Steve and Ainsley Apirana: News

Its exciting to think that a new year can bring new beginnings: we may not be able to change the past but we can change the future by changing how we see the past - we started our year by attending a seminar on being grateful and have been hugely challenged to look at how we think and speak about the things we face in our lives: you can check out www.365grateful.com if you want to know more about that.

For me the most exciting news is that we have accepted an invitation to go to Europe. We will be travelling through countries like Germany, Czech republic, Slovakia and the Netherlands with an organisation called Atlantic Bridge. We have done two previous tours with them and absolutely love what they are doing through Europe. We are so thrilled to be going once again. Our hope is that we can work out an itinerary to go through the States and Britain on the way there and / or on the way back.

The tour starts on the first of June and till then we will be here in Australia and in New Zealand launching "This Wretched Man" - 24th February in Noosa, further dates to be released soon.

Finally a big thank you to all you out there who write to us, encourage us and support us. Without you we would be a very sad and sorry lot.

After six weeks touring we are home again: tired, but very happy. Its been a great time, touring and catching up with family friends and fans along the way. With Steve's new album finally finished its time to get it out there - in the shops and on the airwaves and hopefully that will happen very shortly and you can have an album for Christmas. If they are not in the shops write to us and we can send you one for $30 - includes postage and packaging. Hope you are all enjoying this hectic time of year and get all the necessaries done in time to relax for Christmas and New Year.

Virgin Mary is now available as a single to download through itunes and amplifier. It is a traditional song that Steve first heard sung a'capella by the Howard Morrison Quartet back in the sixties. You can now get the whole album "This Wretched Man" and Long Ago the single. The album is available online and will be in shops very soon.

At long last the single from Steve's new Album is out. You can download the single Long Ago - from Itunes and Amplifier. Follow this link to access:
http://www.amplifier.co.nz/default,78266.sm, www.itunes.com/steveapirana and www.itunes.com/steveapirana/longago-single

This saturday, the 29th October there will be an evening of drama poetry and music with Rose Gregory, Donna Tairakena, The Dirt Floor Alliance. Look forward to seeing you all there. See the poster for details under photos.

We are off to New Zealand in a few days to tour firstly with Tear Fund and secondly with Dirt Floor. All our gigs are posted on the website so you can see where we will be. Looking forward to being back in the South Island - its been a while since we have been round the southern parts so we are just hoping the weather is not too cold for our hardened bones. Look forward to seeing you all at the concerts.

Steve and Ainsley will be playing at the Wine Bar at the Noosa Marina this Friday Night (between Tewantin and Noosaville). Come along and enjoy a night of music and great fish and chips on the river.

Steve and I sing all sorts of Duets, mostly love songs. We sing songs like Something Stupid (Sinatra/Sinatra), Catch the Wind (Donovan), Bye Bye Love (Everly Brothers), Car Wheels (Lucinda Williams), Don't know Why (Nora Jones), How Deep is your Love (Bee Gees), I can't Tell you Why (Eagles), Last Time (Rolling Stones) Love is all around (Reg Presley) and many more. Send us an email if you'd like us to play for you. steveainsley@aapt.net.au

Hi once again. I have been away - on a holiday - out to the beautiful outback. This is such an amazing country we live in - and we see so little of it. It takes my breath away. I had three weeks with my father exploring west from Cairns as far as Adel's Grove - near the Northern Territory border, and north as far as the Tip - and over to Thursday Island. It was a first for me and I am keen to go back. It is extremely beautiful country and the people are are wonderful - so friendly and kind.
On the home scene, we now prepare for two tours back to back in New Zealand. Steve and I are off back to New Zealand at the end of Octonber. touring with Tear Fund and then with Dirt Floor Alliance - both through the South Island. The tour dates will be up in the next week or so when they are finalized so keep checking. Steve's new album is getting closer - will be ready for mastering very soon - very exciting.

Its our last concert tonight. Its been a great tour. Thank you to all who helped out, hosted concerts, came and watched us, and gave your support. We appreciate you all so much. If you like what we do you can follow us on our websites or join us on facebook: dirtflooralliance has its own page where you can see what we are up too and leave your comments. We'd love to keep in touch. Next tour is in New Zealand - some dates are set others will be posted soon. We hope to be back on the Sunshine Coast at the beginning or the new year. We will keep you posted on that. Don't forget we are playing in Springwood tonight if you are in the area. We'd love to see you there.

