Lew Apollo: This guitar is the most sentimental piece of gear I own. My wife and bandmate, Mello Jaxn, gifted it to me a month after my father passed away. She knew I had always dreamed of owning a classical guitar. I was raised on folk music, and nylon strings have always carried a certain warmth and honesty that spoke to me. On a random weekday, in the middle of the most difficult time of my life, she surprised me with it. That moment is etched into my memory.
This Córdoba has become a symbol of my father’s life and legacy and a connection to the grief, the love, and the healing that followed his passing. It’s a reminder that beauty can still grow in the midst of really dark times. I reach for it nearly every time I write, whether or not it makes it into the final track. There’s something about writing on nylon strings, it strips away all the noise, leaving only the bare bones of the song, just melody and emotion. It forces you to focus on the true craft of songwriting.
The guitar has also heavily inspired my evolution as a songwriter and producer. It’s what I play on most of my debut album Fool’s Gold, and what I’m playing in “Feeling OK”, the closing track. It’s a stripped-down moment of reflection, a meditation on my father’s memory and the resilience to move forward. That track, and my classical guitar embody the emotional essence of this record: a journey through loss that somehow leads to light.
Lew Apollo's album Fool's Gold is out August 8. The "No Room in Hell" single is out now.
Photo credit: Delaney Gibson Moon
