East Auckland Folk Project
PERFORMERS
We are delighted to have the following folk performing in our Folk Concert Series.
The Hobby Family
Remember Mary Montgomery? Mary has a stunning voice, and is backed ably by her husband, Paul Hobby. Between them they have produced another singer to join the family, their daughter Eliza who is already steeped in the Tradition. A real delight.
Both Mary and Paul come from musical families. They have both separately had extensive experience in the musical industry. Paul has had an influence of rock n roll and country music while Mary's influence is Irish folk music. Their daughter Eliza is 7 years old and loves to sing so this makes the Hobby Family trio.
Shimna
Shimna's contemporary singing and fiddle playing are entrancing and engaging. Backed by Karen Jones.
The Chia Family
Caleb, Chara, Chabb, Tim and Dan Chia are a family band from west Auckland and have been playing Celtic music together since 2008.
They enjoy playing a fun mixture of lively trad Scottish and Irish music on the fiddle, flute, double bass, bodhran, guitar and also bagpipes. The Chias have performed at a variety of places including on TVNZ's Studio 2 as guest artists, various folk clubs, at the Rugby World Cup, and were the 2013 recipients of the Frank Winter Award at the Auckland Folk Festival....
Karen Jones
Karen Jones, one of the founders of the East Auckland Folk Project will be both supporting other artists, and performing herself in the Roch the Wind Scottish Concert.
Karen Jones, Singer, harpist, multi instrumentalist and music teacher. Karen Jones was born and raised in a musical family in New Zealand, but spent a good chunk of her adult years, assimilating Scottish music and culture from her home in Edinburgh. There she ran a popular weekly session where the music of her forebears became her inspiration. Consequently, she developed a passion for Scottish traditional music as having a fundamental role to play in her life journey. Karen guested in the first ‘Flowers of Edinburgh’ and ‘Scottish Stramash’ concert in Edinburgh and more recently on various stages including the Auckland Folk Festival and Devonport Folk Club. She co-runs the monthly Tradition Bearer Session here in Auckland and her mission is to engage pakeha in their own heritage through music and song. http://tradsong.wix.com/session
Paul Brown
Hailing from Dundee in Northeast Scotland, Paul developed a love of traditional Scottish and Irish music whilst at school in Edinburgh, and it’s been pretty much impossible to stop him singing ever since. While at University, Paul supplemented his meagre income by busking in the streets of Dundee and other Scottish cities. He's been a regular at sessions and folk clubs around the Dundee area for longer than he cares to think about - ceilidhs, weddings, prisons (as a visitor, honest!), funerals, carboot sales (indoor and out), he's played them all.
Paul believes that music is a force for change – there’s not a strike, or march, or protest where folk haven’t sung together, and he’s led the singing at a fair few.
Singing together's what Paul's all about, so dust off your vocal chords and get ready to join in a Scot’s chorus or two.
Charlie Montgomery
Charlie is THE Fiddle Player. Beautiful Irish tunes pour in a river of sound from his fiddle and bow. If we're very lucky, Charlie will make it on the day, but if not, he will be ably subbed for by Shimna. Either/both will be backed by Karen Jones.
Gavin Asher
Favourite Auckland Minstrel Gavin Asher, brings you a range from his enormous repertoire. Gavin sings trad, he sings shanties, he sings his own songs, he sings peace songs, and he sings with his wife, Cara Gilkison-Asher. Whatever he sings on the day, he'll bring you the emotion and meaning of the song and leave you wanting more. You might have heard him on the National Programme or other radio stations singing with the Maritime Crew, or seen him guesting at the Auckland Folk Festival or at various Folk Clubs. More
Noel Armstrong
Noel will MC the Scottish Concert. I hear he'll sing a song or two as well.
With an enduring passion for his Scottish heritage, Noel found a rich vein of expression in Scots song. Also known for his ebullient ceilidh dance calling at festival, folk clubs, birthdays and weddings Noel has also MC’d events as diverse as the North Shore Military Tattoo and City of Auckland Pipe Band Concert.
Of recent years a particular delight has also been his involvement in Historical Scottish Pageants with theatre groups in Hamilton which culminated in a trip to Dunedin, that Edinburgh of the South, as part of the Dunedin Fringe Festival 2013.
Nonetheless at the heart of a living tradition, is the sharing of culture in a relaxed public setting. For the last 20 years Noel has run a successful monthly session at Biddy Mulligan’s in Hamilton and is a stalwart member of the Tradition Bearers session in Auckland. It is Noel’s pleasure to share some of these songs with you.
Elizabeth Bennett
Elizabeth and friends will share Scottish Music, with harp and uillean pipes and beautiful gaelic singing.
Cara Gilkison-Asher
The other founder of the East Auckland Folk Project, Cara loves to sing and has done so all her life, along with playing the piano, guitar, ukulele, recorder and a very little violin. Cara will join her husband, Gavin Asher for a couple of light-hearted numbers to lift the spirits and get a giggle or two.
