Mahinarangi Tocker, MNZOM, 1956 - 2008

After a sudden and catastrophic asthma attack that rendered her unconscious with respiratory failure, Mahina died today surrounded by her whanau.

Mahina was of Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngati Maniapoto, Jewish and Celtic Ancestry. That's a lot of canoes.

The most contemporary of singer/songwriters, for all her popularity and fame she always kept one foot firmly in our euro-centric New Zealand folk scene. From our perspective, she was probably our "most famous" folkie when we chose to claim her. But she was so much more than that.

Mahina was, in a word, generous. She was generous with her music, generous with her humour and life and generous with her honesty about her mental illness. Here are a few of the tributes from the nz-folk list:

Mike. That is sad news indeed. A great musical soul and a great pal has left us. Tony Hillyard

That is indeed a sad day. A tragedy for her friends, for NZmusic, for Maoridom. Sue Harkness.

Heartfelt condolences to Mahinarangi's partner, daughter and whanau. NZ has lost a shining star who brought much joy, deep insight and wonderful music. Mahina leaves behind a lasting legacy that should inspire many people for years to come. Your laughter, generosity and caring will live on in my heart forever. Me te araoha tino mi atu. Remco de Ket.

Thank you Mike, I am stunned to hear that awful news. Mahina did a concert for us in Thames last year, she brought laughter and light and we sat and talked in my garden all the next day and I am so sad now but glad to have spent some good time with this woman of quality, what a loss she will be. Rosie Holmes

This is shocking news Mike. My heart is with all who loved her and her music so much. Please let us know where she will be laid to rest. Judith McNeil

Thanks for all your thoughts; if this list is about anything it is about mutual support and expression. I came upon the news that she was terminally ill rather circuitously, through a friend of a friend, then arrived at my office to hear the news on the radio. More than this I do not know, I don't pretend to any inside knowledge. I think Laura Quinn is closer to the whanau, and will be able to provide those details that they want us to know. For now we'll respect their grief and share our own thoughts here.

I am to present a songwriting seminar next month for the New Zealand Songwriters' Trust in Gore and was to be presenting it with Mahina. I'd been unable to get hold of her to discuss this; and this was not like her - even when she was unwell she would always communicate with me.

Mahina was a long-time friend of my family. My daughter, Siobhan, stayed with her when she was on placement at BFM for her broadcasting course. Bernadette and I saw her last, and so stupidly briefly, at the Auckland Folk Festival where she told us how happy she was to be in employment, something she hadn't done since her nursing days, and a big deal for someone recovering from a mental illness.

It was 24 years ago when we first met Mahina, she was a guest at Whare Flat - her first folk festival. She was a tiny figure then, chain smoker, nervous, agoraphobic. She warmed to us (and we to her) and stayed with us for a further week. She's been back several times since. One time she sat in front of my cassette recorder and went through every page of her songwriting books singing song after song into the mic. I still have that tape somewhere.

When she turned up that first time, I was hugely aware of her politics (Maaori, feminist, lesbian...) and was watching my every p and q, desperate not to make a Political Correctness blunder. I needent have worried. She was the most irreverent, crude, funny woman I've ever come across but taught me so much in the process. There's never been a time I've been with her that we haven't ended up in fits of giggles, like smutty schoolkids. I've been backstage with her many times, my sides hurting with laughter, only to watch her walk out onstage (with something approaching composure) to deliver the most heart-wrenching performances.

She was a spontaneous collaborator too. "I want you to play this one with me, Moroney." When the time comes, I'm called up, I'm capoed up, D-tuned, all ready.. "Oh, we're not doing that one now, " and launches into something she's just made up, or her own inimitable version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, for which there is no right chord! Such was her trust in what passes for my musicianship. She'd hang me out to dry every time. I know I'm not the only one who has had that experience. God bless her.

I am so sad. I don't even know her family or her loved ones, though we talked about them often. Those of you that are closer to them might like to pass on my condolences, sorrow and immense pride at having known her. Mike Moroney

Sad indeed. I first met Mahina – I’m not sure, late 1980s or early 1990s - when she was touring, by bus, with guitar and amp. She played at the Luggate pub. That’s dedication to your art. The next time I met up with her, we shared a room at Whare Flat (with Siobhan Moroney I think). We giggled our way through the festival days. Another encounter was at some outdoor gig sharing a stage in the drizzle at Waikouaiti when I was in the Pog Band. There she was carting her keyboard, singing her songs, doing her thing.

I wasn’t really anywhere on Mahina’s landscape but she always remembered me. I’m struggling with this news of the passing of a generous, brave, funny, talented woman. Arohanui and condolences to Mahina’s family and loved ones. Lindsey Shields.

Mike. What a lovely, perceptive tribute to Mahina. Thank you. Like you and so many others I’ve been lucky to count Mahina as a friend and also had the privilege of being invited to share, briefly, a stage with her; and yes it was the same knee knocking experience that others have reported. I have always been truly astonished at her vocal courage on stage as she reached for soaring, impossible vocal leaps and harmonies and somehow pulled them off. Her musical gift was such that she could take the most outrageous musical risks on stage and get away with it. A mere musical mortal like me struggled (and failed) to keep up. But I wouldn’t have missed the experience for the world. Her humour has reduced me to tears every time I’ve met up with her, but I’ve also shared long intimate conversations with her and been shown the other, sensitive soul, that was also Mahina. I too will miss her very much.My heart goes out to her family and close friends. Tony Hillyard.

Hey Mike, that was a lovely bunch of thoughts, I can relate to a lot of them. [personal stuff deleted] Mmmm, incredibly sad, have been playing her Cds all afternoon. Laughing at the time she got me up to sing "harmony" on one of her songs and ended up making me sing the whole thing, completely re writing a song I didn't even know, and she came in with a lovely note on the last word!!! Typical of her stage manner eh. That was the year she came down to Whare Flat with Kath Tait and sang Ruby Tuesday!! Certainly taught me a lot about just going for it and trusting what you already know. Chris Penman.

Oh, what a shock! My heart goes out to Mahina’s daughter and Whanau. When Tony told me, all I could say was “It’s not fair!” What a remarkable woman she was. At the 2006 Auckland festival, we laughed and laughed with her outside our caravan. Then she ‘adopted’ my daughters telling them, “I’m your lesbian Maori auntie” and had them in stitches. She wrote me a lovely email when I was recently in hospital and I am very sad not to have seen her to thank her in person . I am still stunned – her sense of humour and friendship was very special. Thanks for making us feel so loved, Charlene, Rebecca and Siobhan Hillyard.

It is indeed a most tragic day for the whole folk movement and the music scene in New Zealand. Mahina touched everyone with her bubbly personality and her beautiful angelic voice. I only caught up with her at folk festivals, where I became party to her wicked sense of humour. We frequently corresponded off list, for she was genuinely interested in what other people were doing musically. She leaves a void in all of our lives we will miss you "mate" and so will the "missus."Farewell and RIP Mahina we're thinking of you. So Long Mate. Phil Garland

It’s with great sadness to learn of Mahina’s passing. An amazingly gifted woman who lit up the Auckland Acoustic scene in the 80’s and continued to inspire with her great recent albums. Mahina was amazingly generous in her support of other musicians and inspiring to others with her courage, her musicality and social conscience. I am grateful to have been in her orbit and for the warm cross-Tasman email exchanges we sporadically engaged in. Fondly remembered and greatly missed. My heart goes out to her partner, family and friends. Wayne Gillespie

