A Small Hall Session With Unsung Heros

Thursday 22 May • Wallingford Community Hall

Friday 23 May • Tutira Community Hall

Saturday 24 May • Clive Community Hall

Sunday 25th May • King George Hall, Bayview


Chris Priestley is one of the legends of the New Zealand music industry. A passionate folk musician and song writer since he was a youngster, Chris was a founding partner in establishing Real Groovy Records which changed the way we shopped for music. He then went on to establish Java Jive, Atomic Cafe, Cafe One2One and others. These were groundbreaking venues in their time, famous for their hospitality and their constant flow of remarkable musicians. Throughout the years Chris has brought to New Zealand musicians from around the world, especially in the genres of Folk, Americana, Blues and Soul, artists that never would have visited New Zealand had it not been for Chris. He has been at the heart of festivals and live music for decades. He's a hero of mine.

His constant passion has been for Folk Music and his crowning glory in that realm has been the establishment of Unsung Heroes - a dynamic, dramatic, star studded collaboration that presents often overlooked stories of New Zealand's colonial history, from shipwrecks to murders, from bootlegging to lifesaving, with everything in between. This is all presented in a combination of original song, projected images and narration.

It's no surpise that Chris has brought together true luminaries to present all of this:

Nigel Gavin - virtuoso strings player, originally from Rhode Island, USA. Nigel is a maestro on evrythig with strings, and is constantly in demand around the world for colloborations of all kinds as well as his solo work. He has been a part of The Nairobi Trio, The Fondue Set, The Jews Brothers and worked with countless artists. We were treated to the wonders of his Gitbox Rebellion project in the Blythe Theatre as part of one of the Hawke's Bay Arts Festivals.

Sonia Wilson - once described as a one-woman-Womad-Festival, Sonia was born in France, educated in the UK and travelled to some of the most remote places on the planet, making and learning music everywhere she went. Now calling Auckland home, Sonia teaches Ukulele, Voice & Guitar, as well as creating Ukulele groups in so many communities. A true citizen of the world with a life dedicated to community and music. A golden soul.

Cameron Bennet - one of our great storytellers in every sense. From Newspaper Cadet to War Correspondent on television, in print, on radio and online, Cameron's stories have shaped the way we see ourselves and the world. His whakapapa in a way epitomises our whole colonial history, including miners, gamblers, shopkeepers, union organisers and servicemen. A lesser known passion of his is music - he is a gifted songwriter, guitarist, lap steel player and collaborator. His skills in this area have come to the light in collaborating with Chris on this project.

Peter Elliott - with over 40 years on our stages and screens, both big and small, as an actor, presenter, producer and host. He has won numerous awards over the years for his acting and presentation skills. His passion for our history and it's characters shone through in his presentation of Captain's Log and other historical documentary series. Peter's mellifluous voice, dramatic sense of timing and sparkling presentation make his narration one of the highlights of Unsung Heroes.

Unsung Heroes presents our colonial history in a vibrant, entertaining, highly visual and educational way, and guarantees a rollicking night in our precious heritage community halls.

Suitable for all ages.

Thursday 22 May • Wallingford Community Hall

Friday 23 May • Tutira Community Hall

Saturday 24 May • Clive Community Hall

Sunday 25th May • King George Hall, Bayview

Doors at 6.00pm • Show from 7.00pm

All tickets $60 • Meals available and a Pop-Up Bar

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