The Open Road
An evening featuring The DeSotos with the Al Wilkinson Band –
Harmony Hall, 4 Wynyard Street, Devonport. Thursday 27 February, 7:30pm.
Auckland Americana country blues act The DeSotos are performing a collaborative event with the Al Wilkinson Band on Thursday 27 February.
The DeSotos’ debut album Cross Your Heart released in 2008 became the soundtrack to the Marcus Lush TVNZ series ‘South’ and was selected as National Radio’s New Zealand album of that year. Their sophomore album ‘Your Highway for Tonight’ followed in 2011 and also featured on the subsequent ‘North’ TV show.
Their music has also appeared in Brokenwood Mysteries and Shortland Street.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Paul Gurney has since produced two solo albums - ‘Shadow of Love’ (2017) and the recent ‘Blue Horizon’ which received extensive airplay on US radio and led to Paul performing a showcase at Americanafest in Nashville in September of 2023.
During 2024 the band were at the Lab Recording Studio working on a brand new album. The full length album will be released later in 2025.
Their influences range from Neil Young and Tom Petty through to the Allman Brothers Band and New Orleans jazz and funk, and they have performed in Devonport a number of times previously during the days of the Devonport Wine & Food Festival.
The DeSotos lineup is;
Paul Gurney – lead vocals, guitars & blues harp
Stuart McIntyre – bass & vocals
Ron Stevens – Hammond, keyboards & vocals
Greg Tell – drums & percussion
Supporting act is the Al Wilkinson Band
Al Wilkinson, is a singer/songwriter from Auckland who, in the 70’s and 80’s performed extensively in the Sydney Pub, Wine Bar and Club circuit both with his band of the time and as part of an acoustic duo. His passion for song-writing recently found renewed expression, penning the material for his “Rolling Wheels” EP in 2020 and in 2022 his Full Album “Thirty-Nine South”. They have a strong melodic quality in the tradition and influence of country-folk-rock, definitely worth a listen!!
Al Wilkinson Band;
Al Wilkinson - Vocal and Guitar
John Olding - Guitars, Background Vocal
Alastair Dougal - Bass
Scotty Pearson - Drums
