2024 events are listed below
(either page down or click on specific event for more detail)
jam sessions and banjo workshops
The jam sessions are run on the second Sunday of the month, year-round. The old-time jam is the first half (2:00-3:30pm) and bluegrass jam the second half (3:30-5:00pm). You can come for one. or the other, or both! The Banjo Workshops (booking essential) are between 2pm and 4pm.
Second Sunday – Old Time and Bluegrass Music Jam Sessions
Second Sunday – Banjo Workshop
7th December – Half Light
23rd November – The Cattlestops
15th November – Divine Pitch CD Launch
18th October – Dean Murray
21st September – You, Me, Everybody
20th September – a Blackboard Concert
16th August – Hihi and The Stitchbirds
10th August – Helen Dorothy with Neil Billington
19th July – Derek Kirkland
29th June – Carol Bean Band
21st June – The Melling Station Boys
18th May – We Mavericks
17th May – The Bidibids
19th April – Eagals
23rd March – Polly and the Minstrel
24th February – George Jackson and Brad Kolodner (USA)
24th February – George Jackson and Brad Kolodner (USA) – workshops
11th February – Sassafras (USA)
3rd February – Katie Martucci (USA) and Mark Mazengarb
2nd February – The Alum Ridge Boys and Ashlee (USA)
20th January – Mishra Duo and Dan Walsh (UK)
12th January – a Blackboard Concert
Second Sunday each month – Jam Sessions and Banjo workshop
Held on the second Sunday afternoon of each month between 2pm and 3:30pm for the Old Time Music jam session and 3:30pm to 5pm for the Bluegrass Music jam session – at the Petone Community Centre.
And Banjo Workshops are available – needing advance booking for a 2pm to 4pm workshop – at the Petone Community Centre.
Saturday 7th December – Concert – Half Light
Driving, hypnotic Celtic music with two of New Zealand’s top players featuring an award winning repertoire of flute and guitar.
Half Light are Rennie Pearson and Bob McNeill who present original music combining the sounds of wooden flute, whistles, guitars and an array of pedal sounds.
Their original music is deeply rooted in the Celtic traditions, drawing also from a wide variety of other musical styles such as American music, Indian classical, middle eastern and classical music.
The music is transportive. It takes you on a journey to faraway lands with primeval forests soaring mountain tops and wooden glades where the faerfolk dance. There will be toe tapping jigs, reels, polkas, slides and all the heart lifting dance music of Ireland and Scotland, expertly weaved in with songs and that paint a picture or tell a story so real you can touch it.
Their conversational style pieces weave mellifluous flute and whistle melodies with expert fingerstyle guitar, which morphs into driving rhythm guitar as the pair reach full tilt. When the pair really get going, bringing to bear all the energy of timeless traditions mixed with boundless creativity, the music makes you want to leap from your chair and dance.
Both Rennie and Bob are heavily involved in the folk music scene in New Zealand and Australia, both having extensive experience touring as solo acts and as part of various groups. They are both leading experts on their respective instruments and have taught and performed together various times at NZ’s Irish music school Ceol Aneas as well as other festivals and workshops. The music they play delves deep into their musical creativity, with Bob’s intricate and evocative song writing and Rennie’s wide array of sounds and styles on the wooden flute and other instruments. Their show features wooden flute, Irish tin whistles, various guitars and some unfamiliar sounds for a Celtic act. Theirs is a fascinating and fresh approach to traditional folk music that is sure to delight the ears of listeners of all ages.
Saturday 23rd November – concert – The Cattlestops
Andrew London writes:
“It was 20 years ago today…
How did it happen?
In 2004 I heard a whisper that legendary fiddle player Colleen Trenwith, on leave from the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band, had moved to the Kapiti Coast. I tracked her down and asked if she would join our country band (that didn’t exist). She graciously agreed, so I called James Cameron of the Velox Brothers, who was an occasional guest in my Hot Club Sandwich trio and whom I knew was just as fond of Western swing music as I was, and we assembled a five piece including guitarist Dave Berry and drummer Evan Williams.
