Music Mountain Matakana

2006 Concert Reviews

2006 Lineup

Jazz - Jan 14th 2006

• "Having attended the inaugural Music Mountain festival on January 14, we have to write to applaud the time, effort and organization which made this event a resounding success. The 'acts' were all high quality and provided virtually non-stop Jazz from 2pm to 10pm. The organization, traffic control, catering, litter control were 'spot on'. The staff providing such services were numerous, conspicuous, courteous and happy. The venue is superb, a natural amphitheatre below the ridgeline above Matakana. Clearly the 'acts' enjoyed performing at the venue. They presented a variety of Jazz with something to suit every taste. The 'Nairobi Trio' physically took their act into the crowd. For those who thought they may attend but for whatever reason did not, they missed a memorable and historic evening. Historic from the perspective that this venue has the capacity to place Rodney firmly on the map of quality entertainment available in the North Island, New Zealand. Indeed, the venue has the potential to 'hold its place' on the international scene. To Mr Nigel Rowthorn and all his support teams - well done and thank you.  We await the Blues evening on February 11 with much anticipation." Bob Halton - Rodney District Times Newspaper

• "I just want to congratulate you and the team on the great event yesterday. The site looks great and the staging and performing area is a credit to you.......which I must say I didn't expect anything else . I also want to thankyou for the hospitality extended to my band members and performers......first class." Roger Fox

• "I took a group of eight people intending to stay for only four hours, but ended up staying for the full eight hours. It was very professionally run, in an extraordinaryly romantic environment." Sharon Cross

• "You’ve got it all there!! I wish you every success. Best wishes". John Quigley - Nairobi Trio

• "Just to say thanks for organising last Saturday's concert. We were with a group of eight people and we all had great fun and enjoyed the music. Congratulations on the organisation. Hopefully there will be more of the same next year. Cheers," Jill Rutherford and Juliet Andrews

• We really enjoyed our 4 hours of the beginning of the concert! When is the Country one coming up? WHAT A SPECTACULAR SETTING IT WAS! Thanks and keep up the good work! DeAnna Olmstead - The Village Market Baker

• "Congratulations on pulling off your first concert on the mountain top. We really enjoyed it. You have done a fabulous job on the site and it seemed like every detail had been attended to. A lot of people have been talking about the show so I imagine it is going to be pretty busy on the 11th." Janette

• "Congratulations on your first concert. Your grounds looked wonderful, the sound and the bands were incredible, the food was delicious, everything looked professional, and everyone who attended seemed to be having a great time. We hope the good word spreads and that this will be the first of many successful concerts here!" Shaun and Michael

• "We were seated amonst natives on a moonlit night, where all our needs were catered for through sensitive awareness and a professional touch. The selection and clarity of the sound was displayed and dispersed to create a perfect environment for our ultimate enjoyment. Thank you Nigel and Melissa" Erris

Blues - February 11th 2006

• "Thanks Nigel and Melissa for a simply awesome day! Matakana Music Mountain was one of the friendliest and best run festivals we've ever played, from Doug Jane's great sound to the fantastic backstage facilities - it was a true pleasure to feel so welcome. And the music - Midge & Bullfrog, Sonny, Ronnie, JT & Roy (what a guitarist!), and those Handsome chaps - that's a blues line-up that could have played anywhere, anytime - but it wouldn't have been as good as last Saturday in the beautiful restful surroundings of your idyllic property in Matakana. We miss it already!" Derek Jacombs - Kokomo

  More on Kokomo's newsletter: www.kokomo.co.nz

• "Thanks for your incredible hospitality. Really enjoyed the gig, big thanks to Doug Jayne and the crew. Was so cool to see all my friends and fellow musicians, The Handsome Giants, Kokomo, Ronnie with Gordon & Alex-(what a bass player!), JT & Ray and was a special treat to see Sonny Day play again. Yee ha..." Bullfrog Rata

• "Awesome, awesome day/evening listening to good blues. Was a fantastic day had by the 6 of us. Will be bringing more people down with us next year for sure. Well done for all your effort & hard work. Please keep us posted if you are having anymore "blues days. Thanks heaps." Janice & Crew from Northland

• A great venue, we were well looked after, and very well organized. Thank you for a fantastic day, it is a credit to you, Cheers. Billy Kristian

• Well done on the Blues concert! Great facilities,venue and music.We have seen Kokomo perform many times and feel they would have to be one of the top Blues bands in N.Z. Look forward to more Kokomo next year! Thanks for a great day. Linda and Terry Gillespie

