Recently Peter Parnham has departed these shores for a year or two in London so the band we have called The Remarkables has pressed Gary Trotman into bass-playing duties which he has taken on with his usual sure-footed style and has fitted in seamlessly. Also, Robbie Laven has become the fourth and crucial member of the band and brings with him a vast experience and it’s great to have him along.

The Remarkables in action at the Auckland Folk Festival 2013
So now The Remarkables consists of Bryan Christianson on banjo, Gary Trotman on bass, Robbie Laven on fiddle, mandoline and washboard and myself on guitar and a fair amount of singing. We play a mixture of blues, bluegrass, western swing plus a bit of jazz and with Robbie along it won’t be long before we include a bit of gypsy swing.
In the meantime I have joined forces with jazz/blues piano player Max Purdie and we have a few gigs lined up at the Billfish Cafe in Westhaven Ak. This is a great little cafe that specialises in seafood and is situated right on the waterfront. Come and check us out. Our next gig there is on Sunday the 24th Feb 2013 from 1.30 to 4.30pm.