Showing what ‘DIY’ is all about, Claude Hay is a fiercely independent artist whose blend of stomping traditional blues, hard rock and booty-shaking funk has won him no shortage of fans the world-over. He’s a man who builds his own gear: you have ‘Betty’, his double-necked guitar made from a kitchen benchtop and ‘Stella’, a ‘Cigar Box’ guitar that started life as a six-dollar baking tin.
His latest album is I Love Hate You, recorded at his home studio. Last year he entered new territory, stepping out from his solo shadow and into the band light with Claude Hay & the Gentle Enemies. The Piping Hot Chicken Shop, Ocean Grove – October 31. Hay will also appear at the Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival.