November is New Zealand Blues Month. Why not?

I was thinking about the recently-minted Blues Roots & Grooves Festival in Palmerston North and I reckon it would be easier to divide the name out.

So January becomes Groove Month, what with the increasing rise of January festivals focused on dancing and grooves, from our own Bay Dreams to Rhythm & Vines and several more. And it seems only right that since it hosts the ground-breaking One Love Festival, with its celebration of all things reggae, February should be Roots Month.

But the ‘outdoor season' really starts at Labour weekend, welcoming the sun with big bashes like Tauranga's Garden & Arts Festival in a couple of weeks' time, and that's been reinforced by the emergence of two new New Zealand festivals, both centred round blues music. So let's call November Blues Month.

First up is the Auckland Blues Festival on Saturday, November 12; the first such venture I can remember on this scale. It's like the Big Day Out for blues.

I'm not going to go into too much detail here; it's an Auckland event and I try to keep things largely local. And I know that all y'all can follow it up yourselves. I have the highest regard for this column-readers' general intelligence and initiative. You are smarter than your average bear, clever enough to beat the Chaser. Here's what you'll need to get started...

To gauge interest, here's a (partial) list of bands, some Australian: Ash Grunwald, Fiona Boyes & The Fortune Tellers, Midge Marsden, Jeff Lang, Nathan Cavaleri, Albi & The Wolves, Cat Tunks featuring Blackstratblues, Jimi Kara & The Psychedelic Blusos, Kokomo, Laura Collins & The Back Porch Blues Band, Southern Blue Collar Band, Original Sun, Paul Ubana Jones, The Caramelos, The Flaming Mudcats, The Solomon Cole Band and Lil Lach. Interested? Go to: www.bluesfestival.co.nz

Closer to home

Later in the month, rather closer to home, is the second new festival, Rotorua's New Zealand Blues & BBQ Festival, running from Friday, November 25 till Sunday, November, 27.

From 4pm on the Friday night, there'll be a lot of music from bands and a little comedy from Ben Hurley; Saturday is all-day music, from 11.30am, with blues from Australia, the USA and here, on the Rotorua Village Green. Sunday brings the finals of the Youth Music competition and more local and international sounds.

Amongst the various acts are Wizard & Oz, Nikau and The Natives, Theory 89, Collision, Dirty Tones, Peri Grant, Midnight Salt, Shotgun. Kokomo, Keri LeLievre, Legacy Band, Robert Lock Band, Rehaab, Lazy 50 and 19-Twenty, and, throughout all of this, there will be barbecuing on an industrial scale, with teams competing from all over the country.

Just looking at that youth competition, Sunday is a free community event dedicated to emerging young blues artists, run by the Bay of Plenty Blues Club, which host the whole festival. With that in mind, the club say they still have space left for talented rangatahi who wish to compete – for details and to register, contact: bopbluesyouth@gmail.com There is a recording studio prize worth $5000 and other groovy stuff up for grabs!

For more details about all aspects of the festival, head to: bluesandbbq.co.nz.

Fundraiser

Right. Enough blues. I find myself writing – yet again – about the Katikati Folk Club. Honestly, they don't send me money. Or anything else. Not that I'd refuse. But they keep doing things that seem attention-worthy, as is their Arts Junction concert on November 11.

The folk club is fundraising to support 47-year-old Tim Pardy, who is currently undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, which returned after a cancer-free diagnosis in March. They told me, in the most Kiwi way imaginable, that they 'reckon he's a good sort who deserves our support”.

So on November 11 you can be entertained by four local acts: Smith & Co with their popular folk and harmonies; Two's Company playing jazz, popera and classic hits; The Wild Clovers, bringing their thumping Celtic rock; and Calico Line's sweet sounds of Americana. It's a 7:30pm start: members $20; others $25. There's more info at: www.katikatifolkclub.co.nz

Ash Grunwald. Photo: Supplied