Andy Thompson

Sunday 26th July at 8.00 p.m.
Members $7 Non-members $12

Andy Thompson last played at the Folk Club three years ago after a year in recovery following an accident where he received 3rd degree burns over 20% of his body. He almost lost the use of his guitar wielding hands, gingerly making his way back into performing live.

He shares the philosophy that "all music has a place and setting. That nothing is to be pigeon-holed. The melding of many music genres and styles is paramount and inevitable in today's global arenas."

Andy has been an innovator for eons, with guitar workshops and master classes, lyric writing and composition being an integral component of his work. He mentors in songwriting retreats around Aotearoa and takes programmes into the Women's prison, as well as schools and colleges. He drives the closeted singer/songwriters of Christchurch with his courses in song-writing which he has been running at Polytech for 7 years. He is currently completing a CD project, Letterbox Unravellings, harnessing songs about the community written by students from his courses.

He is a constant supporter of the Harbour Light Theatre in Lyttelton, where he performs at least once a year and he plays guitar behind an African culture group in Christchurch. Andy has been a performer, reviewer and patron of the Folk Club since 1970.

Over the past 30 years he has played alongside some notable international names, although his favourite gigs have included recordings and concerts with local luminaries such as Carmel Courtney, James Wilkinson, Argene Montgomery-Honger.

Andy will present new and old songs for tonight's concert, including a piece dedicated to the late Wilf Hale.

Support for the evening will be from Andys' daughter, the greatly talented Marla-Jean with songs from her upcoming CD release Nocturne.