Thursday 25 July, 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). 

We’ve got a multiplicity of artists from the Wellington region for our July concert, with a loosely country/Americana/bluegrassy sort of flavour, and a healthy mix of covers and self-penned songs. There’s sure to be something to tempt you, so do come along and enjoy a night of warmth and harmony.

Dean Murray is a singer songwriter, luthier, builder, environmentalist, gardener, and fisherman. His large collection of songs, written over a period of 20 years, traverse conversations and observations about places, people, politics, and the planet. They are delivered with sincerity, along with a bunch of stories. Expect a very special combination of homemade songs on handmade guitars in various genres from folk through country to reggae, with occasional harmonica on the side.

Phonic Fever are an exciting new band keen to share their eclectic mix of original songs with ragtime, blues, swing and bluegrass influences. All four sing, sharing lead vocals and four-part harmonies. Anne O’Donnell (harmonica and ukulele) and Charles Greenlees (guitar, mandolin and fiddle), otherwise known as Chazanne, co-write most of the songs. Geoff Pearce (acoustic guitar) is a promising new songwriter and Jenny Kilpatrick of the Eagals and Madillionaires (acoustic bass) completes the line up. Their songs are often tongue in cheek with an element of infectious fun, but with occasional serious undertones and social commentary in unexpected places, for example The Bluegrass Boys and Let’s all love lettuce .

Haewai (Houghton Bay) Collective began a couple of years back when Janine Mitchell recorded an album of her original songs “Etched in My Soul”, with the support of Jack Binding’s great lead guitar and vocals, plus Kevin Ikin’s mandolin magic. Since then, they have performed at various venues including the Moon Bar and Thunderbird café in Wellington and at The Mussel Inn in Golden Bay and have recently been joined by Pete Lamb with his sensitive percussion.

Janine continues to write songs in a 60’s / 70’s folk style, and the group also has lots of fun reviving many of that era’s covers. Favourites include anything that touches the heart; political, protest, environmental and social issues. They are also collaborating on writing new songs.

Ratproof includes Cara Brasted, Rose Dohig, Phoebe Smith, Alex Howie and Rachel Dohig (but without Cara for this gig). They bring a unique mix of instruments and harmonies which have appeared round many kitchen tables, bonfires and more recently the stage, and feature solos on fiddle, banjo, flute, harmonica, and mandolin. Ratproof play acoustic folk/Americana music with both traditional and contemporary selections.

Where the name came from is unclear, even to the band themselves. Is it because Rose caught several rats and a weasel and on her trapline? Or because one day they’ll turn punk? Or because their first gig was at a seed swap? Who knows?

Monday 17 June, Tawa Community Centre, 5 Cambridge Street, Tawa, 7:30 pm. Parking on site or catch the number 60 bus, or the Porirua train to Tawa station.

Entry: $7/$5 for members. Cash only (no eftpos facilities). 

June is a big month for the stars, and this is your chance to star! 

June 21 is the Midwinter Solstice (and the shortest day) and towards the end of June, the cluster of stars we know here as Matariki (the Pleiades) will rise in the sky, giving rise to the beginning of the Māori New Year. We’d like to invite you to celebrate whatever part of that may be important to you in a singaround with a hygge-style (cosy) ambience at the Tawa Community Centre.

Bring your songs, poems or tunes with a wintry, starry and/or Matariki theme and let’s warm up the winter’s night together. To keep it cosy there won’t be a sound system, and to keep it safe, there won’t actually be an open fire!

If you’d like to participate by performing a number or two, please contact Ruth on 0274 515 486 to register.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there. We may even have some seasonal refreshments to share!

Note we have changed both the venue and the usual main event date so as not to clash with other events that may be scheduled at this time. Our usual singaround at Johnsonville on the third Monday is cancelled for this month.

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.