We choose what we carry with us. All things must be selected carefully, balanced, weighed, and packed so as to abandon nothing of consequence. This Music Month, for their Ballads and Badlands Tour Nadia Reid and Luckless have parsed their emotional and physical baggage down to size so as to free-wheel down the highway, through drought, storm and tussock, offering their stories and songs to whoever will lend them an ear.
Their station-wagon is small, but carries a lot of weight: the lyrics, the guitars, the histories and hopes; stories of the ashes and rubble left lining streets both real and metaphorical. Together, Reid and Ivy Rossiter of Luckless form a part of a new generation of songwriters born to take to their stories the road, to pin their words and harmonies to hearts and minds as far and wide as possible. This is no gloss-laden floss-pedaling romp through a handful of chords. Both performers craft work laden with texture and space, light and dark, tales of joy and sorrow blending with the feeling of the in-between.
Nadia Reid is one of the great, young musical prodigies at work in New Zealand today. At only 21, her much lauded EP sent critics spiraling with praise. Raised in Port Chalmers, coming of age in the musical mecca of Christchurch and now building towers of song in the metropolis of Auckland, Reid presents tales of love and loss through a new-folk glass, echoing songwriters such as Beth Orton or Laura Marling. She carries her stripped back, acoustic songs to audiences with poise and a grace that belies her young age.
Formerly of Auckland, now living as a musical nomad, Ivy Rossiter has been burning the candle at both ends around the country since releasing Luckless’s debut album in 2012. Her electrified take on the craft of songwriting, combined with a predilection for unexpected and challenging musical directions, have melted hearts across the country, calling audiences back for more. With an arsenal of new songs and a second record on the boil, Rossiter has tire-tracks on her heels and fire in her blood, ready to bruise a heart or two along the way.
Together, Reid and Luckless are an arresting combination – Reid’s acoustic new-folk cadence and clarity meld with Rossiter’s distorted abrasiveness and looping chaos; the breadth and beauty of the show culminating in a collaborative set of badland ballads, both new originals and long-familiar favourites.
The Ballads and Badlands Tour will be visiting towns nationwide from the 9th to the 26th of May Music Month 2013 . Tickets available from www.undertheradar.co.nz, $10 presale, $15 on the door
Thursday 9 May – The Darkroom, Chch
Friday 10 May – Hilltop Tavern, Little River
Saturday 11 May – Chick’s Hotel, Port Chalmers
Sunday 12 May – New Edinborough Folk Club, Dunedin
Tuesday 14 May – Federal Diner, Wanaka
Wednesday 15 May – Donovan’s Store, Okarito
Thursday 16 May – Barrytown Hall, Barrytown
Friday 17 May – The Boathouse, Nelson
Saturday 18 May - The Tin Hut, Featherston
Monday 20 May – Evil Genius NZ Music Month Potluck Dinner, Wellington
Wednesday 22 May – The Moorings, Wellington
Thursday 23 May – Rhythm Upstairs, New Plymouth
Friday 24 May – The Wine Cellar, Auckland
Saturday 25 May - The Funky Fish, Bayly's Beach
Sunday 26 May – Golden Dawn, Auckland
Plus more dates to be announced.
