D.C Cross describes himself as a “transformative instrumental guitarist from Arncliffe”... So not only is he one of Sydney’s finest musicians, he’s a Red House local! Accordingly, the People’s Republic is delighted to announce that his show this month is the second of what will now be an annual post-xmas show at the Red House, so bring along your leftover bottles of xmas wine (etc) and enjoy what was a magical end-of-year event in 2023 and is sure to be again this year!

Darren will play a carefully curated two-set show drawing from his five solo D.C Cross albums, shining a light on “Terabithian” from 2020 and his most recent album "Glookies Guit", both critically acclaimed and released on his own No Drums Records.
It will be an evening of Australian instrumental ecstatic folk guitar, in the tradition of Leo Kottke, John Fahey, Nick Drake, Elizabeth Cotton and Mississipi John Hurt, but forging a unique Australian perspective on the genre.
 
Darren Cross was previously with Sydney trailblazers Gerling and folk noir duo Jep and Dep, but has knuckled down for the last eight years specializing in the fingerstyle hybrid he calls Australian Ecstatic Guitar, the sweet spot between Doc Watson Bluegrass, British Folk revival and American Primitive guitar.
 
Clinton Walker: "Darren himself calls his fingerpickin’ style Australian bluegrass and makes no secret of the inspiration he’s derived from avant acoustic guitarists like Leo Kottke and the Takoma Records school, John Fahey and Robbie Basho. One point about this kind of music… if you can’t play it, you can’t do it. There’s nowhere to hide. Fingerpickin’ like this is an extremely exact and demanding art and science, and if you can’t master it, there’s no point trying to pretend. Not that I am hooked on technique. Far from it. The old punk in me still distrusts virtuosity for its own sake. The thing about music like Darren’s is that while you do need all that technique, it’s gotta go a step beyond, it’s gotta have heart and soul and swing… and D.C Cross has all of that. Playfulness is part of it too, and he’s got that as well, a sense of good humour even when it gets serious and maybe melancholy. But the dynamics! Using every finger on the right hand (I presume, I couldn’t see his hands), this kind of music is contrapuntal, full of riffs and lines running concurrently and weaving between and around each other. The breaks! The breaks Cross deploys are incredible, sometimes reducing down to a single chord or a couple, cross cutting and smashing, and then – the endings too! The best endings in the business…”
 
"Cross is emerging as an important voice among the modern players who continue to find new territory in the world of guitar discovered by John Fahey (who, of course, also experimented with found sounds and electronics).” - Dusted Magazine.

Darren has recently supported Ed Kuepper and Xylouris White and performed at the Volume Festival at the Art Gallery of NSW.
 
“Two sets of instrumental guitar and storytelling… Hope to see you there. 100% Independent. Bring a friend or two.”

PLEASE REPLY TO THIS EMAIL FOR NEW ADDRESS AND FURTHER DETAILS AND TO CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE

THERE IS NO ADMISSION CHARGE FOR PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC EVENTS - PLEASE DONATE GENEROUSLY ON THE NIGHT KNOWING THAT EVERY CENT GOES TO THE ARTISTS

PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS A CASH-ONLY EVENT SO PLEASE BRING ALONG PLENTY OF THOSE QUAINT COLOURED RECTANGLES

OUR EVENTS ARE B.Y.O. please bring along any beverages you wish but no food is allowed