16 March 2010 - 0 Comments

The Fool is Coming…

Auckland musician and actor John Goudge has found a unique way to release his debut studio album– he’s written a play in which he can act out the story of the music.

The album, aptly titled Fool Circle, will be released on April Fools’ Day 2010, with the opening theatrical performance coming two days later on April 3 at the Titirangi Theatre.

Combining music & theatre is a unique way to showcase the CD, which John hopes will provide a point of difference.

John says he plans to take the audience on a journey through music & theatre.

“All my songs are stories, so I thought it would be a good idea to act them out, as well as sing them,” John says. “I’m going to try to unleash the fool, & let him entertain the audience.”

And when they leave, each person in the audience will receive a free copy of Fool Circle.

Inspiration for the album came from diverse sources; like a Shakespearean fool he once played, & the scenic beauty of Piha & the WaitakereRanges. His music, therefore, is also diverse, sweeping wildly from blues to funk, rock to folk, & pop to jazz.

“I never tried to make an album with a certain sound,” he explains. “I wrote these songs over 20 years or so, & I just wrote in whatever style I felt like. In 2006 I decided I better record them, so it’s taken nearly four years in production.”

The album was largely recorded at Beaver Studios in Auckland under awarding winning producer Simon Holloway, with three of the first tracks recorded at Area 51 Studios i New Lynn with engineer/producer Mark Pavletich at the helm.

At age 41, John has left it late to tackle a career in the music industry, especially as a fully independent artist. But he maintains that middle New Zealand is hanging out for a more honest & varied fare than is being dished up in the commercial charts.

“I think people are looking for more meaningful lyrics; more honesty, less greed. Surely we’re getting sick of the same diet of booty-shaking bling-merchants.”

The album release show will feature John’s five-piece band, John Goudge Band, which includes his talented sister Helen Goudge.

The release show on April 3 brings John back to the Titirangi Theatre where he has acted in many memorable roles, such as ‘King Richard III,’ ‘Bottom’ in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, & ‘Billy’ the brain-damaged man in Gulls.

It was also the venue for his first concert in 1993 as a singer/songwriter.

Look out for John Goudge - Fool Circle on www.amplifier.co.nz, & in selected stores.

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