May is New Zealand music month, so local music is the key for this concert showcasing Helen Dorothy and Neils Gedge, plus guest spots featuring Kiwi songs from other singers.
HELEN DOROTHY, guitarist and singer-songwriter, is currently enjoying the attention her music deserves from UK’s fRoots magazine. The essential folk, roots and world music guide selected her recent album ‘Watching Ghosts...and Other Songs’ as a favourite in January 2014, featured two songs on their monthly fRoots Radio show, and went on to include ‘Tractor Jean’ on their annual compilation album. And here’s what they said: “Helen Dorothy writes beautifully-crafted, intelligent songs rich in memorable imagery.”
On ‘Watching Ghosts...’, Helen Dorothy collaborates with other Wellington artists, primarily double bassist Richard Prowse and violinist Fiona Smythe. Their instruments, in various combinations with Dorothy’s acoustic guitar, mandola or piano, form the album’s song foundations, and there are musical contributions from award-winning jazz musician Kevin Clark, Celtic multi-instrumentalist Oscar West and guitarist (sound engineer) Robbie Duncan.
Helen will be selecting some songs from ‘Watching Ghosts...’ as well as some new material to perform solo at our new venue.
www.helendorothy.com
NIELS GEDGE is a singer songwriter from Plimmerton. He joined Acoustic Routes since he first arrived in Wellington in 2008. A 5th generation New Zealander, he lived his early life in Tokoroa - among the farms and forests of the volcanic plateau. He works mostly in Appalachian, folk, country, country-blues and gospel idioms and many of his songs draw on the landscapes of Aotearoa to tell stories of life and the echoes of lives past. For live performances, Niels mixes his originals with NZ folk songs and covers to draw you in.
Niels' set will include 3 songs from his new CD Maui’s Whale, which will be launched at The Thunderbird Café, Featherston St on 7 June.
Niels also released a CD of originals Between Two Lines in 2010.