We have had a wonderful time touring with the band - first Brisbane, then Cooran, back to The Valley, Mount Tambourine and the Stradbroke Island. Just want to make special mention of our fan club who have followed us through these concerts. You have made it all worthwhile. It is for such as you that we stay on the road - thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Hope you have all been following our tour on www.dirtflooralliance.com - new video clips are being added every day - drop us a line and let us know what you think, join us on facebook and help keep us on the road.

The Dirt Floor website is up and running - you can see it at http://www.dirtflooralliance.com/ check the tour dates or leave us a message.The Tour begins in less than a week. Hope you can join us at one of our concerts.
Please join us on facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dirt-Floor-Alliance/211284768907561

We are finally coming to the finishing stages of making this long awaited new album. Only a few more touches to be added, then the mix down and mastering. It has been a very long process getting this album out but I think the results will be well and truly worth it. Its sounding wonderful. Andy Sorenson is a master at what he does. And Steve - he is still the master musician we all know and love. We will keep you up to date as things progress.

I thought I should explain Dirt Floor Alliance for those of you who don't know us. Steve and Jim Doak have been playing Bluegrass / folk / American Roots music for quite a while now, and traveling with Poet Mark Raffles throughout New Zealand for a few years as well. Last year we added Ainsley's vocals to the Steve and Jim mix. We have a lot of fun together and enjoy touring, so we decided to bring the show to Australia. For the first time we will be playing in and around Brisbane and hinterland. You'll find all the dates below and on the Calendar, you'll find more information about us on the Bios page, and there's a link to the Dirtfloor site on the Links page. Check us out, come along to one of the gigs and we'll look forward to seeing you somewhere between Cooran, Brisbane and Tambourine Mountain.

We are touring Brisbane and the Hinterland from July 18th to 31st. The dates so far are as follows. Hope you can make it to one or another venue. This is the first time Dirt Floor has come to Queensland.


DIRT FLOOR Alliance July 2011 Tour

The Venues so far
Monday 18 July:
The Music Kafe, West End, Brisbane 8.30 pm
Wednesday 20 July:
Kookaburra Folk Club, Paddington 7.30 pm
Friday 22 July:
Cooran Memorial Hall 7.30 pm
Saturday 23 July:
China Town Mall, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane 11.30 am
Saturday 23 JUly:
Community Hall, Tambourine Mountain 7.30 pm
Sunday 24 July:
Point Lookout Bowls Club, Stradbroke Island 3.00 pm
Saturday 30 July:
Turners Farm, Eudlo 5.30 pm
Sunday 31 July:
The Vine Church, Service Road, Logan 6.00 pm

We have been back in Cooran for just over a week. My son turns 28 today. I have had an amazing week and today I want to tell you the story of what we have been doing, in the light of an article in the QWeekend magazine of the Courier Mail this morning. A friend of ours, Hayley Bartholomew, began a project she calls 365Grateful - www.365grateful.com - where she took a photograph of something she was grateful for everyday for a year. The reason she did it is important. She was unhappy with her lot - a very reasonable "lot" as it happens - and needed help to rise above the gloom she was finding herself in. The advice she followed to lift herself from this gloom, given by a Nun: " the secret to happiness is in reflection and gratitude". She was told to find something at the end of each day to be grateful for - no matter how small, and record it. Hayley made her record in photos. And today I decided to write a small piece on my week:
Last weekend I had a crazy idea. I then decided that rather than just think about it I would attempt to make it happen.
I spent Sunday writing up the program, designing a timetable of workshops, duties, recreation, healthy food and exercise: Bootcamp for my family. I managed to get everyone to agree to give it a go and on Monday morning we were all up at 6.30am and by 10am we were sitting round the table enjoying home made flat white's and discussing the days activities, having already been for a 5k walk/ride up to the creek and back, and cleaned the house. Reuben's friend Hank was staying over so there were five of us - Myself, Steve, Molly, Reuben and Hank. We exercised twice each day, studied music theory each morning, wrote and recorded a new song, made a video to accompany it, ate lots of great food (the favourite meal being bacon and eggs for breakfast), we cleaned the house together every day (each one doing a different job), we were inspired by the story of Joan Baez and we had a whole lot of fun together.
Altogether it was a very successful week but I find I am just so GRATEFUL that we DID it. I have had many bright ideas in my life but mostly have gingerly whispered something to someone about it without ever actually doing anything about it: mostly hoping someone else would like my idea and take it up, or offer to help me with it. It would have been so easy to just say - "one day" - but I am just grateful that I did it. It was a risk but worth every bit of it. The big lesson I learned was that I should not make decisions according to other's opinions or reactions but according to my own convictions: it is only my own reactions and actions that I have any control over, not others'. I don't have a photo - yet - hope to get one next week when we go out to celebrate our week - and then I can put the photo up too. Thank you Haley, for the inspiration of your project, and thank you to my beautiful family - immediate and extended.

