YOU might think Roger McGuinn would balk at the idea of more travelling, as he prepares for his forthcoming UK tour.

After all, he spent the best part of last year criss-crossing the United States to record with some of folk's living legends like Joan Baez and Pete Seger.

It seems strangely unsophisticated for a man whose interest in and grasp of technology made the Byrds the first band to record with a Moog synthesiser - McGuinn's model is now in the rock n' roll hall of fame in Cleveland.

"It was a great experience," McGuinn recalls while speaking from his Orlando home.

"I just took my 64-track machine and literally set it up in their living rooms, so it was pretty comfortable.

The recordings, completed in July last year, are due for release as a new McGuinn's Folk Den volume and represent a return to the artists that influenced him in the 1960s.

The history of the Byrds is as much about the fusion of folk, country, bluegrass and even jazz as it is about a rock band.

But despite the commercial temptations a reunion with the likes of David Crosby and Chris Hillman might offer, it does not feature in McGuinn's plans.

"I'm not really interested, although last August I played with both of them at a benefit gig. Crosby wanted to do it and so did Hillman, so I thought, why not?

"But when I left the Byrds, I really wanted to leave. I truly saw myself as a folk singer."

These days, McGuinn is happiest as a solo artist and has compiled a mass of new material over the years.

Most of it is available through mp3.com and he's keen on the access the internet has given his music - a point he reinforced when he gave evidence at the Senate committee on the Napster debate.

"My view was that I couldn't condone a service that does not pay the artist. But I can see the argument for Napster. In fact, some of my solo CDs aren't available through record companies, but you can get them on Napster!"

Roger McGuinn will be supported by Irish singer-songwriter Juliet Turner.

Already well-established in Ireland, the 27-year-old is little known on these shores, but has been acclaimed for her debut album Let's Hear It For Pizza.

She will be playing songs from her latest album, Burn The Black Suit.

Roger McGuinn plays Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, on Friday, May 18. Call the box office on 01905 611427 for tickets.