Two long weekends in a row – can life get any better?

Of course the second one isn't strictly a long weekend. Waitangi Day is a Tuesday. But is anyone you know not taking a holiday on Monday to enjoy a relaxing four-day break?

And February is arriving in the Bay with a bang. The first weekend is one when we seem deluged with music. Gigs, gigs, gigs...

There are two on Friday and three on Saturday, all different flavours and all well worthwhile. But let's start with a quickie on Thursday (1 February).

At The Freeport Bar in Bayfair it's the monthly Cleaver Indie Artists session hosted by local blues-rock band Rehaab.

TJS Blues.

Often this is a showcase for up-and-coming talent, this time they feature the veteran blues of TJS Blues, the trio featuring impeccable guitarist Trevor Braunias and his son Stefan on drums.

Young electro-pop singer Sophie-Maude is the other feature act.

Sophie Maude.

On to Friday (2 February) and it really comes down to a choice of guitarists and styles.

Over at Totara Street, Grant Haua, with the Grant Haua Explosion, is launching his new album 'Mana Blues'.

It seems that in making this one of my “Albums of 2023” and going on about it almost non-stop I was being a bit previous as Arthur Daly would say.

But now it's all go and Grant will be joined by James Bos (drums) and Brian Franks (bass), with support from young rockers Sonorous.

Grant Haua, with the Grant Haua Explosion.

If you haven't seen Grant play then this is the best chance before he heads back to Europe. There's lots more to move on to so I'm not going to rave about him yet again. Hi-energy blues-rock at its finest, 'nuff said.

That same night at The Jam Factory you can wallow in the delights of Gypsy jazz and old time swing with virtuoso acoustic guitarist Mark Mazengarb.

He's been living and touring the US for several years now, popping back to New Zealand every couple of years with an outstanding guest. This time, from New York, it's singer Katie Martucci, who grew up in the Catskill Mountains singing and playing fiddle and guitar. This will be a show of immaculate musicianship and true class. Yum!

And on to the Saturday (3 February). My pick of the bunch is again at the Jam Factory, a second set of international visitors in the shape of Sassafras.

Sassafras.

They are a bluegrass quartet based in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. They've played festivals round the globe and promise everything from the traditional sounds of the Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs era to the progressive end of the genre, popularly known as “Newgrass” music.

But that's not all. If your tastes lean to reggae Raglan's Lost Tribe Aotearoa are playing over at the Waihi Beach Hotel while back in town down at The Barrel Room you can catch long-serving Auckland alt-country quartet The DeSotos.

And to think we used to complain about nothing happening...

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