Sydney Guitar Festival Focus: Fiona Boyes

Which act made you want to pick up the guitar and why? I was a blues fan way before I became a player. Seeing Melbourne's Dutch Tilders playing the finger-picking country blues that I'd only previously heard on vinyl blew me away. I wanted to be able to play that stuff!

What's your preferred guitar and amp set up? Electric: Custom Maton Mastersound, or cigar box guitar through vintage-style boutique Tube-Tone Princeton Plus or Category 5 Tracy valve amp. Acoustic: Maton Custom shop dreadnaught, Fishman Platinum Plus pre-amp/DI - and a Wazinator stomp for foot percussion.

What are you going to talk about/play at the Festival? I'm part of the Slide Evolution show with Jeff Lang and Dom Turner. The focus will be on my unique cigar box guitars: six-stringer for bottleneck slide and a weird four-stringer played lap style with a whiskey bottle.

Are you planning to catch any of the other performances or workshops? If so, what are you hoping to get out of it? I'm not based in Sydney, so it will depend on my schedule, but being part of the festival is fantastic. 'Guitar people' are often passionate and it generates energy just having a lot of like-minded people in the same place!

What advice would you give to a beginner guitarist attending the Festival? Guitar is such a unique instrument. It is foundational to so many completely different musical styles. Go find something that interests you and soak it up - I'm sure you'll find some inspiration that will add to your playing.

If you could play with any performer, who would it be and why? I'm an old-school player who loves the roots of the blues tradition. I've played with Howlin' Wolf's legendary guitarist, Hubert Sumlin, and I'd turn back time in a heartbeat if I could play with him again.

When and where can we catch you at the Festival? 26 Aug, Factory Theatre. Slide Evolution' concert, with Jeff Lang, Dom Turner and Ian Collard, Fiona Boyes and Mark Grunden.