Micheal Young became obsessed with the guitar at the age of 18, inspired by the likes of James Taylor, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Joe Walsh, Chet Atkins and the Beatles. These days he is mostly inspired by singer/songwriters such as Walt Wilkins, David Wilcox, James Taylor (still!), Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark.
His father used to drag him along to bluegrass festivals in the hills of the Missouri Ozarks and he gained an appreciation for the instrumental skills of the local pickers. While Micheal was never that moved by the old time bluegrass style, he was blown away by the (then) contemporary rock/jazz/blues/bluegrass fusion music coming from the likes of New Grass Revival, The Tony Rice Unit and The David Grisman Quartet. The mandolin was added to the toy box so he could participate in these styles.
Micheal has been singing lead vocal and playing mandolin with Wires & Wood since 2004. Micheal does guitar, mandolin and vocals in the country/folk/rock band Too Far Gone. He is excited to be doing the same in the funky groove newgrass band ReInTarNayshun. He played guitar and did duet singing in the Americana/Western Swing band Rainberry Pie. He has played backing for just about everybody in the NZ acoustic music scene. You can find him in the jam sessions at the acoustic music festivals and performing at the music clubs around Auckland.
After two years of intense study, he started offering recording engineering services in 2010. In 2014 he was a founding member of the modern up and coming indie folk rock band Albi & The Wolves, keeping very busy playing double bass.
Doors open 7.30PM for an 8.00PM start. Floorsingers First half. Admission Members $10.00, Non-Members $15.00, Under 18s Free.
We are here. At the bottom of Titirangi Beach Road, just beyond the car park.
Pomahaka-Tyne are a folk duo who perform traditional and contemporary songs and tunes from North-East England, Scotland, Ireland, America and beyond.
Janet Thomson sings and plays guitar, alongside Helen Douglas who plays the Northumbrian Small Pipes and a variety of whistles.
We are named, ‘Pomahaka Tyne’, after our home-town rivers.
SGM info has been sent to members in the newsletter
Doors open 7.30PM for an 8.00PM start. Floorsingers First half. Break & SGM approx 8:45ish More floorsingers if SGM is short and we can fit them in Pomohaka-Tyne 9:30ish Admission Members $10.00, Non-Members $15.00, Under 18s Free.
We are here. At the bottom of Titirangi Beach Road, just beyond the car park.
Chris Penman has been thrilling audiences with her strong crystal clear vocals since she was kneehigh to a grasshopper. She grew up performing with her dad Jack Penman and her siblings David and Theia and now her own children. They have for many years run the Family Session at Auckland Folk Festival delighting and encouraging with their own brand of humour and talent.
Within the NZ Folk scene Chris is best known for her accomplished renditions of music in the Traditional form particularly those with a Scottish origin. She frequently attends festival sessions where you can hear those vocals soar up to the rafters. In Chris own words “I am never happier than when I have a room full of people singing along with me”.
Chris has been FESTIVAL GUEST at most of the major NZ Folk Festivals notably Auckland, Cardrona, Canterbury, Wellyfest, Whare Flat and most recently WAAM.
She has RECORDED her own CD ‘Portobello Years’ with Mike Moroney and ‘Homemade Jam’ with the Penman Family. She has also guested on CDs with Martin Curtis, Mike Harding, The Chaps.
Her MUSICAL COLLABORATIONS have included Dave Nicholson, Brent Blann, Kay Row, Mike Moroney, Bob McNeill and many other stalwarts of the NZ Folk Scene.
Chris also sings for her supper with her husband John Maydon and their busy pub band(s) cover a wide range of genres including Country, Americana, Rock, Blues, and they are never out of work on St Patrick’s Day!
While this gal is most at home throwing her head back and giving it laldy she also ably accompanies herself, and others, on guitar, ukulele, bodhran, and lagerphone.
To Chris music is as important as breathing and she effortlessly pours integrity, emotion and love into all her performances.
Doors open 7.30PM for an 8.00PM start. Floorsingers First half. Admission Members $10.00, Non-Members $15.00, Under 18s Free.
We are here. At the bottom of Titirangi Beach Road, just beyond the car park.
Lynne Wilkins and Michael Mackinnon are based in Raglan, New Zealand, a small west-coast town with a big reputation as a creative community. Inspired by songs that deliver on both melody and lyrics, WilkieMac will take you on a journey around the globe and spanning the centuries. Their repertoire will have you singing along, laughing out loud, tapping your feet; it will tug at the heartstrings, draw you along the path of whimsy, cast light into a corner, reframe a well-loved old favourite.
