Country Covers Band - Piano/Keyboard Player and Fiddle Player Wanted

We are a five piece country covers band that formed earlier this year. We’re currently building a repertoire of songs with the goal to become a professional live band that starts gigging in the not-too-distant future.

Our band includes a drummer, bass player, three electric + acoustic guitar players, and vocals. We also use steel guitar, slide guitar, dobro, mandolin and banjo in our songs.

There is a growing market for quality live country music in the New Zealand music scene. And about time.

Our goal is to have a versatile range of country material covering any decades from the 1950s to the 2020s. This is to allow us to cater to different age groups and tastes, and it’s also because we want to play a combination of recent hits and timeless classics. We are looking for more band members of a similar attitude who understand that country music is not just a fad but a classic American genre with quite a history.

We do a mixture of danceable songs (e.g. rockabilly, country-rock and honky tonk rhythms), as well as lower-key ballads.

We aim to do mostly mainstream/classic country material that has charted in America, with a smaller percentage of other country-influenced and country-compatible material: e.g. Australian and New Zealand country songs, alt-country/Americana songs, roots-rock/country-rock/southern rock, rockabilly, rock & roll and early 60s pop-rock. But the bulk of the songs are going to be popular country songs.

We’re planning on gradually building a large repertoire to keep things interesting and to tailor our sets to different playing situations. This project is just as much about furthering our musical development instrumentally and vocally within a genre as it is about playing live, having fun and entertaining people.

We are interested in covering anyone in the alphabet from Alan Jackson and Alison Krauss to Wynonna Judd and Zach Top (sorry, couldn't think of a female artist who starts with Z). So far, we have been working on songs by: Alabama, Bobby Bare, Brooks & Dunn, Chris Stapleton, Chuck Berry, Delbert McClinton, Ella Langley, Emmylou Harris, Gretchen Wilson, Jo Dee Messina, Kaylee Bell, Keith Urban, Mark Chesnutt, Miranda Lambert, Roy Orbison, Shooter Jennings, Slim Dusty, Tom T. Hall and Willie Nelson. We will be adding more songs to our repertoire in the next couple of weeks.

All songs selected so far have had input from all band members. Everyone involved in the group will have ongoing chances to select material for the repertoire.

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PIANO / KEYBOARD PLAYER WANTED:

We are looking for a pianist with a portable keyboard who is interested in the piano playing heard in the classic American genres: country, gospel, R&B, blues and rock & roll. Bonus points if you've heard of players like Charlie Rich, Moon Mullican, Matt Rollings, Floyd Cramer, Pig Robbins, Ronnie Milsap, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Floyd Domino and Bobbie Nelson.

This would both be for rhythm accompaniment, fills, and the occasional solo break.

We are also interested in signature keyboard sounds such as the Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, Wurlitzer, Hohner Pianet-Clavinet, and more.

It may also help on the occasional song if your keyboard can emulate strings, pads, or even brass and woodwind sounds.

If you are also interested in harmony singing that would be a bonus, as would being able to play another instrument (e.g. accordion, harmonica, or a stringed instrument).

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FIDDLER WANTED:

We are looking for a fiddle player who is interested in playing old and modern country, including the kind of electrified fiddle sound heard alongside electric-guitar-and-drums-based country from recent decades (e.g. neo-honky-tonk, ‘90s country-rock, modern western swing).
If you are also interested in harmony singing that would be a bonus, as possibly would being able to play another instrument (e.g. accordion, harmonica or another stringed instrument).

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ANOTHER NICE TO HAVE:

We are open to adding a female vocalist to the group. Someone who also plays an instrument (partly so they can appreciate the time needed to work on band arrangements), is happy to sing harmony as well as lead parts (including some songs suggested by others), and has an appreciation for country music from a range of decades (this can include contemporary hits from the 2010s and 2020s, but it should also include classic country music from the 20th century).

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This band would be suitable for people based in areas like Wellington city, Porirua, Wairarapa, Hutt Valley, Kapiti or Horowhenua and who are willing to do some travel (e.g. for rehearsals, and in future, gigs — country music festivals, music venues, pubs, clubs and other events). Practices will be weekly (within reason).
We're looking for people who have a true passion for country music and have listened to a reasonable amount of it. If you're interested, would like to find out more, and you think you’ve got the motivation and dedication for a project like this, please hit the message link below and I’ll get back to you. Feel free to include a phone number or email address in your message.

Thanks.