This week I want to write about Nine Mile Stone; they have a show coming up at Baycourt that I'd like to recommend to you.

First off though, a little diversion.

Last weekend I went to the Mid-Winter Christmas at the Historic Village. I'd first heard about the planning for this event a good six months ago, and being the eternal pessimist that I am with regard to events in general, I was a little dubious about the concept.

An all-day outdoor event in the middle of winter? Need I say more?

Even by the time you get into May, weather makes it tricky to plan for stuff outdoors. Yet here was an event in the middle of July, a new event with an unproven concept.

But when I got to the Historic Village on – astonishingly – the first day it hadn't rained in over three weeks, I was simply blown away. To see huge crowds of people sipping on mulled wine, wrapped up like the cold Christmases of my childhood, was truly special.

In the centre of the village, around the Christmas tree, with fairy lights twinkling and a gentle sprinkle of soft beautiful snow falling I saw adults and children standing with sheer wonder and delight on their faces. Just watching such a genuine moment of joy was a rare and special treat.

The organisers knocked it out of the park. This was the best-organised first event I think I've ever seen in the town. And, with ticket prices kept low – $25 for a family of five – everybody could be there, and from what I saw, they were, with lines still going in after 7pm. The village has never looked better, showing what it really can be, and thousands of people (with children) drank and made merry without any stupid excesses or trouble. It's funny how a family event can bring out the adults in people.

And, back to Nine Mile Stone. I have long admired these guys. If you don't know the name then you might know them as The Mellow Drops. They have just recorded their debut album under that new name and are launching it with a show in Baycourt's main theatre on Saturday, July 30 just over a week away.

One of the reasons I admire these guys is that they don't give in easily. The core of the band is the partnership of Derek Toner and Cian O'Cinsealla, two Irishmen who played in a band called The Mellow Drops and whose separate travels around the world led them both to Tauranga, where the unreleased album they had with them eventually took life as The Mellow Drops first CD.

Since then they have been searching for the right players and place to record a follow-up, intent on continuing their particular style of music, serious guitar-driven commercial rock, matching sincere lyrics and Cian's emotive, slightly vulnerable voice, with Derek's electric guitar lines in an acoustic/electric combination that chimes so well with a lot of what you hear on the radio these days.

They also have ambitions towards a stage show that is more than just a band playing, using lights and projections to really give the audience an audio-visual experience. With the new album – All Roads Lead Home – just finished at Welcome Bay's Colourfield Studio, they have taken the most ambitious step a local band can and booked into Baycourt, the only place really set up to produce such a show. This is where bands in town really prove themselves and Nine Mile Stone are aiming for the sky.

They've also kept ticket prices very reasonable, $22 or $18 for students, and – if you're into rock music at all – I'd urge you to go along. I've got an advance copy of the album (to be reviewed next week) and it's certainly the best thing the band has yet done. The live show should be another step forward. Get tickets from the Baycourt box office or at www.ticketdirect.co.nz

And, to finish, after something of a drought, there seems to be a veritable deluge of local music arriving. Also on July 30 at 10pm at Krazy Jacks on The Strand, rockers Enercia are launching their new EP, Change. Dedicated music fans will of course be at both gigs.