Christchurch Folk Music Club

Online Mini Concert – 19/04/2020

The inaugural online mini concert. As a way to continue to enjoy live music on Sunday night we will alternate with an online mini-concert 7-8.30pm and an online open mic 4-6pm.

We were delighted to begin this series with three stunningly fabulous acts:

SteffanyBeck, Christchurch
Lisa Tui and Matt Davis, Christchurch
Amy Maynard and Aaron Gott, (Looking for Alaska), Hamilton

This concert enriched our lives as we were reminded of the joy that hearing music live so generously gifts us as listeners and participants.

Steff, as a young Christchurch singer songwriter brought her own music that was lively and poignant, sharing one of her latest compositions penned during the lockdown. Steff’s rendition of the Rod Stewart hit “The first cut is the deepest” brought back nostalgic thoughts of attending his concert at QEII many years ago now. Steff offered the vitality of youth which was refreshing and gave reassurance that the music will continue into the future.

The second treasured act was the duo of Lisa Tui and Matt Davis, musicians, songwriters and teachers based in Christchurch. Their first song offered the opportunity for a sing-a-long, “Wade in the Water”, known to so many, and the opportunity to sing along relished.
Matt and Lisa are consummate professionals and their years of experience as well as the opportunity to practice over lock down made sure that they presented as a tight duo, sharing the creative platform in both harmony and

Our last set were the entertaining and energetic pairing of Amy Maynard and Aaron Gott, aka Looking for Alaska. Amy and Aaron were guests at the 2018 Canterbury Folk Festival where they captivated the audience and this set of fours songs was no different.

The generosity of their music played out in the explanations of the backgrounds that crafted each song. These insights offered the chance for a more personal understanding of where the creative forces began, the gospel inspired tune gifted to the memory of Amy’s grandmother whose spirituality was fundamental to her life decisions, the taonga of a waiata, the song that gave Aaron the opportunity to show us his keyboard skills, fluidly changing from guitar to pedals and keys. This was an inspiring and awesome set.

Our thanks of appreciation go to all the artists; Rachel Bayliss for her technical support of the concert and to the audience for tuning in to enjoyment te night offered.

Please support the artists, in these times where their usual revenue streams are curtailed their online presence is vital.

Judi Smitheram
Secretary

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