We have just spent two weeks in Christchurch. It is a very sad place at the moment. So sad. It was heart breaking seeing the damage to this beautiful city, but it was heart warming seeing the people's strength and determination to rebuild. We were lucky enough to be there at the time of the memorial service in Hagley Park for those who had died in the quake. It was extremely moving: there was sorrow but there was hope. We came back in time for a similar memorial service at COC in Noosa: the theme once again hope, and rebuilding of broken lives in a broken city. The disasters in the world at this time are making us all stop and think, evaluate what is important and what is not.
We went to Christchurch to be with our friend Donna Tairakena who lost her husband in the CTV building. Wally - or Tetaki as he liked to be called, was best man at our wedding and Steve's very good friend for a long long time. We were both really affected by his death and needed to be in Christchurch to deal with our grief: It was a relief when we finally made the decision to go. It was a long wait till his body was able to be identified and the funeral (tangi) arrangements could be made and the wait was taking it toll on us all. The Tangi was held in Christchurch and then Hamilton. It was a first for me and what an amazing experience it was. The Maori people have a very healing way of dealing with grief. It was four days I will never forget: four days of remembering the happy times we'd shared with Wally, singing his songs and retelling his stories, meeting his relatives and meeting up again with mutual friends from days gone by. I am very grateful to those who organized all the different aspects: such an important part of life is dealing with death and grief. How wonderful it was to remember all the wonderful times we shared with Wally and to hear everyone's stories of their own encounters with him. He will always hold a very special place in my heart: the encouragement and affirmation he gave me has been very important to me. I am so grateful that he took the time to do it - it will remain with me forever. He touched the lives of so many of us.

I want to pay tribute to our good friend Wally who was in the CTV building during last weeks earthquake and who still has not been found, and to Donna his wife and our good friend who waits patiently for news. This is the link to the Maori television interview with Donna earlier on today. http://video.aol.ca/video-detail/donna-tairakena-waits-for-her-husband-to-be-found/386840537 . Donna, our love and our prayers go out to you - may we all unite across the world in holding up our loved ones in Christchurch as they face the rebuilding of their city and their lives.

February the 11th, we are putting on a house concert in Cooran. Andy Sorenson will be performing songs from his amazing repertoire, bringing his keyboard with him. Should be a great night - 7.30 at our place. See you there.

Time has got away from me and its already into 2011. We had a wonderful five weeks in New Zealand from early December and have been home just over a week. It was a bit of a shock coming home to the dreadful floods that have ravaged Queensland. We count ourselves lucky to live in an area that was not too badly affected. Our biggest problem is the mould that has grown over every surface in the house but is gradually being removed with the help of good old clove oil.
We will be playing this Sunday at New Beginnings, a church on on the Gold Coast, so if you're in the area, come along - 9.30 am, the 23rd January.
In a couple of weeks Andy and Kathy Sorenson will be on the Sunshine Coast so we are putting on our first House Concert for the year - featuring Andy. Date to be confirmed. Should be a great night.
We would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year 2011.

We are currently back in New Zealand for two weeks - in the devastated city of Christchurch. Much has been done already to fix the damage but with large after shock's still happening a lot of the work cannot be done and people still remain in their damaged houses wondering what to do next and when the nightmare will all end. For some there has been no damage but for others it has been a major catastrophy. It is however bringing neighbourhoodss together to connect with and help each other.
So we are here for good friend Wally (Tetaki) Tairakena's 60th Birthday Party 1pm on Sunday afternoon, the 31st October. It will be a wonderful concert, at Micky Finns in Christchurch and all are welcome. But before that, the Velvettes are doing a reunion concert tonight - at Al's Bar, 9pm in Dundas Street, Christchurch, and then Steve and I play at the Art's Centre - at the Craft Market, tomorrow at 2pm. Hope to catch up with lots of old friends while we're here - come along and say hi and join in the fun.