What happened next?
Dave decided we all needed nicknames. Andrew became Lucky, James was Jimmy Ray, Dave was Dogs, Colleen was Dolly and Evan was Donny Ruckus. We thought we sounded OK after playing some covers and some of my original songs. James came to a rehearsal one day and announced “I’ve written a song”. He played it, we liked it, we recorded it along with some others, and it was the first track on our debut album Cattlestoppin’ featuring a fab cover designed by Donny. That song was Fine Blue Suit. James claimed, that at 52 years old, he’d never written a song before, but because it turned out so well, he was gonna write at least one every 52 years from now on.
Was there another album?
You bet! James and I wrote some new songs and we recorded another album in 2008, this time completely original, called Back To Rosetta Road.
It was nominated for Country Album of The Year at the Gore Gold Guitar Awards and James, Evan and Dave went to Gore to play a couple of the songs at the Gold Guitar Awards. They took cardboard cutouts of Andrew and Colleen so they wouldn’t feel left out. The producers of the movie Second Hand Wedding used the new album in their movie soundtrack and we appeared in the movie as John Rowles’ backing band.
Wellington’s Dominion Post critic Simon Sweetman savaged the album because of the references to local geography i.e. Rosetta Road, Raumati Rag, Emily Bay. Perhaps he would have preferred Nashville, Route 66 and City of New Orleans. What a twat.
Why did you Stop?
In 2008 Dolly went to study old time fiddle at East Tennessee State University, then after completing her undergraduate studies, became a full-time member of the teaching faculty at the same. With Dave also moving onto other pastures, The Cattlestops drifted apart, but Andrew and James continued playing together with local icon Wayne Mason on keys. In 2015 they decided to record some new songs, the result being the album Dance in The Rain. Drummer Lance Phillip and guitarist Nick Granville were roped in; engineer Ross McDermott contributed some tasty slide guitar and keyboard, and Dolly even contributed some fiddle and vocals through digital file exchange from ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee.
What’s the latest?
Dolly sadly passed away in 2021 but James, Wayne, Evan and Andrew are now out playing a series of live shows to celebrate 20 years and the music on those three albums. We have THREE LEFT! (gigs that is, not CDs) First at Mainly Acoustic Music Club in Upper Hutt, Tuesday night (yes TUESDAY) 12th November. Then we’re onto Hilltop in Kelburn on Sunday afternoon 17th Nov.
Finally, and yes folks, this is the last concert in the series…
at the Wellington Bluegrass Society in Petone, on Saturday 23rd November, the scene of several joyous Cattlestops outings over the years, hosted by the venerable Andrew Bicknell QSM. We love the venue and the vibe and we’ll be in top form by then we promise. Donny will miss the Hilltop and Mayfair gigs but will be back for this one. This may be our last one for a while, unless you want to hire us for your round-up, rodeo or ranch opening. Or just for ambient music in the milking shed.”
Friday 15th November – Society Night – Divine Pitch CD Launch
Divine Pitch are Stephen Riddell and Megan Ward. Both have backgrounds in classical music and discovered folk music through the local folk networks in Wellington. Stephen completed a BA in film with a minor in music in 2014 and Megan received an MMus in the same year, both from Victoria University in Wellington, but they didn’t meet one another until years later, when they were both at the Irish tune session at the Welsh Dragon in Wellington, when the world took a sharp dystopian turn. Observing that Rome is burning, they found that fiddling – especially when it accompanies singing and dancing – is among the best possible responses to a crisis.
Stephen on guitar, and Megan on fiddle, banjo, and mandolin, perform songs and tunes, both original and traditional, all at the “divine pitch” of A=432Hz. This pitch is slightly lower than post WWII standardised tuning of A=440Hz, and some find music in this tuning to have benefits to personal and communal health. Give it a go and see if it cures what ails ye.
