Last month saw the release of ‘New Music For The 12 String Guitar’, the latest offering from guitarist Toby Hay who is based in the “hills above Rhayader, deep in the Powys stronghold of the red kite.”
In his review of the album, Thomas Blake concluded “I say it is full of human warmth, but it is also tinged with wildness, and this I think is the beauty of Toby Hay, and of New Music For The 12 String Guitar in particular: he is able to convey multiple different emotions and represent multiple objects or landscapes, often simultaneously, and all with nothing more than a single instrument. This is the sign of a master musician at work, and Hay certainly fits that description. It is only two years since his debut and he is already one of the finest guitarists of his generation.”
Toby recently shared a live recording of ‘The Summer the Sky Cried For Rain’ which was recorded at the state51 Factory, the album’s record label base.
In his review of the album Thomas described the track as “A fever dream of scorched earth, its component parts join together to paint a picture of a strange land, one that you can’t help but surmise is the product of climate change or global conflict. Its hallucinatory exterior is underpinned by a formal toughness that could indicate hope or desperation.”
“I feel like we achieved what we set out to do…It is about an instrument in a room and I think we honestly captured that, so I’m proud of it and pretty chuffed with the result.” Toby Hay on his latest album, taken from his recent interview with Folk Radio’s Glenn Kimpton which you can read here.
Order New Music for The 12 String Guitar (CD & Vinyl): https://tobyhay.greedbag.com/buy/new-music-for-the-12-string-guit/