Thursday 23 May, Roseneath School Hall, Maida Vale Road, Roseneath, Wellington, 7:30 pm. Parking on site or catch the number 14 bus.

Entry: $15/$10 for members. Cash only (no eftpos facilities). 

There is probably no songwriter better suited to performing during New Zealand Music Month than Alan Downes. He was raised in a tiny back country Kiwi farming community and his songs form a narrative of our home, our country, and our place in the world.

Alan is a storyteller who only performs his own songs. They are (mostly) true tales of people and places told with careful observation, a good dollop of humour, and a little nostalgia. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, he shares a conversation with the audience about the stories behind the songs. His style can be described as a cross over between folk music and bush poetry.

Come along prepared to laugh and maybe shed a tear as Alan takes you on a journey through Aotearoa New Zealand. He has released four albums of original music: The Best (2013), Moving On (2014), Road Trip (2017) and No Going Back (2020). The songs keep coming.

Madillionette (A.K.A. Jude Madill & Joseph Coleman) are half of Folk/Americana group The Madillionaires. Jude and Joseph will entertain you with all original music about and inspired by life in New Zealand. They are very excited to be bringing a new song about Aotearoa to share with you for New Zealand music month.

Check out some of their original songs:
Madillionette, Play Music on the Porch day 2021 –  https://youtu.be/ycEx5SB5CeM
The Madillionaires, Levin Folk Club 2021 –  https://youtu.be/p4BUD5tv94o
The Madillionaires, House Concert 2020  –  https://youtu.be/HylwF6dAJTo

The Downundermutts are Peter and Cathy Dyer and like much of their music, they are American born and bred. They have made their home in New Zealand for over 20 years and are happy to play some of Peter’s originals as well as some Kiwi classics for New Zealand Music Month.

Peter plays rhythm guitar and loves singing early Americana such as Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers. Among his best known compositions are “Go Ahead and Cry”, “Yodeller’s Waltz” and “The Immigrants Song.” Cathy adds the big double bass and harmonies, as well as a bit of fiddle.

As part of the Downunderdogs they have been featured at Wellington Folk Festival, Kiwigrass Festival, Acoustic Routes, Wellington Bluegrass Society and the Auckland Bluegrass Club. Fair warning: expect to hear the occasional yodel as well…

Thursday 18 April (note this is the 3rd Thursday – a change this month), Roseneath School Hall, Maida Vale Road, Roseneath, Wellington, 7:30 pm. Parking on site or catch the number 14 bus.

Entry: $15/$10 for members. Cash only (no eftpos facilities). 

Karen Clarke has been lurking backstage in the provincial acoustic scene refining her feels for the last 25 years. With an active live performance schedule, two albums under her belt and another release due next month, collaborating with Wellington-based producer and kiwi blues legend Darren Watson, she’s well and truly earned her piece of the heartland acoustic music stage.

Starting out in folk Karen finds herself now firmly rooted where RnB and Alt-Country collide – you’ll detect a dalliance with jazz too. She has an eclectic repertoire of self-penned material dealing with themes of belonging, love lost and trying to figure out life’s riddles.

On stage Karen’s power-packed performance is strong. Grounded. Built. Warm. Emotionally direct with interpretations and song feels that move your waters.

Based in Taranaki, Karen runs an occasional acoustic venue called The Sound Shed with husband Mike Self and is the chair of the Taranaki Singer Songwriter Development Trust. Karen still holds a strong connection back to her former home base on the Kapiti Coast where she convened the Kapiti Live Music club for a while and played in Kapiti groups GingerJam and Mynimo; and Hard Candy.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6XRBraM21JeuogqW3x1EnY?si=25f044a7a54e4acb
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1zIwRIFCi5iIWGi3YUzOQq?si=wBb0V71sSCKuQWPeRqx9AQ

Al Witham started out with nothing and still has most of it left. As a youngster in the 80s he inflicted himself on folk club audiences who were kind enough not to lock him out. A youthful obsession with Bob Dylan led him to explore the weird byways of early American folk, blues, jazz, and country music. Somewhere via Mississippi John Hurt, Johnny Cash, John Lee Hooker, Charlie Christian, and Tony Joe White he began writing songs, plugged in an electric guitar, and stumbled onto his own anachronistic way of expressing this temporary existence.

Thursday 28 March, Roseneath School Hall, Maida Vale Road, Roseneath, Wellington, 7:30 pm. Parking on site or catch the number 14 bus.

Entry: $25/$20 for members. Cash only (no eftpos facilities). 

Fresh from his NZ tour, bassouki world music artist Jon Sanders brings his eclectic sounds to Wellington. Featuring tracks that explore the world of sound in the Celtic Folk, Afrofunk and Kirtan genres, Jon will play tracks from his latest project – Tenalach – embracing the synergy between nature and our inner circadian rhythms and tracks from his latest album Nada Brahma (meaning the world is sound in ancient Hindu).

According to The Irish Times, “Jon Sanders has developed a unique world music sound and style that evokes diverse cultures in a ‘quantum-leaping’ way”.

