An evening with
Wayne Mason
'After all these years tour'
Few New Zealand songwriters have left a mark quite like Wayne Mason. Best known as the writer of 'Nature' - voted New Zealand's greatest song by APRA, Mason has spent more than six decades crafting songs that have become part of our musical landscape. From The Fourmyula and Rockinghorse to The Warratahs and an acclaimed solo career, his songwriting has earned the respect of audiences and fellow musicians alike.
As part of his ‘After All These Years Tour’ encompassing venues across the South Island this October, The Lyric Theatre is honoured to present ‘An evening with Wayne Mason’, an intimate evening of songs and stories from one of New Zealand's master songwriters. Blending original pop, alt-country and honky-tonk with warm humour and candid reflections from a lifetime on the road, Mason's beautifully crafted songs explore love, loss, hope and the landscapes that shape us.
Whether you've loved ‘Nature’ for decades or are discovering Wayne Mason's music for the first time, this promises to be a memorable evening with one of New Zealand's true songwriting treasures.
As part of his ‘After All These Years Tour’ encompassing venues across the South Island this October, The Lyric Theatre is honoured to present ‘An evening with Wayne Mason’, an intimate evening of songs and stories from one of New Zealand's master songwriters. Blending original pop, alt-country and honky-tonk with warm humour and candid reflections from a lifetime on the road, Mason's beautifully crafted songs explore love, loss, hope and the landscapes that shape us.
Whether you've loved ‘Nature’ for decades or are discovering Wayne Mason's music for the first time, this promises to be a memorable evening with one of New Zealand's true songwriting treasures.
“Mason's lyrics trace so clearly the geography of the heartland as well as the heart; the melodies themselves feel elemental, as ageless as a sou'wester, as permanent as the hills.”
- Nick Bollinger
Event details
Doors open 7:00 pm
Music starts 7:30 pm
Music starts 7:30 pm
Presales $35 (+BF)
Door sales $45
Door sales $45
Reviews
“The word Prodigy seems to entirely fall short of this soft-spoken young man’s skills, he coaxes sounds and melodies out of his instrument that literally drop jaws.”
- The Calgary Herald, CANADA
“Today I saw the future of Folk – Festival goers flocking in the thousands towards the main stage to witness a young musical phenomenon from Australia dish out an absolute show-stopper.”
- The Firefly Column, USA
“Daniel Champagne is a crossroads. Fusing the strong traditions of Blues, Folk and other roots art with pop showmanship and admirable lyrical ability. I firmly believe that he will become an ambassador for roots music in a time where it desperately needs representation.”
- The Indie Blender, CANADA
“Reinventing roots guitar”
- Rhythms Magazine, AUSTRALIA
“Watching Daniel Champagne perform is a once in a lifetime experience. He is a true prodigy that plays like no one else could possibly play unless they spent at least two lifetimes studying the art.”
- BW Review, NEW ZEALAND
“Daniel Champagne exudes a natural ease on stage, as he sings poignant lyrics and beautifully crafted melodies that invariably whisk the heart up with grand romanticism. Coupled with an exhilarating guitar talent that transcends mere acoustic playing to replicate a whole band, Champagne is just magical”
- Themusic.com.au, AUSTRALIA
"You feel as if he just invented the instrument yesterday and was discovering its possibilities afresh”
- Ted Gioia
American jazz critic and music historian
About the artist
Wayne Mason at Bar Bodega, 25 May 2013
Credit: Photo by Wendy Collings
Credit: Photo by Wendy Collings
The story of songwriter Wayne Mason is familiar enough. Born in 1949 in New Plymouth with his teenage years spent in Upper Hutt, in 1963 he joined Heretaunga College band Sine Waves, which evolved into The Fourmyula, one of New Zealand's top bands of the 1960s.
His next band of note was Rockinghorse, and in the 1980s there was The Warratahs. Three top NZ bands over three decades but hardly a household name, not like Dave Dobbyn or Neil Finn, despite that song. "Oh that song!" mimics Wayne Mason. "That's how a lot of my audiences react when I play 'Nature' – oh, he wrote that song."