Kapiti Quorum

The Levin Folk Music Club meets for a special concert on Saturday 26 October featuring Kāpiti bands Kāpiti Quorum and The Cattlestops.

The Kāpiti Quorum is returning to the Levin Folk Music Club as the supporting act for The Cattlestops.

Kāpiti Quorum.

Back Row from left: Hans Vanderhelm, Roger King, John Laurenson. Front: Carole Abraham, Becky Abraham.

Image source: Kāpiti Quorum

Kāpiti Quorum have been together for a few years now, originating at a drop-in centre in Waikanae. They have played a few spots at the Levin Folk Music Club as well as entertaining some of the residents at Waikanae’s largest retirement village.

Band members include Hans Vanderhelm (bass and blues harmonica), Roger King (guitar and blues harmonica), John Laurenson (guitar and lead vocals), Carole Abraham (lead vocals) and Becky Abraham (guitar).

• Hans is a former jazz player with amazing guitar skills. He was in a few bands in his native Holland before coming to New Zealand. He developed a love for bass guitar and harmonica, both of which add rich punctuation to Kāpiti Quorum’s performances. Hans was there at the very first get-together at the pop-in centre, and he has seen all the iterations since then.
• Roger’s preferred instruments are guitar, mouth organ, box drum and djembe. Having little band experience, he has loved the chance to play music with and enjoy the company of fellow musicians in Kāpiti Quorum.
• John’s stage experience goes way back, his singing too, and it’s nearly 60 years since he first picked up a guitar as a young lad growing up in Scotland. He has performed at folk clubs in England and New Zealand, medieval banquets, even a musical or two. Having sung in choirs, in duos and solo, he is now thoroughly enjoying his weekly serving of talents that the others in the group have.
• Carole started entertaining at 15 – and has continued singing for the next 70 years. Everything from Light Opera and musicals to Kāpiti Quorum’s current repertoire – and isn’t planning on stopping singing any time soon! Also known fondly in the ‘auld country’ as the ‘Haslemere Nightingale’.
• Becky is an old-school folkie from Merseyside who discovered the beauty of jazz and the blues – and everything else outside of folk music, in her ‘more’ senior years – and continues to dig up songs that others have tried to forget!

The Cattlestops, which formed in 2005, focused on country-rock and western music, performing original songs penned by bass player James Cameron and guitarist Andrew London.

During that time, they played with Hamilton County Bluegrass Band fiddle player Colleen Tren, lead guitarist Dave Berry and drummer Evan Williams. In 2009, the band went into recess following Tren moving to Tenessee to study, later lecturing in bluegrass music at East Tennessee State University.

Cameron and London continued performing together and in 2015, they began writing and recording again with a lineup of musicians they had been collaborating loosely with for some time.

This included Wayne Mason (keys), Ross McDermott (steel guitar), Lance Philip (drums) and guitarist Nick Granville.

The new album ‘Dancing in the Rain’ shows both songwriters in pensive and occasionally nostalgic mood, with genres ranging from rural acoustic country and JJ Cale-style ‘swamp’ grooves to driving blues and country rock.

Since 2020 Cameron and London have mostly played with Wayne Mason on piano as a trio. They now have Evan Williams doing percussion with them, with all four musicians to perform as The Cattlestoppers at the Levin Folk Music Club.

Come and enjoy toe-tapping tunes from Kāpiti bands Kāpiti Quorum and The Cattlestops at: Levin Folk Music Club, Saturday 26 October at the Horowhenua Scottish Society Hall, 155 Bartholomew Road, corner Bartholomew Road and Middlesex Street, Levin.

Doors open at 7:00 pm and the evening begins at 7:30 pm with Kāpiti Quorum. At 8:30 pm there will be a 30 minute break for supper. The Cattlestops will perform from 9:00 pm.

Admission, which includes a light supper, is $10 for members, $15 for non-members and $5 for students. Cash only (no eftpos facilities).

Top image: The Cattlestops.
Top image source: Andrew London