Turtleshed Turtle Shed Lead Guitarist Neil

What kit do you use? - A Gibson ES 335 through a Marshall AVT2000 150 amp. I use a number of Boss pedals, namely a DD6 digital delay, a blues driver to boost the solo, an octave pedal and a Jim Dunlop Wah pedal. I have a Fender Strat for back up in the event of string breaks, but I prefer the playing of the gibbo, I have heavy hands and it is better for me and growls more. Thinking about part exchanging the strat for a SG but not sure yet. . For acoustic songs I have a US Ovation Elite standard which is the dogs nuts and was bought for me a few Christmas's ago by my lovely wife. I was well chuffed seeing Bob Marley use this same model on a video once. This is such a beautiful guitar with a great sound and a great feel to play. (In a musical kind of way). Both guitars are really far beyond my standard of playing but I love 'em........

Tell us about your musical past - My previous bands have included 'The Acoustic Cobwebs', 'The Haunted' and 'Solice'. I also played as part of a duo named blandly John and Neil, this was me and funnily enough a bloke called John who is now an artist. The Haunted played one gig at Longham Church Hall in 1982 and were largely Pyschobilly influenced, playing mainly songs by the Meteors and the like. I was 16 then. Solice was a far more rounded band and played songs from Aztec Camera and some great originals written by John Tozer, we used to practice in the cellars below shops in Westbourne as well as Tony the Bass players front room on a Sunday afternoon, when his parents went out. John left to be a bum for a few years as a prequisite for being an artist and so the inspiration and originality left with him and it all folded without one gig. I formed Turtle Shed in late 2002 after playing sadly alone for the best part of fifteen years. We exist for no other reason than to enjoy what we can do and the limitations of that. We don't take our selves particularly serious though I may look like i do and we just have a laugh.

Who are your musical influences? - My musical influences are: ......Paul Weller, from the Jam to today, he is such an enduring song writer and performer with a great voice and attitude. I have seen him countless times and he is great live. I also love the Beatles (and loads of bands from the 60s, The kinks, Small Faces etc.), Prefab Sprout (Paddy is such dude) , and Elvis Costello (brill live) . I also like the blues, Buddy Guy, John lee Hooker, SRV, and all of Hendrix. Brian Setzer is the best guitarist I have ever seen. Currently I love Starsailor, an amazing voice and great songs. I have a fairly eclectic but passionate (some might call it obsessive) love of music. I see a lot of my favourite bands live as often as I can, it's the best way.......I love it!

Who inspires you most in music? - As above really, but in short Weller, Hendrix, Costello and McAloon. Seeing the poetry in life; the beautiful and sometimes the ugly. The writings of Thomas Hardy and the poems of Wilfred Owen, the view at the Cherill white Horse, Poole harbour, and a family from Sowerby Bridge in the 1870s, The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, My BMW bike, Julio and Ernest Gallo and the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. But I guess in a word what inspires me most in music....Dmaj7 I think.

What was your most memorable moment with Turtle Shed? - Me, Chris Nick in a small village hall on that first day, unpacking my kit was good enough for me. Jo providing vision and drive and direction. Jo puking up after my driving. Nick's GPS screwing up the direction. Wishing I'd done this in my twenties not for any other reason than I could have done it for longer. I'm sure there's loads more to come this year.......

So when the band are given a huge wedge of money and asked to devote their entire lives to entertaining people with brilliant music what will be your reaction? - Point me towards that pensioners home lets rock'n'roll.

Here's a pic of Neil with his friend John back in 1980 Here's a pic of Neil with one of our greatest fans