Craig Smith Queenstown ( roamin troubadour ) & Li'l Chuck Christchurch (The One man Skiffle Machine) Free Show Careys Bay Friday Sept 29th 7 pm
Once upon a time in a town far, far away (ChCh) the pre quake bars echoed to the sounds of these two troubadours thrashing out the classics to the midnight revellers.
Then came earthquakes, babies, sensible shoes and international success.
After years apart and a few more K's on the clock, Craig Smith( roamin troubadour ) & Li'l Chuck (The One man Skiffle Machine) once again share the bill to bring you a very special show of stories, song and stompin'.Alone and together .
Li'l Chuck The One Man Skiffle Machine is an authentic one man band performing 'good time music with old time style'.
Having spent a lifetime rummaging through the drawers of 1930's - 50's music, Chuck’s mostly original songs are inspired by the sounds of the era - Blues, Early Jazz, Western Swing, Ragtime etc. and are uniquely presented in the style of street performers from those glory days. Sticking to the traditional one man band format, Chuck plays all the instruments simultaneously.
Captivating story telling intertwines effortlessly with heart stopping harmonica & multiple guitar styles underpinned by his left and right feet frantically pounding the kick and hi hat. The listener is left simply wondering, How the hell does he do that?
Originally hailing from the UK, Li'l Chuck first stomped out his music in Christchurch, New Zealand after relocating in 2003.
Li'l Chuck has performed at may high profile events around New Zealand. He recently played support for American legend Jimmy Buffet and Bluesman 'Blind Boy' Paxton, The Topp Twins and was the feature artist on Jesse Mulligan's RNZ Friday live.
In an age where we are rushing around at breakneck speed, where everything is instant, sugar coated, airbrushed and overly polished, Li’l Chuck brings us down to earth with some organic, all natural, whole grain, naked goodness.
Li'l Chuck combines almost every element of pure joy. 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)
NZ Listener 2017
”A true multi-instrumentalist & multi-tasker in addition to a talented artist.
No Depression Magazine USA 2017
“Not many one man bands display this level of quality. Li'l Chuck is as rootsy and authentic as an old Kauri tree”.
NZ Musician 2017
“Wherever you drop the needle you are guaranteed to have a good time”
Blues Matters Magazine UK 2015
A dazzling show of his masterful co-ordination. Slick harmonica. Highly recommended.
Secondhandnews.nz 2017
Li'l Chuck is a multifaceted and talented musician Listening to his music happily transported me to a bar in New Orleans.
Muzic.net.nz 2017
“Five Stars”
NZ Musician 2015
Addictively Intoxicating”
Sunday Star Times 2015
Craig Smith
Pre Childrens song‘n’book days Craig Smith was one of the South Islands hardest working troubadours covering just about every place imaginable about this island with his take on a range of subjects including environmental damage, greed and bigotry. For his acclaimed 2010 album ‘45 South’ Craig travelled to Los Angeles where he recorded with Stevie Wonder’s band as well as with members of the Christchurch Symphony orchestra .His solo performances are noted for his vocal approach as deft (and resonant) as his guitar playing. Here’s a rare opportunity to catch Craig in a couple of performances while taking a break from his new children’s book n song promotion .