Sunday just gone was Tall Trees in Cooran, the festival we started last year. We had an amazing day. The Sunshine Coast received a deluge of rain and high winds raged everywhere, apart from Cooran. In quiet little Cooran we had light rains for some of the day. We couldn't see the sun for the cloud cover but it did not deter us from having a fabulous day. We had to cancel several parts of the planned event but went ahead with what we could. We gathered in Pioneer park, under canvas to shelter from the elements. There was great food and music, fun with Clown Man Brad Smith and Fairy Princess Kate for the children, Tree planting with Councillor Lew Brenan, a wonderful Art Exhibition and an extremely interesting talk by Dr Eve Fesl on the culture and heritage of our area. The Ride on Mower Convoy record is now 6 so we challenge all you community groups out there to beat us. Noosa Pipe Band came out in force to open the day with their haunting melodies and the children decorated their bikes in great style. We hope to incorporate the things we couldn't do into the Cooran Eco Markets over the next few months, so that all the hard work put in over the last 6 months doesn't go to waste. We will let you know the dates as they come up. There will be workshops, the skate comp, music and more.

We are putting on another house concert on Sunday Afternoon - the 15th August at 2pm. Its been a while since the last so we thought it was about time. We have a few artists lined up so all going well it should be a very pleasnat afternoon. Come and enjoy the music and stay for a coffee afterwards. I'll let you know when all artists are confirmed.

24 May 2010

Date Venue
FRIDAY 18 JUNE THE ROYAL HOTEL, Palmerston North
SATURDAY 19 JUNE THE GRETNA HOTEL, Taihape
SUNDAY 20 June LEMBAS, Raumati South
WEDNESDAY 23 June IVORY LOUNGE, Auckland
THURSDAY 24 JUNE SPA HOTEL, Taupo
FRIDAY 25 JUNE THE BELGIAN BAR, Rotorua
SATURDAY 26 JUNE ALTITUDE BAR & NIGHTCLUB, Hamilton
SUNDAY 27 JUNE ORCA RESTAURANT & BAR, Raglan





Dirt Floor Music and Poems
expands the vocals and heads north
– the honest and authentic roots experience continues


After two tours around the South Island, Dirt floor music and poems brings its own brand of
‘front porch music’ to the North Island.

Steve Apirana, Jim Doak and Mark Raffills have teamed up for their new North Island tour,
Four on the Floor, with vocalist Ainsley Apirana.

The addition of Ainsley Apirana on vocals adds a new dimension to the dirt floor sound with
a distinctive lilt and a tipping of the hat to the vocal harmonies of the Carter Family and
music of the dirt floor era.

“It’s an even more honest and authentic roots experience now with Ainsley on board,” says
flat pickin’ guitarist Jim Doak.

“Ainsley has done plenty of vocal work on Steve’s recordings and solo gigs and is used to
contributing harmony and lead vocals as the songs demand. She compliments the singing of
Steve and myself with a little bit of magic; just a touch of angel!”

Dirt floor music and poems ambles intimately across the roots landscape, from folk to blues
to bluegrass, in a rare and captivating treat from four seasoned performers.

Steve Apirana (gospel blues/vocals), Jim Doak (bluegrass/vocals), Ainsley Apirana (vocals)
and Mark Raffills (poems) come together to present an easy-flowing, uncluttered and
unpretentious evening of vocal harmonies, finger-dancing guitars and a few good words.

The eight-gig, Four on the Floor tour kicks off in Palmerston North and Taihape, plays
Raumati South, heads for Auckland then drops down to Taupo before ambling its way
through Rotorua, Hamilton and Raglan from mid June.

Tickets are $15 at the door or you can buy online from www.dirtfloor.co.nz Further information:

Mark Raffills
Dry Crust
phone 03 544 4975
mobile: 027 215 4969
email: mark@drycrust.com
web: www.dirtfloor.co.nz