Sunday 6 May

Johnny Possums Good Time Hootin' Band was formed in 2005 with the aim of playing the best Bluegrass and Old Time music the south side of the equator. Between the 5 of them they play guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle & upright bass and also feature tight 3 part vocal harmonies following the best traditions of American Bluegrass and Appalachian music but also adding their own distinctively New Zealand flavour to the mix. Their live show features both their professional musicianship and also their ability to entertain and engage the audience.

Taking the role of lead vocalist and mandolin player, Bryan Peters, lays a solid vocal and instrumental foundation for the band. On 5 string banjo, Sean Whitaker, adds the 3 fingered rolls typical of both bluegrass and old time musical styles. Vicki Johnson on fiddle and vocals shows her varied background from Irish to jazz roots with a voice full of character and emotion essential for conveying the stories at the heart of the music.

Keith Taylor on guitar and vocals lays down the driving rhythms so typical of this particular style of American roots music, he also adds a voice full of character and completes the harmony work. Jonathan Rosanowski shows off just one facet of his diverse multi-instrumentalist talents behind a solid upright bass providing the rhythmic bedrock for the band.

They have released their debut CD full of old and new favourite tunes and including their first original single 'Bluegrass Saved the Earth'. Paying tribute to the bands that inspire them they have included tracks by Old Crow Medicine Show and some tracks made popular by the movie 'O Brother Where Art Thou?'. Taking their cue from traditional musical roots they have included several standard tunes with their own arrangements such as 'Foggy Mountain Top', 'Blue Moon of Kentucky', 'I'll Fly Away' and 'Crawdad Hole'. In searching for other tunes they delve deep into early 19th century blues tunes such as 'Black Dog' and 'Bugger Burns' and give them the special possum treatment. The 16 tracks on the CD represent a wide spectrum of musical traditions and will appeal to everyone with an interest in either bluegrass or old time musical stylings.

They regularly play at festivals around the South Island such as the Hokitika Wild Foods festival, Kaikoura Seafest and many local venues and events. They have also been invited to play several prestigious bluegrass and old time music festivals in the USA in August and September of 2000.
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