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

We are a five piece country covers band that was formed earlier this year.

Right now, we’re building a repertoire of songs with the goal to start playing live and professionally in the not-too-distant future.

Our band includes a drummer, bass player, vocals and three electric and acoustic guitar players who also collectively play steel guitar, slide guitar, dobro, mandolin and banjo in different 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're looking for more band members of similar attitude who understand that country music is not just a fad, but one of the classic American genres with a long history.

We are setting out to 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 will be popular country songs.

We’re planning on gradually having a large repertoire to keep things interesting and to tailor 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 from Alan Jackson and Alison Krauss to Wynonna Judd and Zach Top (sorry, I can’t think of a female artist starting with Z).

So far, we've been working on songs by: Alabama, Bobby Bare, Brooks & Dunn, Chris Stapleton, Chuck Berry, Clint Black, Delbert McClinton, Dwight Yoakam, Eddie Rabbitt, Ella Langley, Emmylou Harris, Gretchen Wilson, Jo Dee Messina, Kaylee Bell, Keith Urban, Mark Chesnutt, Miranda Lambert, Robert Earl Keen, Roy Orbison, Santo & Johnny, Shooter Jennings, Slim Dusty, Terry Allen, Tom T. Hall and Willie Nelson. We will be adding more songs to the repertoire in the next couple of weeks.

All song selection so far has had input from all band members. Everyone involved will have ongoing opportunities to help select repertoire material.

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PIANO / KEYBOARD PLAYER WANTED:

We are looking for a pianist with a portable keyboard that can get a good acoustic piano sound. Someone who is interested in the piano playing heard in classic American genres like country, gospel, R&B, blues and rock & roll.

Bonus points if you've heard of country players like Al Stricklin, Bobbie Nelson, Charlie Rich, Floyd Cramer, Floyd Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Leon Russell, Matt Rollings, Mickey Gilley, Millard Kelso, Moon Mullican, Pig Robbins, Ray Charles and Ronnie Milsap.

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

We’re also interested in some 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 or even brass/woodwind sounds.

If you’re 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 classic and modern country, including the electrified fiddle sound heard in electric-guitar-and-drums-based country from recent decades (e.g. neo-honky-tonk, ‘90s country-rock, modern western swing).

If you're also interested in harmony singing that would be a bonus, as 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. Ideally someone who also plays an instrument (this is partly for appreciation of the time and work needed for band arrangements), and 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 are weekly (within reason).

We're looking for people who have a passion and commitment to country music, have listened to a decent amount of it already and are listening to it now.

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.