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Hamsterfest 2024 Performers
Hot Diggity
Hot Diggity is the only all female bluegrass band in New Zealand. They play original songs by Heather Carrigan (mandolin, guitar and vocals) and Deborah Mackenzie (guitar and vocals) along with plenty of bluegrass favourites. Backed up by Jenine Abarbanel (bass and vocals), Sue Drake (banjo and vocals) and Louise Evans (fiddle and vocals), they put out a powerful, lively sound with hot instrumentation and tight harmonies. Hot Diggity was formed in 2014, but all five members are veteran musicians having played with numerous other bands in a variety of musical styles for years.
Bill Angus and the Mighty Ways
Mighty Ways Workshop 1. Songwriting: Panning for Gold.
How to improve your luck in songwriting and find the nuggets of riffs and ideas that can be shaped into stronger songs. Bill Angus has been songwriting for over 45 years with his songs played nationally in the UK on Radio 1 and Radio 2 and in NZ on RNZ, besides albums heard around the world. In the workshop he will start with strategies for finding new riffs, melodies and lyrics: the gold nuggets. Once these are located, with the group’s help, he will then endeavour to write a new song from them on the spot. Whatever happens, the process should be interesting.
Mighty Ways Workshop 2. From Start to Finish: How to be performance ready.
Over her 10+ years in the American and international music industry, performance and vocal coach Maggie Cocco has worked in many musical settings and genres. In this workshop Maggie breaks down the steps to take a song from just starting out to performance ready. Attendees will learn about phases of song/show development, sympathetic listening, over/under singing/playing, fluid thought, and interpreting music authentically.
Helen Capes
Helen Capes: The Hexhamshire Lass is a singer, piper, and all round entertainer. This ex-pat Northumbrian brought her musical magic to Aotearoa nearly30 years ago and she ain't stopping! She's played everywhere from Aussie fests to British pubs, soaking up tunes and lore along the way. Helen tells stories and brings them to life with a unique combination of pipes and voice: songs and tunes that range from ancient ballads to contemporary jigs and reels. She'll have you crying one minute, laughing the next - and sometimes both at once!
EAGALS
New Zealand's only all-female Eagles tribute band, the EAGALS, create a nostalgic energy that is guaranteed to have the audience singing along. With a shared love of singing harmonies and acoustic music, the EAGALS line-up blends their musical influences – Celtic, Trad, Americana, Country, Soul, Jazz and Blues – to bring you their interpretations of classic Eagles hits from the 70s, 80s & 90s. The all-singing EAGALS are ‘flying in’ from Raglan, Taranaki, Wellington and The Hutt Valley and feature Lynne Wilkins (flute, low whistles, harmonica and guitar), Jo Sheffield (guitar and mandolin), Erin Manu (guitar, banjo, ukelele and percussion), Jude Madill (guitar, fiddle and percussion), Jenny Kilpatrick (acoustic bass) and Nicola Hooker (guitar and percussion).
Neil Finlay
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Neil Finlay has had a wide-ranging career to date. Picking up the guitar as a teenager, his love for old time blues has seen him sharing the stage with many international blues and country musicians and touring with the likes of Brownie McGhee, Billy Joe Shaver, and Townes Van Zandt. Finlay’s musicianship spans widely across country, blues, jazz and swing and he has graced many a jazz bar, blues club and folk and jazz festival as a soloist or with one of his many bands.
Kevin Mayes
Kevin Mayes grew up in Sussex, where he was introduced to Bob Copper's Central Club by his mother. He became a tenant farmer in his mid twenties; farming and folksong seemed a natural fit. Kevin moved to a rural block near Nelson in 2006, where he was a founding member of the Moutere Inn session in 2008, though farming responsibilities precluded wider musical involvement. Kevin appeared on Country Calendar in June 2018 as 'the singing orchard manager' at Peckham's Cider. In recent years he has appeared in blackboard concerts and on the 'Balladeer' stage at Wellington Folk Festival. This is his first main-stage appearance.