As I sit here, listening to a tribute to Mahina on Radio NZ Nat, playingher songs and hearing that remarkable and individualvoice, I am filled with sadness at how big a hole she will leave in ourlives. All of us that knew her loved her, and rejoiced in her nutty humour,outrageous jokes, and her glee in shocking people with her deliberatelynon-PC quips, designed to wind them up. Some of us will remember a particularly memorable session at an Auckland Festival a couple of years ago, post-concert, sitting outside our caravans, and about 15 people helpless with laughter, and 5 teenagers,jaws dropping with astonishment at the machine-gun-rapid wisecracking, bawdy, outrageous comments! Mahina in her element. Add into the mix that wonderful voice, the brilliance that lifted her into another stratosphere of musical creativity, and the willingness totake such musical risks, makes me feel that we won't see her like again- she was truly a remarkable shining star. Many years earlier at a festival we struck up a great friendship, andmany strange and hilarious emails subsequently buzzed back and forthacross cyberspace - Davy and I both treasured her friendship, empathisedwith her struggles with her personal demons, and feel privileged to callher a friend.To us she was "Tox" (Tocker-Tocks-Tox) and we are going to miss herso much- it still hasn't quite sunk in yet that she has gone.Arohanui, Tox. Libby Stuart

It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of the beautiful woman, friend and musician that Mahina was to many of us. We were privileged to talk with her and hear her perform adlib at Kath Taits' concert at Titirangi only a couple of weeks ago where she was clearly enjoying her world. I will personally miss her smiling, cheeky presence at many different venues. Aspecial arohanui to Irena and Kimai. Shiree Lee.

Too awful. A total star. Mahina was an absolute delight to work with at the 2006Welliesarebest Fest. Clear and yet unassertive about what she needed in order to be able to perform at her best, and did she deliver. Very fond memories of her back-stage antics, her mime behind the compere, Mary Kippenberger, and leadingthe entire marquee in song. Lots of lovely off-list messages from time to time; I'll miss her heaps. Sue Ikin.

Ae. Tetahi whetu maharamatanga ia! Me he tui korokoro. E waiata kohau, enoho ai, e moe. Yes. She is a shining star! With a throat like a tui. Sing for no reason, rest, sleep. Diana Grant-Mackie (An admirer)

A very sad day as you have said - we were all very very fond of Mahina and have wonderful memories of her at the Canterbury Festival where she endeared all who met her. She was a truly inspirational human being and outstanding performer.May she rest in peace. Kathy McDonald

I heard the news from Mike this morning. She was a great friend, irreverent, irrepressible, disrespectful of boundaries, musical or otherwise, startlingly gifted and the most unpredictable stage performer I’ve seen in NZ. She’d have you in fits backstage, and then she’d go out and tear you up. And that voice. She couldn’t stick to a set list and that was one of the things we came to love about Mahina, unless you were playing with her. Like Mike, and probably many of us, I never knew any of her family, just hung out with her at festivals. My sincere condolences to Mahina’s whanau. Slan, Bob McNeill

Sincere condolences to all those close to Mahinarangi. She has touched so many people and left behind a legacy of love and beautiful music. I don't think I know of any musicians who haven't been warmed by her presence. Her smile could light up a cathedral. She seemed to know everyone and yet retained her natural shyness and humility. The collective fellowship of musicians and singers will miss her enormously. Rest in peace, Mahinarangi. Dave Hart

Mike Moroney and others have articulated the senses of shock and loss I feel at learning of Mahinaarangi's death. I think it was Bev Young who pointed out that, as we get older, we experience and expect regular reports of deaths of friends and acquaintances - though I don't think we ever get used to them.
Among the legacy of wonderful music and memories that Mahinaarangi left,is the sharing of her culture. The mad lesbian mongrel mum gave of her Celtic, Jewish and Maori legacy openly and willingly.

In my experience, folk audiences are amongst the most catholic and supportive of all. Yet among the performances of British folksongs, Celticdances, blues, bluegrass, contemporary compositions and world music, I've seen relatively little Maori music. I'm not sure why: in my limited experience, there seems to be a great similarity between the vibe in awharenui and that in the marquee at Whare Flat and other festivals.

Mahinaarangi was one of the few that crossed the divide. Others include Godfrey Pohatu (also gone from us) and Maaka and Karina Laws. I'm verygrateful to these people, all of whom have radiated love/aroha, and been supportive in my bumbling efforts to learn about aspects of Maori culture.

It may be that members of other folk clubs - particularly those in thenorth - have a different experience. In any case, I hope that we cancontinue to encourage and support those who bring Maori and Pacifica culture to our clubs and festivals and, in some way, keep that part of Mahinaarangi's legacy alive. Marcus Turner.

I'm so sad to have to say goodbye to our dear friend Mahinaarangi. I loved her to bits. I recently had some really nice contact with her in Auckland. She turned up at my gig at Titirangi and got up and sang some harmonies with me and Martha Louise. Then I went round to visit her one evening and we had a really goodtime reminiscing about old times and catching up. If I'd known it was going to be the last time I would see her, I would have bundled her up in my arms and refused to let go. Kath Tait.

I first met Mahina through this list… She was my one consistent educator, supporter and friend on the list, and would let me know when I needed to calm down and not take things to heart, and defend me when she thought I needed it. She was discrete… she would never publically humiliate people and was very sensitive to what people needed to hear. She is woven into this little community and that can never be undone. She remembered everyone by name and circumstance, and you didn't need to earn her love, trust and respect as she had bucket-loads of it for everyone.

She was amazing on stage. She was amazing off stage. She was just amazing. The first time I met her face-to-face was at Whare Flat in 2004/05 and that just solidified the friendship that had already started. Then at Wellyfest in the following October (I think) I was standing at the back of the marquee when she sang and it was so magical that you could almost hear the crowd breathe. I believe Over the Rainbow was the clincher.

In the last few years, I have spent quite a few memorable evenings at Mahina's house, playing music and drinking tea, but mainly chatting till far too late. These visits were usually in preparation for gigs but we never got a lot of practice done! I'll never forget the road trip we had over to Thames for a gig last year, everything was fun with Mahina. We arrived just as the gig was supposed to start as we had forgotten the information and after zooming around Thames looking for posters we arrived in the nick of time, and we had a really good weekend.

Mahinarangi was my mentor. We never talked about it like that, because it would have embarrassed her… but we both new it. She taught me about music, how to deal with people when I found them difficult but most of all she taught me about life. I'll never forget her love and friendship and she'll stay in my heart forever. What a special lady. Mahinarangi – arohanui e hoa ma. Laura Quinn

I've been impressed and touched by the tributes I've read on the list and elsewhere, and find myself lost for words myself. What is clear is that we all knew the real Mahina - those qualities of the person and the music were no artificial public construct, they were the magnificent human being who showed you don't have to be perfect to be an inspiration. Ours has been a very sad household these last few days, as Jenny and I have pondered on how lucky we've been to know Mahina. Farewell, farewell. Tony Ricketts

I am deeply saddened and moved today to hear the news of gorgeous Mahinarangi. I feel like crying but i dont. Still seems unreal. My heart sends much warmth to her daughter partner and family though i dont know them to do this personally. I am so so glad I knew her. Wish i could have said goodbye or told her how much she has inspired me and how much I admire her and to thank her for her generosity to my kids, to me, to all sorts of people. Wow, what a huge loss. So many circles of people will be celebrating her, missing her and grieving. What an absolute gem. In sadness and in celebration. Sarita Murdoch

Just wanted to add my voice to the many who know just how much we have lost. We are all richer for having known Mahinarangi, with her sparkling eyes, her mischievous laugh and her extraordinary voice. I didn't get to see her very often, but I will sorely miss knowing that she was out there, courageously sharing her songs, her heart and her lovely smile with the world. Brenda Liddiard

One of the great things about growing older is supposed to be the wisdom we obtain. One of the worst things about growing older is saying goodbye to dear people who pass on out of this world, friends who have touched our hearts and lives in some way. Mahinarangi Tocker was one of these friends
and a chunk of sparkle has left this world with her passing. Everything people have said of her on this list is true. She was all those things and more, generous, funny, a bit rude, proud of her Maori/Jewish/lesbian lifestyle, proud of her loved ones, kind and gentle, fierce and stroppy. Most of all, she was gifted. Gifted with talent, with a way with people, with the ability to see below the surface of situations and of the people around her. Her lovely voice is stilled, but she has left us a wonderful body of work and loads of memories to be going on with. Deepest condolences to her partner, her daughter and all her family. Mahinarangi will be sadly missed by all her friends in the folk music world as well as elsewhere in the music scene. Sing with the angels, lovely girl. Beverley and Alan Young

