James Ryan and many more to be announced over the coming weeks.
The Melbourne Guitar Show will be held at Caulfield Racecourse on August 5 and 6.
Tickets are on sale now!
Online ticket prices when pre-ordered:: Adult day pass $20, adult weekend pass $30, family day pass $35, concession day pass $10, concession weekend pass $15, premium ticket** $40
**Premium tickets include admission to Steve Hackett show – limited tickets available
MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW DETAILS
SATURDAY AUG 5 | CAULFIELD RACECOURSE |10.00am – 6.00pm | TICKETS
SUNDAY AUG 6 | CAULFIELD RACECOURSE | 10.00am – 6.00pm | TICKETS
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