For six weeks during 2010 Rosy Tin Teacaddy were exiled to New Zealand's most volatile landscape; the Rotorua Lakes District. In the shadow of Tarawera, a mountain which unleashed the most devastating volcanic eruption of recent times, Rosy Tin Teacaddy summoned the spirits and stories left buried under ash and mud.
By forging new interpretations of existing myths, the Wellington folk duo carved their own into a full-length album; All Mountains Are Men. Written and recorded entirely in isolation at a cottage by the lake, this new collection of songs extends Rosy Tin Teacaddy's sonic palette by layering field-recordings, omnichord and cello on a bed of interlacing vocal harmonies and acoustic guitars. From an old-fashioned camera flash comes contemporary musical story-telling; cinematic and intimate.
Overlooking Lake Tarawera, Billy and Betty papered the walls of the cottage with maps and undertook their own expedition; visiting relics, historical heroes, and trekking to what was once the eighth wonder of the world – the Pink and White Terraces. In their journeys they discovered the characters, news reports and legends that would fuel the imaginings of travelling back in time.
Now, in 2011, as New Zealand is once again being shaped by the whim of a powerful earth, Rosy Tin Teacaddy play a special concert in remembrance of all those who lost their lives 125 years ago, on the night of 10 June 1886. A reminder that hope can take shape from a daydream in dust.
Tickets available through the Rotorua Museum 07-350 1814 and on the door.
