04 December 2010 - 0 Comments

It goes without saying that if you want to experience the best in professional alternative Country and Bluegrass music you need look no further than Gore’s Hokonui Moonshiners Festival – 26^th February 2011.

Melissa King, festival coordinator, is thrilled with the entertainment program that has been put together by Mike Hood (music convener) for next year’s event.

“Mike’s done another fabulous job securing some of the best alternative country artists in New Zealand, with several attracting rave reviews at the moment.   We are really fortunate to have them all performing at the next Moonshiners.”

Tami Neilson, two-time winner of the New Zealand Tui Award for Best Country Album 2009 and 2010 was raised in Canada, by parents with a closet full of sequined stage costumes and platform shoes.

She grew up in a house where amplifiers and guitar cases were just as much a part of the furniture as chairs and tables, and when most kids are still singing nursery rhymes in the bathtub, she was traveling across North America in a 34 foot motor home, performing professionally in her family band, The Neilsons.

Buzzing with raw energy and talent, her music is a hybrid of acoustic torch and stripped-bare alt-country. From haunting ballads of heartbreak and irony to foot-stomping, hand-clapping, harmony-infused numbers, her live performance is one to be remembered.

The Eastern, – New Zealand’s hardest working band bring backpacks full of road songs, battered acoustics, banjo and fiddle both, doghouse bass, foot stomps and heartbreak. “They throw down like they mean it, likeit’s all they know how to do ‘coz they do and it is”. The Eastern care about the show and the people they meet. “It don’t matter how but every handclap over every lost chord they try to fill with hope and guts and sing with their feet firmly kickin’ the ground and their voices raised high”.

They’ve toured with Steve Earle and the Old Crow Medicine Show as well as opening for everyone from Fleetwood Mac to the Jayhawks to Jimmy Barnes.

The Unfaithful Ways are a band built around the firm belief that the song is all that matters. Blending the mystical lyricism of writers like Townes Van Zandt and Gene Clark with an inborn flair for strong melodies and three-part harmony, their music stays true to the age-old themes of "love and loss and everything in between".

The Unfaithful Ways have been steadily widening their sound, embracing everything from traditional country and gentle folk to '70s-influenced, harmony-rich, pop/rock. Their haunting melodies are unable to leave you alone.  In their time together they have made an impression on the Christchurch music scene with their polished ensemble and clean, clear vocal harmonies.

Matt Langley Winner of APRA Best New Zealand Country Song 2010 award, Matt Langley has been writing and performing his music in bands and as a solo artist in N.Z. for over a decade. 

Langley is based in Dunedin, has a commanding voice in the country/blues/rock triangulation, and writes hard-edged, well-crafted songs.

Audiences can expect an intimate and lively performance, highlighted with down to earth humor and outstanding songwriting.  Matt’s writing continues to encompass a broad spectrum of influences from rock to folk, blues and country.

Mike Hood explains, “The vision with the entertainment at the Moonshiners - is about bringing a fresh genre of music to the audience, we are dedicated to providing festival patrons with an exciting and innovative musical feast, while at the same time we are conscious of complementing the theme and the surroundings. It’s about getting outside the comfort zone while creating a niche for alternative country music.  To be offered this type of entertainment, 4 bands for $20.00 is incredible value for money and we’re mindful of making the festival affordable, we just want people to come and celebrate our heritage with us!”

All groups will alternate from 12pm – 7pm

Tickets are $20.00 and available from the Gore Visitors Centre.  With a bonus this year for anyone getting in early to purchase their tickets will go in the draw to win $1000 worth of travel from House of Travel Gore for details visit:- www.hokonuimoonshinefest.co.nz

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

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