Mahinarangi knew me! Mahinarangi knew my name. Mahinarangi remembered stuff about me. Mahinarangi had many friends, but still she knew my name. So I count myself lucky to also have known Mahinarangi. To have laughed with her and heard Mahinarangi in full flight playing music. What joy to have known and be known by someone like Mahinarangi as we say in Lancashire "eee they broke the mold when they made that one", that is to say Mahinarangi was a treasure and unique and willl be greatly missed. My heartfelt condolences to Mahinarangi's family. Tony Smyth

Mahina is back at her home now, 64 Glenmarine Parade, Glendine. Her Auckland friends can visit her there. At dawn tomorrow she will go to her marae in Taumaranui (it's on the main trunk line). Kauriki Marae, Ngapuke Road, Taumaranui. Mahina and the whanau will be there from 12pm Thursday 17/4/08. The service will be at 11am on Saturday 19/4/08.
There will be a gathering to sing and tell stories on Friday night, with marae sleeping space. "The family would love to see all who have shared in her life."

The whanua are welcoming all at Mahina’s whare in Glendene. Food and cuppa tea are on hand.

Ngāpuke Road is off Highway 41, between Turangi and Taumaranui, East of Pungapunga. There will be a notice in the paper tomorrow.. Her funeral service and burial will be on Saturday morning. Those wishing to visit her on the marae should gather off the marae and wait to be brought on.

NZ Folklore - Swaggers

From the nz-folk list:

I'm sure that you are aware of those excellent books by John A. Lee of the New Zealand swaggers - the colourful itinerants who roamed New Zealand in pioneering days seeking a living from doing odd jobs on the farms.

Many were returned soldiers from the Crimean War. Most were down on their luck and had to scrape a living using their wit and ingenuity to earn a crust, a drink and shelter for the night. Their honesty and integrity was legendary, but like the Irishman 'The Shiner' from County Clare, putting over a fast one on a publican was always good for a free drink - usually a shot of Jamieson.

Some were accomplished entertainers - step dancers, musicians, poets and balladeers.

The Shiner was an expert Irish jig dancer, and frequantly would win the various step dance contests at Caledonian Scottish Games etc. Indeed his exploits are the first references that we have for Irish step dancing in New Zealand. It remains for enthusiasts to search for further references to his exploits in the old newspapers of the times.

Meanwhile here is a lecture by John A. Lee rescued from an old recording - dating back to the 1960s. Incidentally his books are still in print from Amazon - "Shining with the Shiner" is a good one.

http://chrisbrady.itgo.com/nzfolk/nzfolk.htm

http://chrisbrady.itgo.com/nzfolk/swaggers.wma (12.96Mb / 55mins : 20 secs)

Chris Brady

P.S. If anyone has a more complete version please let me know. The ending kind of peters out a bit. Also if anyone knows where and when it was recorded please let me know. Maybe it was one of Frank Fyfe's recordings?

Tony Hillyard Interview

An audio interview with Tony Hillyard can be heard at www.jamradio.co.nz. Tony is a folk singer/guitarist and recording artist who convenes the Singers' Club at  the Roxy Café, on Tuesday evenings (203-205 Cuba St. Wellington).

Technorati Tags: Tony Hillyard , Sing , Folk , Interview

On the Road with the Maritime Crew

From nz-folk:

A personal memoir from Rudy Sunde  - with some additional comments by Warren. 

I started writing this report while in Europe and gave it the above title ON THE ROAD WITH THE MARITIME CREW little realising how prescient such a title was - as you will find out on reading further. This the Maritime Crew's third trip to Europe having been invited to take part in maritime music festivals. On the two previous occasions, we had applied to Creative New Zealand for help in paying our air fares but they declined on both occasions. This time we did not bother them and hoped that our performance fees would cover most of our travel expenses.

Four members of  The Maritime Crew - Lew Black, Bob Large, Warren Payne and Rudy Sunde - departed form Auckland airport on 1st August 2007.  Two other members of the Crew - Paul Howarth and Alex McClennan - could not go because of family and/or work commitments. We travelled with Emirates - an airline that I would not recommend if one is travelling economy as the seats are so close together. Including stop-overs between planes, it took us the best part of 35 hours to get to Bremen.

We were going to Bremen to participate in the famous annual Vegesack Maritime Music Festival running from 3rd to 5th August. We were proud to have been invited to take part in such a big festival with about 30 other shanty groups from around the world - Holland, Germany, UK, Norway, Sweden, Poland, USA, Cuba, Spain. These were mainly small shanty groups with only half dozen or so shanty choirs.      

All the participants were treated splendidly by the organisers. Our accommodation, breakfast and some dinners were paid for. We and quite a few other shanty groups were billeted on board the magnificent Sail Training Ship Deutschland. This is a lovely 86 metre vessel built in 1927 but now retired from sailing. Beautifully maintained it is a splendid example of the tall ship builders' art.

The Vegesack Festival takes place mainly along the banks of the Weser River though there were 2 city venues where we and other groups performed.Along the banks of the river are walkways and on either side of these paths were kiosks selling beer, sausages, beer, kitsch, beer, souvenirs, beer, etc. You get the idea. Thousands milled around - enjoying  the beautiful summer evenings or going to the various concert venues which were dotted along the riverside.

We sang at 6 different venues over the weekend and were always received with great acclaim. I think that audiences respected the fact that we had come from so far, far away, that we had a great selection of interesting songs (traditional and contemporary New Zealand songs with a couple of Maori numbers) and that we sang them well. When we were in Germany 2 years ago, we made some good friends and quite a few travelled many miles to Bremen just to hear us again. Among those who came to see and hear us again were Heiko Tieseler and his wife Brigitte who videoed most of our performances. Then there was Ullrich, Dieter and Manfred who with their wives came from Niebull to see us. Iwe van der Beek came from Holland with his singing partner Jaap and also there was Conny Beckman - another good friend.

The Final Grand Concert was a magnificent event with all the groups doing a 10 minute spot and then the Grand Finale with everybody on stage doing "Oh Roseanne". And then there was a marvellous fireworks display over the Weser River. (Fireworks for Auckland Folk Festival?? Now there's a thought.) We stayed on board Deutschland for an extra day after the festival finished in order to relax after the hectic weekend.

The following Tuesday, we were picked up by Johannes van der Werf of the Folsgearster Folkgroup. They had invited us to visit them in the village of Folsgear in Friesland , northern Holland. We had met them in  Niebull, Germany 2 years ago and while they could more properly called a folk group rather than a shanty group we still had lots of songs and shanties in common. They say that the Friesian language (a variant of Dutch) is closely related to English but I am afraid that I did not notice any resemblance. Luckily, all our contacts there had a good command of English. Friesland is flat for miles and miles and miles with canals everywhere. Dairying seems to be the main farming occupation with big cow barns attached to the farmers'  houses.

Bob and I were lodged in the home of Gerritt and Rinske Rypma - a lovely couple  while Warren and Lew stayed with Johannes  and his wife Margriet. Gerritt has a nice studio in which we and Folsgearster Folk rehearsed some songs together. We were taken sailing on one of the numerous lakes to watch a boat race between some typical sailing craft called SKUTJE. Next night, we sang at a barbecue party. The nearby town of Sneek was then visited and I must say that I am impressed with all these Dutch towns that saw. Clean (no graffiti), prosperous looking, very neat and tidy. The following night we sang at a local museum devoted to old time farming practices. On the Saturday, we were taken to a local saw mill. This is not the usual sort of tourist experience but this saw mill is different. It is powered by big sails - a typical Dutch wind mill. This mill was built  in 1685 and though it might not be compared to modern mills with regard to speed of cutting a log, nevertheless it is a magnificent piece of engineering and I am pleased to see that it is being kept as a going concern. That same night we performed to a large crowd in the Folsgear church and, as ever, we were warmly received.

