Willie Watson and Joshua Hedley Announce Auckand Show

Old Crow Medicine Show co-founder Willie Watson is teaming up with Nashville's musical outlaw Joshua Hedley for a special show at The Tuning Fork in June. Watson, who also plays with the Dave Rawlings Machine, released his debut solo album Folk Singer Vol. 1 in 2014 - which was produced with help from Rawlings himself. Meanwhile Hedley, who has served as Justin Townes Earle's fiddle player, has been gaining adoration of fans around the globe by pushing the boundaries of country music as you know it. The pair will be supported by Adam McGrath of local outfit The Eastern. Here are the details...

Willie Watson and Joshua Hedley
Thursday 7th July, The Tuning Fork, Auckland

Here's Willie Watson with "Mexican Cowboy' from Folk Singer Vol. 1..

And here's Hedley performing 'Weird Thought Thinker' live at Bonnaroo...

PRESS RELEASE:

VECTOR ARENA PRESENTS

WILLIE WATSON & JOSHUA HEDLEY
ANNOUNCING ONE NEW ZEALAND DOUBLE HEADLINE DATE
WITH SPECIAL GUEST ADAM MCGRATH (THE EASTERN)
THE GREAT SOUTH PACIFIC TUNING FORK - 7 JULY 2016

New York born Willie Watson, co-founder of one of the most respected bands in modern Americana, Old Crow Medicine Show will co-headline one New Zealand show with Joshua Hedley, one of Nashville’s emerging stars, at The Great South Pacific Tuning Fork, Auckland on Thursday 7 July.

Tickets for this show will go on sale 9am, Tuesday 19 April with a Southern Fork and MyTicketmaster presale from 9am, 15 April.

Willie Watson is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and banjo player hailing from Watkins Glen in upstate New York and a band member of the Dave Rawlings Machine. Released in 2014, his debut solo album, Folk Singer Vol. 1, was produced by Dave Rawlings and was described by Rhythms Magazine as “relentlessly riveting” and by respected Americana blog Post To Wire as “Highly recommended.”

Like the music, Willie can be murderous, bawdy or lustful, sometimes in the course of a single song, with a sly sense of humour that cuts to the quick. “There’s a lot of weight in the way Willie performs,” says Rawlings, longtime friend and producer of Watson’s previous band, Old Crow Medicine Show. “There’s an emotional edge to what he does because of who he is as a human being. Willie is the only one of his generation who can make me forget these songs were ever sung before.”

Josh Hedley may have been born and raised in Naples, Florida but is no stranger to our musical venue having played with Jonny Fritz as part of The Tuning Fork’s 2014 Southern Fork Americana Fest. In his 11 years as a Nashville musician he has been a mainstay in all the legendary honky tonks and has played with the likes of Jack White, Dan Auerbach, Justin Townes Earle, Nikki Lane and Yelawolf. Now pursuing his career as a singer and songwriter in his own right and with the likes of George Jones and Merle Haggard in mind, Joshua plans to take over the world with his own brand of traditional country music.

Special guest for the evening is New Zealand’s own folk singer Adam McGrath of The Eastern. McGrath’s songs have gathered a clutch of good reviews in NZ and overseas, Graham Reid from the NZ Herald referred to him as 'NZ's toughest minded songwriter’ and Barry Saunders from The Warratahs simply described him as “The Truth”. Having shared stages and opened for numerous Americana acts including Fleetwood Mac, Steve Earle and Old Crow Medicine Show, McGrath is a perfect accompaniment for an evening with Watson and Hedley.

Three great singers, three great musicians. One incredible show. Don’t miss it!

VECTOR ARENA PRESENTS
WILLIE WATSON & JOSHUA HEDLEY
WITH SPECIAL GUEST ADAM MCGRATH
AT THE GREAT SOUTH PACIFIC TUNING FORK
THURSDAY 7 JULY 2016

Tickets on sale Tuesday 19 April, 9am from www.ticketmaster.co.nz 0800 111 999
Southern Fork and MyTicketmaster presale from 9am, 15 April
Tickets in advance $42.80 + booking fees.