Paul Gurney Photo: Maryanne Bilham
Photo: supplied
Kiwi muso Paul Gurney loves Americana - that unique blend of country, folk, blues and rock'n'roll. In fact, he's not long back from Nashville in the States which hosted a festival devoted to the genre.
Tracks from his second solo album Blue Horizon are already getting airplay in America.
Some of the tracks were written during the Covid lockdowns. Songs like "Riccochet" reflect on the struggles so many faced, but they also offer the prospect of better days ahead.
For the past 14 years Paul Gurney's also worked as a music tutor to people struggling with mental illness at Toi Ora Live Arts Trust, and he's lead tenor in the famous Jubilation Gospel Choir.
Right now he's taking his new songs on the road - he's touring the North Island with his long time band the DeSotos. He talks to Lynn Freeman about the appeal of Americana music and why he as so drawn to it.