Wilkins and Mackinnon are seasoned performers who cover a range of musical genres, using a variety of instruments to create the right soundscape for a particular song or event. Their voices blend, whether in harmony or unison, their arrangements are well crafted. Together they are a perfect example of music being another form of conversation.
Lynne Wilkins…
…has been involved with music since she started piano lessons at eight years old. Emigrating from Canada with her parents (they returned to New Zealand, the land of their birth, in the 1970s), Wilkins became an active participant in the acoustic music scene, performing solo shows, doing guest appearances with artists, and touring New Zealand several times, both as a performer, and as a support act for visiting artists. She appeared on various albums from the 1980s and 90s under both her maiden name (Bradstock) and later as Lynne Thompson. Several of these recordings were nominated for awards, including one containing some of her songs (Together). After a contribution to a Spiralyrics compilation Acoustic Magic, releasing a collection of songs on Limited Edition, and working as a guitarist for another songwriter, Wilkins recorded and released Bead of Glass in 2007. Working on this album with Waikato-based musicians, daughter Lora Thompson (guitar), and partner Michael Mackinnon, this folk-rock version of some of Wilkins’ songs was a family affair. As part of the duo WilkieMac, and ceili band West of the Divvy, Wilkins keeps herself busy with other band line-ups, and writing.
Music is a universal language. Each note is a step on a journey that we take together.
Michael Mackinnon…
…was born in Auckland into a family where singing was a big part of the interaction between siblings and parents, and this is one of his earliest and fondest memories. Opportunities to learn an instrument resulted in a short period of studying the violin at school, but the instrument that called to him was the guitar, which he first picked up in his early twenties. This was the beginning of life-long obsession with singing and playing music with others, that eventually brought the WilkieMac duo together in the early 2000s. At that time, Mackinnon had for many years only played in standard tuning, but attending a guitar workshop at Ceol Aneas in Nelson in 2004, started a passion for playing in the tuning of DADGAD. A regular Friday jam session with musical colleague and songwriter, Rene Andre, led to the formation of the band Twisted Timber, with Andre, Wilkins, and Redgie Valente on double bass. The band was a regular in Raglan venues for many years. Mackinnon’s wry sense of humour is reflected in some of the songs that have found their way into WilkieMac’s repertoire, providing the duo with not just a journey through space and time, but also a gamut of emotions. Mackinnon is also part of the Ceili band West of the Divvy, and plays in other line-ups when the opportunity presents itself.
To play well, you have to dance with the music.
Doors open 7.30PM for an 8.00PM start. Floorsingers First half. Admission Members $10.00, Non-Members $15.00, Under 18s Free.
We are here. At the bottom of Titirangi Beach Road, just beyond the car park.
Sean Kelly & The Super 8’s is a live Irish music concert played to the back-drop of Super 8 movies taken by Sean’s Dad, a cine-movie enthusiast, Seamus Kelly between 1958 & 1988.
Sean Kelly arrived in Aotearoa in 1990 and it wasn’t long until he was engrossed in the burgeoning Irish music scene centred on the Irish pubs of the day, Kitty O’Brien’s, The Blarney Stone, Biddy Mulligan’s in Hamilton and Murphys Irish Bar (Now Father Ted’s)
Sean became a full-time musician ten years ago to focus on his music and the show is always at least 50% original and the balance traditional and contemporary Irish & world music & songs.
Sean Kelly is joined by the one and only Jono Lonie on fiddle, mandolin and on a good day, uillean pipes. Sean first met Jono in 90’s, also involved in the Irish music scene.
Doors open 7.30PM for an 8.00PM start. Floorsingers First half. Admission Members $10.00, Non-Members $15.00, Under 18s Free.
We are here. At the bottom of Titirangi Beach Road, just beyond the car park.
English/Irish folk, reminiscent of The Pogues and The Dubliners. High-energy fusion of traditional melodies and fast-paced rhythms. The songs, filled with stories of love, rebellion, and celebration. Expect a wild celebration of music, with crowd participation expected throughout the performance.
Doors open 7.30PM for an 8.00PM start. Floorsingers First half. Admission Members $10.00, Non-Members $15.00, Under 18s Free.
We are here. At the bottom of Titirangi Beach Road, just beyond the car park.
Blues Musician ……….Dave is known internationally for his bluesy, soulful voice & dynamic guitar. He performs the music of Clapton, Dylan, Cocker, Ray Charles + many others from that era as well as some of his own compositions. He lives in Melbourne, Australia
AND TONIGHT our first half floor singers will include George Pettigrew
Doors open 7.30PM for an 8.00PM start. Floorsingers First half. Admission Members $10.00, Non-Members $15.00, Under 18s Free.
We are here. At the bottom of Titirangi Beach Road, just beyond the car park.
