So much music, so little time...

There really is so much on that I'm looking for a way to present something other than what amounts to a seven hundred word listicle.

But no politics this week.

Two columns spent exploring the musical tastes of our various mayoral candidates means I have already missed out on more than a few worthwhile shows.

It's possibly too late to now mention a concert tonight (Friday, September 27) at the Jam Factory.

Which is a pity since it'll be a very good show. In case you get your paper early – or are reading this on Friday morning on SunLive – let me slip in a quick mention of Krissy Jackson, Taranaki violinist.

She's been on the road often, touring with the likes of Adam McGrath, The Eastern, Albi and the Wolves, Frank Burkitt Band, and Hot Diggity, but this is only the second tour under her own name.

At the Jam Factory, Krissy will be joined by Adam Ogle (multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter), cellist Anna Percy and husband Peter Jackson on keyboards.

Of the music, Krissy says: 'We go through a variety of styles from jazz and Celtic, to dance music - pretty much anything you could play a fiddle with!” She says they're planning a fun, lively concert where 'audience members can expect to be taken on a journey, through music that makes them feel, dance or want to sing along.”

Doors open at 6.30pm; tickets are $15.

All on

It really is all on at the Jam Factory.

You could assume from the amount of times I write about this venue that they regularly send me piles of cash in plain brown envelopes. That's not even vaguely true. Everyone knows I only accept Bitcoin.

But – damn – they do have a lot of interesting gigs; let's examine this upcoming week.

On Thursday night (October 3) Joanne Slagel, singer with the Queen City Big Band, is performing. Here's a curious titbit of information about her: she has written three musicals with her husband Marcus, all of which are Christmas themed. The first two were performed at City Impact Church Auckland in 2013 and 2015. The third premiered in both Queenstown and Invercargill in December 2018.

More regularly Joanne sings, plays acoustic guitar and uses a loop pedal.

Unusually, she also plays trumpet during the show. You can find her on YouTube. Doors open at 6.30pm; tickets are $15.

The following night (Friday, October 4) marks the return to Tauranga of guitarist extraordinaire Ken Nicol, once a member of both Steeleye Span and The Albion Band, a man who has worked with people ranging from Al Stewart to Phil Cool.

Ragtime

He is a tremendous ragtime guitarist but plays pretty much anything from folk ballads to jazz and blues, with a side helping of great stories. Ken has released literally dozens of albums in over 30 years at the top of the folk scene and played on dozens more.

He has a Wiki page and his website has music, guitar tutorials and much more. (There is even a 'Ken Nicol Signature Guitar”.)

Playing support is local EmRiver, who will probably play the piano and whose music leans towards the meditative. Doors open at 6.30pm; tickets are $25.

Then on Sunday, October 6, it's the debut tour of Christchurch singer Mousey, who emerged earlier this year with the song Extreme Highs.

She's celebrating the release of her debut album, Lemon Law, and will be bringing a six-piece band. Inspired by artists like Radiohead, Regina Spektor and Sufjan Stevens, her music is well-crafted sunny indie pop.

Doors open at 6.30pm; tickets are $15.

So that's the Jam Factory. If your tastes run more towards the familiar then checkout the influx of tribute acts: Friday, October 4, Baycourt features the music of Leonard Cohen, Saturday 5 there's a Beatles tribute band at the Waihi Beach Hotel (with a Dire Straits tribute show later in October), and on October 13 the Entertainers Club hosts The Deep Purple Project at the Citz Club.