SongCatcher presents
EP launch and fundraiser show for ‘Jackie B and the Mini Band’
Also some other very special guests and groups from the SongCatcher songwriting program.
BYO Picnic celebration.
An innovative musical lockdown project by New Zealand singer-songwriter Jackie Bristow has inspired a collaboration with a group of young Wakatipu singers.
Together as the group Jackie B and The Mini Band, they have written and recorded an EP of sparkling, radio-ready pop songs. It is a true international production. The vocals were recorded in St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Arrowtown, New Zealand, the backing music was recorded and produced in Nashville mastered at Studios 301 in Sydney and Sterling Sound in Nashville.
Jackie Bristow grew up in Gore, NZ and now lives in the United States, in the music capital Nashville, where she has continued to enhance her reputation as a soulful, seductive independent recording artist and dynamic live performer. American Songwriter has hailed Jackie as “crafting some of the most beautiful, compelling Americana today.” She has been staying in New Zealand since the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
While her planned nationwide Back To The Roots tour fell by the wayside because of Covid restrictions, Jackie has been keeping herself busy developing a new youth songwriting programme called SongCatcher, which has spawned exciting results even before it is officially launched.
The idea for the programme came last year after Jackie performed at a concert to raise funds for Queenstown-based charitable trust Turn Up The Music, which provides music teaching and performance opportunities for children in the Wakatipu basin. Bill Moran, who was then trust chair, suggested the idea of Jackie mentoring youngsters in workshops.
From there, Jackie developed the songwriting programme called SongCatcher, partnering with Turn Up The Music and Youthtown Inc, a national not-for-profit focused on empowering the young people of Aotearoa New Zealand to be the best they can be. Jackie’s programme is designed for seven to 10-year-olds, teaching them how to write a song and express themselves through songwriting and singing.
In a 19-week series of workshops held in St Patrick’s Church in Arrowtown, Jackie B and The Mini Band was born. Mentored by Jackie, the group of seven kids aged 7 to 10 were taught to collaborate on lyric writing and melody composition and under Jackie’s guidance they wrote eight original songs. The vocals were recorded in the church over five days by studio engineer Steve Roberts.
Jackie says it was “super-exciting for the kids to write songs they’re connected to for their age group,” although the songs had genuine crossover appeal for adults too.
Jackie sent the recordings to her long-time musical partner Mark Punch in Nashville, who recorded high-quality backing tracks, which were then mastered at the legendary Studios 301 and Sterling Sound.
“I got excited about it straight away,” Jackie says. “I’m very proud that the kids embraced the concept and worked together to make such cool songs. The songs are quite special.”
The blend of Jackie’s music and vocals with the children’s voices and Mark Punch’s quality production is a fresh and commercially appealing sound. Jackie says there has been a lot of excitement and interest around the project and it has been such a joyful experience writing and recording with these kids.
The project has received funding from NZ On Air and Youthtown NZ.
Meanwhile, Jackie is working towards launching the SongCatcher programme nationally in New Zealand 2022
