Summer stars to shine in Wairarapa

Australian bluesman C.W. Stoneking plays King Street Live on November 6 as part of a roster of stars promotion company Up With People was bringing to Wairarapa in coming weeks. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Up With People founder Mark Rogers shines bright when counting down the coming summer of acts he has lined up for Wairarapa.

His Masterton-based promotion company, which had just sealed a new association with 93.5FM The Sound radio station, was today consolidating nationwide tour deals and compiling a gleaming roster of national and international stars who will play Wairarapa over coming weeks.

Mediaworks Wairarapa general manager Bex Johnson said The Sound was a station "passionate about music" in a province teeming with live music and entertainment.

She said the station, like UWP, was committed to highlighting live music, musicians and entertainment venues in the region.

"We are very fortunate, the Wairarapa region is spoilt for choice musically and it's vital that live music, our local venues and musicians in the Wairarapa survive and thrive," she said.

"To do that it needs support from the public and publicity. That's our role. The Sound will let people know what's on and what's happening and promote live music Wairarapa wide."
Rogers said he had been seeking inroads in to radio and the association with The Sound was more than welcome.

"I've been looking at doing something with radio for a while because for me radio is the big one music wise. We surveyed people on the Up with People mailing list about who they were listening to, and the bulk of them said The Sound.

"It's a very good station. We partnered with them for the last Stonehenge concert and they had an incredible reaction to that. So we decided to carry on," he said.

The next date on the UWP calendar is the Labour weekend Huia Festival the company was hosting in Masterton on Saturday alongside King Street Live that will feature The Black Seeds, The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, King Street Live co-owner Warren Maxwell and his band King OriOri and the Masterons, Adam Page and DJ Sambora from Shapeshifter.

Also included in the stellar line-up will be return performances for Kiwi rockers The Datsuns and award-winning singer songwriter Delaney Davidson at King Street Live, which also will host the Wairarapa debut of vaunted Australian bluesman C.W. Stoneking, The New Zealand Guitar Quartet at Aratoi, The Halloween Ball and UWP Christmas Party at King Street Live, Pink Floyd tribute band Eclipse at Black Barn Vinyards in Havelock North, and the Led Zeppelin tribute band Whole Lotta Led at Stonehenge near Carterton.

Mr Rogers said The Datsuns and C.W. Stoneking were including Masterton on their upcoming tour itineraries and the inclusion was a boon and privilege for the region.

"Like the Datsuns, C.W. is coming to New Zealand and playing cities like Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and they're playing Masterton as well.

"I think it's the audiences here and the King Street Live venue. As soon as King Street Live opened up, it was an amazing venue designed by musicians for musicians and Wairarapa audiences supported it.

"It brought all those factors together to become a top notch music venue and is bringing back bands like The Datsuns.

"The audience reactions are giving the musicians a crazy time. They love it, we love it, and for us to get one of New Zealand's major rock bands to come back again, and other acts to choose to play here specifically, that's great. Long may it continue," he said.

Upcoming Up With People gigs include:

October 25 Huia Festival - Masterton

October 31 The Halloween Ball - King Street Live

November 1 New Zealand Guitar Quartet - Aratoi

November 6 C.W. Stoneking - King Street Live

November 26 Delaney Davidson - King Street Live

December 12 Up With People's Christmas Party with
Shenanigans - King Street Live

December 21 The Datsuns - King Street Live

January 31 Eclipse at Black Barn Vinyards - Havelock North

February 14 Whole Lotta Led - Stonehenge