One Man Band Double Bill

One Man Band Double Bill

Come along for an evening of extreme multi-tasking as Christchurch's finest one-man-bands share the stage.

Li'l Chuck – The One Man Skiffle Machine

Li'l Chuck performs "good time music with old time style"; drawing on a lifetime immersed

in 1930s–50s Blues, Early Jazz, Western Swing, and Ragtime, presented in the manner of

street performers from that golden age.

Playing every instrument at once guitar, harmonica, and a kick/hi-hat combo pounded out

by both feet Chuck weaves storytelling and heart-stopping harmonica through multiple

guitar styles, leaving audiences wondering, "How the hell does he do that?"

In an age of instant, sugar-coated, airbrushed everything, Li'l Chuck offers something

organic, whole grain, and refreshingly naked.

Nick Jackman

Nick Jackman draws on traditional Celtic folk, country, blues, and acoustic rock. He sings

and plays harmonica, guitar, Irish bouzouki, and percussion simultaneously the old-school

way, with no looper pedal, no backing tracks, no tricks.

Harmonica is his weapon of choice, and with it he busts out Celtic jigs, bluegrass

breakdowns, and soulful blues over a rhythm of strings and percussion driven by his hands

and feet. His one-man-band is inspired by Memphis bluesmen Joe Hill Louis and Dr. Ross,

folk artist Jesse Fuller, and the primitive country-punk stylings of Hasil Adkins. In recent

years, Jackman has returned to his love of Celtic folk music in a big way, adding mandolin

and Irish bouzouki to the mix — instruments that have helped add melodic depth to his live

arrangements.

"I love the one-man-band art form" says Jackman. "Everybody who performs this way is

unique. There's a simplicity to it I appreciate but it's not easy to make it look easy. When

you pull it off, it's an amazing feeling. There's a lot of power in being a one-man-band."