Emeralds and Greenstone

Emeralds & Greenstone is a distinctly beautiful and loving exploration of the cultural and musical roots of this band from New Zealand, entwining Maori and Celtic song threads with instrumentation from the modern to the ancient. The fusion at times crosses over into roots, jazz and blues yet retains the integrity of its deep soul...

With lyrics variously in Maori, English, Scots and Irish Gaelic, this is truly an "indigi-folk" soundtrack to an ancestral tale - as close to the heart of Aotearoa as it gets, but a damn good listen wherever you may come from.

Band members:
Ariana Tikao (vocals, taonga puoro/traditional Maori instruments, dulcimer), Laura Tomlin (vox, keys, wooden flute, tin whistle, percussion), Jon Hooker (guitar, ukulele), Argène Montgomery-Hönger (bodhràn/Irish drum, tin whistle, ukulele, BVs), James Wilkinson (guitar, bass, BVs).

Sources: Myspace and Facebook