"I think my music's a mixture of things that I've absorbed as I've gone on..." EP34 with Justin Lavash

In this last interview of 2020, I spoke with guitarist and songwriter, Justin Lavash. Calling from his home in Teplice, in the Czech Republic, Justin recounts his expat and musical adventures in his adopted home via London, Liverpool and beyond. Justin’s relationship with the Czech Republic stretches back to his first visit in 1991, and eventually saw him moving to Prague in 2004, and now on to Teplice. During his time in the Czech Republic, Justin has established himself as a must-see act on the local music scene and abroad. His music crosses borders - somewhere between blues, folk and jazz. His phenomenal guitar playing has left many audiences wondering how so much polyphony can be made by one man on one instrument. Lavash identifies himself as a fingerstyle guitarist, following in the footsteps of British folk guitar gurus like Richard Thompson or John Martyn, but he is of a younger generation and traces of New Wave and even dance culture can be found in his music. Prior to living in the Czech Republic, Lavash worked as a guitarist in south London's jazz scene in the 90s and later in the cabaret scene, both as a guitarist and a transcriber. Justin and I get into his sound and how the introduction of technology has not only filled it out, but it’s also taken it to the next level. That said, Justin still considers himself a folk guitarist at heart. There’s talk about the changes that he’s seen in Czech music scene, differences in audiences over the years, working with local musicians on various projects and what new material he’ s been working on. As well as the varying musical influences that Justin taps into. In the Top 5, we ponder what Andrew Gold, Dave Grohl, and Justin all have in common, the ‘Once’ soundtrack, the underground Czech music scene - pre-Velvet Revolution & Charter 77. We’ve got Bill Withers on Karaoke, alongside Danny Boy disasters, and the Akropolis in Prague. All this plus wanting to start a nine-piece R’n’B band and why we love seeing performers who play right on the edge! Follow Justin here: Website http://bit.ly/34y0Pbp Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JustinLavash/ Youtube https://youtu.be/OyQjkkmS9p8 Justin Lavash on Spotify http://spoti.fi/3asEsYP Can’t Find My Way Home Linktree https://linktr.ee/cantfindmywayhome Facebook https://www.facebook.com/expatmusicpod Spotify https://spoti.fi/3n7nl2p