Before we had left New Zealand, the Folsgearster Folk group made what seemed to us to be a very ambitious suggestion. They said "While you're over here, let's make a joint LIVE CD". We wondered at the possibility of doing this but when we met them and had a couple of rehearsals, we thought, hey, this going to work! Sunday saw us in the recording studio. This was in one of the old cow barns that had been converted into a sort of club with seating for maybe 50 or so. And the studio! I have seen a few in my time but this guy's equipment was top of the range. Folsgearster Folk did 5 songs, we did 5 and then we did 4 together. All this before an appreciative audience. Mixing was done the next day with  Johanne's son Franz creating the insert. This where my prescience comes in because they had decided to give  the CD the title 'ON THE ROAD TOGETHER'. We have brought the master home and will be producing copies of this CD.

On Tuesday, Roel Boer of de Flagellanten in Giethoorn picked us up (after sad farewells to the Folsgear folk) and drove us to his home town. He provided us with accommodation in a so-called shed (actually a sort of replica of an old farm house) at the back of his section. Giethoorn is described as "the Venice of the North" because of its extensive system of canals. It is a lovely town - charming old houses with thatched roofs which were formerly farmers' houses but which have now been upgraded and are most comfortable dwellings. All access to the houses is by boat - no cars anywhere. More than a million tourists visit the town every year and go on sightseeing cruises up the canals.

De Flagellanten is a bunch of maybe 18-20 male singers who dress up in old style clothing - sheepskins, clogs, etc. - and who specialise in doing good time music - exuberant stuff all sung with great enthusiasm. Easy listening. They perform at the Fanfare Cafe every Tuesday evening so we heard them that night. The next night, we were on at the Fanfare together with de Flagellanten. We sang sets alternately until the very last when we did some songs together. The highlight for me was when Roel and I jointly took the lead for my song "SPRAY OF THE OCEAN". It was lovely hearing the voices of the de Flagellanten singers behind me singing my song and I was quite moved. (When we were in Niebull 2 years ago, we met Tobias Kretchsman ( a young 14 year old lad) and his family and they became great fans of ours. Well, Tobias and his father drove from Dusseldorf to Giethoorn, a distance of about 300 kms, just to see and hear us again.)

The next day we took a train from Steenwik to Harlingen Hafen where we caught the ferry to the island of Vlieland. This is a sandy island lying some 20 or so kms off the Dutch coast. Remote areas of the island with sand dunes covered with marram grass resemble some far north Auckland beaches. On Vlieland we were looked after by Nils Koster and Ger Lamerus who together are called Drijfhout (Driftwood). They are sometimes accompanied by a woman called Susanne Kunenborg..

The main street of the town of Vlieland is closed to vehicular traffic - except for goods delivery vehicles and bikes. (Bikes galore on the island!) On our first day we were taken down the main street where the town brass band was playing - quite well too.The leader of the band is Jan Houter and he was too the man paying us for our performances on the island. He is a prominent local businessman owning the hotel where we were lodged, a pub and a bike hire place. Anyway, Jan introduced us to the crowd (saying that we came from Australia -which was greeted with howls of protest from us and became a standing joke during the rest of our stay.  Wee had to do a couple of songs to promote our forthcoming performances. The next day saw us performing a 2 hour gig on the hotel terrace with Nils and Ger joining us for the last 20 minutes or so. Next night we were at the pub "Old Stoop"  (Grand Cafe Oude Stoep) where we shared the stage with Driftwood - they doing 40 minutes, we 40 and then a joint 40. As ever our New Zealand songs were very warmly received. Another two and half hour set on the hotel terrace the next day.

Our next performance was the following day when we joined the Vlielander Seaman's Choir singing in the church to maybe 250 - 300 people. The choir did 5 0r 6 songs, we did 5 and then we jointly did 10 songs with the choir.I know this gets repetitious but as ever, we were very well received. evidenced the next day by the number of times we were stopped by appreciative attendees. Our songs and presentation of them always receives audience approval. Jan Houter gave us all a CD of photos that he had taken of us and told us how pleased he was to have us on the island. On our last evening on the island, we were taken on a bus ride some 15 or so kms up the beach. The bus looked very much like the ones used on Ninety Mile Beach. At the end of the ride up the beach we were taken to a large stockade made of Driftwood  where a large fire was soon burning and a can of  hot chocolate was being heated. Nils and Ger did some songs then we did some to entertain the people there. We started a jolly sing-along in the bus on the way back and were delighted to let the teenagers take over with their songs.

We said our sad farewells to Nils and Ger the next day and boarded the ferry back to Harlingen Hafen. Waiting for us on the pier were most of Folsgearster Folk. They had come to escort us down the dyke towards Amsterdam. At a popular stopping place in the middle of the massive dyke, we were joined by Johannes and Ben and, unbelievably, they had with them the master of the CD plus personal copies for all. Incredible! Said our goodbyes once again to most of Folsgearster and then Marco drove us down towards Amsterdam. Took a train for the last 15 or so kms to Amsterdam Central Rail. Coming into a big city was a bit of a shock after being in quiet places like Folsgear, Giethoorn and Vlieland. So many people!  We took a ride on a canal boat the next day and saw some more of this fascinating city. A general impression of Holland is that it is a prosperous looking place - everything neat and tidy, friendly people.

A short flight to Basel on the next day and we were met by Bruno Mueller (our interpreter and general helper) and Ken our driver who drove us to Romanshorn. We were dropped off at the Uttwill Stubli - a combination guest house and restaurant. Markus Studerus, a member of Singing Sailor's Crew Romanshorn and one of my email correspondents was there to meet us. Friday (next day) and we met a lot of the other shanty groups that were there for the weekend. We all took turns to do some songs. One of the most interesting songs we heard that night was a group doing the well-known New Zealand traditional song "Soon May the Wellerman Come". They did it in a more up-tempo style than what we are used to but it sounded great. And then, coming home in the bus to our digs, they sang it again! Fancy that! Being sung as a bus party song!

On Saturday, we and the Pirates ( a lovely group of young French girls from Brittany) took the ferry across Lake Bodensee (aka Lake Konstanz)to the German town of Friedrichshafen. We took turns in singing on board. That afternoon, we did a gig at the Down Under tent (named in out honour). That evening was the BIG evening with the monstrous tent filled to capacity. We did a show together with the Romanshorn Singing Sailors.One of my songs is called "Hurrah for our Captain". The Romanshorn Choir has taken my tune (with my permission) and written new words for the song. Note, their version was written many months ago and yet it extolled the virtues and skills of Swiss sailors. (Now and again they would slyly remind us that they now held America's Cup but we replied that it was only because they had some Kiwi sailors on board.) Anyway, we sang my "Hurrah" and they responded with their version. All good fun. Once again I was moved to have my work being performed by others. After we had performed that night, Bob informed that he had received a text message saying that my wife Pat had returned from Australia but was now in Waitakere Hospital with a chest infection, so the next morning, with Markus' assistance, I got hold of Emirate's Zurich office and arranged to fly home that evening - one day earlier than planned.

Down to the nearby cafe that Sunday morning where a large number of shanty singers were having a good time - laughing, chatting, drinking beer, listening to songs. We did 4 songs. Standing ovation! Well not quite but greatly appreciated. To the main tent that afternoon where Romanshorn did "Hurrah" once again and we did 4 songs.

And that was the finish of the Romanshorn Festival for me. A hurried trip back to our digs where I changed my shirt and Markus took me to the rail where I took a train to Zurich. Interestingly, the train took me right into Zurich airport and then a long lonely flight home.