Divine Pitch are pleased to present their first album “Fiddling While Rome Burns” at the WBS. This is a generally upbeat collection with content ranging from new adaptations of old gospel material to Irish drinking songs to original commentary on local issues.
Their CD is hot off the press and will be for sale, for the first time.
Friday 18th October – society night – Dean Murray
Dean Murray was born in Taranaki, brought up a farmer’s son and at the age of five moved to Manakau, Horowhenua in the lower North Island. His musical interests started with piano lessons as a child. He didn’t buy his first guitar until his early 20s. He was shown two chords – E and Am, and from there taught himself to play.
He kept playing guitar whilst working at the freezing works for more than a decade. It was during a Union strike that he teamed up with good friend Tura Rata and began busking, playing a blend of country, folk, blues and reggae. The pair played the streets of many towns around New Zealand, naming themselves Road Works after all their travelling. Drummer Brent Gemmell joined them to form the Gravel Slappers and they continued to play the streets also pubs with a unique all acoustic style.
With a young family, Dean retreated from the music scene for around fifteen years. He worked many different jobs as well as unemployment and developing a political bent combined with a love of the natural world, growing food, organics and community. He built a rammed earth house with family and friends that he lives in and produced a lot of his own meat, fruit and veggies, grown on his small lifestyle farm in the southern Horowhenua. One of his latest projects has been converting his Nissan Navara diesel to run on second hand veggie oil.
All the while playing guitar and writing music, but not finishing nor performing, he was challenged by another good friend Ian Campbell to do just that. Armed with a guitar and harmonica, Dean and Ian went to work and with the help of some very talented friends, produced his debut album Yeah Nah, which was recorded at Ian Campell’s Muddy Boots Studio in the Akatarawa ranges, using only renewable energy – solar and wind power.
Dean’s environmental, political and sense of community led to prolific songwriting, combining all aspects into heart felt lyrics and delivering a message through a broad selection of contemporary styles. In 2005 Dean travelled to Kalgoorlie, 600 kilometres inland from Perth, to find a didgeridoo. With an old friend and two aboriginal locals, stayed a few nights in the bush cutting and cleaning up found wood to make the indigenous Australian instrument, which he plays regularly.
Dean was a finalist in the Mataura Licensing Trust Songwriting Awards in Gore with his song Stop Throwing Stones, written about the degrading environment and won a second place in the open section of the Pacific Songwriting Competition with The Fishing Song, which was written about him and his mates’ fishing trips from Hokio Beach near Levin. His song The Gas Is Gone was a finalist in the Social Action section of the USA Independent Music Awards.
Another interesting string to his bow, is that he is a Luthier. A prolific songwriter of more than 150 songs to date, He will be playing a guitar that he made, and singing songs about the land, the people, the environment and the connections, with some harmonica in country/folk/reggae genres. With music on his Mother’s side and politics on his Dads, you will hear songs from conversations and observations about places, people, politics and the planet.
Saturday 21st September – concert – You, Me, Everybody
You, Me, Everybody push the boundaries of what New Zealand knows of a genre that was formed on tradition and rules to create progressive bluegrass. This is no pub band, rather they are a collection of the best of New Zealand’s acoustic instrumentalists that are searching for a new, dynamic sound that showcases the best of Americana in Aotearoa.
In 2023 they gained a new worldwide audience after featuring in the Netflix series Sweet Tooth. Successful tours of both Australia and New Zealand followed and now the band are back for some intimate shows to celebrate what they have always done best and trial some new material, as they work towards their third album.
“Exhibiting more talent and emotional depth than the Instagram-influencing kids with laptops that dominate the charts, Southern Sky is never going to make waves in the mainstream, but in the eyes of closet hipsters, folk enthusiasts, and their hippy-denigrating grandparents, this is a golden release. Five stars ”
– Peter-James Dries, Muzicnet
Friday 20th September – society night – a Blackboard Concert
A blackboard concert is an evening of floor spots, i.e. where anyone can come along and perform two numbers – bluegrass, old time, country or Americana.
