Singer-songwriter Juliet McLean and The Navigators, one of many fine acts to play the Lucky Bar.
IS THERE such a thing as too much fun?
There is an answer to the question of whether it is possible to have too much fun — the Vintage Weekend in Whanganui.
There was a smorgasbord of wonderful music with something to tempt everyone.
My personal favourite was The Raskolnikovs at Lucky Bar.
They are an amazing band who take Balkan sounds, mix it up with polka, plus a dash of eastern folk with a gothic tint.
The night was one great memorable dance till you drop as the band fired off salvo after salvo of complex rhythms that went straight to the feet.
My companions for the evening were lovely people who had seen the band before and had some idea of what was to come but, for me, it was a stunning discovery.
The musicianship was breathtaking and a reminder that here in lil' ol' NZ we have performers who could easily foot it with international acts that we pay hundreds of dollars to see.
A promoter based in Wellington was telling me that the international touring acts that play the big venues do affect the local market for homegrown shows in smaller local venues by soaking up a chunk of the entertainment dollar thus diminishing the spending on Kiwi performers.
If people have spent $300 or more on a ticket to see a major international touring act, there is inevitably going to be less left for going to see performers in local venues.
Our main Whanganui venues, the aforementioned Lucky Bar, Whanganui Musicians Club and Jazz Club events at the RSA are all great places to see live music.
All host amazing shows that often feature world class musicians.
I do wonder if this is not apparent to punters who mistakenly assume that because a band is from New Zealand that they must not be as good as an overseas act.
The Raskolnikovs are but one example of a band who are as good as anything you might see in New York, London or Sydney.
We need to value and appreciate class acts such as them to ensure they can continue to tour and play.
Before I mention all the other bands and musicians I saw over the Vintage Weekend, it is important to note that I participated, with suitable inscrutable Dylan-ish demeanour, in the Dylan song competition.
This was fun and the crowd seemed to enjoy all the contestants taking a shot at being Mr Robert Zimmerman for five minutes.
Most of us chose shorter songs from the Dylan archive as he was always long on the lyrics — I don't how Dylan remembers them all — but the winner did a classic rendition of Tambourine Man with all the verses.
A parade of performers including Charlotte Melser, Damn Raucous Brass and the Conrays all did their bit over the weekend to remind Whanganui and all our visitors that we are a town of many talents.
A favourite was the duo from Britain called the Old Time Rags.
It was astonishing to see and hear how many instruments two people could play at once. The woman's tap dancing was a highlight of the Sunday concerts.
It is a dance form seldom seen these days and initially it all seemed a mystery to two girls who were watching but could not see what was making the amazing percussive solos.
Their mother took them up closer so they could see the flashing tap shoes and the look on their faces was a wonder as they realised it was all in the dancing feet.
*Terry Sarten (aka Tel) is a Whanganui-based musician, writer and social worker. Feedback welcome: tgs@inspire.net.nz
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