John Egenes and Donna Dean

Against the backdrop of his fine guitar playing, John Egenes pulls together musical styles from his background as a studio session player and road musician and plugs them into a mix all his own.

His music weaves a tapestry of Americana, rich in country & folk, bluegrass & contemporary songwriting, as this veteran road warrior takes us with him on trips through musical landscapes, telling stories that shine with the light of his humour, insights and quirky multi-instrumental figures.

Egenes brings his set to the stage with songs of buckaroos and railyards, tales of lost love and life that take you from the American southwest to the land of the long white cloud. Armed with a guitar, a mandolin, or any instrument he can get his hands on, he explores the nooks and crannies that lie hidden within our lives. His dry humour and tasteful licks may find their way into yours, and you just might catch yourself singing one of his songs long after seeing him perform.

Donna Dean
Donna Dean is a Tui award winning singer-songwriter. Her lyrics deal with the human condition making her live performances deeply moving, at time heartbreaking and ultimately inspirational. Her creativity has been likened to that of Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. Her voice has been labelled ‘haunting’, ‘heavenly’ and ‘mesmerising’.

An award winning feature length documentary film of her life was a huge hit at the NZ Docedge Film Festival in 2016 and has since been aired on Maori TV and the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival Canada, to great acclaim.