We continue the occasional series wherein Winston expounds on things that currently make him happy.

This week it's gigs again. Easter may be over but if you're planning on a quest to the mountains of musical nirvana, allow Winston to gather together 13 dwarves (and one hobbit) and be your guide.


The Divine Divine DevilDevilles (or How Ali Penny Crashed My Birthday Party). Yep. There we were on the lawn of the Watusi Country Club, sensibly sipping cocktails and having a bit of a sing-a-long when who should appear but a very jolly Australian. She proceeded to down a large number of said cocktails before ripping it up on the piano for the rest of the afternoon.

Ali Penny was in town. Some friends had met her playing at the Rotorua Blues Festival and brought her over for the party. She was great! At the time she'd just been awarded Best Female Artist at the 2012 Australian Blues Music Awards. It wasn't hard to see why – dynamite singer, great keyboard player, vibrant personality... go Ali!

Then last year she scooped the 2014 Australian Blues Music Awards. Without accusing her of being greedy, it seems a bit much that she won Female Artist of the Year, Best Album and Best Producer, while her band was named Best Band.

Now, even if we'll have to wait a little longer before hearing that band. Ali has hauled herself over to Tauranga this month (May 11) with another award-winning Aussie blues performer, singer and harmonica player Dorothy-Jane Gosper (who picked up Best Singer and Best Album at the Canberra Blues Awards). They're both regulars at the big blues festivals in Australia.

The duo, calling themselves The Divine Devilles, is in Tauranga for just one night and will be spending it at the Art Gallery, which I must say has been putting on some splendid music this year. Being a Sunday, the show on May 11 will kick off early at 6pm and costs $20 (or $15 for Friends of the Gallery). Ring the gallery for tickets.

A Ten Dollar Trifecta (Are You Not Entertained?). If ladies singing the blues is not quite the musical bag that you're into, on the same night (still Sunday May 11), three local acts will be performing for the Entertainers Club, held at the Tauranga Citz Club on 13th Ave.

This month the line-up is as quirky and easy-listening as ever and features, for the first time as far as I'm aware, a barber's shop quartet in the form of Rendezvous. Frank Alefounder, Ron Collingwood, Grant Dengate and David Munroe have been singing barber's shop music together for three years and there are four of them. Lucky, otherwise that quartet idea would have been rubbish.

Also on the bill are an easy-listening acoustic guitar duo called Two of a Kind and a jazz duo featuring singer Carol Power and excellent guitarist Chris Williamson from the band U4ria. Entry is $10 with door sales starting at 4.30pm.

Pianistic Acrobatics (Who needs anything witty in brackets after that?). I know it's n a Monday night, which is a bit of a pain but, if you missed it at the last Arts Festival, don't bypass The Piano, a stunning collision of music and slapstick as Thomas Monkton plays a concert pianist whose recital heads in the direction of the distinctly pear-shaped from the git-go. Brilliant and funny and chaotic, it will be an absolute winner for children as well as adults. It's on at 6pm on May 12 in the Exhibition Hall. Tickets are $22 for adults and $9.50 for children with various family discounts available.

Act Quickly – offers about to Expire! Need music? Need it now? OK. Friday, May 2 (the date on this paper) sees acoustic UK duo Jayne Freeman and Adam Piggott playing for the Katikati Folk Club at the Katikati Bowling Club.

They play original songs and covers: Jayne sings and plays ukulele and percussion; Adam sings and plays acoustic guitar, ukulele, snare and chromatic harmonica. The opening act is Tanglewood, Paul Lethbridge and Jan Izett, from Tauranga. There will also be a Ukulele Workshop at 5.30pm, before the concert. Quick, run...!

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