Stafford, Harry - Guitar Shaped Hammers |

Harry Stafford the singer and guitarist of 80s post punk/Garage/blues outfit Inca Babies decided to explore his love of piano blues by abandoning everything he held and cherished to make some new music with a piano and a head full of ideas. Slowly, as is the nature of a project steered by passion, a sense of direction and aptitude began to manifest itself in the chiming blues of his piano and a heartfelt lament. With influences from: Tom Waits, Diamanda Galas, Hoagy Carmichael and Nick Cave, it was a case of assimilating the spirit of his heroes to find his own voice. By 2016 he had gathered together a collection of songs - bar room ballads, funeral blues, end of the world piano dub, bebop mash-ups and punk jazz tales of melodrama and murder. This was to be the Album; ‘Guitar Shaped Hammers’ Along the way he had gathered together a bunch of musicians who shared his sense of drama and musical schizophrenia. Inca babies and Membranes drummer, Rob Haynes, Andrew Mills of ‘ Folk assassins’ Acid Haystack and the shattered Villain, blues virtuoso Vincent O’ Brien and Trumpet Maestro Kevin Davy (Osibisa, Lamb, Cymande), all made time to be part of this exciting project. With their input, and a wall of technology, other sounds and effects found a place in the mix. Tape loops and space echo appeared to allow the songs an inclination for Dub and a platform to sometimes create a reverb storm.