Toohey striding across ditch

By GRAHAM REID

This side of the water we don't know too much about the burgeoning blues and roots scene in Australia. We've picked up on the John Butler Trio and a few others, but Ryan Toohey is a new name, although we're likely to give a thumbs up to anyone who calls themselves after a beer.

Toohey is a 20-year-old singer-songwriter who grew up on jazz and blues, but whose style bears the stamp of classic folk-rock artists like Bob Dylan, Ben Harper and the Buckley's Tim and Jeff.

His debut album Space Your Stride had tracks picked up by Triple J and he's undertaking a major support tour with Wellington band Stylus 77 to bring his big sound over this way for three weeks. The double-header will include dates at the Bay of Islands Jazz festival next week then gigs in the South Island. Toohey is touring with his band so expect a diverse sound from acoustic guitar, electrified slide, djembe drums, stomp box, blues harmonica and acoustic bass.

And in one of those, "he's ours now" turnarounds, if we really like him we'll do an Ocker and claim him.

Fair enough, too, he was born in Wanganui.

Performance

* Who: Ryan Toohey

* What: Australian singer-songwriter (with a band) opening for Wellington's fusion outfit Stylus 77.

* When: Tonight, Odeon Lounge, Auckland; Friday, August 6, Basement Bar, New Plymouth; Thursday, August 12, Kings Arms, Auckland.