Rennie Pearson was born and raised in Wellington. Aged 8 his parents took him to a concert of wooden flute virtuoso Chris Norman and his band performing at the NZ School of Music. The next morning he had a flute in his hands. His passion for Celtic music set him apart from his peers, but he later found his people at Kitty O’ Shea’s pub where there was a traditional Irish music session every Monday. Pearson plays at Gryphon Theatre on October 7 and 8, and plans to release his new album then.
How did you get started with touring at 16?
One night at Kitty O’Shea’s, after I had been going for a year or two, in walked a young fiddle player named Oscar West. We soon decided we would start a band. There were just two of us, but we had enough imagination to cover for the rest of the non-existent members. We had our first practise at the Wellington Irish Society and our first concert at Wellington Folk Festival as guest artists in 2011. We decided to start looking for more gigs and later organised tours that would take us all over the country, mostly just playing in small town halls or similar venues. We would arrive, set up, do our own sound, sell our own tickets at the door, play, make tea for everyone during the interval, pack down and then sleep in the van at night or at a friend’s place if we were lucky.
How did those experiences as shape you?
The do-it-yourself attitude that got me and Oscar started became the blueprint for how I was going to turn music into my full-time job, which is something I had always wanted. One of the problems for up-and-coming musicians is that it’s just so hard to find enough work that’s paid unless you’re already quite well known. I sort of bypassed that by just putting on my own shows and promoting myself.
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Celtic musician Rennie Pearson was played Celtic music as a baby.
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What first attracted you to Celtic music?
Since I was a baby, my parents had been playing me CDs and tapes of Celtic music. In particular the music of Altan, a top level Irish band from Donegal and also my two all-time favourite CDs, which were by Chris Norman, ‘The Man with the Wooden Flute’ and the ‘Beauty of the North’. On these he played early Scottish, Maritime Canadian and old time American music with some Irish music in the mix as well, all played on the wooden flute. Later when I went to live and study with him on the east coast of Canada I would learn how all these various styles were connected and how to put the magic into them.
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Pearson, pictured, was previously in a band with Oscar West.
What was your inspiration for your solo album?
I wanted to get a snapshot of this eclectic repertoire of music that I’m playing right now. I often feel that to move forward artistically, you have to fully do justice to what you are doing now. Though I do also write songs and tunes myself, this project is focused on the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland and Maritime Canada. It’s inspired by all the musicians who I’ve heard and loved over the years and aims to capture the stories, the sadness, the energy and the fire that the Celtic musical traditions hold.
What’s your favourite thing about being a musician?
It’s the connection you can have with others that is different from any other form of communication – you don’t even have to speak the same language.
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Pearson is due to release his solo album.
Why should people care about the arts?
To share an experience, albeit different for each of us, brings us one step closer to the human in ourselves and others. Art in all its beautiful forms can open a window into the soul, both our own and that of the artist. This allows us to understand ourselves, others and the world around us in new ways.
- Tickets to Pearson’s shows: renniepearsonmusic.com/event-tickets
