Tuatara debut for Maori-Irish music project
A new Maori-Irish collaboration featuring some class acts of the music world will debut in Paraparaumu in November.
The outdoor concert at Tuatara Brewery will feature platinumselling Trinity Roots, Irish musicians Pauline Scanlon, Alan Doherty, Tola Custy and Gerry Paul, as well as dub act Rhombus and comedian James Nokise.
The collaboration is the baby of Dublin-born New Zealander Gerry Paul, who spends half his time in Ireland, and had played with many outfits around the world.
He met Warren Maxwell from Trinity Roots while promoting a tour for American artist Kelly Joe Phelps.
‘‘We ended up jamming at a couple of gigs. We did support for Kelly Joe and had a great time playing together.
‘‘That’s when we started talking about this idea of collaborating between the Maori and Irish genres.
‘‘Having roots in both countries, it’s something I’ve been interested in for a long time.
A few years ago myself and Rio from Trinity Roots did a bilingual song. Pauline, who’s coming out, was involved in that project as well, so it’s kind of full circle really.’’
He said the whole group had never played together before, but in January he pitched the idea to the director of Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival, of which New Zealand is the featured nation, and said he loved it.
‘‘So we’re pretty much getting the whole project together for that tour and we thought what better way to start it off than to come out here and rehearse for a week and then do a couple of gigs to get us gig ready.’’
He said Paul Brown from Tuatara Brewery had heard the Irish performers last year with some of the New Zealand performers and asked him if there was any chance of getting them to the brewery.
Promoters from festivals around New Zealand would be at the gigs, with the view to picking them up for their festivals, he said.
The Tuatara gig will be followed by one in Wellington, before the Irish musicians head off for a small tour of the North Island.
Paul said the Irish musicians were some of the best in the business, and had played around the world from Glastonbury to Carnegie Hall.
Alan Doherty was the lead soloist on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack.
The others were singer Pauline Scanlon, fiddle player Tola Custy, and Paul on guitar and banjo.
Paul said Maxwell would sing, play guitar and keys, with fellow Trinity Roots members Rio Hemopo, on bass and Ben Lemi, drums. Rhombus members Koa Williams and Thomas Voyce would play sets of dub tunes and Nokise would add some laughter.
Business brewer Paul Brown said it was hoped to attract about 250 people to the gig.