British slide guitarist and singer-songwriter There’s something about the Welsh marches. As guitarist Troy Redfern tells it, he grew up in the shadow of Hergest Ridge, made famous by Mike Oldfield. The Welsh borders; roughly that area between Hay on Way, Brecon and Hereford: It might not quite evoke the arresting geography and climate of say Louisiana, but there’s something about the freedom of a landscape that refuses an official definition of the extent of its domain. It all fits perfectly into Troy Redfern’s world. He is a passionate, intense, free spirited indie blues artist whose ferocious slide guitar style twists and turns timeless themes and ideas to his own ends. The protean slide guitarist leads his power trio with style, gusto and virtuoso playing that fuses spontaneity with real craft. Redfern combines the rawness of Hound Dog Taylor, the freeform approach of Sonny Sharrock, the firebrand playing of Johnny Winter and the technique of Dave Hole with the ghost of Elmore James. Troy: “I’ve got a wide range of influences from Zappa and Mike Keneally to Sean Costello, but it all originally came from a friend of mine Nigel Peters who lent me a Son House collection. That led me to discover Hound Dog Taylor, Mississippi Fred McDowell, the rough attack and hard edge approach of Bukka White’s resonator, and Mississippi Hill Country Blues, with people like RL Burnside and Junior Kimbrough etc.” Troy is a guitarist for whom tone, feel and grooves are his working tools, while his songs range from a whisper to a scream, including those outlandish moments when his vocals go to the edge of the world and he momentarily transforms himself into Screaming Jay Hawkins meets Captain Beefheart. Troy: “I write a riff first, then improvise the lyrics and then I pick some phrases etc and turn them into the song. I usually leave a section for the solo which is usually a one take deal. I love the ad-hoc energy that comes from somewhere else.” Troy Redfern – Vocals/Guitars Dave Marks – Bass, Keys, Percussion Paul Stewart – Drums