Growing up I was surrounded by classical music, my older sister a conservatorium trained violinist/pianist and my mother the then head of the state Bach Society. I felt someone in the family had to rise up against this crazy “beatless” nonsense. So I did what any rebellious boy would do in the same situation… grabbed an electric guitar.
Countless joy filled hours were spent pounding away to the likes of the Ramones and Black Flag, much to my family’s displeasure. It wasn’t long ’til I discovered, and then fell in love with, melody, minor chords and the beauty of improvisation. The basis of my style.
Following the need for more, I pursued improvisational methods of guitar playing. I was guided by the many workshops of a specialist in the field, often involving a handful of students sitting in a room, in the dark, all playing guitar, with only hearing and touch to guide. Try it sometime. The natural progression from here was performance, playing the local live alternative music scene for a number of years.
Performance led to stagecraft, playing a packed theatre nightly for years. My musical skills enhanced by extra roles as cast performer and stage manager. Around this time I started writing with Pillbilly.
When I look back over the many changes in my life, I see that music has been the one constant. I think of jamming with friends over a few beers, the feelings of calm exhilaration when a new song just falls into place, of the players sitting right there in the pocket of the song. I think of the quietest of times, sitting alone with an acoustic guitar and an idea for a melody. I can’t imagine life without writing and performing music, perhaps you can’t either.
Murray Webber
Growing up I was surrounded by classical music, my older sister a conservatorium trained violinist/pianist and my mother the then head of the state Bach Society. I felt someone in the family had to rise up against this crazy “beatless” nonsense. So I did what any rebellious boy would do in the same situation… grabbed an electric guitar.
Countless joy filled hours were spent pounding away to the likes of the Ramones and Black Flag, much to my family’s displeasure. It wasn’t long ’til I discovered, and then fell in love with, melody, minor chords and the beauty of improvisation. The basis of my style.
Following the need for more, I pursued improvisational methods of guitar playing. I was guided by the many workshops of a specialist in the field, often involving a handful of students sitting in a room, in the dark, all playing guitar, with only hearing and touch to guide. Try it sometime. The natural progression from here was performance, playing the local live alternative music scene for a number of years.
Performance led to stagecraft, playing a packed theatre nightly for years. My musical skills enhanced by extra roles as cast performer and stage manager. Around this time I started writing with Pillbilly.
When I look back over the many changes in my life, I see that music has been the one constant. I think of jamming with friends over a few beers, the feelings of calm exhilaration when a new song just falls into place, of the players sitting right there in the pocket of the song. I think of the quietest of times, sitting alone with an acoustic guitar and an idea for a melody. I can’t imagine life without writing and performing music, perhaps you can’t either.
Murray