An Interview with John Smith on the Green Man Festival.
What do you love about the Green Man Festival?
Everything! Such a unique atmosphere. They always put on good music and everyone smiles. And they have the best cider.
What was your personal highlight, who did you enjoy listening to?
Vetiver. My girl got me listening to them a few weeks previous and so I thought I knew what to expect, but seeing them live was one of the most profound musical experiences I've had. Battles were immense, too. Their drummer is an insane beast.
You have some very original guitar techniques, from where do you take influence?
Lots of the great players, like Leo Kottke, Nick Drake, John Renbourn and Eric Roche. I saw Eric using the guitar-as-percussive-instrument techniques and it was really impressive. The lap-guitar-tapping thing I do is sort of a combination of that and seeing lap-slide players like Kelly Joe Phelps. My favourite style is 4/4 fingerstyle, and there are so many good players. Clive Carroll is one of the best.
Click here to read the rest of this interview in The Festival Edition of Creature magazine >>