Each act must come up with a special name for the night – one they haven’t used before, and not your own personal name. If anyone is unable to come up with a name, the audience will be consulted for suggestions.
Note:
1. Two numbers per act
2. bluegrass, old time, country or Americana
3. every act must come up with a name, one they haven’t used before
Doors open at 7:30 pm – Door sales only
Friday 16th August – society night – Hihi and The Stitchbirds
Hihi and The Stitchbirds are an exciting new five piece musical experiment, based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. The band pride themselves on their eclectic collection of musical instruments – banjo ukulele and shruti box to name just two. Pairing rich vocal harmonies with vibrant songs from the folk and Americana playbooks, this band brings something to delight everyone.
Saturday 10th August – concert – Helen Dorothy with Neil Billington
Quoting the renowned UK fRoots magazine, Helen Dorothy delivers “pithy, observational lyrics and memorable tunes” bound together in “beautifully crafted, intelligent songs”. With clear vocals and expressive guitar work, she paints with words and sound, taking us into a personal landscape that transforms the everyday into the mysterious and unique. Within the last decade, two of her studio albums were favourably reviewed by fRoots magazine, the acoustic arrangements in her album Light Time & Sound are “enriched by Neil Billington’s exquisite harmonica playing”. Each of Helen’s albums also feature a work by renownd published NZ poet Michael O’Leary, which are interpreted in song by Helen. This author/composer collaboration continues to this day—raw and emotive songs often featuring in her live performances.
Helen Dorothy is delighted to be performing her fourth concert at the Wellington Bluegrass Society, which have included album releases in 2009 and 2017, and a solo set in 2014. This time she teams up with Neil Billington, performing songs that celebrate life in the details of experience, both familiar and unexpected at the same time. Neil is an acknowledged master of both blues harp and chromatic harmonica. He has performed at jazz, blues, and folk festivals both in NZ and internationally. His extraordinary musicianship adds colour and tone to Helen’s songs.
“Performing with an accompanist who has the skill and versatility to play achingly sublime single notes to sensational jaw-dropping sequences allows me to explore my material at the next level”. “I hope my compositions can be vehicles for new and magical edge-of-the-seat Billington harmonica moments outside his normal musical territory… in return I am rewarded with an interpretation of the soundscapes and rhythm within my songs, without fear(!), by a major talent who I have seen recently described by jazz aficionados as amongst the top echelon of harmonica players on the planet… and he just happens to be local”.
– Helen Dorothy
Friday 19th July – society night – Derek Kirkland
“Derek was born in 1939 to non musical parents. Most of his life he has lived on the small farmlet on a hill overlooking Plimmerton. Derek has never joined the drift to the city, instead the city has drifted towards him, as all the empty farmland surrounding him has been filled with suburban sprawl. He never married and has spent his life shearing in the Wellington region, in recent years tending the sheep on Plimmerton and Pauatahanui lifestyle blocks.
“In the 1960s he joined the Wellington Country and Western Club and began writing songs. He also learnt guitar, fiddle, autoharp, mandolin, mouth harp and double bass. He later joined the Plimmertion Bush Band and the Celtic Cowboys, performing at barn dances and ceilidhs. He has also been in country singing duos for many years.
“He has written over 100 songs. His songwriting closely observes the daily rural life about him, with clever rhyming and quiet humour. Ragwort and pet lambs, council roadmen, mice in the mash tin, pony clubs and daggy bum ewes are all part of his songscape.
“His ballads, like those about his Uncle Mervyn and Winks Jones, paint vivid pictures of farming life around Wellington in days past and he also has the knack of quickly getting a topical song to air using a parody of an old but instantly recognisable song.
