Bringing together best music talent

SKA CHARITY: Terradakdoor Records musicians, from left, Raymon Butler, Jarrod Rowlands, Lakota Mancer and Holly McGeorge will all be playing a charity gig tonight as part of a first-time collaboration that also draws other players signed to the Masterton label. PHOTO/FILE

A HIGH energy evening of ska and reggae will be unleashed for charity tonight at the debut of 12-member Masterton band Back The Truck Up.

Veteran Masterton performer Raymon Butler said the band, which plays at Masterton venue King Street Live from 8pm tonight, brings together eight musicians and four vocalists who all bar saxophonist Stefan Schultz - also the Chanel College music teacher - were playing in bands signed to Wairarapa music collective Terradakdoor Records.

The players hail from several Masterton bands and also include Butler (Masterhuna), Jarrod Rowlands (Koia), Brendan and Rory Hullena (Masterhuna), Lakota Mancer (The Voyagers), Holly McGeorge (Circa), Jason Ireland (Koia), Tirau Te Tau (Koia) and Natasha Rowlands (Fingers Crossed).

"We all got together as musicians to create a band and play some of our favourite ska and reggae music to help brighten the lives of struggling people and families out there who may be finding things difficult."

Also treading the boards as guest artists tonight will be Masterton singer songwriter Ryan Coles and, for his first performance outing, singer Brett Kenny, who had otherwise captured renown as the eight-time lower North Island burn-out champion.

"This is the first time ever we've had a live collaboration of Terradakdoor musicians and it's great to be bringing new people into the fold as well. We have a repertoire of 30 songs we're doing and we had a four-hour rehearsal the other night that was basically just like doing aerobics - it's like full-on dance around music."

Butler said a range of classic ska and reggae tunes will be covered and the upsized band also will play "a couple of originals" composed by members of Circa, Masterhuna and Lakota & The Voyagers.

Back The Truck Up will take the stage at King Street Live from 8pm tonight and entry is by way of koha, Butler said.