To summarise :- We had a fantastic best part of 4 weeks in Europe. The weather was kind - summery just about every day. But the people we met were kinder . We were appreciated both for the interesting songs that we sang and also for the way in which we performed them. We have made many friends in Europe but I have one regret and that is, that at my age, I don't think that I will ever make that trip again. But The Maritime Crew has made 3 trips to Europe and I don't see why the younger members of the group can't go again some time in the future.

I would like to inject a personal note here. I am rather proud that 4 of my songs have found favour overseas. "Auckland to the Bluff" is sung in USA and UK  while "Spray of the Ocean" and "The Orpheus"  is sung in Giethoorn and,as you have just read, "Hurrah" in Romanshorn.

During the 28 days (including travel) that we were in Europe, we gave 23 public performances. This not counting the late night parties where lots more singing took place. Being a senior citizen, I missed out on these parties as I was in bed earlier than the others. I believe that they had great times singing until the small hours on many occasions.

The Maritime Crew is most grateful to all the people in Europe who invited us to perform at the various festivals, clubs, etc.

In Bremen, we had Lutz Hosselbarth, Patricia Feuss, Fritz Rapp, Brigitte Schiller-Hehl and Kersten of Vegesack who organised things so well for us.

In Folsgear, there was Johannes and Margriet van der Werf, Gerritt and Rinske Rypma, Marco and Rinske Rypma, Ben Regeling and Peter van der Werf who were our admirable hosts and singing partners. Delightful people who did everything for us.

In Giethoorn, Roel Boer and his wife (name eludes me) provided us with accommodation and food. His de Flagellanten singers are a great bunch of guys who know how to enjoy themselves - by making great Music!

In Vlieland, we were looked after by Nils Koster and Ger Lamerus - two great musician and singers. Our accommodation was provided by Jan Houter and very nice it was too.Once again, words fail me in attempting to describe how well we were treated - how good everybody was to us.

Finally in Romanshorn we were particularly well looked after by Bruno Mueller, Michael Kowalski and Marcus Studerus. Switzerland is a delightful country with delightful people - kind, generous, friendly and just generally very nice indeed, especially the Singing Sailor's Crew Romanshorn.

When I first got The Maritime Crew together way back in 1994, little did I think that one day we would on a singing tour of Europe. Once would have been incredible but we have done this 3 times now and that is just amazing. I would like to thank everybody who has helped to make these trips possible. And also I must thank members of The Maritime Crew for performing so well while on our overseas tours.

Thanks again to EVERYBODY.

Rudy.

Technorati Tags: nz-folk , Maritime Crew , tour , shanty

Songs of Sweated Labour

From the nz-folk list, John Archer writes:

Attention has been drawn to the sweated labour of young girls in South China. There are several New Zealand folk songs denouncing this abomination.

From Neil Colquhoun's Song's of a Young Country

Who robs the young girl of her right
by work that takes her day and night
to earn her poor starvation mite?
The sweater.

Who is it that will cheat and lie
and every cunning trick will try
his greed of gain to satisfy?
The sweater.

He is society's disgrace
and must be told so to his face
so out with him. Leave him no place
The sweater.

From Rona Bailey's Shanties By The Way

In the lands beyond the sea
where Khan and Sultan rule
Where they drink their coffee thick and black
and sip their sherbet cool
They have white Circassian girls for slaves
as well as nigger black
And now it seems in our own free land
that slavery's coming back.
It's fenced about with common law
and given a pretty name
But despite the paltry wage that's paid,
it's slavery all the same.

Such a good woman is Mrs McFee,
toiling with voice and hand
In the cause of the little Chinese girls
away in a distant land
Such a good woman is Mrs McFee,
for hers is an open door
And her name's at the top of the charity list
for the wives of the drunken poor
But Amelia Jane has a hungry look,
with hollows under her eyes
She says she was starved. But everyone knows,
Amelia Jane tells lies.

Silly and light is Amelia Jane,
she has no ideas of her own
You would never think her the bright little girl
that you one once on a time had known
She was clever enough when she went to school
she was pretty enough in her way
She hasn't improved, her schoolmates think,
when they met her in town today
It's all her fault, for whatever the cause,
I'm sure that Mrs McFee
Is a model mistress in every way,
and with that you will agree.

And my aunts taught me this song - there was a young boy on a the next
farm to theirs in South Taranaki in the 1920s who worked from dawn
until after dark seven days a week.

One day when I was out of work a job I went to seek
To be a farmer's boy ....
At last I found the very job at half-a-crown a week
To be a farmer's boy ....
The farmer said, "I think I've got the very job for you
Your duties will be light, for this is all you've got to do....
Rise at three every morn, milk the cow with the crumpled horn
Feed the pigs, clean the sty, teach the pigeons the way to fly
Plough the fields, mow the hay, help the cocks and hens to lay
Sow the seed, tend the crops, chase the flies from the turnip tops
Clean the knives, black the shoes, scrub the kitchen and sweep the flues
Help the wife wash the pots, grow the cabbages and carrots
Make the beds, dust the coals, mend the gramophone....
And when there's no more work to do.... the rest of the day's your own"

http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiRESTODAY.html

I would like to feature these on the NZ Folksong website and I would welcome any song-writer's compositions on the current New Zealand practice of conspiring in the deaths of young Chinese girls by buying sweated goods.

Thanks
John A

A True Heritage Instrument

From the nz-folk list, Noelle Jakeman writes:

"I am trying to find out about my randfathers kauri timber elaborately Maori wood carved lap steel guitar with paua shell inlay and all original 8 ivory keys which has been handed down to me. It opens out in the back and the electricals inside are in need of repair and needs new strings however the body is in excellent condition and is a beautifully handcrafted instrument. My mother had bought it for my grandfather back in the 1960's from a music store in Queen Street Auckland called 'Harmony House' which has since closed down and no longer there. I was contemplating selling it and had emailed images of it to vintage guitar dealers and collectors overseas and was surprised to get some very interested responses that it has since prompted my interest to find out the guitars origins and history. I did manage to speak to a local lapsteel guitar enthusiast here in Auckland who had mentioned these guitars popularity back in the 50's and 60's with country and western and Maori showbands and I've been trying to make contact with other NZ music stores in the hopes finding out more about these guitars as well, anyone there able to shed some more light on these guitars for me?"

John Archer wrote:

"That carved Hawaiin guitar a piece of folk history. Haere mai, everything is kapai - Daphne Walker - Sam Freedman - Johnny Cooper and His Range Riders.
"The expert on evaluating and repairing that is Simcha Delft in Otaki.
Eight years ago artist Michael Parekowhai put on a fancy installation in a
posh Auckland gallery with ten beautifully made f-hole inlaid paua
guitars. Maori bro's sat around on beer crates playing the guitars while
Jafa glitterati stood around drinking champagne.
"Parekowhai was commenting on the detribalized de-cultured urban Maori of the 1960s. But Noelle's lap-top is a much more poignant relic of that
time. Once Were Warriors - Paradise Lost."

There were a few other posts imploring Noelle not to sell it, to which she most eloquently replied:

"Greetings all,
Thank you all who have responded to my inquiries about my grandfathers lap steel guitar with some great advice and wonderful information. To perhaps answer some of the questions some of you may of had about my earlier notice and intention to sell the guitar I hope the following will offer you some insight. The guitar was a a gift my Mum had bought new for her Father around the 1960's from a music store in Auckland. It is a well loved family instrument and I've been told that my grandfather and muso granduncles would play this guitar and have jam sessions back in the day.

"It is a well loved family instrument and being Maori myself I am aware of the importance of family taonga and have discussed my intentions to sell the guitar with my Mum who had handed the guitar down to me. The guitar has been in my care for a few years now and I've been able to admire its beautiful craftsmanship and uniqueness however as I travel a lot and have very few personal possessions I would much prefer to have the guitar in someone elses care who'd appreciate and hopefully play it again.


