Artists

Will Guthrie

Drummer/percussionist/composer Will Guthrie has been a vital and energetic force on the Australian improvised music scene for the best part of 10 years. His unique and highly personal approach has led him to play, tour and record with many of Australia's leading contemporary improvising musicians here and overseas, as well as being involved in numerous multi-arts projects including dance, film, theatre and puppetry.

 Born in 1977 he studied improvisation at the Victorian College of the Arts and finished with a Bachelor of Music Performance in 1998. He has studied privately with Australian's Graham Morgan and Adrian Sherriff as well as with American jazz legend Tony Williams.
  In 1997 he won the Wangaratta National Jazz awards for drums and recorded for the ABC with his own band 'ANTBOY'. Will was the major force in starting and maintaining the regular Tuesday night Improvised Music gig at the Planet Caf?-now known as the Make It Up Club.  He has also organised, promoted and presented many concerts featuring himself alongside others with a continuing focus on developing an original Australian improvised music identity, relevant to the environment and era from which he comes.
Will?s influences range from many styles and music(s). He often plays home-made instruments, found and junk alongside more conventional drums and cymbals as well as electronics. Rather than ?genre specific? Will prefers diversity-he feels comfortable in many different styles and settings from rock/jazz/experimental to working with puppetry/dance and visual artists.
Will Guthrie has performed solo at school workshops, The Make It Up Club, The 9th Ward, What Is Music? Festival 2002, Space 3 and Impermanent Audio ( Sydney ) and the Backspace ( Hobart ).  His first solo effort at the MIUC festival was highly praised by music critic Jeff Pressing in The Age and was recorded by the ABC for New Music Australia.
 He has performed regularly with groups at The Wangaratta Festival of Jazz, The Melbourne International Jazz Festival, What Is Music Festival, Apollo Bay Music Festival, Sydney?s NowNOW festival, Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival, The Fringe Festival and The Next Wave Festival.
He has played with international artists K.K Null ( Japan ),Ernie Watts ( USA ), Dave O'Higgins ( UK ), Joost Buis, Cor Fuhler and Misha Mengelburg ( Netherlands ) as well as Australian masters Jim Denley, Robbie Avenaim, Paul Grabowsky, Stasis Duo, Ren Walters, Tony Buck, flamenco group Arte Kanela, Mark Simmonds, Christine Sullivan, Greg Kingston, Brian Brown, David Tolley's 'THAT', Jeremy Alsop, Julien Wilson's 'FESTA', Slava Gregorian, Chris Abrahams, David Herschfelder, Steve Hunter, Tim O'Dwyer, Richard Tedesko, Monash Gamelan Ensemble, Tom Fryer, Adrian Sherriff,, Valanga Khoza amongst others.

Website: http://www.antboymusic.com