It’s a hard rock life

Paul

its fun energy and sense of community are Dent’s favourites.

Dent says touring is a challenging way to make money, outside of large countries like the US.

There’s an art to tour schedules, and bands can’t return to the same place too soon. In New Zealand, you can run out of towns fairly quick. Even the allconquering country singer Marlon Williams has been struggling to sellout tickets on his tour of theatres and wineries.

Dent’s band has just got back from playing at Woodford Folk Festival, Australia’s largest annual music festival. The trio are enjoying a few weeks at home in Auckland, before jumping on a plane to Canada to audition for festival booking agents and event planners at the South by Southwest Festival’s music conference.

Even in their supposed downtime, Albi and the Wolves slip in a couple of gigs at places like The Patriot Bar in the Auckland suburb of Devonport.

All three are lifelong musicians, and the band’s been doing well since it formed in 2014, including winning Best Folk Artist at the 2018 New Zealand Music Awards for their debut album One Eye Open.

But despite their hard work and growing success, all three still need other ways to make ends meet.

Double-bassist Michael Young is a sound engineer and gives music lessons, violin player Pascal Roggen is a high school teacher, and Dent freelances and gets solo work as a regular housemusician at Auckland’s Irish bars.

‘‘Streaming music has put the world on a playlist,’’ Dent says. ‘‘When radio was king, it was easier. You’d send your songs out to everyone, and if they played it on air, you were on your way.’’.

Now, artists can stack the odds in their favour with smart publicity and social media savvy, but nobody really knows what’s going to make a splash – or why, Dent says.

The extra uncertainty also brings a lot of freedom with it, he adds.

Labels and broadcasters used to have a lot more leverage to dictate which artists got attention, and what styles they played and what image they projected.

And although they’re still powerful, there are many paths an artist can take to make an end-run around the gatekeepers.

JASON DORDAY / STUFF Fresh, young Auckland band Daffodils (left from left: Jade Bryham, Louis Graham, Theo Salmon and Isaac Keating) are learning how merchandise can help them make a living as musos, while, above, Albi and the Wolves frontman Chris Dent relies on a heavy touring schedule.