As a recently self employed artist relying totally on the income from my artwork this is the only item I have of value and I know that should I eventually sell it, it would help a lot toward much needed tools and equipment that I need to continue making my work. I believe this to be an honorable purpose for selling the guitar and my Mum has given me her full support as well. I plan to make sure that should it eventually get sold it's to an appropriate person that will appreciate care for and hopefully get it playing again.

It's only been just over the last week that I've made inquiries to various NZ music/guitar stores and sites along with vintage guitar dealers and collectors overseas trying to find out a little more about the history of these guitars and an idea of it's value. So far most of the responses I have received back have been from the US and UK. All have been guitar enthusiasts who've only had positive things to say, and as well as admiring the Maori carvings they've also been really helpful with information about the lap steel guitar as an instrument. I have been involved in the Maori visual arts scene for many years now and am very aware of the exploitation of our Maori taonga and imagery and others ignorance as to the importance it is to our people. However it is a family taonga and I have asked the appropriate person in my whanau to do this, the notices I have sent out has been in no way to exploit or disrespect my Maori culture and I too believe that this is a wonderful piece of our NZ music history and would like to eventually find a good home for it. Regards, Noelle

The Southern Man Song

I've been noticing one of the more frequent key word searches within the KiwiFolk site has been for "southern man". I was there (in my role as a Pog) at its inception and it's still one of the most requested songs in my repertoire.

I've written up the history of the song as it relates to the Pog Band but it would be good to hear anyone elses point of view. Particularly, it would be good to get some dates around those rugby games.

Tommy Makem dies age 74

From the nz-folk list:

Irish singer, songwriter and storyteller Tommy Makem has died after a long battle with lung cancer. For over fifty years Makem entertained the world with self-penned songs and Stories. Makem died in Dover, New Hampshire (USA) where he lived.

Makem grew to international fame with The Clancy Brothers in the late 1950s and 1960s.

Listen to Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem:
When The Ship Comes In' (YouTube)
'Ballad Of William Bloat' (YouTube)
'Red Haired Mary' (YouTube)

VIEW PHOTOS: Makem's career spanned more than five decades
TALK ABOUT IT: Share your memories of Makem's life and work
ARCHIVE 11/21/06: He still sings to Irish ears
On the Web: http://www.makem.com

From Wellington

From Barnsey:

"Dear all nz-folk,

"Firstly some breaking news - Tim van Eyken has had some great news in that he has been offered a part in the National Theatre Christmas production. It's a direction he has been wanting to go in for some time, however as it means solid work from August through February he won't now be able to attend our festival this year. So we're following up a couple of options and will let you all know what eventuates.

Tim is re-arranging his flights to come out next year instead, and hopes to be able to be in the country rather longer. Secondly, get booking for the festival to take advantage of the earlybird discount and especially if you want bunks. Go to the website http://wellingtonfolkfestival.org.nz/ and go to the Registration page. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of you there...

Cheers, David
http://wellingtonfolkfestival.org.nz/
http://morrisdancing.org.nz/

Website Rant

From the nz-folk list, Jo Foster writes:

"I am going to offend at least one person without doubt but it has to be said. I keep coming across club pages, individuals websites, and a plethora of others just like this

"If you have a website advertising your group club or event take the time to build a reasonable quality homepage. A hastily erected homepage with broken links half completed pages, cute but unreadable fonts and backgrounds, full of moving graphics, files and links which dont work are detrimental to the growth and wellbeing of your organisation.
People use search engines, when they look for a band name in a certain area and you have a website or a homepage with details on that band, your site will be somewhere on the top of the search list, take the time and the care to do it properly. If your site is not up to scratch, fix it. It doesnt have to be fancy, it has to be not broken. There are thousands of guides and templates available online, if html in its raw form scares you, use your word processor.
A simple well laid out website is by far much better than a website with graphics leaping all over the place, a giant watermark in the background, 3 year old details to people who have either passed away or moved, and a bunch of broken links. Forget cute javascript popups - just about every user these days has a popup blocker of some sort, forget anything difficult to use, many users have difficulty (believe me - helpdesks are a real eye opener on skill levels).

"To the outside world this is your advertising, your personality. People will judge your organisation based on your website, if no one has the time keep it as simple and as dateless as possible, add a photo gallery for interest, and encourage members to submit photos. If you cant dedicate time do not put information online that can become dated quickly."

Mike adds:

"When I'm putting together publicity for festivals or concerts I go to the artists' websites and look for some quotable text. Often I find their gig information, latest blog entry (aimed at people who know them, i.e preaching to the choir) or quirky flash files which are not pasteable into my document. You'd be amazed at how many sites have the most useful text as a graphic file.

"What I'm looking for is a succinct description of the artist and what they've done, that will be informative to someone who has never heard them before. It's lovely to have an interactive website for your fans but unless you're catering for the first-time visitor and providing useable copy for promoters, you're wasting your webspace."

Songwriters' Workshop Online

During New Zealand Music Month (May 2007) I was invited to give a workshop at a seminar run by the NZ Songwriters' Trust. I was also invited to be one of the judges for their original song awards. I have reconstituted the workshop here as a series of web pages.

I was in the highly auspicious company of Don McGlashan, perhaps our greatest ever songwriter. It was a privilege to see his presentation, to see how he writes, where he gleans his ideas from and how he draws inspiration from the seemingly ordinary and mundane.

Cafe Culture Downunder

CoffeeGeek - Cafe Culture Downunder - explains why we in NZ have become such coffee snobs and why we can't find a decent cup of coffee when we go overseas!

Wellingtonians: The Singers' Club Needs You!

June Sizzled at The Singers’ Club!

Our superb guest line-up of Darren Watson plus Bob Cooper-Grundy with Kate Marshall turned up the heat and gave a full house a truly memorable evening of music that had Upper Cuba Streetjumping, despite the winter chills.

However, there will be no Singers’ Club in July! We’re taking a Mid-Winter Break to catch our breath; get ourselves organised and do some recruiting.

We have lost two of our original Residents, Alistair and Catriona, and we can’t function properly with just the two of us remaining to run the club, run the sound and stage and host the evening. Not to mention the odd performance, which is the object of the exercise!

So we are actively looking for one or two new Residents to help us. Ideally (but not necessarily), musicians, who are easy going, with a passion for live acoustic music. They should also have a small talent for organisation and a big sense of humour. We do this for fun!

There’s not a huge amount to do. We’re well set up and we have a full Programme of Guests organised out to the end of the year and the venue and the audience to support the Club. So contact us now as we need you urgently. 021 253 8996

We’ll update you about August and any changes or news nearer the time by Newsletter; and we’ll update the webpage www.nzacoustic.net

But, don’t despair, there will be live music at The Roxy on Tuesday July 31st.

Bob McNeill is in concert at the Café on that night (see below for details), so keep the last Tuesday of the month programmed in your diaries for great live acoustic music.

As ever, if you don’t want to get news about the Singers’ Club, just send us an email with ‘I don’t want this stuff!’ in the subject line. J

The Singers’ Club Residents:
Tony Hillyard & Tracey Haskell

For regular news about who’s playing at the Singers’ Club on the Last Tuesday of every month, go here: www.nzacoustic.net

If you’re interested in playing at the Singers’ Club contact Tony Hillyard:
021 253 8996 or: tonyh@clear.net.nz

Phil Garland seeks Kiwi Rhetoric

Phil writes:

Greetings all,
This is a call for any Kiwi sayings, ditties, drinking toasts, farewell toasts, backblocks rhymes and simple ditties. If you know of anything appropriate to this subject would you please contact me either on or off list.

