Author: Peter Parnham

Wires & Wood (New Zealand)

Wires & Wood

Tui Award winning Wires & Wood is a four piece band inspired by the sounds of traditional and modern bluegrass music.  This versatile band plays a hard driving punchy style of bluegrass right through to heart melting slow waltzes. As well as striving for instrumental excellence the songs are infused with multipart harmony singing.

Banjo picker extraordinaire Bryan Christianson will be one of the few musicians at Kiwigrass was at the original 1970 Banjo Picker’s Convention at Claudelands, Hamilton and that’s where he says he fell in love with the 5-string banjo.   Continue reading Wires & Wood (New Zealand)

Crooked Road (Australia)

Update: Unfortunately due to schedule conflicts, Crooked Road will be unable to join us at Kiwigrass.

 

Together and as members of various other bands, the members of Crooked Road have made 13 albums, many TV and radio shows and several national and international tours. Bluegrass, folk, country, gospel-their influences all come out in harmony-driven originals and pieces by favourite musicians.   Continue reading Crooked Road (Australia)

You, Me, Everybody at Kiwigrass

You Me Everybody band

You Me Everybody (New Zealand)

You, Me, Everybody is a celebration of allowing others their moment to shine, the virtuosity of the individual and the camaraderie of coming together in a musical moment.  Taking their inspiration from a range of musical styles, YME start at bluegrass, weaving jazz, country and blues to create a dynamic sound that celebrates the best of Americana.

 

You, Me, Everybody is a band to look and listen for. You might know the  members:

Laurence Frangos-Rhodes

Laurence not only plays but builds beautiful guitars and his songwriting crosses boundaries of effortless but mature in the same breath.

Sam Frangos-Rhodes

Sam oozes musicality; he’ll pick up a mandolin, fiddle or double bass in a nonchalant manner but his talent quietly shatters the illusion of youth.

Nat Torkington

Nat Torkington is the resident banjo player for the Pipi Pickers. He is constantly pushing his own and his banjo’s boundaries while also encouraging other musicians to explore and challenge the bluegrass form.

Kim Bonnington

Kim Bonnington has a heart of pure country. She’s as comfortable at the centre of stage as she is as a backing vocalist and is known for her work as one half of Kim and Dusty but also for providing harmonies for a range of NZ acts.

James Geluk

James Geluk is a graduate of the NZ School of Music and most recently won a Tui for the Best NZ folk album for his work with the Frank Burkitt Band.  A bass player who brings his jazz education to bluegrass, an audience member once declared James’ fingers to be like spiders as they travelled their way around his bass.