In 2000 Erin Welton and Scott Ferrell formed Autumn's Grey Solace. Ferrell composes and plays the instruments and Welton handles the vocals and lyrics. Their first disc, Within The Depths Of A Darkened Forest was self-released in 2002. Their following three releases -- Over The Ocean (2004), Riverine (2005), and Shades Of Grey(2006), were all put out by Projekt Records.

The band are from St. Augustine, the USA's oldest city with its Cocina fortress and Osceola's ghost.

"I know that bands typically want to be in a "big city", but not us. Our music is strongly influenced by nature," says Ferrell. "It is better for us to be surrounded by trees and forests than to be immersed in a concrete city. Playing live doesn't interest me that much. I'd rather be creating new music. We rely on our fans to spread the word about us."

The music itself is ethereal female vocals over ambient guitar textures.

"Some might label us as 'dreampop' or 'shoegaze'," says Ferrell. "We have often been compared to the Cocteau Twins, though in all fairness I think we should be given recognition for what WE are doing musically."

Ferrell uses a lot of different guitars in his work.

"My favorite guitars are the ones that I have "customized" for my own needs. When I say customized, I don't mean subtle variations in the style or materials of the guitar. The standard 6-string guitar became a bit boring for me, so I have gotten into the habit of changing up the strings. For a simple example, take a regular guitar and replace all six strings with treble strings (plain steel, not wound), and then tune them in an unconventional way," says Ferrell. "I've used many variations of this concept and it allows me to approach the instrument in a fresh new way. With this "modification" of the instrument I'm able to play chords and arpeggios that would be unplayable on a regular guitar. I've even taken a bass and made a 4-string guitar out of it. The harmonic possibilities are endless."

One specific guitar Ferrell uses is a Fender Jaguar Baritone Custom. The guitar is a modern version of the Fender Bass VI that Robin Guthrie and Robert Smith used.

"You can hear it all over the Cure's "Disintegration" album. I'm also very fond of 12-string acoustic guitars for strumming rhythm parts. They have a brisk, sparkling sound that is pleasing to the ears, especially when listened to on headphones in a mix," says Ferrell. "I also play mandolin and 7-string guitar. When you listen to one of our albums, you will hear a variety of sonic textures throughout."

Effects-wise Ferrell uses Boss and prefers rack mounted.

"I don't care for floor pedals (except for wah pedals). There is something about getting down on the floor or bending over and trying to adjust those knobs down there that is really inconvenient to me," says Ferrell. "I have almost all of my FX rack-mounted where I can tweak the knobs at a comfortable level."

Ferrell says that he has been working to get away from that crutch used by guitarists going for the "ambient" sound--reverb. He tries to use numerous intricate delays to get a what he describes as a "reverb like" sound. He says the result is better with more clarity and depth.

"Keep in mind, I'm not trying to emulate a standard. I'm not limiting myself to what is acceptable in a certain genre. I'm always searching for a new sound to inspire me," says Ferrell. "The most recent guitar FX processor that I've obtained is the Boss GT Pro. It's kind of like having all of the Boss pedals in a 2 space rack. I use an eBow or the Sustainer system that is built into my Fernandes guitar to create most of my feedback drenched leads."

More with Ferrell on vocals and recording soon.