I have collected many such pieces of folklore over the years and should anything of note come to light I would like to feature it in my almost completed book of Kiwi folklore and music. Acknowledgements and sources will be given wherever appropriate. I look forward to hearing from you in due course.
Many thanks.
Phil Garland
pgarland_at_xtra.co.nz
http://www.philgarland.co.nz/

Kiwi Records, the History of a New Zealand Record Label.

Kiwi Records (NZHistory) This essentially Maori and Pacific record label became very supportive of our own Pakeha folk music artists, Kiwi’s recordings of ballads and folk songs captured the past that the publisher's books celebrated. Neil Colquhoun’s group, the Song Spinners, put out Songs of the whalers, Songs of the gold-diggers and Songs of the gumdiggers. In 1972 Colquhoun produced the landmark collection Songs of a young country. Other typically Kiwi Records artists were balladeer Peter Cape, songwriter Ken Avery, song collector Les Cleveland, the Kokatahi Band of Westland and the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band.

YouTube posts on the nz-folk List

Anton Karas plays Zither
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFz79SBnuk8
This is a most amazing piece of footage - you'll know the playing for sure. I bet you thought it was a guitar!.

Jake Shimabukuro plays "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9mEKMz2Pvo
Who says ukulele is not a serious instrument?

John Fahey - 1969
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP3hY8HQFSE
"American primitive" open tuned guitar styles explained and played.

Bothy Band from 1977
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgXwIIHAmaw&mode=related&search=
Kevin Burke (fiddle), Triona Ni Dhomhnaill (vocals, clarinet, harmonium, keyboard), Michael Ni Dhomhnaill (guitar)

Paul Brady playing Arthur McBride, 1977
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBGkhPx529g&mode=related&search=
"Beautiful Pat, just beautiful. Genius at work. The album is still on my
most frequently played list - a treasure trove of stunning music. Lots
more clips of Brady there too. Thanks mate - Tony Hillyard"

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - You Dont bring me Flowers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ba1e9GkI4c&mode=related&search=
Who says ukulele is a serious instrument?

Battlefield Band Concert Review, Dunedin

It was not without trepidation that I waited for the doors to open at the Regent Theatre at 7pm. I tried to suppress an initial flush of optimism as a few people fronted up right away and headed for the ticket counter. I allowed myself a small increase in positivity as an orderly queue of twenty or thirty assembled at the auditorium door. By the time those doors opened and the bow-tied and suited ushers were tearing tabs off tickets, I was something approaching elated. This was a big financial undertaking for the club and it was looking like any bath we might take would at least be a warm one.

A healthy Thursday-night cohort of about 450 people settled in and Lindsey Shields cut a dapper figure as she strolled into the limelight to welcome everybody and introduce the support act, Ben the Hoose. Bob and Kenny played a sterling set, Kenny’s Scottish fiddle styles were sublime and Bob delivered his self-penned songs in what proved to be the pick of the voices this night. His warm tones rang around the Victorian alabaster and shut the Scottish cold out. It was pleasing to see a New Zealand act every bit the equal of the international act to follow.

And follow they did. The first half of the Battlefield Band concert seem to set them all up individually, featuring each in turn playing to their strengths: a rugged set of pipe tunes from Mike Katz, an inspired set of strathspeys and reels from Alisdair White who has just released a solo album (“The White Album” – no mention of The Beatles) and songs from Sean O’Donnell (the Tom Waites Shiver Me Timbers being a particular favourite) and band kaumatua, Alan Reid. Reid took great delight in the theatre’s Yamaha grand piano which enabled him to move away from his twin keyboards for a more traditional Scottish accompaniment.

In the second half the band delivered en force tunes and songs that made the wee hairs stand up. The unison playing of pipes and fiddle were perfect to the finest ornament – it is only in a sound-reinforced concert or studio recording that these two instruments could be equal in volume, so it is pleasing to be able to experience the synergy of both. And as for the sound, while for the most part perfectly balanced, I did find the overly lavish reverb left a harsh tail on the vocals, fiddle and whistles which I found quite distracting.

All in all though, it was the most pleasing way to spend one of the coldest Dunedin nights for a while.

Whare Flat Folk Festival

Several great artists have been confirmed already for this year's festival (December 30th 2007 - January 3rd 2008) including the amazing and prolific Irish singer/songwriter Kieran Halpin, Scandanavian trio Habbadám (featuring the wonderfully charismatic Hannah Wiskari, the guest saxophonist of two years ago) and the highly acclaimed Sam Burke and the Wifeys from Melbourne.

More information on the Whare Flat Folk Festival website.

Grada Concert Review

Sean Manning reviews the Grada concert, April 28th at the Dunedin Railway Station.

Now I have to say that Grada are a very good-looking band. Structurally similar To Lunasa – guitar and bass on either side holding the thing together and driving the music along, with the tune players, and in this case the singer, in the middle. They are young, energetic, and seem to really enjoy what they do together. There were no moments of ennui, no difficult dynamics. Even after god knows how many almost identical concerts, they seemed to be really having a good time. They told an illustrative story, how on their only day off in an Australian tour, which happened to be in Bondi, they stayed at home to rehearse new material.

They also seemed to be genuinely friendly. After the concert I went up to see what kind of guitars Gerry Paul was playing – he was off somewhere talking to someone else – and the fluter, Alan Doherty, merrily invited me to have a go with them. When their owner returned he was even more encouraging.

(For the guitar players, mostly he played a McIlroy, made in County Antrim by a refugee from George Lowden’s guitar factory, where they make instruments with a major reputation among folk musicians – Donal Hennessey of Lunasa plays one. Another graduate of the same school, Sam Irwin, made one of my guitars. The other one was a 1960-something Martin, a lovely little parlour guitar with tremendous intonation.)

With Gerry Paul crouching over his instrument on the right and Andrew Laking bending across his stand-up bass on the left, both of them New Zealanders, the music was pushed along – they don’t do much in the way of slow tunes. At times it was too complex for me, I wanted to yell, ‘hang on a bit, what happened there? Do that bit again.’ But they were already on to the next, equally complex measure. I can’t really complain, I found the whole concert completely engaging, which is remarkable, coming from this old grump, who can find something boring or just wrong with almost anything. As the concert developed, the layers of the music became plainer – I suppose they were teaching me to listen.

What they do has some roots in Irish diddley-aiddley music, but while superficially similar groups like Lunasa, Danu or Solas remain with the traditional, albeit in a modernized form, What Grada do turns it into pop, jazz and poetry. Nicola Joyce’s singing was not an old-fashioned traditional voice. She delivered the songs with passion and lyricism. An old-fashioned critic might carp that the words were indistinct, something that usually irritates me, but even that was OK, probably more a result of the venue. On their CD, I discovered later, the words are clear.

On either side they were flanked by two stunning instrumentalists – Alan Doherty of flutes and Colin Farrell on fiddle, both also playing whistles on occasion. These are both clearly capable of playing in a traditional style, but apparently impatient with that, their harmonies and solos owed much to improvisation and sounded at times more like jazz.

Favourite moments? Well, the encore for a start (so to speak). They did two things. First, Nicola Joyce and Gerry Paul returned to the stage and did the only reasonably slow thing of the evening – Suzanne Vega’s ‘The Soldier and the Queen’. Not an easy song, it was breathtaking. Then the whole group did something very fast that ended in a chaotically deliberate and high-spirited cacophony. But the best for me was as much visible as auditory. There was a duet on identical low whistles from Doherty and Farrell. Both dressed in black, they framed the singer who sat in the middle playing bodhron, and were framed in their turn by Paul and Laking. To add to the effect, Laking, left-handed on the right, played with his right hand above the left on the whistle, and Doherty, on the left, had his left hand on top. They are the most symmetrical band I’ve ever seen, and they didn’t even know it. When I told Gerry Paul about it afterwards, he seemed bemused.

e-Interview with Ben the Hoose

Ben the Hoose is the award-winning duo featuring fiddler Kenny Ritch from the Orkney Isles and songwriter-guitarist Bob McNeill from Glasgow based here in New Zealand, albeit in different cities. Their music is a spirited interpretation of the dance mu-sic of Scotland; uniquely rhythmic and energetic, they embody the modern Scots tradition. I asked them a few questions by email.

