Rowdy’s Rose has been nominated for two radio awards in the United States and the concert would raise funds to help the pair get to Pennsylvania and Nashville in October for the awards ceremony and concert.
At the fundraising concert in Te Awamutu on September 21, Kerrison will be joined by locals Mike Conlon and of course Rowdy’s Rose, who would showcase the original music that got them the nominations.
“We are incredibly excited to be working with Mike to support Jason Kerrison coming back to Te Awamutu,” Rosie said.
“We’re very grateful to both these musicians supporting our cause and as a result, Te Awamutu will be in for an amazing night of entertainment with this line-up. Pre-sales have already been going like hotcakes.
“We give a lot back to the community by getting behind group fundraising efforts and individuals in the community, so it’s a change for us to be on the other side of that.”
Since first releasing their original music in 2022, Rowdy’s Rose have reached 181 countries via streaming and radio.
Local duo Rowdy’s Rose - Rosie and Blair Shaw - are heading to perform in the US. Photo / Dean Taylor
Pennsylvania-based HUGS Radio are big supporters of independent artists and have played the couple’s tracks.
“Our songs have progressively made their way up the Top 200 charts there to the point where, when their annual awards ceremony is approaching, they have reached out and asked us to attend as two-time nominees for Songwriters of the Year and vocalists of the year. We have also been asked to perform at the awards concert,” Rosie said.
“We are over the moon and whilst totally unexpected, we believe it’s important to take big opportunities like this when they fall in your lap. We’re doing everything we can to make this happen and represent the Kiwis on the USA stage.”
Their performance is set to be televised in six states across the east coast of the US.
“We are gigging all the time and saving every dollar but also planning benefit concerts to help us get there.”
Rowdy’s Rose will also hold an acoustic evening at The Woolshed Theatre on August 17 followed by the September collaborative show. This will be a fun night for the whole family.
It will be a mix of covers and originals that will take people on an uplifting journey with soulful songwriting and harmonies all with a modern country twist.
“We are also starting to reach out to local businesses who might want to get behind our cause. We are working hard but also looking for all kinds of avenues of assistance to get where we are going,” Rosie said.
“If there are any local businesses out there who might want to help and get their name associated with our journey, please reach out to us.
“We have two large sponsors, so far, who are generously getting behind us for our trip. Carpow Hamilton and long time family friends, and Hamilton business owners, Murray and Margaret Shaw.”
Te Awamutu musician Mike Conlon.
Conlon “One Man Big Sound” is a local singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist on the verge of releasing and promoting his own brand of original music to NZ and beyond.
His high energy live looping and live sound engineering style of music is like something you have never seen before.
Described as having gritty vocals, Conlon will bring some funk, rock and soul with a definite twist of country to his set for this show.
Since going solo in 2021, Conlon has built a strong following and has had multiple sold-out performances, including shows with iconic New Zealand performers such as Shihad front-man Jon Toogood and Kerrison.
His live shows are purpose driven and he has raised over $16,000 for his charity of choice Loving Arms.
Conlon will release his debut single - Energy Man – on September 1 in the lead-up to this show.
He has had many high-profile TV roles and was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for Services to Music in 2011.
In 2022, he performed at Stallions Te Awamutu alongside Conlon.
“For this show, Jason has deep dived into all the old studio hard drives and tapes of Opshop, The Babysitters Circus, Fungi, and his solo work to rebuild the stems from every song he’s ever produced, including recently released single featuring Leigh Franklin,” Conlon said.
“His acoustic solo shows have always been fun, but at this show, he will be completely remixing pre-recorded stems of drums, guitars, bass and other instruments live.”
Tickets for both shows are available online via Under The Radar, or to donate to the Rowdy’s Rose USA trip, head to their Givealittle page.
Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined the Te Awamutu Courier and NZME in 2020.
