With its musicians hailing from the Auckland and Northland regions of New Zealand, Hot Diggity confirm the fact that indeed there are no places, however remote, that bluegrass music isn’t enjoyed and shared.
The band was formed after its members met each other at various music festivals both in New Zealand and Australia, as well as through their country music scene in general. Guitar player Deb Mackenzie and fiddler Louise Evans hail from Auckland, bass player Jenine Abarbanel lives in Leigh, mandolin player Heather Carrigan is in Tangowahine, and banjo player Sue Drake lives in Whangarei.
All places mostly unfamiliar to those of us who live elsewhere.
Once the idea for an all female bluegrass band was formed, it was simply a matter of prioritizing regular meetings in order to build a repertoire which solidified their specific style. “Heather and Sue knew each other through the country music community in Whangarei,” Abarbanel explains. “They conceived the idea of forming an all female bluegrass band and contacted me and Deb, and we immediately gave a very enthusiastic, ‘absolutely!’ Louise is the newest member of the band, replacing previous fiddle players, Slavka Franklikova and Krissy Jackson.”
Abarbanel says that the fact that they possess three strong singers makes them a vocals-forward bluegrass band. “We can play the standards, but we prefer originals written by Heather or Deb,” she continued. “Heather writes fantastic straightforward bluegrass bangers — songs that sound traditional, but are all her own. Deb writes more eclectic sounding material, with influences from lots of genres, providing us with a real diversity in terms of songs. Both songwriters often incorporate female-centered stories into their lyrics, an area which is often under-represented in bluegrass. Our sound is joyous, sultry, soulful, and upbeat, depending on which song we’re performing.”
With that in mind, the band can claim a wealth of influences. Carrigan has been deeply influenced by Rhonda Vincent, with who she formed a close friendship during her travels in the US. She also cites Claire Lynch, Dale Ann Bradley, and Hazel Dickens as among her influences. She also mentions Hank Williams, Dwight Yoakam, and the early Steeldrivers, given the fact that a real, raw, and lonesome sound connects deeply with her.
Abarbanel counts Laurie Lewis, Alison Krauss, Missy Raines, and Gillian Welch among her influences, while Drake points to Gillian Welch, Mandolin Orange, and Molly Tuttle, adding that she’s been to Murphy Henry’s banjo camp many times.
For her part, MacKenzie says she gained a deep and abiding love of harmony singing in church during her formative years. Dolly Parton, Hazel Dickens, and Loretta Lynn were prime influences in her singing and songwriting.
“We haven’t toured extensively,” Abarbanel confides. “It’s only been on the North Island of New Zealand. We love playing vintage car rallies, like The Rebel Roundup and Beach Hop, events that really gel with our band aesthetic. We’ve also played as part of the Auckland Arts Festival several times. And of course, we’ve played folk clubs all over the North Island. We’re currently working on our ‘hometown tour,’ where we’ll play for our local audiences.”
They’ve also played a handful of major festivals. “We’ve been guests at Wellington Folk Festival, Hamsterfest (the Hamilton Easter Folk Festival), and this past January, we were headline guests at the Auckland Folk Festival,” Abarbanel continues. “And of course we played at Kiwigrass all three years. We’ve also played the Bay of Islands Country Rock Festival a couple of times, which has been very interesting! In 2021, we were included in the IBMA International Virtual Showcase, which was a matter of great pride for all of us. We have a squad goal of someday opening for Tami Nielsen.”
Happily, Hot Diggity has had great support from New Zealand audiences, especially throughout their local communities. “Our biggest fans are the people who know us and our music the best, which is very gratifying to all of us,” Abarbanel remarks. “We have a lot of support on the South Island, and hope to someday be able to tour down there and play some of their festivals.”
She added that they mostly play originals, but she says that they also like to throw in familiar songs as well. “We originally bonded over Bill Monroe’s Rocky Road Blues, and that’s still one of our go-to standards,” Abarbanel added. “And we’re very fond of throwing out a bluegrass version of the Eagle’s Heartache Tonight for a big-finish encore. We also love Working Girl Blues by Alice Gerard and Hazel Dickens. Plus we got a hat-tip in the form of a YouTube comment from Buddy Woodward of the Dixie Bee-Liners for our arrangement of Lord Lay Down My Ball and Chain.'”
Asked her opinion of why bluegrass boasts such international appeal, Abarbanel offers a ready reply. “Americana in general has a mystique and magic to it all across the world, and bluegrass is a very special variety of Americana with a well defined history and provenance,” she suggests. “And of course, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou helped a lot, too, didn’t it? Also, we’ve found bluegrass jam sessions have a really broad appeal to musicians who come from all sorts of backgrounds. We’ve done a lot of work teaching folks here in New Zealand how the bluegrass jam works, as well as the open, inclusive, friendly nature of it, given that it offers the opportunity to stretch ones’ self musically and learn new things that really gets people engaged and inspired.”
