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• Geoff Achison • Buy "Gettin' Evil" • Buy "Chasin' My Tail" • Terra Blues
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Terra Blues: Greenwich Village, New York: May 13, 2004 A Rock Report by Rich and Laura Lynch It's a difficult enough proposition itself to make it as an independent artist in the United States. It's all the more challenging when your home base is on the other side of the world.
 Geoff Achison was tearing in up in New York City! Yet, Geoff Achison, the guitar wizard of oz has slowly been making a name for himself, relentlessly chipping away at the stone to develop a cult-like following on three continents. Geoff frequently tours the United States, the United Kingdom and his homeland as both a solo artist or with his band – The Souldiggers. For the past several year's Achison has made the pilgrimage to the U.S. to be a guest teacher at Jorma's Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch where he continues to build his fan base. Several of his students were on hand on May 13, 2004 for his three-hour acoustic set at Terra Blues in New York City. They were following him around to catch many of his shows on his recent trip to the American east coast. Hailing from a rural working-class town in Victoria, Australia, Geoff Achison is a world-class performer. Inspired by a Freddy King tape he started playing the guitar and later moved to Melbourne to immerse himself in the blues. Achison is a versatile guitarist brilliantly blending the blues with rock, jazz, classical, soul and so much more. Geoff's voice is deep and gravelly yet he sings with clarity and emotion. Achison is an award-winning player who also endorses Gibson guitars. Upon first hearing Geoff Achison and The Soul Diggers on "Getting Evil" we penned him the Australian Stevie Ray Vaughn. He's that good and the players that he surrounds himself with are comparable to the legendary Double Trouble. Like Stevie, Achison brings fire, fervor and innovation to his craft and the music is stunning from ballads, to traditional blues to raved-up rockers. He can play it all with passion and precision. Terra Blues is a cool venue in the heart of Greenwich Village. The walls are covered with photos of those who have graced its stage among strange plaster head and shoulder three-dimensional figures. The room is dark and intimate with fine acoustics and on this night attracted an audience of attentive listeners. Geoff has mastered an assortment of techniques such as tapping the strings, creating subtle beats with a patter on the base of the guitar and other complex fretwork. During one song he produced a unique almost popping sound by bringing his fingers on both hands close together at the hole of the guitar, he then kicked up the pace for a climatic end. Achison has great control. Geoff is able to play soft and sweet yet ingeniously progressing to louder and stronger chords. His soulful blues vocal delivery added textures to well executed songs that capture a variety of moods and genres. Geoff's two sets at Terra Blue included his own songs and some well-known covers. His interpretation of Hendrix's "Castles Made of Sand" was inspiring. Achison stuck to the mainframe work of the original yet added his own touches to keep it fresh and dynamic. Following was his "Be Careful What You Wish For" with its power packed three-chord rifts and expressive blues vocals. Achison also played a fast and furious version of "Gimme Some Lovin" yet still managed to give it a rich blues tone. The first set featured a good mix of classics and his own compositions, all showcasing Geoff's power and prowess as a guitar player and singer. Achison knows his history and did a jam incorporating the classic sounds of Bo Diddley, Willy Dixon and Muddy Waters. Later Achison played what he called a 'Taj Mahal Medley' featuring up-tempo guitar licks that meandered into "Superstition". Slowing the pace down Geoff performed his "Kissing Angels" with its gentle melodious tone. After a short break Geoff started the second set with some finger picking. Before playing the title track from his 1999 release "Getting Evil" he explained that he was extremely mad with someone who had swindled him out of two thousand dollars. He was so upset with that person that when he wrote the song he could not think of any chord changes. But that does not really matter as the track has an angry energy and authority that is captivating either live or on the studio version. Using a capo, Geoff executed fancy fretwork with a remarkable diversity of tempos and chord combinations. Achison can play rhythm and lead simultaneously adding vibrancy to acoustic based songs. He performed an incredible rendition of the Allman's "Whipping Post" as well as "Adam and Eve" also from his "Getting Evil" CD. Geoff closed his set with a train number, joking that he has experienced some train angst himself. Achison explained that his father ran the train station in his hometown in Australia. Desiring a different way of life, Geoff came up with the dream of becoming a blues guitar player. I think he made a wise decision. The guitar wizard of oz will continue to touch new audiences though his CDs and amazing live performances.
 Geoff Achison is the Australian guitar "wizard of oz!" Originally Published: 05/14/2004 on Kweevak.com
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