CHRIS : Thanks for the first question, and one that I get quite a bit. It has to do a lot with the music I was exposed to and exposed myself to from an early age. Basically, I love playing the tunes I do, and a lot of them happen to be Instrumental. But really I enjoy playing as a backing member just as much.

With regards to songwriting, I try and picking a subject, and create a feel based on that. Crocodile Grundee was written and recorded in my kitchen in Tokyo, but hopefully the feeling is outback Australia. That has to do with the arrangement.

CHRIS : Yes I often collect a little gasoline before I get up and play, but I often dont, depending on the situation. I think you have seen my solo shows, so usually at that time, I start off with a few quite slower songs, and that is basically my warm up. I do actually stretch my hands for a few minutes, and massage some parts where I've  had a couple of operations on my hand, but that is pretty much it. Colder months we should take more care, wearing gloves is certainly recommended I think. Thanks for the mail. CG

CHRIS : I do, depending on the gig, but I have set my effector to use DI (plus I have the the same settings, minus the amp simulator for when I do use an amp). It is mostly because when I play solo I like to get the front of house sound through the monitors to make sure the mix is fine. I have played some big gigs using this and find it just as comfortable as when I have an amp. When we use an digital effects processor, a lot of the character of the amp is lost anyway, so the amp becomes more important for monitoring only, rather than tone.

Playing with live drums is a different story all together. I would generally use an amp, but as most of my solo gigs are just me, I can play as loud or soft as the venue wants me to.

BUT, there is nothing like plugging straight into a nice Fender Twin, and blasting away. That is very real!

Chris : Yes that was a long time ago, about 15 years actually. But I ripped a tendon off the bone in my little finger. It basically meant the little finger was useless. This probably wouldnt bother most people, but I think Guitarists need all the fingers they can get! So, just two operations, but the second one they took a tendon from my leg and put it into my hand. It would take a bit of rehab to get it working again, but I imagine it is pretty close to normal, although I can only bend the finger when I bend my ring finger. I have adjusted to it and dont feel it inhibits my playing. But probably playing Rugby as a sport, is a little too dangerous if you want to keep your fingers in good shape!    cg

Chris : Due to being the youngest of four boys, there was plenty of music around the house. I was listening to Pink Floyd, Santana, Peter Frampton, from a very young age, before I started playing. But one Saturday morning I saw a guitarist called Phil Emmanuel on a music show. He had a band called Goldrush, and I found their album, got it with a record voucher I was given for Christmas, and listened to that albums many times the first day. I would later see on the Mike Walsh show, Phil, and his brother Tommy (Goldrush's drummer), play an amazing piece called Sugarfoot Rag. I found out then that Tommy was an equally amazing Guitar player as Phil. They have gone on to become the most respected guitar players in Australia, and those who have heard them would say there is nobody better, anywhere! They are great guitar players, but more so entertainers. Beg, steal or borrow, but make sure its from the best! I use a few tricks I saw them do when I was a starry eyed audience member. Still to this day, they are my favourite players, and definitely the biggest influence on me. It still blows me away that I was able to have a few lessons off both of them. Get their CDs, they have it all. There are links to their sites on my links page.