By Laura Frykberg
Around 100 years ago musicians in cities like Saint Louis and New Orleans made music which was wild, loose, and good to tap your feet to. It was called ragtime.
A new Wellington band is now channelling that era with their debut album.
The Roseneath Centennial Ragtime Band may have seven members but only six could attend today's rehearsal. Their music does not make them money, so one of them has to go out to bring home the bacon.
“If we were in it for the money we would've given up a long time ago,” says band member Dayle Jellyman.
Just six months after forming, the band is releasing their self-titled debut album which was recorded in just one day.
“Eight hours later and we had an album. And it sort of stays true to how those guys recoded an album back then, they would do a session in one day too. So it was keeping with the tradition.”
The bands idols include greats like Glen Miller and Louis Armstrong, but they admit adopting their style was a bit of an accident.
“We played some Glen Miller tunes like In The Mood and at the end of the show we had people coming up to us and they were like ‘yeah that was really good’ and I remember thinking that's the first time I’ve played a quartet gig like that and actually had people come up and say yeah we really enjoyed that,” says Mike Jensen.
Since those early gigs their following has grown.
“I was talking to a person the other day who said ‘oh yeah I came home from this big night out and I put your album on and I danced in my kitchen all night’,” says Mr Jensen. “That was one of the best praises you can kind of get.”
Praise they are hoping continues at their album launch in Wellington on Saturday night.
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