10 January 2011 - 0 Comments

Artists from Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland make up the four finalists announced today for New Zealand’s Best Folk Album of 2010.

Folk Tui veterans Flip Grater from Christchurch and Wellington’s Bob McNeill are joined by relative newcomers Wires & Wood and Forbidden Joe from Auckland in this year’s finals at the Auckland Folk Festival at the end of January.

Produced by Rob Winch, Bob McNeill’s ‘Me and Mary Ann’ was released July 2010.

With three Folk Tuis already under his belt, Bob is considered to be one of New Zealand’s top singer-songwriters and one of the country's best known Folk performers for his solo work and as part of Ben the Hoose.

‘Me and Mary Ann’ is Bob’s fourth solo album and is a retrospective featuring both new material and new versions of his best known songs. The album was recorded in Nashville, Wellington, and Galway in Ireland. It features some of America's top session musicians as well as guest appearances by many of the New Zealand musicians McNeill has worked with during the past 10 years.

Flip Grater released ‘While I’m Awake I’m At War’ in July 2010. Thanks to tracks such as ‘Careful', a meandering alt country ditty with a Fleetwood Mac feel, New Zealand media are already writing about Flip as ‘the brunette Stevie Nicks’.

In September and October of 2010 Flip and the band – featuring Geoff Maddock, Dianne Swann, Chris O’Connor and Andrew Keoghan – embarked on a sold-out nine-date tour of New Zealand. She followed up with a 13-date solo tour of France, Italy and UK including two showcases at the MAMA industry Festival in Paris.

Wires & Wood released their debut album "Over The Moon" in January 2010. The album was launched at the 2010 Auckland Folk Festival and since then the band has performed at events and venues throughout New Zealand.

Inspired by the sounds of traditional and modern bluegrass music, Wires & Wood offers an eclectic mix of musicianship on banjo, mandolin, guitar and bass. Known for their diversity the band plays a mix of hard driving punchy style of bluegrass through to heart melting slow waltzes often infusing their songs with multipart harmony singing.

Three piece band Forbidden Joe released ‘In Mourning For The Pride Of Petravore’ in April of 2010. They received funding from CreativeNZ to record the album, based on the success and critical acclaim of their debut EP 'Oh What a Queer Sensation'.

The Devonport locals take an inventive approach to traditional music with unique instrumentation of concertina, cello, trombone and banjo. Using new and old material, from jazz to Celtic, European, roots and soul they have toured nationwide.

RIANZ CEO Campbell Smith says the finalists truly represent the wide variety of musical styles within the folk genre. “The fact these finalists are doing so well both locally and internationally tell us the Folk Music genre in NZ is going great guns. It is a very strong category of finalists and folk music is clearly in very good heart.”

The Tui Award will be presented at the Auckland Folk Festival during the final concert on Sunday 30 January 2011.

Thanks to www.nzmusicawards.co.nz for this story.

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