Adam McGrath & Darren Watson Double Release Extravaganza Announced

Old friends and old souls Darren Watson and Adam McGrath are putting on a hell of a show this December to celebrate a new book, a new album, and run a Christmas toy drive. The pair have titled the evening a "Whateverathon", and promise "stories, songs and a socialism of the public bar" at Ōtautahi stomping ground Cassel's Blue Smoke. Watson is journeying down from Pōneke for the occasion, sharing songs from his album Getting Sober For The End Of The World to a Christchurch crowd for the first time. When these two country folksters aren't filling up Blue Smoke with their barrelling baritones, The Eastern's McGrath will be reading from his new and "possibly pretentious" book The Dogs Are Up. Warm those cockles and wrap up a soon-to-be favourite toy for a kid in need, Watson and McGrath are sure to put on a magical show...

Adam McGrath and Darren Watson
Friday 11th December - Cassel's Blue Smoke, Christchurch
Tix on sale HERE via UTR

Adam McGrath's voice will send chills down you spine in this live rendition of 'People Like Us'...

Get to know Darren Watson in the clip for album title track 'Getting Sober For The End Of The World'...

Press Release:

Two of NZ's foremost roots singer songwriters, Adam McGrath and Darren Watson team up for a double release/toy raiser chirstmas cheer/whateverathon this dec. at chch's premier community music venue 'Cassels Blue Smoke'. Darren will be showcasing his new album 'Getting Sober for the End of the World' for the first time in chch and Adam will be releasing a new possibly pretentious book 'The Dogs Are Up'.

Expect stories, songs and a socialism of the public bar.

PLEASE BRING A TOY TO BE DONATED FOR XMAS ALONG WITH YOUR TICKET.

Adam McGrath
Adam McGrath is a folk singer stationed wherever he lands. He travels the state highways and byways of New Zealand, Australia, Europe and parts beyond, slinging songs and offering up low rent barroom philosophy with his band of misfits and chancers, The Eastern. He hopes for the best, prepares for the worst and believes in Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, libraries, and singalongs. He lives alone, cooks infrequently and is scared of flags that blow to the right. He is happiest in front of a jukebox as the call for last drinks is given, because jukeboxes are getting harder to find, and the last drinks call means the lock in is ever closer. His songs have gathered more than their share of good reviews in NZ and overseas, he's been nominated for a couple of serious music awards (including the Apra Silver Scroll), Graham Reid from the NZ herald called him 'NZ's toughest minded songwriter’ and Barry Saunders from The Warratahs simply described him as “The Truth” while Radio New Zealand refered to him as a “National Treasure”.

Darren Watson
Music journalist Nick Bollinger recently described Darren Watson's music with the phrase So few notes, so much music. Watson's thirty five year journey from a busy, almost twitchy, fresh-faced front person for the popular late 80s rhythm and blues showband Chicago Smoke Shop to politically engaged folk-blues troubadour has been something to behold. Over the last decade in particular Watson has developed a uniquely Kiwi writing voice and a direction which has taken his music out of the bar room and into concert halls and festivals. Gone are the imported affectations and electric histrionics. Now then with a bold acoustic-based approach and a sweetly-maturing voice, Watson sings original songs that, while drenched in the blues, could only really come from Aotearoa.