Richie Stearns and Rosie Newton play in Whanganui on February 2. Picture / Supplied
Richie Stearns (the Horse Flies) and Rosie Newton (the Duhks) are a duo performing music rooted in the Americana tradition.
With memorable original songs and nostalgic harmonies, they take the fiddle, banjo combination to new levels as they continue to expand the boundaries of tradition. Richie and Rosie blend traditional and
contemporary sounds, outrageous punk banjo, powerful evocative fiddle with beautiful vocal harmonies. Richie is an innovator of 5-string banjo, much loved for his "mantra-groove spooky-banjo style". Rosie is a ferocious fiddler whose work spans many musical styles.
Richie earned himself a name with genre-bending band the Horse Flies and collaborations with Natalie Merchant and Donna the Buffalo. Having performed internationally with legends like Bela Fleck, Pete Seeger, David Byrne, Billy Bragg & Wilco, and Joan Baez, his career spans decades. But when their paths crossed in the Ithaca old-time scene during Rosie's freshman year, Richie and Rosie began touring together as members of the Evil City String Band, and were eventually drawn to pursue this more intimate duo project. Their music finds itself at a junction of Americana, old-time, and folk, bringing a new sound to traditional music with their signature trance-like, boundary pushing instrumental arrangements and angelic harmonies.
Richie and Rosie grew up 240km and a few decades apart, but the fated combination of their unique skill, varied musical influence, and honest storytelling comes together to achieve their common goal: to create music that people can connect with. As two musicians in two very different parts of life, Richie and Rosie are proof of two things: the power and magic of two people making music, and that the universal messages that lie within their songs remain timeless.
With eight New Zealand concerts, the duo will be performing as far north as Rawhiti and as far south as Wellington, bringing their Americana show to audiences across the North Island. They will play in Whanganui on February 2 at Frank Bar.
