Wow! What an inspirational woman! No, I’m not talking about the colourful characters of Rachel Dawick’s album The Boundary Riders – Musical Tales of New Zealand Pioneer Woman; I’m talking about the artist herself. Not only has Dawick set about giving a voice to the forgotten forging women of our country; Dawick has also raised funding, travelled the nation cycling 2000kms to dig up the stories of our pioneering past… truly inspiring. Delivering a beautifully packaged album and subsequently a book also; The Boundary Riders delves deep into our past and gives weight to the lives of ladies untold, like Barbara Weldon, Elizabeth Colenso and Amy Bock. Split over two discs, the rich narrative that Dawick has created is split into an album containing the show performance and songs and also the songs on a separate disc on their own so just can just get into the excellent down-home NZ folk, blues-country and at times Bluegrassy feels.
There’s a stunning display of song writing and musicianship on display here (Dawick studied extensively overseas to hone her craft and it shows!) with everything from saloon-drawl groove to spicy bhangra melodies. Dawick is not alone in her musical prowess she is accompanied by Jon Sander, Dave Kahn, Chris Koole, Andy Laking and the delightful Steve Bretel as the Narrator of the show; bringing a well-rounded group from various musical backgrounds to create one unique and important whole. A lovely touch to such a vitally messaged piece, The Boundary Riders has been released to coincide with celebrations of NZ Women’s Vote Day 1893; with a broad listing of solo and full band performances of the show coming up in October. A real earthy and important NZ album to check into.
2010 has seen Rachel Dawick emerge as an established songwriter with two collaborative songs being released in August ('Somewhere to Jump' Aberfeldy) and in September by EMI in Greece and the UK ('Peeling Apples' Athena Andreadis) and the completion of her MA in Songwriting at Bathspa University.
Originally from New Zealand Rachel has spent the last nine years playing at festivals and clubs across NZ and the UK originally as part of an all female blues/celtic trio Ruby Blue and in the UK as a solo artist sometimes working as a duo with the fabulous Nick Lewis and as a band with Roy Dodds, Kevin McGuire, Andy May and Nick Lewis for her recent album and with Pat McGarvey and Wil Molleson at the launch in Edinburgh in August 2009.
The most recent album 'Ed's Bar and Grill' released at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2009 saw a move from the more reflective and worldly folk influenced album 'Journeys' released in 2008, to a definite country groove that is "a bit bluesy, a bit western swing, a bit Marlene Dietrich" with songs that have a "world-weary feeling to them - as if they were recorded in black and white" (Bluesbunny Review 2009).