I am continually reminded by people of the huge diversity of music happening all around Tauranga.

And, although I try to write about a fair range of it, I know that for every event mentioned here there are probably another couple that have slipped under the radar.
So my thanks to Sheryl Bond for her very nice email last week. Not only was it a pleasure to receive correspondence on another topic than mp3s (no, we're not going there again in the immediate future), but it also drew my attention to the activities of the Tauranga Acoustic Music Club.
Sheryl commented that it would be good to know more about the various music clubs in the area: 'I know there are blues clubs and country clubs out there, it would be good to know where they meet and what they do…”
Good point. There are indeed music clubs and there are open mic nights of all sorts happening at various venues around the place. The Country Music Club (which may not actually be called that any more) has just celebrated its fortieth anniversary and there are a host of others. And in a very real way these clubs and nights are the lifeblood of the musical community, where a large number of musical kids get their first chance to perform and hear live music, and where skills can be honed by budding artists. If any organisers of such happenings are reading this then drop me a line and I'll help spread the word. I've written about the (excellent) Katikati Folk Club but there are many more. Lemme know.
But back to the Acoustic Music Club, which used to be known as the Tauranga Folk Music Club.
(Actually, just going off on a tangent for a minute, it's interesting how many former folk clubs are now called 'acoustic music” clubs in recognition of how difficult it is to define 'folk music”. Like 'blues”, it is a hard term to get to grips with when it encompasses everything from those delightful old songs about soldiers and farmers daughters to the traditional music of the Andes to tunes by Bob Dylan or Billy Bragg.)
The Acoustic Music Club meets at Fahy's (in Greerton) for jam nights – where everyone plays together - every Wednesday night at 8pm, and blackboard concerts – where people who write their name on a board get to share their wares - every fourth Wednesday night, and the second Sunday of the month at 2 pm. There are more details at http://taurangaacousticmusic.com.
But what caught my ear was one of the special events they have coming up, a concert by Australian bluegrass band Coolgrass, who are hitting town in a couple of week's time.
And, in keeping with the idea of 'acoustic” music as opposed to 'folk” music, Coolgrass are anything but yer traditional bluegrass band. No. This is a bluegrass band who are known to launch into 'The Timewarp” from the Rocky Horror Show (complete with slinky lingerie and suspenders) or jump into James Brown's 'I Feel Good”.
The band comprises Doug Wallace (guitar and dobro), Jim Golding (banjo), Angus Golding (double bass) and Bruce Packard (mandolin). All have extremely heavyweight credentials.
Doug used to play with the Hayes Brothers (generally regarded as Australia's first bluegrass band) and has since been in any number of outfits, from the modestly named The Promised Band, to the literally named The Melbourne Bluegrass Band and the very dubiously named Blue Grass Souls.
Jim Golding skips across banjo styles that he likes to call bebop-banjo, rock'n'roll-banjo, bossa-banjo and more, while Angus' experience includes stints with the De Capo Singers and playing keyboards in a heavy rock band. Mandolinist Bruce is equally comfortable on double bass and even plays the unusual mandocello.
Together they have released two albums and present virtuoso music - from traditional bluegrass to a pile of quirky oddities - with a good lashing of zany humour. They have, as you'd expect, played at most of Australia's top festivals.
Coolgrass are appearing at Fahys on Thursday 26, tickets are $15 at the door. For more information, check them out at www.myspace.com/coolgrass.
watusi@thesun.co.nz