My Journey

I started playing guitar when I was 15 ( 1974).

It was a cheap acoustic, but it allowed me to learn 12 bar blues while listening to Status Quo.I’m now 66 and have been playing ever since.I’ve played in many bands and have worked with a lot of incredible people who have helped shape my journey.

A few have found ways to make a living from their music – for me I’m just lucky to be able to continue doing what I love.

I’m using my own web site for the first time to begin to share some of the highlights of my journey. It will be a mix of my own music, the people I listen to and things about my guitar heroes 

I first met my friend Billy Parker when we were at school in Belfast and I owe a lot of my guitar technique to him. He was a year younger than me at school, and it wasn’t till after we both started working that we played together in a band. 

Fast forward to 2022 and we met up for the first time in over 25 years via Facebook.Billy lives in Manchester, Boston, USA, and we talk most days via Messenger. 

He is what I would call a musical genius – a walking wikipedia about all things guitar and groups and musicians as well as being one of the best guitarists I have ever met.

I owe this web site wp.hodgett.online,  to him, he built it for me and taught me how to use it – I intend to create regular updates to this site – it’s my blog about all things music!

Bill will contribute as well – we’ve licensed Gerrbill.media for the future

So where to begin I hear you ask?.

Head over to my music site just type –  media.hodgett.online in your browser and have a look! The user you enter is guest THATS ALL THATS NEEDED!

It’s a journey from around 2013 and there’s all the music that I’ve created with my long time friend Davy Lemon who has been instrumental in helping me develop my recording skills.

My latest work is there – New Land.

I’ve always been fascinated with the Viking journey to Greenland and this instrumental album was inspired by that journey and it took me about a year to create. 

What I like in Music

For me melody is essential, and my tastes are extremely wide and varied.

From Southern Rock in the form of Lynyrd Skynyrd to progressive rock by YES.

At the centre of everything I listen to has been the guitar, I love guitar solos – but not shredding as I feel that a solo must have meaning and melody, speed when needed but why use a hundred notes when a dozen will do.

My favourite guitarist has always been Rory Gallagher and my favourite band was Horslips and there’s a massive amount of their material around now.

A band called Cardinal Black is currently top of my favourite bands list, they are incredible with a sound all of their own.

 

What CD’s I’m Listening to now

Anything by Jakob Dylan as a solo artist and also his band the Wallflowers

Tasmin Archer                             Great Expectations (Sleeping Satellites )

Robert Jon and the Wreck     Red Moon Rising

I find new music in different places but mostly radio though Billy continually brings incredible new music to my door!

The Wallflowers and Jakob Dylan are probably the most interesting thing I’ve found this year.

Tasmin Archer came on Greatest Hits Radio with Ken Bruce – the single – Sleeping Satellites has the most incredible keyboard solo.

I got the album on cd from ebay for £2!

We found Robert Jon and the Wreck while driving and my wife used Shazam to find the artist!

What’s on the Turntable

Toby Lee                  House on Fire – An incredible young blues guitarist with a great voice and an individual guitar style.

Cardinal Black      Midnight at the Valencia  – their third album – they are top of my list

Frankie Miller        Full House  – Saw him live in the 70’s and he was awesome – Remember along called Darling – but he also recorded Be Good To Yourself

What I’m Streaming

Dire Straits               Alchemy Live Album – probably their best period and live album

Be Bop Deluxe         Live in the Air Age (extensive box set – simply inspirational

Twisters                      The Movie Soundtrack – massively a country album

Scott Henderson    Tore Down House – Blues

The WallFlowers. Bringing Down The Horse

What‘s on the iPod in the Gym

Supertramp – Retrospectacle – Incredible best of album from a genius band

Jeff Healey – Cover to Cover – Sadly no longer with us – incredible visually impaired Canadian Musician who played guitar flat on his lap,

Dire Straits – Alchemy – Best Dire Straits Live album