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Spring has sprung. I think. Daffodils have bloomed at the Watusi Country Club and fresh musical shoots are sprouting all over. It’s a start.
Let’s begin at the Tauranga Acoustic Music Club (TAMC). I write often about the Katikati Folk Club (KKFC), less so about the amiable denizens of the TAMC. While KKFC is known for an uncanny ability to lure top international folk acts to our region, TAMC is more focused on members playing music.
TAMC operate Tuesday evenings and will have their last night at Tauranga RSA on September 16. From then gatherings move to the Greerton Social Club, on Cameron Rd, previously called Oasis, where weekly Tuesdays will alternate between jam sessions and blackboard concerts – and everyone is welcome.
I’m not meaning to suggest KKFC members don’t play music themselves: their spot is the Forta Leza – near Aongatete on State Highway 2 – with a blackboard session the first Sunday of each month and a jam on the third.
Indie collaboration
Meanwhile, there’s an upcoming collaboration between two of the city’s leading indie artists – singer-songwriter Frances Ellen, who released a series of songs last year co-written with Reb Fountain, and We Will Ride Fast, the musical moniker of Katikati multimedia artist Kyle Sattler. He’s a bit of an indie darling with two of last year’s four singles claiming number one spot on 95bFM Top 10 countdowns.
‘We Will Ride Fast’ Kyle Sattler and Frances Ellen. Photo / Supplied
Next week they release a single together, titled ‘When Will Fire Become Spirit?’, and will play a launch show at The Voodoo Lounge on Saturday, August 29, where the two will collaborate on a set of Sattler’s songs. Support comes from Beatnik Staffs and Stellavision. Hear the song on next week’s playlist.
That same night there’s a unique show at The Jam Factory. The Amber Temple is a character-driven music and interpretive dance collaboration between singer-songwriter Julian Temple and dancer Amber Gabrielle Stephens. Guitar looping, a bluesy, gravelly voice, costumes and face paint, mime to hip hop to fluid contemporary dance. It comes highly recommended.
The Amber Temple. Photo / Supplied
The arts festival
Lastly, the Tauranga Arts Festival 2025 has announced the bulk of its programme for the last couple of weeks in October and expansive it is too. I’ll be coming back to it, but from a musical perspective there is certainly novelty, with a 6.30am rave, Wellington’s Lisa Tomlins delivering high-energy disco anthems, and a pair of singers, The Velvet Rebels, conjuring a Vegas-style jazz tribute.
New Zealand’s queen of country Tami Neilson is headlining the festival after recently featuring with Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Tour in America, and Australian blues singer C.W Stoneking comes with a strong reputation.
Ozi Ozaa. Photo / Supplied
The other notable music act is Ozi Ozaa, a nine-piece band I’ve mentioned before, led by Ghanaian composer and master musician Yaw Asumadu, which includes top Tauranga players such as guitarist Tristan Hancock and drummer Paul Hoskin, who interpret his mix of funk, jazz, Highlife and traditional African beats with flair and precision. Seriously Afrofunky.
Hear Winston’s latest Playlist: https://tinyurl.com/3vz2f3tk