Sydney Guitar Festival Tributes Focus: Grant Walmsley

Which act are you paying tribute to and why? I grew up on Clapton, one of the key players. The Stratocaster and the man are hard to separate… they just go together. Clapton can tear your face off or caress it in one fell swoop!

What was their best period musically? I love early '70s period when he found his voice and was slowly exposing it. A wild and free time, his playing was as dangerous as it was sweet!

Your favourite riff of theirs and why? It's hard to go past Crossroads. Simple? Maybe, but it's a groove thang!

Is their material generally easy or hard to play? I don't think Clapton is easy to play. It annoys me that some think the blues is easy; to put your bleeding soul through it is total commitment.

What was the first song of theirs you managed to play all the way through? I learned Crossroads, Sunshine Of Your Love and Cocaine all at once and just loved every second of it.

Which album of theirs would you give to a newbie who had no idea about them to best represent them? Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs. They don't make real music from real talent like this anymore!

When and where is your gig paying tribute? 25 Aug, The Concourse.