April 28 will see the reprise of a show which was a sell-out at the 2017 Tauranga Arts Festival. Singer-songwriter Sarah Spicer will perform with The Blue Riders at The Back Room @ Lotus Realm Music Shop, playing all original material.
The Blue Riders is a collective of jazz fusion musicians including keyboardist Liam Ryan (The Narcs) whose electro-jazz solo albums “Mississippi To Mauao” and “Pacific Riviera” form the backbone of the band’s repertoire. After playing an opening set they will accompany Spicer whose sublime voice saw her as a finalist on NZ X Factor in 2016 - she has over 2M views on YouTube.
Ryan and Spicer met in Waihi where both now reside. “ We spent last winter playing twice a week; writing and arranging songs – and now we have an ongoing collaboration which is very satisfying musically and socially for all members of the band ”, says Ryan. “ Both Sarah and myself play a lot nationally but both of us were drawn to the idea of having a local musical whanau we could play with and bounce new ideas off. The Blue Riders have provided us with that priveliged opportunity. We feel very blessed to have Wayne Melville (bass) and Jeff Baker (drums) - both very empathetic players.”
“We are looking forward to playing The Lotus Realm – it is good to have a Coromandel venue where the artists are at the centre of things. Where we can play the music we really want to play”, says Ryan.
Sarah Spicer and the Blue Riders performed together in Tauranga to a sold-out standing ovation at the 2017 Tauranga Arts Festival. Expect intimate you-can-hear-a-pin-drop atmosphere, deep grooves and soulful vocals wrapped around uplifting lyrical performances.
