Easter. It's coming up fast. Jazz Fest ‘n' all. This column isn't about that.No. Next week I'll have a comprehensive look at the downtown section of the Jazz... Read More

There is one complaint I hear more frequently than all others.About music that is. If we threw it open to any sort of complaint I wouldn't know where to start. But... Read More

Organisers of recent festivals must be breathing a sigh of relief. No rain. That's top of the wish-list for any festival organiser. All of the bands turning up on... Read More

We need to talk about Bruce. I was in Auckland last Friday night for Bruce Springsteen's second New Zealand concert, the final show of the tour, and writing this... Read More

I imagine a long, lush, late-February and a March filled with glorious sunshine. That's what we deserve, what really should happen after a January and February when... Read More

Last year I managed to offend the organisers of the Folk Under The Figs festival and I'd like to take this chance to offer an apology. At the time, I was trying... Read More

I must confess that I like these columns to be ordered and tidy; it's long been a failing, but there you go. On the other hand, learning to embrace chaos is an essential... Read More

Can we make every weekend a long weekend from now on? Four days' work, three days off is just about right for me. Actually, six-and-a-half days off and a little... Read More

Let's talk about Katikati; there's more to it than avocados. I like Katikati a lot and I was reminded of that a couple of weeks ago at the Katikati Avocado Food... Read More

Everything seems to be running a little behind at the moment, and this column is no exception. Due to the unpredictable vicissitudes of life I missed my annual... Read More

Only 229 days to go until National Poetry Day! Yep, now we've stopped counting the days to Christmas we need a new countdown - and I've picked National Poetry Day.... Read More

It seems like 2016 was a rotten year for musicians, in terms of not surviving it. That may or may not be true. There seems to be universal disagreement as to whether... Read More