Hello, I’m Paul Kent (aka GUITAR PK).
It’s harder to explain how wordless music is written than it is for songwriters to explain their lyrics. Instrumental music aims to evoke a feeling, an emotion. However, my own music is often inspired by songs with vocals. My guitars are the vocals, my favourite lyrical players include Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Any Summers.
Between the late 1980s and 2000 I was guitarist and co-songwriter in two bands, the first a heavy metal outfit, followed by indie pop rockers Freak Scene – inspired by the Dinosaur Jr. song. We naively hired a rogue management firm, who did get us better gigs at some of London’s top venues like Water Rats and Hope & Anchor.
Then from 2000 I worked as a graphic designer in London’s media and advertising world. By the mid-2010s I was freelancing as a web developer, working remotely, so wasn’t tied to a daily commute. I had more time on my hands to make music. But this time I wanted to fly solo, inspired initially by Mike Oldfield’s 1973 self-made opus Tubular Bells.
Thanks to the upsides of social media I soon collaborated with other musicians around the world remotely, which recaptured a “being in a band” feeling I’d been well accustomed to back in the 1990s. I recorded and released several songs with Chicago based singer-songwriter Diane Marie Kloba and provided guitar parts for other soloists.
I started out in music with little guidance or financial support. However today I own a few more guitars, including bass and acoustics, used across all my recordings, alongside a Roland synthesiser, amps and Logic Pro workstation. I create music in a very traditional, old school fashion. My songs are largely improvised, a tradition of popular music creativity, with no formal musical training, essentially playing by ear.
After decades of being active in music I now feel more accomplished, it’s a life full of music. And, like my career as a designer, I’m entirely self-taught. Regardless of material success, I am living the dream, music remains fun and exciting as ever. It’s also a lot of work!
For enquiries and collaborations please email:
hello@guitarpk.com