Fri 18th Oct 8:30pm
Darren D.C Cross is an instrumental ecstatic guitarist.
In the tradition of Leo Kottke, John Fahey, Nick Drake, Elizabeth Cotton and Mississipi John Hurt (also incorporating 90's Indie guitar like Sonic Youth) Cross is forging towards a unique Australian perspective on the genre.
Previously of Sydney trailblazers Gerling and folk Noir Duo Jep and Dep, Darren has knuckled down for the last 8 years specializing in the fingerstyle hybrid of what he calls Australian Ecstatic Guitar, the sweet spot between Doc Watson Bluegrass, British Folk revival and American Primitive guitar.
Live review Clinton Walker.
"To see Darren D. C. Cross. And what a show it was! An incredibly impressive display of solo acoustic guitar.
Darren himself calls his fingerpickin’ style Australian bluegrass and he makes no secret of the inspiration he’s derived from avant acoustic guitarists like Leo Kottke and the Takoma Records school of the likes of John Fahey and Robbie Basho. One point about which kind of music is – if you can’t play it, you can’t do it. There’s nowhere to hide. Fingerpickin’ like this is an extremely exact and demanding art and science, and if you can’t master it, there’s no point trying to pretend. Not that I am hooked on technique. Far from it. The old punk in me still distrusts virtuosity for its own sake. The thing about music like Darren’s is that while you do have to have all that technique, it’s still gotta go a step beyond, it’s gotta have heart and soul and swing…
… and DC’s got all of that. Playfulness is part of it too, and he’s got that as well, a sense of good humour through everything (especially his between-song patter) even when it gets serious and maybe melancholy. But the dynamics! Using every finger on the right hand (I presume, I couldn’t see his hands), this kind of music is contrapuntal, full of riffs and lines running concurrently and weaving between and around each other. Repetition is a big part of it but the bigger part is the weave, the way the riffs and lines develop and interact – creating the space that allows for rhythmic as well as harmonic nuance – and the way they finally resolve, or not: The breaks! The breaks Cross deploys are incredible, sometimes reducing down to a single chord or a couple, cross cutting and smashing, and then – the endings too!
DC Cross has the best endings in the business. The first point about which is that they come soon; in other words, the songs are never overlong (yet still manage to go deep and wide), and then, bam-bam, they’re over with an almost breathless and deeply satisfying surprise.
So I’ll try and take a leaf out of that book. I will be watching out for anything DC Cross does in the future, and I will certainly be queuing up for the opening of the Red House. We need more of all suchlike".
"Cross is emerging as an important voice among the modern players who continue to find new territory in the world of guitar discovered by John Fahey (who, of course, also experimented with found sounds and electronics). With the release of two fine albums in so short a time, he seems to be on a creative tear. Fans of Bachman, Isasa, Jones, Rolin, et al., take note".
Jim Marks - Dusted Magazine.
Shows played in 2023: Cross supported Ed Kuepper at the Blue Mountains Theatre and City Recital Hall.
Supported Xylouris White (Jim from Dirty Three other band) in Canberra Street Theatre and Wollongong Town Hall
Supported Ed Kuepper with Jim White in Murwillumbah, Coffs Harbour, Brisbane, Great Club, Cronulla, Brunswick Ballroom.
Cross also performed at the Art Gallery of N.S.W - Volumes Festival as part of the strings component - a 45 minutes unique improved piece with solo acoustic guitar.
In December he played his own (probably sold out show) at Peoples Republic here in Camperdown.
Also toured his own shows in Blackheath, Katoomba, Wagga Wagga, Nowra, Newcastle, Newcastle Writers Festival, Marrickville, Beechworth, Thirroul, Lithgow, Canberra, Petersham, Springwood, Old Bar, Broadway, Archies Creek, Merri Creek and Camperdown.
www.darrencross.bandcamp.com
TICKETS https://www.trybooking.com/CUGKX
