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Listen to

High-brow Blues

 

"Wherever they go, this trio are musicians to the bone. Meet Tweed, an alternative folk band weaving together harmonies and lyrics in new and exciting ways."- NZ Musician Magazine

 

Tweed is an Auckland-based alternative folk band.

Vocals, Guitar / Nancy Howie

Vocals, Percussion, Cajon / Devin Ashton

Vocals, Mandolin / Steff Werman

"Their harmonies make for a magic that - combined with the sparkling sound of acoustic guitar picking and an unusual tendency to weave in complex time signatures and write conceptually - put ‘High-Brow Blues’ in hallowed company. It's not since the debut Waves album in 1975 that we've had a NZ folk-rock album quite like this. " - Gary Steel Metro Magazine

The band formed early in 2012, after two of its members returned from a year of overseas van-dwelling with a collection of homemade songs. In 2013, Tweed released their debut EP, Buzzwords, and were commissioned to write, arrange and perform the score for Don't Blink Theatre Company's production of Vinegar Tom.

Tweed released their first full-length album, High-Brow Blues, and toured the North Island in 2017. Since then, the band has been invited to perform at the Auckland, Canterbury, and Whare Flat (Dunedin) Folk Festivals and have enjoyed sharing their music at Auckland Council’s Music in Parks.

In 2019, Tweed was awarded the Daphne Gretta Mary Stevens Community Music Scholarship. This enabled the group to work with young people to develop songwriting and performance skills and create a year of family friendly music events in the community where the band grew up.

It's honest songwriting...with a very unpretentious feel. Traditional motifs are delivered in a modern fashion with relaxed confidence, a cohesive vibe and some great harmonies.” - NZ Musician

Since its inception, Tweed has honed a distinctive style of catchy melodies, poly-rhythms, and tight-knit, complex vocal harmonies. Tweed’s music has a harmony-rich vintage sound reminiscent of Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Joni Mitchell, and cites the Punch Brothers, Joan Armatrading, and Ani diFranco as main influences. Tweed plays widely in folk clubs and music venues around Auckland, teaches a range of interactive workshops, and has carved a niche within the city's burgeoning youth folk scene. 

 

Check out some of our Videos


Fading

January 2017 / Live from Radio New Zealand NZ: Live session


Riverside

December 2019 / Live from The Rose Garden


Landfall

August 2015 / Live from Okura Bush


Water

March 2015 / Live from Sofar Auckland


Good Vibrations (cover)

January 2017 / Live from 13th Floor


WATER / The Chain (cover)

August 2015 / Live from Karepiro Bay.