Blues and barbecue

ON TOP: Local band Lazy Fifty have a busy week ahead with two shows in Auckland before they headline the NZ Blues and BBQ Festival in Rotorua next weekend. From left, Aidan Walters, Joseph Carroll, Adrian Athy and Toko Mantis. Picture supplied

It may have been fate that brought friends and musicians Toko Mantis and Aidan Walters together to join local blues rock band Lazy Fifty this year.

More than a decade ago the two joined forces to play with their first band and heavy metal group, Troops of Doom.

Now reunited — Mantis on bass and Walters on drums — the band is headlining the NZ Blues and BBQ Festival in Rotorua next weekend.

Last year Mantis met the band while filling in as a drummer for Uni-Fi when they toured with Lazy Fifty on the Lazy-Fi Rock Show.

“The guys from Lazy Fifty hit me up for a bass position that would soon be vacated. I had seen them play before and thought it would be cool to make music with them.”

Playing the blues gives musicians the ability to freestyle and improvise, unlike other genres like metal which has a common structure, Mantis said.

“That's why I like the ‘Lazy' style.”

As a kid, however, the bass player was hooked on rock and metal music.

Influenced by his older brother, a young Mantis found his way with the guitar. Over time he picked up skills and familiarised himself with other instruments, including the drums.

“Learning the bass guitar was a challenge I presented myself with,” he said.

For drummer Walters, the “Lazy guys” noticed his talent and had been trying to recruit him for a while.

When his plan to pursue a life in Japan was halted due to Covid-19, the musician saw the interruption as an opportunity to give the blues band a go.

Much like Mantis, Walters was also influenced by his older brother.

Seeing his brother rock the stage on the drums, Walters was captivated.

“The whole show was so good and I knew I had to give it a try. So I went and bought a drum kit about a week later and I haven't stopped playing since then.”

Mantis and Walters first met in the early 2000s at a mutual friend's house.

Lazy Fifty will be heading to Auckland next week to team up with Australian band 19Twenty, before arriving in Rotorua to headline the NZ Blues and BBQ Festival on Saturday, November 26. For tickets head to https://tinyurl.com/m9ewvrz2