“Paddy the Wanderer” was one of his compositions with his friend Ed Budding of Tawa, recorded in 2018. This was about an Airedale terrier who roamed the streets of Wellington during the depression years. Paddy was a friend of cabbies, workers and seamen alike, who took turns at paying his annual dog licence. Paddy was known for greeting sailors in Wellington harbour and accompanying them as a stowaway on their coastal steamers.
“Derek has no intentions of changing his lifestyle in any way. He is happy with his life and spends his non working time pottering in the garden and glasshouses and tending his horse. He has a 1965 Ford Galaxy convertible, but mostly uses one of his 1979 minis for daily transport. He has a collection of three to choose from.”
– extracts reprinted with courtesy from the Whitby Newsbrief
Saturday 29th June – concert – Carol Bean Band
Band: Carol Bean, Costa Botes, George Packard, Andrew Grayson.
It has been two years since Carol Bean last performed at the Wellington Bluegrass Society and she and her band are very much looking forward to returning on Saturday 29th June. Along with Carol and her old Martin guitar are Costa Botes on guitar{s}, George Packard on double bass and Andrew Grayson on drums.
Some of you may remember The Twango Deluxe Band opening for Carol in 2022, well that Twango sound is alive and well in Costa’s treatment of the new songs… well in all the songs to be honest.
Photo courtesy of Peter Dyer.
Friday 21st June – society night – The Melling Station Boys
The Melling Station Boys are now five. They are, left to right: Alastair McCarthy, Ian Smith, Todd Foster, Kevin Ikin and Andrew Bicknell. Since their last performance at the Wellington Bluegrass Society, Ian left the band, was replaced by Kevin, then Ian rejoined the band this year. So they were four, went down to three, then back up to four then up to five currently. However watch this space.
Whilst they are brothers from different mothers, they have made a serious attempt to increase their knowledge. Seen behind them is their vast library of reference held at a secret location in Belmont that has come in handy for all matters intellectual. However, rehearsals have perhaps become the forebear and the Boys have worked up an interesting set for one and all, this coming Friday.
Photo courtesy of James Scott.
Saturday 18th May – concert – We Mavericks
We Mavericks make a triumphant return to Aotearoa New Zealand in celebration of their new release “All This Noise”, performing a carefully curated collection of tracks from their forthcoming album “Heart of Silver”.
They are real-life troubadours and masters in the art of connection; Victoria Vigenser (NZ) and Lindsay Martin (AU) interweave effortless strings, soulful vocals and driving rhythms to form a singular, intense musical voice. The duo have been called contemp-folk, alt-country and acoustic-pop, but no words capture their unbelievable musical kinship, or the deeply heartfelt way they relate to their audiences.
Combining both lyrical and instrumental prowess, the Tui and AFMA-nominated couple have an inexplicable appeal that has seen them on a steep rise to festival stages across both home countries. This year sees them touring Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and much of Europe.
“He has a familiar soft folk tenor. She has a strong ringing tone with muscle behind a clear crystalline voice… The violin cries for her and the harmony vocals are divine… We Mavericks are a serendipitous pairing…”
13th Floor, NZ
Friday 17th May – society night – The Bidibids
The Bidibids are Sarah August on banjo, Simon Carryer on cello-banjo, and Brendan Schenk on mandolin and guitar. A product of the fertile folk melting-pot that is the Wellington Folk Festival, the Bidibids were formed in late-night jam sessions in a shared cabin. They came from separate groups, but left with the seeds of a new band stuck to their shoes.
Since then, the Bidibids have played some of the best venues for folk music in the region, including the Mussel Inn, the Wellington Bluegrass society, the Newtown Festival, and more.
The Bidibids explore what it means to play folk music in New Zealand. While they’re influenced by Americana and old-time music, they’re trying to nurture a more home-grown folk tradition. You’ll hear classic New Zealand folk songs, contemporary Kiwi covers, as well as original music. Their covers look for different angles and fresh perspectives on well-known songs, or celebrations of under-appreciated gems. Their originals draw from traditional folk roots but combine this with off-beat structures and adventurous arrangements. The band is always looking for that blend of the familiar and the new, that feeling of recognition and belonging but also reinterpretation and revelation that makes folk music so exciting. Soaring vocals, sweet harmonies and some slick playing round out the set, and ensure everyone will find something to enjoy.
