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Phil Corfield writes“I was listening to the radio and the songs were so mediocre. I thought to myself, “I can write something better than this”. It was 1981 and I was living in remote, rural North Otago, where I could only tune into two radio stations. I was unaware of 'The Dunedin Sound’, I’d missed Punk and I couldn’t play an instrument. However I borrowed a classical guitar which I modified (and I’m still modifying guitars).
“The first song I wrote was ‘Alien Complex’ in 1981. Then, in the same year, I wrote ‘Misty’ which won the 1985 Gold Guitars Amateur Songwriting (subsequently covered by 3 musicians in 3 different genres, one version called ‘Jesse’ for which I rewrote the chorus. My own version of the song was recorded at ‘Fish Street’ with the help of John Dodd, Mike Moroney and others - unreleased but I still have the 8 track tape). The Gold Guitars Songwriting eventually became The MLT Songwriting Competition and in 2016 I made the top ten finalists with ‘Earnscleugh Road’.
“From the beginning, I wrote songs that were identifiably from N.Z. and Australia. I love many, many, English and American songs, especially from the 1960s and 70s, but my songs reflect my New Zealand and Australian heritage. To date there are 200 songs and I like about 30 of them.
“In the early days I founded the North Otago outfit ‘The Rag Tag Band’, which was the first band to play at The Brass Monkey Rally (1985), on the strength of the song I wrote for them with the same title, released on 45. I founded ‘The Troubadours Of Mercury’ in Dunedin, working with guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Julian Grimshaw, from 1992 to 1997, producing two albums. After producing my ’solo’ album in 2007, I recorded an album with John Sule, Jean Barkman and various Dunedin ’session’ musicians around 2016 . There were other recordings released, for various projects.”
The line-up for the Phil Corfield Band is Phil Corfield, John Sule and Carole Stewart.
John plays guitar, and is the main arranger of songs. His creativity with both is tireless and unending. A former member of many bands in Wellington and Dunedin, John is a long time member of 'Both Sides Of The Line’ as guitarist and co-writer, and is bassist in ‘The Koputai Peoples Party’.
Carole Stewart is harmony vocalist, adding tops and interweaving lines of lyrics. Carole, like John, is tireless in the work she puts into the songs. Her early inspiration, growing up in Scotland, came from rock music. Carole also performs in the duo ‘McStew’ with husband Gordon and the trio ‘Trillium’.
$15 public | $10 members | cash bar | eftpos available
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
80 Lovelock Avenue, North Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand 9030, New Zealand
