C.R. Avery: Prepare for a storm on stage

C.R. Avery is coming to Hawke’s Bay as part of nationwide tour with his band the Storm Collective and will be playing at the Urban Winery, Napier and the Common Room, Hastings.

C.R. Avery is coming to Hawke’s Bay as part of nationwide tour with his band, the Storm Collective, to celebrate the upcoming release of the soundtrack album to his original motion picture, The Bar Without a Neon Sign.

The ultimate mixtape, fusing country, blues, jazz, hip-hop, rock’n’roll and spoken word poetry – C.R. Avery style, The Bar Without a Neon Sign is a beautiful, original and thought-provoking journey filled with humour, words and music, upfront and personal.

Prepare to be blown away by Avery’s solo opening set of old and new material before he is joined live on stage by jazz pianist Shannon Scott and bassist Ross Fairbairn to perform as the Storm Collective.

Avery hails from Smiths Falls, Ontario, and has made a world-class impression at the forefront of the international spoken word scene, having shared stages with the likes of Tom Waits, Ani DiFranco, Utah Phillips, Sage Francis and others.

“Whether Avery is backed by a 12-piece orchestra with strings and brass or his mighty trio, the Storm Collective, to burlesque and breakdancers or with gigs neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band, he serves up a spectacular fusion of spoken word, songwriting and beat-boxing dosed in the mojo of Chicago blues that guarantees a captivating and uniquely breathtaking live performance experience — every C.R. Avery show is all or nothing, every night, period,” record producer George Honesty said.

He has relentlessly toured the world for the last 26 years, from Europe, Australia and New Zealand to the United States in Oakland to Boston and at home in Canada from Powell River to Halifax, stopping in every small town and big city along the way.

He has recorded 17 studio albums, published four books of poetry, written and directed six epic theatrical hip-hop opera productions mounted in theatres from South Central Los Angeles to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Most recently, he has written and directed his first two feature films, and his third will begin production in October 2024.

Performing and recording with Avery for the last 16 years, Scott has been bringing Aery’s street slang-laced, lyrical cut-throat vocals to an all-new magical realm where Duke Ellington meets Lou Reed head-on with her jazz piano and vocal prowess, while leading the charge of harmony and arrangements with Avery, headlining festivals, clubs, and theatres across Canada and the US.

For the past seven years, Fairbairn has been beautifully blending and rounding out the group’s three-part harmony with his rouge Scottish vocal delivery, while playing bass and pounding out a snare and kick with his feet, transforming the sound experience from one of a trio to one of a six-piece orchestra.

Tour Details

Friday, November 24, The Urban Winery, Napier

Saturday, November 25, Common Room, Hastings

Tickets available from: undertheradar.co.nz