Carol Bean & Nick Swan with Rob Hack

As a guitarist and lover of blues and Americana music, Carol Bean is equally at home belting out a Memphis Minnie song in a blues club as she is offering a John Prine love song at a house concert. Her three original albums; Read the Road Signs (2008), Crossing the Dirty River (Ode Records 2014), and Next Bus Out (2016) – are available on iTunes and Spotify.

As a teenager in Los Angeles, Carol was influenced equally by Doc Watson and Ry Cooder. Since moving to New Zealand, she’s played in several Cuba Dupa shows, Coastella, Rotorua’s NZ Blues Festival (teaming up with both Dave Murphy and Ray Ahipene-Mercer), a feature guest at the Auckland and Wellington folk festivals, Australia’s Wirrina Roots Festival in Adelaide with ‘sideman’ – slide player Tony Burt, and many venues in between.

Tonight Carol plays in a duo with Celtic/punk musician Nick Swan (mandolin, guitar, vocals Jacky Tar, Parcel of Roguesand founding member of Life in the Fridge Exists). From Coastella to Wellington’s live-music cafés – Moon Bar, Fringe Bar and Thunderbird Café – Carol and Nick meld vocals and instrumental styles they have honed over four years of playing the dark side of the alt-country music together.

Reviews:

The first four songs on Next Bus Out had my full attention. Carol Bean’s truthful singing and fine guitar playing are her map and compass as she traces the journey and the stories in these traveller’s songs. Nick Bollinger

When she gets the band kicking you know she must shake walls in pubs and clubs.

Graham Reid. www.elsewhere.co.nz

She delivers her lyrics with a voice that is sometimes soft and close, and at other times punching. Mike Garner, NZ Blues Review

Carol Bean’s album Crossing the Dirty Riverdelivers. Versatile and, vibrant, Carol has an earthy quality that make you want to listen over and over.

Tom Villano, film music supervisor/editor, Hollywood CA, USA

I would have to say that she has reached a peak with this album Crossing the Dirty River; wonderful dirty guitars and wonderful songs. She is definitely our Queen of Alt Country.

Chris O’Shea, Americana Show, Radio Active, 88.6FM Wellington

Rob Hack

Pencil pushing, Polynesian poet, nice walk spoiler, handyman, couch occupier, radio show poet, writing class honcho, dishwasher, cleaner, and watcher of skies.  But to be a little more precise: Invercargill born to a Cook Island mother and kiwi father. A Niuean childhood. Builder, Insurance salesman, gym owner, greenkeeper, some of the 30 plus jobs he's had. He has Three sons. Four grandchildren.

Wellington, Sydney, Cannons Creek, Mauke, Darwin, Paekakariki ,Granada are some places he writes about.  In 2016, he published a collection of poems 'Everything is Here'. Hosts 'Not at theTable: Poetry and stuff' on Paekakariki Radio and runs creative writing classes at Te Ara Korowai, Raumati Beach.