About
Background
G-TARanaki 2008 was New Zealand's first international guitar festival. Held in New Plymouth in July, it was the inspiration of the late Garry Sharpe-Young to create a forum for young people to collaborate with music industry professionals in an environment that encourages participation with an optimistic future vision. The week-long festival brought some of the world’s best guitarists to Taranaki to perform, educate and inspire Kiwi musicians and music fans around New Zealand. G-TARanaki featured a celebration of all things guitar with guitarists and bands from a range of genres including Rock, Funk, Classical, Jazz, Blues and Metal. Two concerts were held at New Plymouth's TSB Stadium, headlined by Uli Jon Roth and Joe Satriani.
The event was launched by an auction to benefit the Cancer Society. Items auctioned included guitars autographed by Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi, AC/DC and U2.
Guitar clinics and discussion forums were held throughout the week. Special Midnight Sessions included performances from Vernon Reid from Living Colour, and Gilby Clarke from Guns n' Roses, who were also joined by major artists on the bill such as Alex Skolnick (Testament / Alex Skolnick Trio) and Uli Jon Roth (ex-Scorpions). The Midnight Sessions were held at Puke Ariki.
Sky Academy, the music school founded by Uli Jon Roth, offered tuition classes at three Taranaki towns, Waitara, Inglewood and Opunake and included guests Vernon Reid and Gilby Clarke. Classical and Jazz performances were given by the New Zealand School of Music led by Matthew Marshall and Nick Granville.
There were a number of firsts for G-TARanaki. Uli Jon Roth performed songs from his album 'Under A Dark Sky' for the first time live. Glenn Hughes performed with a one-off New Zealand band, involving guitarist Kara Gordon plus 8Forty8 band members Simon Koretz and drummer Nathan Koretz. Vernon Reid also played with a unique band comprising Jonathan Crayford on keyboards, Magesh Magesh on drums and Crete Haami on bass.
Paul Martin, DJ for New Zealand's longest standing Metal radio show 'The Axe Attack' performed with his band World War Four and was also MC for much of the G-TARanaki event.
New Zealand artists performing included False Start, Kara Gordon, Swap Gomez, Jamie Anderson, Frank John, Burt Ropiha, Bryce Wastney, Ross Townsend, Stephanie Piquette, Karl Austin, Nathan Annand, Brandon Reihana of Blindspott, Ross Halliday, Diarmuid Cahill, Adrian Whelan, New Plymouth Ukulele Orchestra, The Smiles, Dave Ritchie Smith, Craig Radford, Joel Haines, Matt Herrett and Ash & Aidan.
The event is to be held again in 2010. The vision is for G-TARanaki to be known as the hub for tomorrow’s music industry.
What is G-TARanaki?
Learn from Legends
G-TARanaki is New Zealand’s only international guitar festival which brings some of the world’s best guitarists to Taranaki to educate, entertain and inspire music lovers. It provides the opportunity to learn from legends who really know their stuff! This year the event will be held from 11-15 August 2010 in New Plymouth, Taranaki.
It’s about making A-list artists accessible to New Zealanders through concerts and intimate Midnight Sessions; creating awareness of the opportunities within the music industry through panel discussion forums and developing the artistic talents of young aspiring artists through the Sky Academy workshops and master classes.
Who is it for?
G-TARanaki is for:
- Everyone who wants to experience high energy performances from legendary artists
- Professionals eg. lawyers, accountants, project managers, producers; interested in learning more about the music industry through panel forums
- Young aspiring guitarists who want the chance to learn from and be inspired by true guitar legends in the Sky Academy workshops and master classes
- Anyone who would like to expand their skills and learn guitar basics at the free clinics
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