Bernie Griffen Announces Album Release Tour

Long-serving Auckland country musician Bernie Griffen has announced an extensive nationwide tour in support of his latest album Everything So Far. He'll be flanked by his longtime partner Kirsten Warner and guest musicians a long the way. See below for the tour dates and here is his poignant song '29 Diamonds' inspired by the Pike River Mine tragedy...

Press Release:

BERNIE GRIFFEN 'Everything So Far' tour

TOUR DATES:

Thursday Feb 28, The Yot Club, Raglan with Chris Thompson
Friday March 1, Whanganui Musicians Club, Whanganui
Saturday March 2, dharma bums club, Wairau Valley
Tuesday March 5, Fairfield House, Nelson
Thursday March 7, Tommy Chang's, Lyttelton
Friday March 8, Wunderbar, Lyttelton with The Eastern
Sunday March 10, New Edinburgh Folk Club, Dunedin
Monday March 11, Federal Diner, Wanaka
Tuesday March 12, Cook Saddle Café & Saloon, Fox Glacier
Wednesday March 13, Barrytown Hall, Barrytown with Al Hunter
Friday March 15, Meow, Wellington with Tommy and Vanesssa, Miles Calder and the Rumours
Wednesday March 20,The Tin Hut, Featherston with Barry Saunders
Thursday March 21, The Cabana, Napier
Friday March 22, Mihi Café, Reporoa

Bernie Griffen is front man for the Auckland blues-based folk-country band Bernie Griffen and The Grifters, who recorded the song on their debut Everything So Far album, produced by Nick Bollinger and Karl Steven. Chris Familton, reviewing the album in American on-line roots music authority No Depression says: “Everything So Far is starting to get the attention it deserves outside the local Americana music community and that is testament to the maturity and tenderness of his [Griffen’s] songs and the quality of musicianship that frames and delivers them. Bernie Griffen & The Grifters have produced a landmark album in the evolving story of New Zealand country music.”

Bernie’s songs are melodic and memorable, soulful tales of the meanderings of a life well and truly lived on the fringes – full of love, pathos and colourful stories. On his Everything So Far tour, February and March, 2013 he plays from the album and his wider repertoire, and in duets with his long-time partner Kirsten Warner who joins him for originals and some favourite covers and country standards. If Bernie is said to use every inch of a voice reminiscent of Johnny Cash and Tom Waits, their duets sound something like Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash, or John Prine and Iris Demente.

Between sets and songs, Kirsten spins a poem or two. Kirsten is an accomplished and nationally published writer and journalist, whose wry and entertaining poems bring out her own strong voice and perspective. Kirsten’s poem poster is stickered around the country and recently has been stuck up in Barcelona as part of Phantom Billstickers’ New Zealand poetry campaign. She won the 2008 Landfall Essay Competition. She is a journalist-contributor for the New Zealand Herald and Herald On Sunday newspapers in Auckland.

Bernie is the host of radio 95 bFM’s long-running Americana show Border Radio, specializing in roots, blues and country music. He is a co-founder and a driving force behind the country-punk roadshow-extravaganza The Gunslinger’s Ball which toured the North Island in October with a lineup featuring Bernie Griffen and the Grifters.

In the past year he has been guest on Saturday Morning with Kim Hill, Afternoons with Jim Mora and Noelle McCarthy’s Summer Noelle on National Radio. Bernie Griffen and The Grifters have also supported international artists Little Band of Gold and Justin Townes Earle in Auckland; and Eileen Jewell in Auckland and Wellington.

On their Everything So Far Tour, Bernie Griffen and Kirsten Warner are joined by Barry Saunders (Featherston), The Eastern (Lyttelton), Chris Thompson (Raglan), Al Hunter (Barrytown) Tommy and Miles Calder and the Rumours (Wellington).