Versatile and very innovative, when he plays the bass mandola Jon uses a second pickup to add bass lines, creating a depth and colour to his compositions. With a percussive stomp and emotive vocals, the sounds soar into a new dimension! In contrast, he finger-picks funky back slap guitar and ukeleles giving Mali-inspired rhythms and Celtic melodies. The Irish Times arts section, The Ticket, describes his third album Zoukelele as ‘a deeply meditative, impishly playful, jazz-tinged collection’.

Spotify, Jon Sanders; www.jon-sanders.com; Facebook, Jon Sanders Music.

Our opening act, Annette Esquenet, is a Kāpiti-based singer-songwriter who began songwriting in 2012 and has a style all her own. Her songs are full of soft-spoken wisdom – she sets heart-felt lyrics to interesting melodies, accompanied in her own unique way.  

For our March concert Annette will be joined by Jo Moir – Jo’s smooth harmonies and beautifully crafted fiddle accompaniment are a real treat.

https://soundcloud.com/user-118808073/if-you-want-summer-1

https://soundcloud.com/user-118808073/henry-street 

Thursday 22 February, Roseneath School Hall, Maida Vale Road, Roseneath, Wellington, 7:30 pm. Parking on site or catch the number 14 bus.

Entry: $25/$20 for members. Cash only (no eftpos facilities). Vaccinations and masks encouraged.

Winter Wilson – Kip Winter and Dave Wilson – have a global reputation as superb writers, singers and musicians, and great all-round entertainers. Their 10 albums have all received rave reviews.

Pre-Covid, they completed tours of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and most of Western Europe, in addition to the UK. Back in Lincolnshire throughout the pandemic, the pair streamed “Live from the Lounge” for 60 consecutive weeks and also wrote and recorded “The Passing of the Storm”, their tenth album. Now performing stunning new songs alongside old favourites, they are thrilled to be back on the road.

You will laugh; you may cry. You will certainly want to see them again!

www.winterwilson.com

Thursday 23 November, The Collective Community Hub, 33 Johnsonville Road, Johnsonville, 7:30 pm

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

Robyn-Lynn is a singer-songwriter from Kapiti. She was inspired by music at a young age but didn’t take to the stage until later, but now making up for lost time. It was while taking singing lessons with Charlotte Yates that she got inspired to get into the realm of songwriting. She was living in the city at the time and Newtown Acoustic was her introduction to the folk scene. She is influenced by all kinds of music and her songs are about everyday situations and more. She recorded her first CD at the end of 2022.  

Margaret Pullar discovered Acoustic Routes as a 16-year-old back in the Holland Street days and has been heavily involved in running the folk club for many years. She has been treasurer, secretary, Balladeer producer and committee member as well as a regular attender. While she has always joined in with sing-arounds, this is her first guest appearance at the club. Over the last year she has finally worked hard at improving her skills, learning new songs, and now is regularly performing at the Plimmerton Boating Club and small festivals.

West Road (Ron Craig, Andrea Coop and Christine Roseveare) have played together for so long we can’t remember how it started but it has been a fun few years, with lots of practice (and chat) and the very occasional gig! They offer three-part harmonies, Ron’s renowned finger picking, Andrea’s lyrical fiddle and Christine’s sympathetic (with a bit of a groove) electric bass playing. Their music is mostly Americana – songs from Buddy Miller, Julie Miller, Susanna Clark, Guy Clark with a bit of Richard Thompson and Joan Baez thrown in. Expect smooth harmonies and songs worth listening to.

For the best part of two decades now, Helen Dorothy has been on a quest to write the ultimate song (which she knows doesn’t really exist but that just might stand out amongst the ‘230 million’ that have gone before…) and refine her performance – guitar and voice – to draw in and engage the listener, whilst pursuing a small number of gig opportunities with next to no personal social media output!

That’s just how it is – it’s a conundrum, but it’s also an appealing challenge. She maintains her music is on slow cook, hoping the longer it gently simmers away, the more tender and robust it will become. Helen Dorothy has produced three studio albums, won favourable reviews in UK’s fRoots magazine, and tucked a few folk/arts festival performances under her belt. Occasionally collaborating with some highly regarded musicians as well as a published poet, she keeps on chipping away at her craft in a way that allows her to stay true to herself!

https://helendorothy.bandcamp.com/music

Jenny and Tony will be singing songs by Dick Coker, who lived in Auckland and Wellington, played his songs at folk clubs from the late 1960s to this century, and died last year after a long illness.

Jenny Kilpatrick met Dick and Kath when she joined her big brother Murray in the Wellington folk scene in the early seventies and met Tony Ricketts in Auckland in the mid-eighties. Since 1990 she and Tony have been expanding each other’s musical horizons. Jenny’s Brit-trad roots and fondness for old blues meeting Tony’s rock’n’roll past and singer/songwriter inclination meant they were bound at some stage to graduate to Dick’s songs, with his combination of satire and social commentary, word play and wit.

