Hey Socials! 2021 is shaping up to be a good year. Even though international travel is restricted, we’ve found lots of opportunity here in Aoteroa!
Whangarei Town Basin, February 5th:
At the heart of the biggest city north of Auckland is “a picturesque international yachting marina alongside restaurants, cafes and specialty shopping, loop walkway, art, culture and entertainment, history and heritage.” Usually it would be bustling with transient tourists, but with COVID raging overseas I personally know or have seen most of the people who frequent what’s been my city center for over a year now. There’s boaties, van dwellers, and all manner of locals that have found themselves happily fixed in NZ, insulated from the outside world. On a Friday afternoon, many of them meandered through this lovely city hub and paused a moment or sat to listen to Scott, Ryan, and I bust out the tunes. This gig, perhaps more than any other, reminded me how lucky I am to be interacting with this community and making music in this space and time.
Butter Factory, February 5th:
The Otium boys did it again. If you haven’t listened to their music, I can’t recommend it enough. They’re a regular occurrence on my Spotify playlist, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with such talented musicians.
The Butter Factory is synonymous with live music in Whangarei, and this was a particularly good night for music. The San Detroit Band with Austyn on Bass, Scotty on Drums, Jesse on Guitar, and myself on Vox had the whole bar on their feet all. night. long. Gigs like this are lifegiving!
Piha RSA, February 13th:
Back at Piha! With it’s black sand beaches, $5 shots, and sharks of both the pool and ocean varieties…it’s a dangerously fun place.
My usual cohort was otherwise engaged, so The San Detroit Band featured myself and a soulful, bluesy, Americana singer-songwriter, Lee Martin. We traded songs and harmonies as easily as if we’d rehearsed, which, of course, we hadn’t. I was really charmed by that gig and it’s stylistic nuance. When the chemistry is good, there’s nothing like jamming with another must for the first time in front of a live audience.
Fringe Whanau Day and Launch Event, February 14th:
Happy Valentine’s Day, Micky! Can you help me load this gear into a busy city center? 😅
Honestly, every time Micky chases gigs with me on the weekends I can almost hear 10cc singing “the things we do for love!”
Lucky for us, this was a highlight of an afternoon when Fringe artists previewed bits of their shows for other artists and city center passersby. The official Fringe videographer captured teaser sets, and we were lucky to get a copy of ours. So many great shows, ideas, and talents in Auckland at this time. It’s an honor to be here.
Auckland Fringe, February 27th:
Unfortunately for Auckland Fringe, there have been a couple COVID scares since the festival launched on the 14th, and attendance has been low. We didn’t recoup the $700 it cost to develop this show, but the money spent has gone into the local arts economy, and for that we are proud. The show went ahead with 6 people in attendance, and we came away with three canvases to be sold or auctioned. The proceeds will be donated to charity. In keeping with the theme of this iteration of the show, proceeds will be donated to Neurodiverse and Disability organizations.
We are also proud that Maggie Cocco’s Science for Sociopaths as presented by Fringe is an increasingly in demand show. We’ve booked 5 shows across New Zealand in the coming months!
BONUS: While COVID may have kept our audience away, it didn’t keep us from making the most of the show! We got some stunning pics and professional audio from the evening to share soon! We are doing our best to secure video, audio, and photography for each SfS show so that we can share these unique performance experiences with you!
Maungaturoto Hotel, February 28th:
But lo! COVID has reared it’s ugly head, and this time may be making a real commotion. Less than an hour after our Auckland Fringe show finished, Auckland was placed in Level 3 lockdown for seven days. Therefore, our invitation to feature at the Maungaturoto hotel was postponed. Micky drove us home from Auckland around midnight in bumper to bumper traffic, and the country is gearing up for the possibility of full lockdown if community transmission is revealed in the coming days.
UPCOMING SHOWS [COVID PENDING]:
Wellington Fringe Parklet Pop-Up Concerts: Well, well, Wellington…we meet at last (I hope). In collaboration with the Wellington Fringe Festival, American singer-songwriter Maggie Cocco will perform a 10-song cycle for voice and piano, music from Maggie Cocco’s Science for Sociopaths. *Update: CANCELLED DUE TO COVID LEVEL 3 RESTRICTIONS (plus earthquakes and a tsumani evacuation for good measure…everything’s fine 😅)
Northland/Auckland Train Inauguration: Check this one off the bucket list! Maggie Cocco and the San Detroit Band are going to be entertaining on a muthafuckin train!!!! *Update: POSTPONED DUE TO COVID LEVEL 3 RESTRICTIONS…possibly to rescheduled for October 2021.
Girls On Top: Veteran singer-songwriter, Jan Elliott, welcomes up-and-comers Gin and Chronic and Maggie Cocco’s Science for Sociopaths to a female led singers-in-the-round.
Waipu Jazz and Blues Festival: Back by popular demand! Maggie Cocco will be closing the Waipu Jazz and Blues Festival with original fusion from the Maggie Cocco Band.
Botticelli Restaurant and Wine Bar: It’s been so long since Paul O’Brien and I played our favorite haunt in Takapuna! Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name 🍷
Tititrangi Festival of Music: Summer sun and piano fun☀️ 🎹 feat. Maggie Cocco’s Science for Sociopaths.
The Club, Titirangi: Unofficially entitled “Titjam”, Maggie will feature at the Titirangi monthly jam session.
OTHER:
I’ll give you all an update on the COVID/Earthquake/Tsunami situation via the rare blog here soon. Just know that everything’s okay! In other news, Patreon posts are now tagged for your easy search convenience (thank you, Nicole Mallory!) You can now search for the following tags: update; behind the scenes; video; photo; blog; Science for Sociopaths; The Maggie Cocco Band; The San Detroit Band
That’s all for February! If you’ve any thoughts – inspiration you’d like to share, things you want to see or hear – comment below or send me a PM! As always, thanks for all you do! It’s your monthly commitment and feedback that keeps this project trucking 🙏
Musically yours,
Maggie