Scottish fiddling is the new gravy on the potatoes of Celtic music. John McCusker is all over and under everything that comes out these days. Is this a good bandwagon to be on? Do you think there is a Renaissance in Scottish music?

Bob: Yes I suppose so. I think the Scottish music world is in a very healthy state. In the last few years I think there’s been a real revival of what I see as the spirit of the music, in contrast to the tendancy for some of the drier institutions to view it a bit academically. There are so many young ones playing now, it’s fantastic. And so much diversity.

Kenny: I’d say that Scottish fiddling has been gravy for a very long time and by that I mean very nice, slightly peppery gravy with no lumps. Being on the Scottish music “bandwagon” is a great thing and Bob and I both know how lucky we are to have grown up with it. A renaissance in Scottish traditional music has been going on for years now. Blazin’ Fiddles injected a lot of life into the scene back in 1998 and it really opened the eyes and ears of young folk all around Scotland who perhaps didn’t appreciate the music they had at their fingertips. Since then young Celtic bands have been appearing all over Scotland.

Do you prefer the guitar for accompaniment rather than the cittern/bouzouki or, for that matter, the piano? Bob, what instruments are you currently playing?

Bob: I like both guitar and piano for accompaniment. It’s not the instrument, it’s the person playing it! Generally, I like far more guitar backers than piano backers. I’m not a huge fan of the “vamp” style on any instrument, especially piano, so I’ll leave that alone, thanks. I also really don’t like the modern splashy right hand style they have in Cape Breton. Kenny and I found early on that guitar worked much better for us in Ben the Hoose, to the extent that I don’t play bouzouki at all in the band now. I wish my piano playing was better!

Kenny: I’ve always loved hearing piano and fiddle together. My Granny, when she was alive, was a lovely pianist and she used to play with me at competitions when I was living at home in Orkney. When Bob and I started playing together, Bob played as much bouzouki as he did guitar. It didn’t take us long though to realise that the sound we were after only came out when he played guitar. Yes, I obviously love the guitar (how could I say otherwise?) but a tune with a great piano player is a magical thing too.

Who is inspiring Ben the Hoose?

Bob: Gavin Marwick, Jonny Hardie, The Iron Horse, Capercaillie (their early music especially), Cry Cry Cry, Richard Shindell, Mark Nevin. A big mix of people.

Kenny: Fiddlers Johnny Hardie and Gavin Marwick are two huge influences for me and the two albums they made together are unforgettable. As far as bands go I’d have to say Session A9 and The Iron Horse and the early Capercaillie stuff. Then there’s Alistair Fraser, Gordon Gunn, Eilidh Shaw, Jennifer Wrigley …

There's a fair bit of kudos in winning the 2006 Folk Tui but is it helpful?

Bob: Well. We suppose it will be especially so when we go abroad (outside NZ) with the band. For us I guess it came across as a sort of vote of confidence in what we were doing – that a Scottish album (albiet with some New Zealand flavour to it) could win in NZ.

Kenny: Winning the Tui was a great thing for us and has certainly helped to boost album sales. Bob and I didn’t set out to win an award with the album – it was just a good way of solidifying a lot of the music we had in our heads – but getting recognition for it is always appreciated.

How do Orkney fiddle styles and arrangements differ from Scottish?

Bob: Orkney has theoretically been Scottish since 1472. However, its culture and by entension music, seems to have remained quite unique until fairly recently. Kenny’s the expert here, but I hear a lot of north east fiddle style in Orkney music now – all the regions in Scotland have borrowed, expecially recently, from all the others – Bands like Blazin’ Fiddles, Session A9 and Fiddler’s Bid, all of which have lots of fiddlers, have encouraged this

Kenny: It’s hard to say if there’s any difference at all. Perhaps 100 years ago you could have drawn a distinction, but not now – there’s just too much blending of influences. That said, I’m sure if you asked a Scottish mainland player about Orkney fiddle playing they’d swear it was fuelled solely by beer and single malt. Who am I to argue?

Bob, your original songs are particularly well crafted and evocative of the bleaker bits of Scotland and its history. There seems to be a very methodical approach to you songwriting, is this so? Who is covering your material?

Bob: Thank you! But that’s really only one aspect of my writing. I’m not a historical writer at all in fact – just that, when I started writing songs, I found that type of song easier to write. Most of the stuff I’ve written in the last three years has been contemporary, about modern themes.

I can’t do what somebody like James Keelaghan can do with real stories. (By the way, the Scotsman newspaper described him as the “Master of Disaster” - brilliant).

I think when you’re talking about songwriting you can get very technical about some-thing that really isn’t – there’s a particular evocation of sound and melody that I’m going for, every time, to frame the words and the way the character is saying them. The lyrics, phrasing, singing style, guitar style, chord shapes and tuning are all textures that, if you get it all right, will make the listener hear what you heard, when you wrote the song. Great songwriters make you feel what the character feels, not what the songwriter feels, I guess. That’s what you aspire to.

Who’s covering me? I don’t actually know, a lot of the time. But I do know that people are. I get emails asking for backstory and lyrics etc, the two most recent ones from Ireland and Germany, and I do get the (small) cheques, too, so I know people do actually do them and report it, bless them. I don’t Google myself much. Should I?

Explain the cuisine component of the full Ben the Hoose experience.

Bob: Difficult. I refer the interested reader to The Playboy Gourmet Cookbook by Thomas Mario. There you will discover a world of cuisine, elegance and class that I personally found hugely appealing. It may be a strange thing to say, however, in my opinion at the time, this was what was missing from Scottish music.

Kenny: When Bob and I started playing together in mid-2005 we quickly realised that we both have a bit of a passion for good home-cooked food. We did a wee workshop at the Dunedin Celtic Arts Festival that same year that involved us playing tunes and yapping while cooking steak (with a particular tasty red wine sauce). We did plan on putting recipes on our album sleeve but it never happened. Anytime we’re together having a tune, mince and tatties, bacon sandwiches or steak feature high up on the meal list. Music and good food is a killer combination.

Rumours of Bob's imminent departure from these shores would appear to put the duo into recess - or is it something that can be maintained and developed despite the 'tyranny of distance'? Does Ben the Hoose intend to do some international touring? Does Ben the Hoose aspire to being an internationally recognised unit?

Bob: Yes. Yes. Yes.
I wouldn’t think that if either of us were to return to Scotland it would make all that much difference to Ben the Hoose’s modus operandi. We tend to do gigs in bunches anyway, and living in different cities, we have to do a fair bit of planning ahead. Currently gigs have to pay a certain amount before they’re feasible – that’ll just get more pronounced. We’ll just do fewer gigs, but bigger ones. Longer term, having one of us in Scotland, for example, would be a big advantage – there are a lot of festivals over there.

Kenny: Certainly Bob being in Scotland is a trickier situation than him being in Wellington but we intend to keep things going. We’re looking at the possibility of touring Scotland, Ireland and parts of Europe and having Bob based over there will make that easier.

Both of you being musicians AND working in computers must make you Super Geeks. How do you manage to communicate with your audiences?

Bob: For me, it’s the left brain – right brain thing. It may sound hackneyed, but it’s true. A good balance is to use both. I suppose that our core audience is from the Web generation as well, they’re our age anyway, but I hadn’t really thought about it like that… I’ve always regarded having a day job as fairly separate from what I do at night.

Kenny: By talking out of our mouths. In these days of email and text messages it’s quite a novel way of communicating, but it really does work. But, if that fails, the following computer code usually works:

10 Print “Hello, we’re Ben the Hoose”
20 Print “Here’s a set of Scottish tunes …”
30 GOTO 20
RUN