Friday 19th April – society night – Eagals
New Zealand’s only all-female Eagles tribute band, the Eagals, create a nostalgic energy that is guaranteed to have the audience singing along. With a shared love of singing harmonies and acoustic music.
The Eagals blend their musical influences including Celtic, Trad, Americana, country, soul, jazz and blues, presenting their interpretations of classic Eagles hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
The all-singing Eagals will be flying in from Raglan, Taranaki, Wellington and The Hutt Valley, and feature:
Nicola Hooker – guitar and percussion
Jenny Kilpatrick– acoustic bass guitar
Jude Madill – guitar, fiddle and percussion
Erin Manu– guitar, banjo, ukulele and percussion
Jo Sheffield – guitar and mandolin
Lynne Wilkins – flute, low whistles, harmonica and guitar
Leave your troubles behind and join the Eagals for one of those crazy crazy old nights, at the Bluegrass Society on Friday 19th April.
Saturday 23rd March – concert – Polly and the Minstrel
Polly and the Minstrel are a folk duo based in Nelson. Siobhan Sweeney and Nathan Torvik have been making music together for many years now, she with the lovely voice and he with the incredibly accomplished guitar and mandolin picking. They have performed extensively together, touring N.Z. several times.
Nate started out as a pre-teen mandolin picker in a barn dance band, stomping ’round the country halls and woolsheds of Northland, kicking off a lifetime dedication to music. A versatile musician with bluegrass roots, Nate has honed his guitar and mandolin skills to a high level over countless gigs.
Siobhan’s musical roots are in her family heritage. Of Irish descent, she grew up with ‘lift the roof off’ singalongs at parties with family and friends, singing popular and folk songs from each generation, a tradition that continues on strong. Siobhan is a wordsmith and keen observer of humanity, writing folk songs for modern times.
Their WBS concert will feature Siobhan’s original songs with an extra helping of bluegrass via Nate’s guitar and mandolin flatpicking.
Saturday 24th February – concert – George Jackson and Brad Kolodner (USA)
(Note: afternoon workshops were added for clawhammer banjo and fiddle, see details in the following entry.)
At the heart of all traditional music lies two important coordinates, the time and place of origin; objective definitions in the ever evolving aesthetics of folk music. These coordinates are the concepts explored with infinite new possibilities by New Zealand-born, Nashville-based fiddler George Jackson and Baltimore based American banjoist Brad Kolodner.
The two musicians met years ago in a late-night jam session at the hallowed Appalachian String Band Music Festival in West Virginia and have since formed a musical bond that runs deep, across continents and through a number of recorded projects. From the moment the fiddle bow hits the strings and the fingers grasp the fretboard, George and Brad are locked in, weaving their way through ancient melodies made new again. From trance-inducing moody original tunes to classic barnburners, their show has something for serious or casual folk music fans alike. They play with a mischievous curiosity that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats wondering where they’ll go next.
Travelling has been a way of life for George, who was born to musician parents in Christchurch. He spent the better part of his childhood living and touring around in a house bus with his family band “Fiddlesticks”. Moving to Australia as a teen he performed across the country in bluegrass bands and won the Australian National Bluegrass Fiddle Championship three times. An avid student of American fiddle styles, Jackson eventually made his way to Nashville, Tennessee, where he now lives and works. He performs as a band leader and fiddler for hire with artists such as The Jacob Jolliff Band, Jake Blount and Tall Poppy String Band and has released three solo albums of fiddle tunes to acclaim in the USA, where some of his compositions are now close to standard jam repertoire across the continent.