Thursday 28 September, Roseneath School Hall, Roseneath, 7:30 pm

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

Originally from Amsterdam, Frank brings his technical brilliance to this New Plymouth-based duo, while his Taranaki-born wife, Erin, provides the driving rhythm guitar and has a reputation for her unique style on the banjo – described by Albi (& The Wolves) as having ‘a
kinda swagger’. Whether it’s a sizzling acoustic instrumental or the soulful delivery of a ballad, they capture the essence of “guitar and song”, through the variations of the acoustic genre – folk, blues, country, bluegrass, swing, classical. All wrapped into a neat Kiwi-Dutch package. They perform some hidden gems, well-known standards, and their own compositions. Currently, they are in the middle of recording Frank’s instrumental compositions and working on their follow-up vocal album.

“Beautifully concise guitar playing, tasty harmonies, well- crafted originals and brilliant covers” – Chris Penman 

https://www.facebook.com/frank.and.erin 
https://www.youtube.com/user/FrankJohnErinManu 

Toil and Trouble are a Wellington based trio comprising Jude Douglas (fiddle and vocals), Mary Hubble (flute and vocals) and Ron Craig (guitar and vocals). They play traditional and contemporary songs and tunes mainly with an English/Celtic flavour. Also included are a few American, Canadian and antipodean numbers. The group are all long-time members of the Wellington folk scene.

Thursday 24 August, Roseneath School Hall, Roseneath, 7:30 pm

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

The Jimmies, Wellington’s longest running folk band, have decided to call it a day after more than 35 years of music making. Their appearance at Acoustic Routes’ August concert will be their swan song.

The band began life in 1986 as the Jimmy Cook Band – a ceilidh and barn-dance band, and their distinctive brand of mainly Irish and Scottish music broadened over the years to include Kiwi songs and standards from the sixties and seventies, as well as original songs and tunes. Besides their dance, birthday and wedding gigs, they have been regulars at Wellyfest and have kicked up a song and dance at festivals and other events throughout the North Island.

The first line-up back in 1986 was Mary Hubble, Kevin Ikin, Liz Merton, Ken Allan, Colin Morrison and (briefly) Bruce Chapman.  Other Jimmies over the years have included Malcolm Alder (bass) Bob Silbery (bass), David Knowles (electric guitar), and Ruairidh Morrison (fiddle, flute, whistles and concertina). Musical mates who have helped out when they have been short of a player have included Tim Barrie and Duncan Davidson, as well as whanau.

This final concert features Mary Hubble, Kevin Ikin, Ann McChesney, Murray Kilpatrick, Susan Ellis and Kevin McLoughlin. Together they’ll be on flute, whistles, tenor banjo, guitar, mandolin, percussion, keyboard, accordion, banjo, fiddle, bass, and of course vocals, reviving some of their earlier repertoire as well as more recent favourites. 

Divine Pitch (Stephen Riddell and Megan Ward) are a folk duo who tell stories from the mouth of the fish: Te Upoko o te Ika / Wellington. The “divine pitch” is what they call A = 432 Hz tuning, a slightly flatter pitch with a certain resonance that helps humans feel connected to one another and to a spiritual reality.

Stephen and Megan play from a foundation of Irish tunes and old-world ballads, and also write their own songs about local content. Stephen plays guitar and occasionally piano, while Megan plays fiddle, mandolin, and banjo, also occasionally tin whistle or cello.

Divine Pitch Creations – YouTube and https://www.divinepitchcreations.org/

Simple Gifts are Sue Rose and Philippa Boy – two friends who share a love of harmony singing and very eclectic musical tastes. They revel in unusual arrangements of traditional and current songs accompanied by a range of instruments including Appalachian dulcimer, guitar, and hurdy gurdies.

Thursday 27 July, Roseneath School Hall, Roseneath, 7:30 pm

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

Bob Cooper-Grundy has been playing blues guitar and singing country songs for 50 odd years and has opened for Guy Clark, Townes van Zandt, Tom Russell and Jimmy Lafave. He plays finger picking and slide guitar with some virtuoso flourishes.

Kate Marshall plays violin, accordion and flute and sings beautifully. She started with classical piano and singing in choirs and you don’t have to listen that carefully to hear Bach and Mozart lurking behind Bob Wills and Memphis Minnie. In this gig she might add in her new secret weapon of jazz glockenspiel!

Based in the Wairarapa, and regular guests at folk clubs and festivals, Bob and Kate’s song list veers between swing sounds of Texas, the blues and jazz, served up in the Bob and Kate way.

Check out their Bob and Kate facebook page for details.

Rachel Hird is a Wellington based singer-songwriter who has studied music and played piano for many years. She started writing songs a few years ago with jazz singer Lucy Smyth and is currently a member of Charlotte Yate’s Songwriting School. A regular attendee at Newtown Acoustic Sound open mic, she enjoys meeting and connecting with people in the music community. Her songs are inspired by people and situations past and present.

Glenn Barclay originally hailed from Auckland, where he had some involvement in the folk scene in the 1970s, but now lives in Porirua, after 40 years in Wellington.  He has been playing for many years, sometimes in bands that would average a gig a year, but mainly for relaxation. After a bit of a break, he has begun playing solo, featuring tunes from the broad Americana songbook, including one or two of his own, and is looking forward to the concert.

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.