It's always a good day when new local albums arrive; I picked up a couple of interesting ones yesterday from the hallowed offices at No.1 The Strand.

One I've been hearing about for a while now as, like just about any album round here made on a budget, it has been in the works for more than a year. It's the debut from the Shirleybyrds and is being launched next week.

I haven't really had a chance for a good listen yet - it was only yesterday when I grabbed the CDs - but the cursory blast in the car as I was returning to the calming lawns of the Watusi Country Club (now with added animal shelter) was enough for me to put next Tuesday's launch firmly on my calendar.

The Shirleybyrds is an outfit you might have seen playing somewhere around town as a duo, though the album is a full band outing. It is Shirley Ryder and Graeme Hardaker, both of whom, in the duo at least, play guitar and sing (with some added bongo drums). Shirley also writes and has accumulated quite an impressive bag of songs over the past few years. The duo has been on local radio and you can find one of its sessions on recording studio Soundtree's internet TV channel (just follow the links from the Soundtree website).

Graeme, of course, is a multiple offender on the Tauranga music scene, having been around since the early days of punk when he was part of local bad boy band the Red Light Nuns. Since then he has sung and played with more bands than most of us have had vodka martinis, including even a stint drumming with Dr Jazz. But he's a rocker at heart, a man with a tremendous voice – the Bay's Eric Burdon perhaps – and has a fine way with a guitar.

Be an earlybird

I'll be reviewing the self-titled CD next week but don't let that stop you heading down to Drivers Bar (in the 11 Ave Plaza) next Tuesday (November 27) at 7.30pm, when the Shirleybyrds'll be joined by drummer Paul Higgins (Hard To Handle), keyboard player Neil Pepper (Elton John) and bassist Wayne Melville (Torch Songs), a fine collection of musicians if ever there was one. They will be playing a selection of the album's bright 60s poppy songs. It should be fun and, to make it even more fun, there's no admission charge.

And there's another gig on next week, which should be a winner for anyone of a folky persuasion, with yet another triple-Tui Award winner coming to town. Funny, when Tami Neilson played in Katikati a couple of weeks back I thought 'It's not too often you get people playing in Tauranga who've won three Tui Awards” (for best country album in her case). Now, with a concert from Penman/McNeill, we have another one in the shape of Bob McNeill, who has won three NZ Music Awards, all for best folk album.

McNeill's musical and songwriting style is a hybrid of the Celtic music of his native Scotland and the American new folk and Americana styles. The Dominion Post compared him to Jackson Brown, James Taylor, Luka Bloom and Doug MacLean; New Zealand Musician compared his songwriting to Bruce Springsteen and Mark Knopfler. That's as may be but, as Tami proved in Katikati, you don't win an award three times by accident.

He'll be playing at the Historic Village Theatre on Friday (November 30), kicking off at 7pm. There's a $12 entry fee and there will be a support set from local rockabilly duo No Licence.

Battle it out

Also of interest if you fancy a drive out to Waihi is the ongoing Waihi Beach Battle of the Bands, which has been attracting some seriously good bands from Tauranga and the Mount. Last week saw The Elements and Ant Wars Underground competing (unsuccessfully, unless they win the online public vote) while on November 29 Enercia and Nine Mile Stone will be hitting the stage.

I haven't heard of any of the five bands playing on 22, though the Twisted Daisies and Captain Corrupt both sound like fun. The fifth and final heat is on December 6, each night starting at 8pm with a $5 cover charge.