Chris Woods topped September’s Radio Free South West people’s chart. We caught up with the guitarist to find out more about his style, the Exmouth festival and Blue Onion Music

Explain a little about your style.

I think my style is best described as acoustic contemporary instrumental. It’s a real blend of stuff but has a degree of continuity because of the instrument it’s played on. In a way it kind of demonstrates how the guitar seems to have a role in all genres.

What are your influences, and musically, how have you arrived where you are?

Influences are as wide as you can go. I obviously take influence from other acoustic instrumental guitarists, but it has been a really mixed journey. I tend to approach things as a composer and not so much as a guitarist. By doing this you tend to have to push your technique any way to be able to achieve the desired effect. E.g. ‘I want this to sound like a funk bass line, thus, best learn to play slap guitar!’

You’re one of the people behind Blue Onion Music. Can you explain what Blue Onion Music is all about?

BOM is a hub for all things music. It has functioned well as a means to get acts for the festival and BOM nights, as well as to meet other promoters and services needed to run events. Essentially, it’s a point of contact for all music lovers.

You also organise the Exmouth festival. What’s involved with that, and does it help to have an experienced performer putting a festival together?

Running the Exmouth Festival is hard work. The festival is a community festval, so it goes beyond just booking and promoting and involves a lot of working towards developing cultural activity in the town. This makes it a challenging role but also really exciting and rewarding. I think being an experienced performer helps me have an understanding of arts and festivals on a broader level, meaning the festival is very much a ‘real’ and ‘honest’ event.

At the moment, you’re performing, composing and teaching guitar, as well as your work with the Exmouth Fesival and BlueOnionMusic? Which is the most fulfilling and how do you see your career developing?

WOW! All these jobs feed each other, I think being a teacher, organiser/promoter and musician benefits each position.

For example, teaching is a two-way thing. I find I become a better musician the more I teach. It also helps me to understand the way people think about music. Promoting or organising helps me understand how hard it is to get people out to gigs! Playing and composing gives me more to teach and helps me meet other musicians who I might book, so it’s all symbiotic, as a result each roll is kinda fulfilling because of the other.

Being a musician is not just about playing or composing, it’s also about community and people.

The music career is certainly on the move, I have just started working with Log-jam music as an endorsee of their stomp box, and with them we have plans for a nationwide tour and some dates abroad! So things are getting really exciting! It’s just great to see people enjoy your music.

Chris Woods, thank you

This article first appeared on the People’s Republic of South Devon

AC: Hey Adam. That was a lovely acoustic set there, but not without it’s problems?

AR: No there were a few sound issues but the poor sound guy didn’t know we were coming and a had a bit of a surprise..A 9 piece-band surprise! But after the problematic start, it started to gel quite nicely, especially at the end.

AC: The second album, ‘The Truth About Push Me Pull You’, has been out for a few months now, how has it been received?

AR: Amazingly well. All of the reviews have been positive and very complimentary, and we’ve been selling out of the CD’s at gigs too, so it obviously is striking a chord.

AC: Have you been writing any new material for a follow up yet, or just concentrating on promoting the album?

AR: Well we’ve all started writing new material already, and there seems to be a change in the approach. Whereas with the last record we wrote almost exclusively in the studio, this time everyone’s bringing their own contributions in to practice that they’ve already written. Don’t get me wrong, writing in the studio is a lot of fun, but it changes what you come up with, and can be quite expensive! So at the moment we’re just going through the ideas, and everyones got some which is nice.

AC: So will we see some appear in any of your forthcoming gigs?!

AR: At some point sure. We’ve been playing the songs from the album for a while now, almost 2 years for some of them, and it’s always nice to try something different out live.

AC: What gigs have you got coming up?

AR: The next one is back at the Hippo on the 12th June, and then we’re going to be in Wales in July at the Toucan club in Cardiff and the Bloom Festival in August which we’re really excited about.

AC: Excellent. Finally, are you doing anything with your side project Building Estoban?

AR: Well I’m always writing and have been working on my third LP for a while now. At some point I hope to do a show but only if I can get enough people to faithfully reproduce the vision that’s captured on the recordings. If I can do that then you can expect to see the Estoban show at some point later in the year.

Interview by Anthony Clifford

For more information on Lemanis and Building Estoban, visit:

www.myspace.com/lemanisband

www.myspace.com/buildingestoban