Nigel Wearne and Andrew Dunn Co-Bill – An Evening of Singer-Songwriter Australian Soulful Noir And New Jersey Wit And Infectious Melodies

Don’t miss Nigel Wearne and Andrew Dunn for a co-bill blending Australian Soulful Noir and New Jersey Wit and Infectious Melodies Live at Godfrey Daniels!

Nigel Wearne the captivating Australian singer-songwriter, luthier, and truth seeker draws inspiration from blues, jazz, and Americana-Noir. Drawing inspiration from blues, jazz, and Americana-noir, Nigel's music is a journey into the depths of human frailty, grace, and the cosmos, delivered with a raw and soulful voice. With accolades such as a 4-STAR review in Rolling Stone and nominations at the Music Victoria Awards, Nigel's talent is undeniable. 

Andrew Dunn, is a Jersey-born songwriter with a musical style that blends folk, rock, and country with keen observations of everyday life. With a musical style that seamlessly blends folk, rock, and country, Dunn's songs are a testament to his keen observations of everyday life. His infectious melodies and witty lyrics have earned him a loyal following on the New Jersey folk scene and beyond. As a former school music teacher and now a traveling troubadour, Dunn's experiences as a factory worker, carpenter, and Triple-A driver infuse his music with a unique perspective and authenticity. Don't miss this opportunity to experience Andrew Dunn's captivating performance, where his songs will transport you to a world of introspection, nostalgia, and hope.

Both are sure to deliver dynamic performances in our intimate, live music-listening room. Your backstage pass awaits!

Nigel Wearne – Australian Singer-Songwriter Luthier & Truth Seeker
nigelwearne.com

Headlined the 2023 Philadelphia Folk Festival

"warmth flecked with grit...beauty awaits" – Rolling Stone

"the arranging chutzpuh of Ennio Morricone, vocal swagger of Van Morrison and dark spirituality and intelligence of Nick Cave"​​ – The Weekend Australian

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Nigel Wearne saunters after dark in the music of the night, blending blues, jazz and Americana-noir. Hailing from Gunditjmara country in the deep south of Australia, he's a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist with diverse influences such as Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones. A deep thinker and truth seeker with a penchant for all things peculiar, he sings of human frailty, grace and the cosmos; songwriting that cuts to the bone.

Nigel has toured Australia, New Zealand, the US, UK and Canada and he's performed at a long list of festivals including Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (USA), MerleFest (USA), Philadelphia Folk Festival (USA), Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion (USA), Cambridge Folk Festival (UK) and the Adelaide Guitar Festival (Australia).

His sophomore album, Black Crow garnered wide critical acclaim including a 4-STAR review in Rolling Stone, a nomination for Best Country Album at the Music Victoria Awards and it debuted at #1 on Australia's AMRAP Charts. His latest offering The Reckoning received back-to-back nominations for Best Blues Work at the 2023 & 2024 Music Victoria Awards, a 4-STAR review in The Weekend Australian and had two songs selected as finalists (top #10) in the International Songwriting Competition.

Rollicking, rumbling, sneering and reflective, The Reckoning is a full band explosion of songs, stories and musical mayhem; Gretsch electric guitar, horns, reeds, Hammond organ, drums and bass. All the while, Wearne's crooning, cutting, monolithic vocal keeps lyricism and poetry at the forefront. Think after dark jazz club meets Ennio Morricone with a dose of soul. An enlivening experience that inhabits the after-dark realms of blues, jazz and rock 'n roll; this is Americana-noir.

​"intoxicating New Orleans-tinged Americana... a bit of Waits, some Early James and C.W. Stoneking" – POST TO WIRE
"tailor made for fans of Tom Waits... with fire and brimstone lyrics that recall Nick Cave"  – RHYTHMS MAGAZINE

Andrew Dunn – New Jersey Wit and Infectious Melodies
andrewdunnsongwriter.weebly.com

Andrew Dunn is a songwriter from Jersey, where talent seems to grow in the fertile soil. His poignant wit and infectious melodies are staples of his canon of memorable story songs drawn from everyday theater of life moments. Raised in the Raritan Valley of central New Jersey, he spent years playing trumpet for school marching band before discovering the acoustic guitar and songwriting in his late teens. 

Finding his instrument, he quickly found his network and graduated from Rowan University with a music education degree while trading notes, swapping songs and gigging with rising folk singers of the time, Antje Duvekot, Jackie Tice and Gregg Cagno, among others. He was an invited participant on the songwriting compilation, Southside Sunday Nights, Vol. 1, which included John Gorka, the preeminent songwriter of that time. Andrew spent over a decade as a school music teacher while honing his passion for rock and roll, country and folk into an acoustic folk-pop sound all his own. 

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Dunn has now left the classroom for the stage. In the troubadour tradition, he has been carving his way back as a factory worker, a carpenter, and a Triple-A driver composing lyrics and melodies between calls. His keen and often surprising observations deconstruct life's complexities, framing them like a poet journeyman on a building site. A favorite on the NJ folk scene, Andrew has been repeatedly featured on the legendary stages of The Folk Project and Godfrey Daniels. He has opened for folk icon, Judy Collins and shared songwriting nights with veteran songwriters Tice, Bill Hall, and former Melanie sideman, Ron Heacock.  In 2018, Andrew was a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville Grassy Hill Songwriter's Competition. He was also a finalist in the Great American Song Contest. The music, like his point of view, is full of space and completely irresistible. His songs have been called “rare…with a gravity akin to James Taylor.” Dunn’s latest CD, House Above the Factory, reintroduces his momentum as an artist and places an Americana shine on his unique panorama of everyday experiences.