Christchurch Folk Music Club
An open letter from Dunedin
Okay Canterbury…
Now you’ve done it.
This was supposed to be raid, for heaven’s sake! This was war. But when we crossed the border between Otago and Canterbury what met us? Nothing! Where were the barricades? There weren’t any.
We stopped off in Timaru for lunch. No sign of the armed militia, no cavalry. By the time we’d got to Ashburton we’d taken off our Viking helmets. They were really too warm and the horns kept poking through the roof of the bus.
Things got worse when we reached Christchruch. There were all these smiling hosts waiting to show us to our rooms. There were comfortable beds waiting. They took us to a barbeque!
At least the weather was inhospitable.
The element of surprise was completely ruined by all that publicity. I walked into a bar on Sunday evening and everyone shook my hand and said they hoped we’d have a good time. I was miserable.
And the venue? Talk about comfortable? I hated it.
Well we performed for you and you applauded, more than politely I’m bound to say, which some of our party appreciated. Softies. The one satisfaction I had from that evening was that nothing could have prepared you for our secret weapon: an octogenarian, deaf in one ear, accordion player with a line in antique, off colour jokes. Thank God for Cyril Sharpe.
And so a 20 year old tradition was successfully revived and a return visit is planned for May. Well let me warn you now Canterbury. When you come to Dunedin on Saturday 19 May we’ll be ready. There will be no easy rides, oh no.
BY GOD, WE’LL SHOW YOU HOSPITALITY!
Richard Dingwall
Back Porch Music
Reviewed By Larry Milnes I noticed in a review in the previous Hear Ye that the reviewer closed with the postscript "If you love music don’t flog it off the net" and while I agree with this, a positive by-product of this digital technology is...
Compadres – James Keelahan & Oscar Lopez
At Al's Bar, 31/1/09 Reviewed by Gill Coe From the very first bars, you knew you were in for something special. The big Canadian with his beautiful baritone voice, paired with the sexy, bejewelled, Chilean with flying fingers and a delightful...
From a Winters Ledge – A Concert by Jon Hooker and James Wilkinson.
Reviewed by Jan Elliot You missed a great night of stringed instruments and perfect moments if you weren't at the club to absorb the fine performances of these consummate musicians. Actually feeling sorry for club members not in attendance is...
Johnny Possum’s Goodtime Hootin’ Band
Sunday 6th May - Reviewed by Geoff Anders Johnny Possums Good Time Hootin' Band. What a name. Someone obviously has a sense of humour. Finding a good name for a new band isn't always easy so is sometimes rushed and regretted. This one works...
Hera – at the Club – 17/9/06
Reviewed by Phillip Marshall Hera graced the stage with a quiet confidence and surety in her performance. Her extensive touring and recording was evident in the strong delivery of her songs. Hera’s Taylor 314CE cutaway guitar sounded bright and...
Graham Wardrop and Rosa Shiels
10th June 2007, by Geoff Skinner For those who ventured out to attend this concert on one of the coldest nights of the year, they were more than well rewarded by Rosa and Graham ready to entertain, and obviously loving this reunion of musical...
Emeralds And Greenstone
Concert In The Great Hall - 30 April, by Hamish Wilson. The ambitious project was the last in the "Jazz For Lunch" series , part of the Montana Jazz Festival 2006. The concept of this concert was to combine Maori and Celtic musical styles and...
Enda Kenny – Here and There (CD)
Review by Dave Hart This man has long been held in the highest regard as one of the finest singer-songwriters of our time. Enda’s songs give a very real view of where he stands and how he sees the world and the events in it. The songs in this...
Delgirl
Delgirl Review, Christchurch Folk Club, 12 October, 2008 The all-female Dunedin trio, Delgirl, played the Christchurch Folk Club on 12 October 2008 . This was the 29th performance of 29 on their two month New Zealand-wide tour. However, the...
Dave Hart & James Bowen
Club concert - 21 May, by Tony Kiesanowski With the evening billed as an English double feature, James "Bar" Bowen began by introducing us to his view of some of the world's characters he has come across in his travels. Reminiscent of the in...