Growing up in a musical family, Brad was exposed to folk music from birth. His father Ken Kolodner is a renowned hammered dulcimer player and fiddler who toured for many years in the folk trio Helicon. When Brad picked up the banjo as a teen, everything started to click into place. Since then, he’s charted a path centred on performing, recording, broadcasting and community organizing. He’s an acclaimed clawhammer banjo player who performs with the chart-topping Irish, Old-Time, Bluegrass fusion quartet Charm City Junction. He’s recorded four albums of Old-Time and original music with his father Ken under the name Ken and Brad Kolodner.
Saturday 24th February – afternoon workshops – George Jackson and Brad Kolodner (USA)
In addition, afternoon workshops at the Petone Community were available for intermediate and advanced students:
Brad Kolodner – clawhammer banjo
George Jackson – fiddle
see the above entry for further details on Brad and George
Sunday 11th February – concert – Sassafras (USA)
Sassafras are based in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Sassafras are a bluegrass band who pay homage to the Bill Monroe and Flatt and Scruggs era, but also enjoy pushing the edge of progressive newgrass music as well. Their repertoire includes a range of musical styles including ole-time, country, folk, Western Swing and originals. Sassafras band members have performed at a long list of festivals and venues in the US and internationally.
Sassafras have performed on stage and in the studio with a wide range of prominent Bluegrass and Americana artist including: Doc Watson, Jack Lawrence, Jim Lauderdale, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Mark O’Connor, Kristi Cox, Mason Via (Old Crow Medicine Show), Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Zach Smith (Town Mountain), Mike Rogers (Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder), Aaron Burdett (Steep Canyon Rangers), Josh Graves, Kenny Baker, Benny Martin, Mac Wiseman, Tut Taylor, Russell Moore, Ronnie Bowman, Doug Jernigan, Jim Buchanan, Kruger Brothers, Wyatt Rice, Justin Moses, Terry Baucom, Pete Wernick, Steve Dilling, Wes Golding (Boone Creek), Kim Gardner (Larry Cordle), Wayne Henderson, Steve Lewis, Roy Huskey Jr. and others.
Saturday 3rd February – concert – Katie Martucci (USA) and Mark Mazengarb
If you like Norah Jones, Django Reinhardt, Swing or Old Time music – you’ll love this show!
All the way from New York, don’t miss Katie Martucci on her tour of New Zealand. Joined by renowned NZ guitarist Mark Mazengarb, this will be a night of world class swing, old time and gypsy jazz music.
“I’m really excited to be able to bring Katie out to New Zealand – I first saw her perform at a festival in the USA and was blown away by her voice and guitar playing!” says Mark Mazengarb, who is organising the tour.
Hailing from the rich musical history of the Catskill Mountains in New York State, Katie Martucci grew up singing and playing fiddle and guitar. The daughter of a jazz pianist, she began performing with her father at a young age. By the first grade, she was writing her own songs and playing for tips. Her musical journeys led her to the Ashokan Western and Swing Week Fiddle and Dance Camp, vocal lessons with Laurel Masse of Manhattan Transfer, a brief stint of collegiate acapella at Skidmore College and ultimately, to the New England Conservatory. While at NEC, Katie studied voice, fiddle and songwriting in the Contemporary Improvisation Department, and had the opportunity to study with Dominique Eade, Ran Blake, Hankus Netsky, Carla Kihlstedt, and Eden MacAdam-Somer.
Mark Mazengarb is a kiwi guitarist who recently spent 7 years touring the USA full-time with American guitarist and singer Loren Barrigar. Mark has performed with many other world class musicians, including Tommy Emmanuel and Frank Vignola.
Friday 2nd February – concert – The Alum Ridge Boys and Ashlee (Virginia, USA)
“They’ve got it – that primal, but elegant approach to their instruments and their remarkable vocal blend that only comes out of a deep and undeniable love for old time country music.”
