Ballads to Blues ‘25

A Showcase of NZ Folk Artists

and ANZFA Folk Music Awards ceremony

8pm January 3rd 2025, Hanover Hall, Dunedin

Our 3rd time around - The Ballads to Blues '25 showcase of the finest in NZ folk and acoustic music. This year's guest artists are Taranaki troubadour Mike Harding with Gumboot Tango, long-serving Auckland bluesman, Neil Finlay, the Taranaki/Wellington union of Janet Muggeridge and Dave Murphy and this years AMA Best Folk Album Tui Award winner, Adam McGrath. As always the house band is the ever-dynamic Dunedin Ceilidh Orchestra.

This year we are proud to host the awards evening for the first ANZFA Folk Music Awards. Fifteen kiwi artists entered fifteen great albums, and the members have spoken. ANZFA Best Folk Album ‘24 and other award finalists are: Caution 15 by Railway Pie, Dear Companions by Adam McGrath, Dog and Pony Show by Matt Hay, Goin' Home by Martha Louise, Pathways by Gavin Asher, The Winter Light by Amiria Grenell

Mike Harding

& Gumboot Tango

Neil Finlay

Neil Finlay is a well-recognised and seasoned singer and guitarist on the Auckland blues and folk scene. He began playing as a teenager and rose to share the stage with renowned international artists including Brownie McGhee, Billy Joe Shaver, and Townes Van Zandt. His repertoire spans multiple genres: country, blues, jazz, and swing, and he has performed in venues across the motu, from jazz bars and blues clubs to folk and jazz festivals. Performing solo or with a band, Neil's passionate performances continue to captivate audiences with his soulful music and storytelling.

Murphy & Muggeridge

Mike Harding has been a prominent figure in New Zealand music for 40 years, dedicated to preserving and promoting local songs and stories. His career began in 1984 with the release of "Time on the Road," a collection of contemporary New Zealand songs. Since then, he has tirelessly researched, recorded, and performed a wide range of New Zealand music, from traditional folk songs to contemporary Kiwi rock. His performances, often, as here, accompanied by Gumboot Tango, the enduring Taranki unit known for their storytelling, humor, and raw musical skill.

Harding's passion for New Zealand music has led him to explore the roots of Pakeha folk music, drawing inspiration from pioneers like Rona Bailey, Neil Colquhoun, and Phil Garland. He has conducted workshops to share his knowledge and promote the preservation of this musical heritage. Through his dedicated work, Mike Harding has made a significant contribution to the New Zealand music scene, ensuring that the country's unique musical traditions continue to be celebrated and enjoyed.

Dave Murphy and Janet Muggeridge have long played their own respective brands of folk originals, blues and Kiwi-adopted Americana. Now as a couple they combine a formidable musical skillset, their sound underpinned by Dave’s driving fingerstyle guitar for which he has been renowned on the Wellington scene for decades, and his huge earthy vocals. Janet adds the spice to the mix with shimmering harmonies and mandolin. Both are accomplished musicians in their own right but together they are a tour deforce.

Dave has long been recognised as a master of finger-style blues guitar, and a fine interpreter of the blues. Nic Bollinger considers him, ‘’an icon in the NZ music scene”. He plays with The Red Dog Saloon Band based in Wellington. Janet is a founding member of Gumboot Tango, the iconic kiwi band that plays kiwi covers of all ages. All in all, a repertoire of songs that will have your emotions tugged every which way.