Mike Garner

Mike Garner is a musician living and working in Aotearoa - New Zealand. He grew up listening to and playing blues in England and moved to New Zealand in 1988. He lives in Rotorua - tourist capital of NZ and a wonderland of geysers, mountain lakes and volcanic activity.

Mike has played in New Zealand, England, Australia, Italy and Germany. His latest CD was released in June 2011. He toured New Caledonia in August 2007, The Cook Islands in 2008 and at the Himalayan Blues Festival, Kathmandu in 2009.

Belgian CD Review

Belgian magazine, Rootstime has an enthusiastic review of "Why A Woman Gets The Blues" here, and in translation here.

Mike Interviewd by Greek Blues Society (Oct 2011)

An interview with mike - both about NZ blues and himself - appears here: Blues.gr

First review of new CD:

"I’ve been enjoying, the latest offering from Rotorua bluesman Mike Garner, Why a Woman Gets the Blues - Mike’s fine voice and ability to write songs that are new yet sound like recently unearthed lost treasures." SunLIve, Tauranga Aug 2011
Available online from NZ retailers:
a) Marbecks
b) Amplifier "a blues and roots album of the highest caliber"
c) JB Hi-Fi

2011 new CD Release

The latest CD is called "Why A Woman Gets The Blues". It will be distributed by NZ's Ode Records, and be available for down load at all the usual sites. But in the meantime, there's a video clip here, of one of the more jazzy cuts, Dream Within A Dream, being recorded at Aztek Studio in Rotorua. The video is in full HD.

Kathmandu Blues Premiers at the NZ Film Archive

Mike's DVD, Kathmandu Blues, is being shown at the NZ Film Archive in Welington, as part of 'NZ Music Month" in May 2010. Details here. And there is a review here.

Digital Single Release

Mike wrote a song for San Francisco singer and Blues Hall of Fame awardee, Monica Dupont. Monica sings and Mike plays resonator slide on this trans-pacific collaboration. Gary Novak plays bass. The single - "Blues Singin' Woman" - is available from this link (cdbaby) and all major digital music on-line sites. Monica's MySpace site is here.

Kathmandu Blues DVD released.

Kiwi filmaker, Costa Botes, travelled to the Himalayan Blues Festival with the Mike Garner Band in 2009. The documentary is now released and available through Ode Records and Marbecks. See the website here. The documentray fetures several of he international acts and lots of travel footage from Kathmandu and Nepal.

Mission Estate Concert 2010

Mike, with Australian acoustic guitarist Nick Charles, opened the 2010 Mission Estate concert -"The Mowtown Event" in February. The headliners were The Four Tops, The Temptations, The MIracles, Martha and the Vandellas and Jimmy Barnes. The audience numbered about 25,000 this year.

Pete Harris tours NZ
Jan/Feb 2010

UK blues guitarist Pete Harris has performed on stage with many American blues artistes, including Phil Guy, Lowell Fulson, Tabby Thomas, Mojo Buford, Byther Smith, Carrie and Lurrie Bell and Jerry McCain.
Harris is in NZ in Jan/Feb 2010, and plays several gigs backed by the Mike Garner Band; Rotorua's "BluesFeast", Tauranga's "Marchwood Blues Picnic" and Hamilton's Summer Festival are confirmed.

Himalayan Blues Festival
Kathmandu 6-11 October

Mike and his band travel to Kathmandu in Nepal, to take part in the Himalayan Blues Festival. It takes place in venues around the city over 5 days, from 6-11 October 2009.

Read the band's blog of the trip here.

"Blues From The Heartland" Tour of NZ - 2009

featuring USA's Doc Span - master of the bluesharmonica.

Doc Span has played thousands of gigs, touring Australia extensively. He has performed at every major music festival, recorded six albums and guested on dozens, He has been in demand as a sideman for years, and is currently leading a tight funky six piece original Chicago blues band.

The song "Louisiana Huricane" from Mike's CD, 'Cad's Alley' won 3rd place in the Americana section of the International Song Contest, in Nashville. There were 15,000 entries! See his MySpace blog for more details.

International Songwriting Competition - success for Cad's Alley song

Cook Islands Jazz & Blues Festival 2008

While playing at the festival in March/April, 29/30 March 2008, reknowned local artist Judith Kunzle did this sketch. Judith's work is on line at
www.jkunzle-onpaper.com

Mike appears on NZ compilation

A cut from Mike's latest CD, Cad's Alley appears on a new release, "Harmonica Masters of New Zealand"
Mike's song - "Leaving Blues", with Australian blues piano player, Jan Preston, was featured on Dan Ackroyd's syndicated "House of Blues Hour" in the USA, earlier in 2008. Available from Marbecks.