– Marshall Wilborn (The Johnson Mountain Boys, Bluegrass Hall of Fame)
Mining the fertile common ground between bluegrass, early country music and traditional mountain music, The Alum Ridge Boys and Ashlee are Virginia’s torchbearers of the old time sound. Their powerful harmony singing and energetic instrumentals have captivated audiences around the country and helped the band to win many awards including blue ribbons in the old time band contest at the 85th Annual Old Fiddlers’ Convention in Galax, Virginia and the bluegrass band contest at the 51st Mount Airy Fiddlers’ Convention in North Carolina. Band members have won a slew of individual awards as well, including first prize in the coveted MerleFest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Deep knowledge and appreciation for traditional music enables the band to craft tasteful original songs and instrumentals that blend seamlessly alongside the classics. The Alum Ridge Boys and Ashlee cut no corners when it comes to real, hard hitting, old time country music – an approach that is quickly gaining them loyal followers far beyond the reaches of their Virginia mountain home.
Saturday 20th January – concert – Mishra Duo and Dan Walsh (UK)
Dan Walsh
Dan is one of the UK’s leading lights in melodic clawhammer banjo. Clawhammer banjo refers to playing with the back of either the index or middle finger nail, in a downstroke movement, whilst the thumb concentrates principally on the fifth string, which is a drone string but also picks other strings using a technique called drop thumbing. The hand assumes a claw like shape while the movement comes primarily from the elbow. The style is a very old one used primarily in American old time music, though players like Ken Perlman, Michael J Miles and others, have experimented with other genres using the technique. The good thing about the style is it can cover lead, chords and percussion all in one, so it makes a great solo style.
Dan’s style is very percussive with lots of syncopation. Clawhammer is the foundation for pretty much all of Dan’s playing although he does also use a little of the other primary five-string ‘Scruggs’ bluegrass style, named after the great Earl Scruggs who invented it, which is more akin to guitar finger picking. Many other techniques are used such as pinched harmonics, tapping and Dan’s trademark ‘funkhammer’ style.
So one may ask why did a thirteen year old from the middle of England choose the banjo? Dan had a long standing love of Irish jigs and reels, heard a banjo playing them courtesy of Barney McKenna and Gerry O’Connor, and said to his parents “I want to learn the banjo”. So a banjo teacher was found – the legendary George Davies in Cannock who taught five-string melodic clawhammer style banjo. It was only a year into playing that Dan discovered this was not the instrument he had heard in all that Irish music, that featured the four-string tenor banjo. Indeed Dan had never even heard of old-time or bluegrass music so had no inherent idea of what the banjo is supposed to do. He still plays those beloved jigs and reels, influenced greatly by legendary melodic clawhammer pioneer Ken Perlman, and has added old time and bluegrass to his ever growing list of influences on his playing.
Mishra
Kate Griffin and Ford Collier? formed Mishra in 2018, as a creative partnership at the University of Sheffield, where they discovered a shared fascination of UK folk and Indian classical music and explored the boundaries of their creative abilities.
Kate Griffin on vocals, banjo, and resonator guitar, and Ford Collier on low whistle, calabash, percussion and guitar, draw on their unique base of influences, encompassing folk music of the UK and America, Indian classical music, and soul to create a surprisingly accessible sound that audiences instantly connect to.
The recent release of their album ‘Reclaim’ gained critical acclaim including reviews in Songlines and Mojo. Performance highlights include supporting Jon Boden at Assembly Festival Coventry and performances at Cambridge Folk Festival, Sidmouth Folk Week, Broadstairs Folk Week and more.
Friday 12th January – society night – a Blackboard Concert
A blackboard concert is an evening of floor spots, i.e. where anyone can come along and perform two numbers – bluegrass, old time, country or Americana.
Each act must come up with a special name for the night – one they haven’t used before, and not your own personal name. If anyone is unable to come up with a name, the audience will be consulted for suggestions.
Note:
1. Two numbers per act
2. bluegrass, old time, country or Americana
3. every act must come up with a name, one they haven’t used before
Doors open at 7:30 pm
now free entry for anyone performing a floor spot!
After the floor spots, a jam session follows. Bring your instruments and join in!