Kiwifolk Tweets

Instruments that are unique or special in some way, especially valuable folk instruments are often stolen opportunistically, and those of us who play them have keen eyes for detail when we see them. So if you've lost an instrument, email the details and any pictures to stolen@kiwifolk.com and I'll list it for you. Check here to view stolen instruments that have been reported to Kiwifolk, especially if someone is offering something for sale.

The local Kiwifolk Bulletin Board got spammed badly and died. Google Groups seemed a much better option with good spam protection and easy management. Useful for notices, reviews, buying/selling instruments - or announcing stolen ones; it is fuly searchable and world-readable. Also has an RSS feed or you can receive notifications by email if you choose. Visit the Kiwifolk Group here.

Also a group for NZ Ukulele enthusiasts.

A short history of the Southern Man song as it pertained to the Pioneer Pog 'n' Scroggin Bush Band and the Otago NPC.

The Art and Skill of Writing a Song is a series of pages based on a presentation given by the author at a Songwriting Seminar in Gore during NZ Music Month (May 2007). It adresses the practtice songwriting as a discipline, using left- and right-brain techniques and ideas for avoiding ruts and writer's block.

Email Lists

The nz-folk email list ia a community of 250-plus folk who have an interest in the New Zealand folk scene. It is mostly, but not limited to, New Zealanders, many of whom are known to each other (hence the occasional robust discussion). The celtic-music list is a quieter, more formal list for those specifically interested in folk music (very loosely defined as Celtic) announcements and queries.

Congratulations to Bob McNeill and Kenny Ritch aka Ben the Hoose winners of the Tui Award for the Best Folk Album of 2006 for their CD Little Cascade. The award was announced at the Auckland Folk Festival on January 28th. Full report here. You can peruse all the Tui award winners and finalists since the inception of the 'Folk' category in 1984.

2008 Tui Folk Album Award: Delgirl.

DIY ethic sees Otago trio scoop top Folk Award An unsigned all-women three-piece from Dunedin has won the Tui for Best Folk Music Album of 2008. Delgirl’s self-released debut album ‘Two, Maybe Three, Days Ride’ was awarded the Tui at the Auckland Folk Festival in Kumeu tonight. The acoustic group describes its sound as “skiffily, folky, country, jazzy, bluesy roots music with a Pacific edge bordering a swamp” more...

Support Kiwifolk

Make a NZ$20 donation (securely, through PayPal) and help support the Kiwifolk Network.

Travelling around New Zealand? Want to know what's on where you are? Clubs, artists gigs, festivals, tours and sessions are all being added to The Kiwifolk Calendar as we speak. If you are an artist, organiser or venue owner and want to add your own events, please contact webmaster@kiwifolk.com for access. This is a Google Calendar, and is world-readable and searchable - you can link your events back to your own website.

Regular posts of interesting topics on the nz-folk list and other thoughts and observations of the New Zealand folk scene can be found on The Kiwifolk Blog. Anyone can post comments without jumping through too many hoops, and if you think you might want to become a regular contributor, let me know and I'll set you up. Browse the Kiwifolk Blog by these labels: 2006, 2007, Ben the Hoose, Bob Bickerton, Ceol Aneas, Davy Stuart, Easter, Phil Garland, RIANZ, Russian Jack, Tui, YouTube, award, bush bass, concert, festival, fiddle, finalist, gear, interview, music stands, nz-folk, performance, recording, review, warratahs

The most current listing of New Zealand folk and acoustic music clubs, dance societies and more can be found here as well as New Zealand folk festivals. These lists are kept as accurate as possible: if you have any additions or detect any errors, please email the Kiwifolk Webmaster

New Pages

Kiwifolk.com is growing quietly with resources, editorials and opinion-pieces pertaining to the New Zealand folk music scene. The links to the left will take you to a variety of interesting pages and sites pertaining to NZ folk music. Lamppost or Flying Piglets are good places to start if you're an artist or act looking to tour New Zealand but read this short rough guide to touring New Zealand first if you haven't been to NZ before. Noteable are also in the business of touring artists through New Zealand, they specialise more in top-end artists from Ireland.

I kept a blog of our trip around Denmark and Germany. It is reconstituted here with some pictures added.