By Jessica Paton
In this Q&A session, Jessica Paton has a chat with our mayor and his musical partner about their musical background, what drives them, and why they enjoy live perfoming the best of all.
Q: Who Are You? Could you introduce yourself and give us a quick rundown of your music style?
A: Len Salt – My day job is Mayor of Thames-Coromandel with 30,000 rate payers and a big district to cover. For relaxation, I enjoy creating, playing and recording music. I started playing guitar when I was 14 and I loved the instrument from the first time I saw and heard it. It became an obsession. Anna and I have created the SaltWood duo, which has taken on a life of its own.
A: Anna Dunwoodie – I’m a full-time musician, music teacher and composer. I was classically trained from a young age in piano and then in harp, and went on to study music at Auckland University. I teach a mix of online and in-person harp lessons and direct harp ensembles. I also enjoy creating events and putting on concerts for harpists and touring musicians. Our musical style could be described as folky, bluesy and contemporary, mostly covers with a few original tunes thrown in the mix. It’s totally dictated by our instruments: harp, guitars, bass and voices.
Q: Let’s talk about Local Vibes: What does being a musician here in Te Tara-o-te-Ika-a-Māui (on the Peninsula) mean to you?
A: It’s awesome to be involved in a music scene that caters for all ages and stages, with a lot of different musical events happening all year round. The calibre of the musicians in the area is outstanding. It’s easy to take the arts for granted and we sometimes forget that there is a strong, varied and vibrant music scene happening here, and look outside of the district for the arts, but we have so much variety here. The local audiences are enthusiastic to hear new music and musicians, and it’s great to be able to rely on their support.
Q: What is the significance of live music in the context of creative communities to you?
A: Anna – Connectivity – For me it’s really important to take music from the rehearsal space and into the community (concert, school, local library) to make it accessible to others. Playing music is an escape, and performing for others is a way to share a lifetime of study and rehearsing. But it’s also an indulgence, as through music, we get to connect with interesting people in interesting places. I’m really lucky as the harp is the most generous of instruments – there are no discordant or unpleasant noises on a harp, so it’s neat for people to try to play the harp and they can only make interesting and satisfying sounds.
A: Len – Creating and performing music is uplifting in a way that very few other things are capable of doing. I enjoy every phase of it, including the practices and rehearsals. Music can bring people and communities together if they come to it with an open mind and an open heart. I love it because I see folks leave their politics at the door and enter a different world. It’s a cliché, but music is the universal language. Live music has been a really important part of my life for as long as I can remember and I truly believe it has healing properties to it that are important. It’s certainly helped me through some tough times.
Q: Where can we find your music, and how can people show their support?
A: Len: Unfortunately my job tends to dominate the time and availability that we have for music. That’s okay, because I love what I’m doing. I don’t play golf, or do any other leisure activities, so music is my “go to” for rest and relaxation. My wife, Svargo, loves to do drama and musical theatre, and she does her own thing with the amazing Thames Music and Drama crew. She keeps very busy with that, so our interests coincide in places.
Q: So, do you guys have any upcoming gigs that folks should know about?
A: Anna: We’re going to do a visit around the retirement villages in the area and take our music to them.
We’ve also got a few concerts lined up around the Coromandel, starting at the Creative Conversations event in Thames April 9th, and at Tairua Golf Club on Friday April 18th.
SaltWood live at our Creative Conversation event Thames on 9 April, 5:30-7:30 at Bite Cafe. This is a free event! All are welcome.
SaltWood live at Tairua Golf Club, on Friday 18 April at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased from the Heritage Centre or the Tairua Information Centre.
