Gunns Camp, Waimate, 50km South of Timaru, Friday 30th May, to Monday 2nd June 2014, Queens Birthday Weekend
Full registration: $90 for adults, and $45 for children. Day passes: $20 half day/ $30 full day (Adults) $10 half day/$15 full day (Children)
The Whitestone Winter Folk Festival is held every Queen’s Birthday Weekend (to include the first Monday in June) at Gunns Camp, Waimate, North Otago. Although small, the festival has been steadily growing in popularity since it began in 1994. Whitestone is a great occasion for performers of all ages and skills, from the beginner to the seasoned professional.
The informal policy is that performers, usually all South Islanders (although this is not a prerequisite), fit in well to the special ambience of this unique event by being willing and available to the festival in general. The friendliness and fun experienced by all of the 120 or so maximum participants is valued by many who return year after year.
Registration includes three nights accommodation (or camping, for the hardy) and continuous entertainment and workshops from Saturday morning to Sunday evening (and the wee hours of Monday). Day passes are also available.
Key events thoughout the festival include the always popular Saturday night barn dance, and the Sunday night final concert, which features all of our guest, plus a selection of the best acts from the weekend.
This year's guests include:
Hyram Ballard
Hyram is mostly known for his work with the long running folk band The Chaps but he has another side...
Playing guitar since he was a young boy growing up in Los Angeles, he listened to Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and George Jones on the AM radio in the car on the way to school and rounded out that listening with Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and Joni Mitchell after school. He played in various bands in school, one of them snagging a gig at the infamous Gazzari's on the Sunset Strip while still under-age. The last few years he has been seen performing solo at the Tui Festival and the NEFC and recently accompanying Bill Morris at Whare Flat and on tour.
At Whitestone he will be debuting "Eureka" - a set of songs with a California theme, interspersed with stories of history, social
commentary and his experiences growing up in "The Golden State".
Twitter - #TwangNZ
Tiny Pieces of Eight
Since the much anticipated first solo album Tiny Pieces of Eight released in October 2013, Deirdre Newall has developed the TPo8 musical project in ever inventive ways with a growing spicy mix of collaborators. Operating as a collective, the current line up consists of Newall (Delgirl), Grant Ramsay (Swampy), Chris Heazlewood (King Loser), Elise Allen (The Scruffs), Sam Wilkinson (Von Klap), Chris Schmeltz (Whiskey & the Wench) and Rosa Cameron (Sky Bus).
Radio NZ host, Nick Bollinger, describes the sound as “Delta Swamp Blues with a touch of improv Jazz” but Newall coined the term “Psychedelic Folk” to describe a blend of folk incorporating experimental blues and rock. A series of gigs at the Crown Hotel in 2012 tested the musical theory and what developed out of this creative primal ooze was also the notion of a collective of musicians instead of a traditional fixed group.