• "What an absolutely fantastic event. From the idyllic venue to the food and the staff, nowhere else in the world could you have ever pulled this off. Hopefully it was financially successful enough that you will do the same next year, we'll book and pay now." Wayne Henderson

• "Kia Ora to all who organised and helped. A BIG thanx for the wonderful time we had on Saturday nite at the Blues Do. It was a beautiful experience sitting on the hill, listening to excellent sounds, sipping gorgeous wines and feeling the warm karma around us." Tina Edwards

• "Top of the morning to you Nigel. I am writing to say THANK YOU for putting on such an amazing event, in such a majestic setting.The community should be proud of such initiative and promise forming within its region. It is my sincere hope that you will be able to continue with this venture in the future. I for one will be singing your praises wherever I go. Absolutely wonderful. Best regards and a sunny day for the country event." Anna & Dean

• "A sincere thank-you for the brilliant line-up provided yesterday. We thoroughly enjoyed each item. The setting is beautiful, sound great & a resounding congratulations for a well-organised event. The attention to detail, plus friendly, helpful staff deserve high praise." Jeanette Guy

• "From the time we arrived to the time we, regretfully, had to leave we were treated like VIP's. Awesome concert, wonderful setting, superb cottage! Thank you Nigel and Melissa for your very generous hospitality. We left on cloud nine... " Kim and Brett - MMM Competition Winners.

• "Hi, We just wanted to give you some feedback from the Blues concert on Saturday night. We thought it was an excellent venue, a fantastic event and we had a great time. As locals we wanted to give you our support and hope that you will continue putting on events of such a high standard. By the way, Handsome Giants were our favourites, thought those guys rocked! Cheers." Al & Cate

• "This was really great, the music was orsom and the Ronnie Taylor band was a must to see again, Sonny Day was a real blast from the past, and he outshone as we knew he would.. We were really pleased we got to see him play again... look forward to the 2007 concerts." Raewyn & Pat Paea

• "Howdy Nigel, enjoyed the gig, the venue is great. The backstage area was wonderful, all the musos relaxed and enjoyed it, Hope to play there again soon..Thanks .." Gordon Joll

• "We are locals who brought along Aucklanders, and we all had the time of our lives. We should be on our bended knees thanking Nigel and family for their amazing generosity and organisational skills. The concert was perfect, professionally run and worth every cent. Thanks again." A.Mitchell

Country - March 18th 2006

• "I thought the Country and Western Music day at Music Mountain Matakana was fantastic. Not just because it had the cream of New Zealand's Country and Western talent there, but also because of the idyllic venue, the superb food and the friendly easygoing atmosphere. In the afternoon it was great to be able to enjoy the fantastic rural views and the bush surrounds and in the evening the little valley became a lovely intimate venue. I will certainly be there next year for all the shows." Robert Heeps

• "I was given a free ticket to the country music concert last Saturday evening. I thought the performances were of such high quality, the setting so beautiful, and the organisation so excellent that I have decided to send you the $75 for my ticket. Thank you for planning such a memorable music event." Barbara Hamilton

• "Thank you very much for inviting Wires and Wood to play at your Country festival day. We very much enjoyed it. I'd like to especially thank the sound manager, the sound was great. Your venue is great. I will certainly be attending future events at Music Mountain Matakana. We would love to play at Music Mountain again." Michael Young - Wires and Wood

• "I’m a member of the Wellsford country music club. Saturday night was perfect mate, really enjoyed it, Thanks." Martin - Wellsford Signs

• "Thanks for having the JamesRay Band perform for the Music Mountain country show 2006. We thoroughly enjoyed the enthusiasm of the audience and the beautiful setting of Music Mountain. A special thanks to Melissa for her gentle nature and genuine hospitality. Wishing Music Mountain all the best and many years of prosperous success. Keep it up, it's bound to be kiwi treasure!" James Ray - James Ray Band

• "I wanted to say thank you for such a wonderful weekend, my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Many thanks." June O’Day - Winner of the 97 Times FM prize

• "The country hoedown event rounded off the threesome that included jazz and blues performances in January and February. Some of the audience dressed country for the event, many took picnic baskets, others took advantage of the food and drinks served at the mock western style saloon complete with wagon trains. The entertainers each praised the venue and its facilities and urged the crowd to gather support for next years events as they all wanted to return to such a unique location." Excerpt from article in Rodney District Times - 23/3/06