Folk duo Hungrytown welcomed back

Hungrytown duo, Ken Anderson and Rebecca Hall at back to perform in Katikati this Saturday.

The Katikati Folk Club welcomes the return of internationally-acclaimed American folk duo Hungrytown, who are now on their third tour of New Zealand.

Their music has received extensive radio airplay worldwide and has appeared on several television shows, including The Daily Show, Portlandia and Lady Dynamite, and in various documentaries and behind major sporting events.

The American musical married duo, Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson, hail from the northeastern state of Vermont.

They have been touring professionally for nearly 15 years and are currently on a seven-month mega-tour, performing more than 70 shows between January and July.

Their travels will take them coast-to-coast through the US, then onto New Zealand, followed by their 10th tour of the United Kingdom.

Hungrytown's third and latest album, Further West, made the top 10 on the American Folk DJ charts for two months, and at least 14 Best of 2015 lists.

After more than a decade of world-wide touring and three album releases, Rebecca and Ken have earned a reputation for the quality and authenticity of their songwriting.

"It's great to hear an act eschew sentimentality in favour of honesty and to prove that you don't have to go raiding the memory of others to find the stuff that really good songs are made of," writes Jedd Beaudoin of Popmatters.

Lyricist Rebecca Hall is credited with compositions "that sound as timeless as any traditional songs" (Northern Sky, UK) while producer/multi-instrumentalist/husband Ken Anderson is lauded for his "remarkable affinity for instrumental embellishment" (No Depression) and for crafting Hungrytown's "gorgeous vocal harmonies" (Folk and Roots, UK).

Hungrytown's introduction to folk music came when a close friend - who died young due to a tragic misdiagnosis - entrusted to them her collection of 1960s folk albums and her guitar (which has since been featured on all of their albums).

Inspired by the grit and true-to-life experiences she heard in these traditional ballads, Rebecca was inspired to write the lyrics that later became her first songs, aided by Ken's flair for musical arrangement. Soon afterwards, she released two solo albums, Sings! (1999) and Sunday Afternoon (2002), both produced by Ken. In the winter of 2003, the duo quit their desk jobs, moved to the green hills of Vermont and decided to pursue a full-time career as touring musicians.

They released their first CD, Hungrytown, in 2008, Any Forgotten Thing in 2011 and Further West in 2015.

- Hungrytown play at the Katikati Bowling Club on Saturday, March 18 at 7.30pm. Admission $15 members, $20 non-members, Children free.