Latest news with #BayleysTussockCountry
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Line dancers step out at festival
Diane Perkins teaches a group of Tussock Country festival-goers how to line dance at the Town & Country Club in Gore yesterday. PHOTO: ELLA SCOTT-FLEMING A band from the North Island squeezed in some line dancing in Southland last week before taking to the stage later that night for Gore's country music festival. Instructor Diane Perkins had a full house at her beginners' line dancing class last Wednesday morning, teaching festival-goers and visiting group The Harmonic Resonators some country moves. Ms Perkins' students, with varying levels of skill, danced the "cab driver" to the band's song Kaitaraiwa — Māori for driver. The morning class, held at the Gore Town & Country Club, and the Resonators' later show at the St James Theatre were both part of the Bayleys Tussock Country music festival, which finished on Sunday. Band member and ukulele player Ryan McIntyre said his group all had a country music background, mostly centred around the Morrinsville Country Music Club in the Waikato. Two of his fellow musicians had competed in the festival's Gold Guitar Awards and Mr McIntyre said frontman Jeremy Hantler competed again this year, winning the traditional section. McIntyre also sings in another band and line dances while performing country classic Achy Breaky Heart. He said he was always looking for new dances and often filmed his feet doing the steps, because they were so easy to forget. The group also danced to Ron Mitchell's I'll Be Country and Ms Perkins said Mitchell's songs were great to dance to. There were more than a few giggles as learners stepped or turned the wrong way, but Ms Perkins said there was endless room for mistakes and it was about having fun.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Gold Guitars final crowd drawcard
The 50th annual MLT Gold Guitar Awards Senior Finals began impressively last night with a sold-out stadium and a jam-packed lineup of country music's finest. The event is the big finale for the Bayleys Tussock Country music festival, and what a show it promised to be for the 1100 people in attendance. Musicians brought their very best to the Gore Town & Country Club, all vying for their place among New Zealand country music royalty. There were plenty of home-town heroes such as the Mitchell family, with twins Nicola and Maegan competing against their father Ron in the singer/songwriter section. Notably Ron's daughter and the twins' sister Jenny Mitchell won the overall award back in 2017, setting a high watermark for the country music family. Fan favourite Jeremy Hantler, of the Harmonic Resonators, wowed the audience during the Traditional section, with an impressive show of vocal range and control. Australia sent over a bit of strong competition too, in the form of Jon Collins. The grand prize for the Senior category is $3000, a Martin D-28 Satin Acoustic Guitar, a fully produced single and publicity package as well as other prizes to help the winner's career. The winner will also be flown out to the 2026 Tamworth Country Music Festival to show off the fine work of the Gold Guitars. Finalists and winners were yet to be announced at the time of writing, and convener Phillip Geary said this year it was a strongly contested competition. "It's going to be a very close call this year. "Some years we can see it from the first audition, but this is a lot tighter. The quality is high, very high," he said. Mr Geary had a lot to celebrate, with sold-out shows across the block like the 50th anniversary Golden Guitars show on Thursday, which featured 22 past Gold Guitar winners. Heavy hitters from past and present set a high bar for the competitors, showing exactly what it meant to take up the mantle of winning the award. Mr Geary knew what the Gold Guitars meant for a young musician — a chance to rise the ranks into country music royalty. "This is a steppingstone for anyone who is serious about their career, and their music," he said.
Otago Daily Times
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Line dancers stepping out
Diane Perkins teaches a group of Tussock Country festival-goers how to line dance at the Town & Country Club in Gore yesterday. PHOTO: ELLA SCOTT-FLEMING A band from the Far North squeezed in some line dancing in Southland yesterday, before taking to the stage last night for Gore's country music festival. Instructor Diane Perkins had a full house at her beginners' line dancing class yesterday morning, teaching festival-goers and visiting group The Harmonic Resonators some country moves. Ms Perkins' students, with varying levels of skill, danced the ''cab driver'' to the band's song Kaitaraiwa - Māori for driver. The morning class, held at the Gore Town & Country Club, and the Resonators' later show at the St James Theatre were both part of the Bayleys Tussock Country music festival, which runs until June 1. Band member and ukulele player Ryan McIntyre said his group all had a country music background, mostly centred around the Morrinsville Country Music Club in the Waikato. Two of his fellow musicians had competed in the festival's Gold Guitar Awards and Mr McIntyre said frontman Jeremy Hantler was competing again this year. He said he enjoyed line dancing and had learned the ''cab driver'' in the same venue at The Southern Stomp last year. McIntyre said he sang in another band and line danced while performing country classic Achy Breaky Heart. He was always looking for new dances and often filmed his feet doing the steps, because they were so easy to forget. ''We did cab driver at the start, and it was already gone after [the next dance],'' he said. Ms Perkins taught basic yet classic line dancing moves such as the grapevine, the k step, where you slowly step the outline of the letter ''k'', and a swaggering move where you step the letter ''v''. The dance teacher said the ''v'' step could sometimes look like you had just stepped off a horse. The group also danced to Ron Mitchell's I'll Be Country and Ms Perkins said his songs were great to dance to. There were more than a few giggles as learners stepped or turned the wrong way, but Ms Perkins said there was endless room for mistakes and it was about having fun. ''There's no line dancing police,'' she said.
