Thursday 22 June, Roseneath School Hall, Roseneath, 7:30 pm

Entry: $15/$10 for members. A bargain! Cash only (no eftpos facilities). Vaccinations and masks encouraged.

Singer songwriter Rob Joass moved to New Zealand from his native Sydney over 30 years ago and has toured and released 10 albums with his bands Hobnail, Too Many Chiefs and The Shot Band, as well as 3 solo albums (currently working on a 4^th). He has been a finalist at the NZ Music Awards three times (twice for best country song, once for best folk album) and has had songs covered by artists in New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

“…a songwriter’s songwriter…beautifully done, understated, and allows the songs to breathe.” 4/5 stars – music.net.nz

Change of programme: Don & the Divorcees. Don and the Divorcees is a collaboration of songwriters Beans Maries, Hollie Wright and Don Mackay playing a pick and mix of one another’s songs – think of us as the $2 shop version of  Crosby Stills and Nash!!  Beans’ and Hollie’s songs are like random notes from therapy, while Don’s are more like bullshit pub yarns.  Your chance to see 2024’s smash hit sensation, “before they were famous”.

Sean and Rosie O’Connor. Sean and his wife Amanda became a feature of the Kiwi folk scene in the nineties with their diverse folk pop Celtic originals, beautiful harmonies and fine guitar and flute playing. The late 2000s saw them on tour as a family band in NZ and overseas, until Amanda’s sudden death in 2011.

In the last few years Sean has completed a solo album including songs written during the O’Connors’ earlier years, their family tours, in response to Amanda’s death and beyond. Rosie, his daughter, has a beautiful voice and a great ear for harmony. Expect great songs with heart and harmony.

Thursday 25 May, Roseneath School Hall, Roseneath, 7:30 pm

Entry: $15/$10 for members. A bargain! Cash only (no eftpos facilities). Vaccinations and masks encouraged.

“Let’s take a stand, protect this land…”

You don’t get much more appropriate for NZ Music Month than a classic song about defending our land from a threat posed by a larger power, and that’s how we’re starting this month’s concert. We have four fantastic acts from the Wellington region, from some of whom have been playing it a bit cool for a while now to other more familiar faces, with a mix of original numbers and well-known covers. 

The Hot Tubs are a band formed from members of Swing Club Music Group, including Sandra (uke), Lily (bass), Jarrad (guitar), Lynn (uke, guitar), and sometimes Mike (tenor guitar), and Manu (cajon and drums). They play an eclectic music mix of country blues, swing, ragtime and other upbeat genres and their set will include Lynn’s classic song ‘Send the Boats Away’. Come along and experience the social and music benefits of the Swing Club Music group for yourself.

Kevin Ikin is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who hails from Dunedin but has lived in Wellington since 1986. He played with Dunedin’s Pioneer Pog ‘n’ Scroggin Bush Band (The Pogs) and is a founder-member of Wellington dance band The Jimmies, and one half of the duo Ktoo. If you’ve been to any Acoustic Routes event in the past thirty-some years, you’ve probably seen him, either performing, compering or working to make sure the event goes smoothly. But did you know he composed and performed the Country Life theme heard weekly on National Radio? Instrumentalist Susan Ellis will be accompanying Kevin on fiddle and cello.

Don Franks has been enthusiastically singing and playing (mostly American) light music for the last sixty or so years. For this occasion, he has done a bit of homework and come up with an eclectic programme of genuine made-in-New-Zealand compositions for your entertainment and delight.

Sage is the duo of Sue Rose and Murray Kilpatrick, who have been singing and playing a very eclectic mix of songs together for over twenty years. Their set will be a great way to round off the evening.