Soundbite Sessions will continue through 2025!
Sound Bite Sessions is a live music partnership between Centre City and Taranaki Singer-Songwriters. Each 60-minute performance will celebrate shared stories and the unique essence that pulses through Taranaki from the voices and words of local singer-songwriters.
Sound Bite Sessions will offer an unparalleled opportunity to feast on both the soul and the senses, bringing the community together and building opportunities for original music in the local arts and entertainment scene.
The Sound Bite Sessions season will feature local artists’ performances on the first Saturday of every month.
WHO'S LIVE AT CENTRE CITY?
Saturday 6 Dec
Karen Clarke Blues Woman
Firmly rooted in rhythm and blues Karen’s original material skirts a range of blues styles with arootsy, contemporary edge and an occasional jazz dalliance. Trademark smoky vocalsoverdriving rhythms anchor her power packed solo project
***HOLIDAY SPECIAL ***
Thursday 11 Dec @ 5:30pm
Join us for a heartwarming evening of festive music as talented Taranaki artists fill the Centre with Christmas carols and seasonal favourites. From soulful ballads to upbeat sleigh-bell tunes, it’s a celebration of community, music, and holiday spirit.
And just when the final notes fade… Santa himself will arrive to close the show and officially kick off the Christmas season at Centre City!
2025 SOUND BITES SESSIONS THUS FAR
Friday 7 Feb
Samuel Fawkner-Egli
Samuel is a local singer-songwriter inspired by the songs and culture of this land. A poet and skilled guitarist, his thoughtful and charismatic folk-rock songs are reminiscent of many great songwriters of the 60s and 70s, leaving audiences spellbound and feeling as if they’ve been transported back in time to Woodstock 66’.
“I’m always looking for songs that touch the heart, those are the ones I sing”. Samuel has performed throughout New Zealand since he was a teenager and now plays and records with local band Greenbathing.
Craig Jones
Craig Jones is the singer and main songwriter for indie band Twin Tiger. Surrounded by music all his life, the peak of his musical adventures was a solo violin performance standing on a box, to a full house at Inglewood High-school, at the mere age of four years old. The kind of performer that could fill out a stadium – his lively solo performance will take you on a journey through a tasteful variety of 80’s inspired songs that showcase his impressive vocal range.
Friday 7 March
Crystal Starr
Introducing Miss Crystal Starr, the enchanting embodiment of indie rock, easy listening, country-folk, and diva styles. Crystal Starr’s voice; a treasure refined through years of busking and vocal training, paints her original songs with a deep, smokey richness, effortlessly traversing from intimate folk ballads to powerful diva-like anthems.
With a guitar in hand and lyrics in her heart, she weaves a musical tapestry that resonates with the essence of her upbringing and the eclectic inspirations she’s encountered.
Marie Goldsworthy
Marie is a local musician whose style is an eclectic blend of soul and r&b, with a distinct and iconic smokey jazz vocal style. Influenced by singer/songwriters Nai Palm, Amy Winehouse & Erykah Badu, her voice dances around intricate, jazz-influenced chord progressions and poetic lyrics. Marie’s songwriting is soulful, unique and hypnotic, and her honey-like voice will leave you feeling both comforted and in a better mood than you were before you heard her.
Friday 4 April
Jenna Murray
Jenna’s earliest memory is dancing barefoot, drawing from the depths of her little being, and propelling word and song forth to the heavens. With a hauntingly rich and alternative folk-grunge sound, Jenna’s songs are her most natural form of expression. She sings of life, longing, injustice, love, and all things human.
Toby Alva
Toby Alva is a multi instrumentalist, songwriter and producer from Taranaki.
He seeks to portray a sense of hopeful melancholy in my music, appreciating beauty in simplicity.
Toby will be playing an array of originals, both solo work and songs that he wrote as a member of Greenbathing.
Friday 2 May
Moemoeā
Moemoeā (Sherrie Flanagan and Chloe Danz) are a folk pop duo from Opunake. They perform original and cover music with a penchant for thought provoking lyrics and emotional harmonies, with a nod to the 90’s music they were raised on.
Moemoeā have released a number of singles to Spotify this year with their first EP set for release in 2025.
Betsy Raines
Betsy, from Betsy and The Reckless brings smoky vocals, schmoozey blues and a good time to her performance.
Combining NZ reggae and dub with her deep adoration for classic blues and soul, Betsy creates a unique groove with her iconic keyboard sound while singing about warped love and rejection, with a finishing touch of sass.
Friday 6 June
Ngāneko
Ngāneko is a talented Māori musician, singer, and songwriter hailing from the proud heritage of Taranaki. With a deep connection to both tradition and innovation, Ngāneko seamlessly weaves together the rich tapestry of Māori culture with her musical expression. Her compositions resonate with echoes of history, offering poignant reflections on the journey of her people while celebrating the essence of being a wāhine Māori.
Raised on the marae and fluent in both Māori and English, Ngāneko draws inspiration from her ancestral lands of Taranaki, and her songs serve as a bridge between cultures, inviting listeners on a journey of discovery and understanding.
Ngāneko has released exclusively Māori songs on platforms like Spotify, contributing to the preservation and celebration of her cultural heritage and first language.
Liana Hart
Singer-songwriter Liana Hart shares deeply personal sentiments by combining intricate vocal hooks and passionate, conversational lyrics, with finger-style guitar and delicate harmonica melodies. Liana’s songs are raw, reflective and emotionally present, and her abilities to convey deep emotion lyrically and vocally have earned the praise of Taranaki audiences.
With a background in musical theatre and strong country-folk roots , the songstress takes inspiration from greats such as Emmylou Harris, Stevie Nicks, and Jackson Browne, and is appreciated for her soothing country voice and timeless tunes.
Saturday 4 Oct
Adrian Whelan
Originally from Ireland, Adrian brings warmth and a beautiful voice to his solo performances. Well-known as one third of folk trio Turkey The Bird and for his many appearances in local plays and musicals, Adrian blends heartfelt originals with an eclectic mix of acoustic covers to create an inviting and relaxed atmosphere. Having supported Irish songwriter Damien Dempsey and performed with numerous New Plymouth bands, Adrian’s set is sure to offer something for everyone.
Saturday 1 Nov
Ben Dixon
Ben’s contemporary influences consist of The National and The Killers crossed with a well-schooled old sound of Neil Young crossed with a Tom Waits vibe, which comes out in his original tunes