Naki Country stars ready to shine
Inaugural Taranaki Country Music Awards are taking place this week
The Taranaki Country Music Festival is guaranteed to feature some award-winning performers this year, says Jocelyn Tuahine, who organises the event along with her husband George.
She’s certain of this, as directly before this year’s festival, the inaugural Taranaki Country Music Awards will be held.
Jocelyn says while the region has a great country music scene, there hasn’t been a specific event to give out awards to artists in the genre in the region before, something she and George decided to fix.
The awards will run on Thursday, February 15 and Friday, February 16, with the festival running over the 17th and 18th.
“We had 93 entries, which we’re quite happy about. There are 10 sections — juniors, new talent, duo, senior solo, gospel and country rock. There’s also veterans’ solo, gospel and country rock.”
On Thursday and Friday, auditions to determine the top two singers in each section take place. On Friday afternoon, the top singers will perform for the first-place trophy and $50 prize money.
“The runners-up will receive a silver medal and prize money. On Friday night, they will launch our festival with a showcase.”
On Saturday, invited artists, including Nashville performer Scott Southworth and Trevor “Teroii” Martin from Australia, will perform in the main showcase.
“It will be Scott’s first time in New Zealand and we’re excited to have him at our event. Trevor is originally from Taranaki and is returning specifically for the festival.”
Returning artists include Raymond Soloman, Ivan Broughton, Denis August and Neil McKenzie-Hall.
“They are always quite popular and have become regular performers at our festivals.”
Two open-mic sessions are scheduled during the festival, she says, giving people the opportunity to get on stage and have a go.
“It’s always a great part of our festival. We have our first session on Saturday morning and then run all day on Sunday. It’s a great way to start and wind down our festival.”
Tickets are selling quickly and Jocelyn says they won’t last long.