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What instrument do you play and what made you want to play it?
Guitar. I remember an old friend giving me the album 'By The Way', by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and I was instantly glued to the sound of the guitar. The melodic playing, the tone, the solos and how all that had a relationship with the other instruments. I was hooked, and I had to learn how to do it myself. 20 years later, I'm still on that journey.
Who are your biggest musical influencers?
It started with the Chili Peppers guitarist, John Frusciante. I loved his tone, his style, and the songs they wrote as a band. But I'd often play along to the records and live DVDs etc. almost every night throughout my teen years. I'd always find what I sounded like was always different to the record. Not just in tone but in approach and style.
Then in about 2009 the Chili Peppers announced Frusciante had left the band to be replaced with Josh Klinghoffer. Hearing how Josh played the old songs, hearing how he wrote music with the band just made me fall in love with that genre and style all over again. I suddenly found that this new approach to that band was so close to what I had been doing for years. It was almost like I'd finally found a now-famous rock and roll hall of fame guitarist that I could relate to. But that's what music is, isn't it? Find who you like and try your best to emulate their style... and when you fail at that, that's when you find your own sound and style!
If you could support any band at any venue, who and where?
100% has to be the Red Hot Chili Peppers live at the Pyramids. How cool is that? Let's set up a stage in the desert in front of the Egyptian pyramids and give tens of thousands of locals a bloody good show!
When not with the band what do you like spending time doing?
With my family, I'm the dad in the band. I have two of the most amazing, wonderful children. That's my life outside of the band. Dad by day, rock star by night. Kinda like Batman. But with the school run.
Describe the perfect next five years for the band?
We put on shows that nobody else expects. I love just trying to see what we can achieve. We've played hundreds of times live in clubs and pubs. I want to do gigs in places people won't expect. I want to support bands nobody would expect. Release music that people won't expect from us.
What's your favourite track by the band so far?
Taking For Granted. There's a reason why we try and open with that track. It just epitomises who we are.
Why should people listen to Seas of Neptune?
Because we sound good! We've poured our souls into this project for the last five years, and it shows. Our music can be brutal. It can be sweet. It has heart, character and we're only just getting started!
Playing a lead guitar role in a four piece band is a strange task. You already have another guitarist, how do find your role within the band?
Well that's a good question. For me it's an easy process. My sound suits the band well, and where my instrument sits in the band dynamic is different from track to track. Sometimes it's the main guitar riff and shredding all over the track. Other times it's subtle, other times you can hear four of my guitars playing at
once. Other times it's just one simple acoustic. Fortunately our producer is the bass player, and he knows exactly what i'm trying to accomplish each and every track we've done so far. After so many years together, between me and Andy and Jonny there's a chemistry and an understanding that lets us kind of just flow in the same direction. Even more so in the last six months since Dan has came aboard, because we now have a drummer that is on the same page as us stylistically and with this new sound we are evolving towards.