Otago Daily Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Cinnamon oysters: a staple of music festival
Ensign reporter Ella Scott-Fleming gets a preview of the cinnamon oysters masterclass — an event next Tuesday, as part of the Bayleys Tussock Country music festival. I first caught wind of cinnamon oysters when I was in Gore, as a newly arrived and ever-hungry Aucklander. I was intrigued and a bit unsure, as it sounded to my untrained ears like raw Bluff oysters with an interesting choice of spice sprinkled on top. I was relieved to learn they are actually mollusc-shaped, cream filled little sponges which are easy to make and even easier to eat several of, fast. Eager to try this mysterious treat, I enlisted only the best, seasoned professional Coral McCauley, to show me how it's done. Mrs McCauley's masterclass on making the bite-sized delights is returning to Tussock Country this year, where you, too, can bake — and taste — a cinnamon oyster. Making them takes no time at all, I learned, as Mrs McCauley uses a simple yet effective recipe adapted from the Edmonds Cookery Book , but with a slight twist. Her secret is she bakes them for less time than the old recipe says, making for softer, fluffier cakes — to which I can attest. Mrs McCauley, said she has been working at Gore's Gold Guitar Awards since its beginning in 1974 and this year will be her 28th on its committee. Her cinnamon oysters have been fuelling the country competition's judges for about that long, with Mrs McCauley turning the preparation and delivery of the delicacies into a fine art. She freezes batches of them pre-filled with whipped cream, she said, so they can be defrosted, creating an efficient and steady flow of baked goods for the judges all festival long. She said entries for the Gold Guitars used to come in cassettes that she would organise alphabetically. Now that everything was digitised, she was a bit left behind, she said, with the awards no longer needing her organisational skills. Nevertheless, working for the Gold Guitars for so long taught her the basics such as email, which she said she would never have learned had it not been for the ever-growing country competition. She was nervous to do her class on the oysters the first time, but now she said it was a piece of cake. In her special Tussock Country apron she removed the cakes from their brief time in the oven. I sliced the sweets with her electric bread knife as Mrs McCauley's husband, Gore country legend Max McCauley reminded me not to hurt myself. As I left their comfortable Gore home, the couple warned me I would not be able to eat just one and they were right. "One of my nieces eats about five at once," Mrs McCauley said.
Otago Daily Times
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Muster makes its return with more awards
A sample of last year's selection of utes at the Tussock Country Ute Muster 2024. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED Ute-proud Southlanders take note, the Bayleys Tussock Country ute muster is returning this year with prizes for the best decorated deck, most kilometres and a bonus for best mullet. The competition is run by GWD Toyota Gore and branch manager Michelle McMaster said after the success of last year, they have brought the competition back with two new categories. The updated chances to win are best decorated deck, which gives competitors a chance to put their exterior design skills to the test, as well as best SUV. Ms McMaster said she is particularly excited for the best SUV category, to see more of what motor-mad Gore has to offer such as kitted-out and hunting SUVs and "mum" cars. The best mullet category is a serious business, Ms McMaster said, with both a junior and senior category. "It's cool to get the kids involved," she said. "Because there are some very out there mullets on some kids." When asked what makes a winning mullet, she said it just has to be something "unique" that stands out from the crowd. Of the 10 categories in last year's muster, the most kilometres went to Matt Tinker's 1990 Hilux, with 867,103km. A well-behaved canine in the back of a ute at last year's muster. Ms McMaster said in the past they have had some old classic vehicles that are done up to show condition, like last year's GWD Choice of the day winner Greg Elder with his 1948 Ford Bonus F1. She said she had also seen some really old rusty ones, where she wondered how they even made it to the competition. The muster also has its annual "bark up" section for a dog that can bark on command and if the furry friend does not do what it is told, the owner must bark instead. There is also best dog in ute category for the best looking canine on a ute tray. The competition will be held at the Field Days site, with a horizontal bungy for entertainment and a convoy at 1.45pm through town to the Croydon Lodge. At the lodge Southern country outfit the Possum Pickers will be playing and a prizegiving held. The Ute Muster is on Sunday, May 25. Utes can be registered online for $10 or on the day for $15, spectators are a gold coin donation. More information can be found on the Tussock Country website.
