About

Really, it’s all about singing harmony together for fun. 

What we do

If you like acoustic Americana, folk, swing, country, or bluegrass, don’t worry, The Skiffy Rivets have got you covered.

Somehow, the Skiffy Rivets diverse songs are seamlessly melded together with vocal harmony performances and classy playing that will leave you with the same feeling that you get when you head into the wide open countryside after being stuck in the city.

The spark

The band was formed when Pete Parnham, Holly Carrington, and Sue Tearne realised they were onto something special when harmonising together for a blackboard concert at the 2015 Waharau folk festival.

Pete Parnham – known for his role in the Remarkables and bass playing at Café One2One – brings vocals and guitars into the band. Meanwhile, ex Wendy Lu’s members and Sweet Adelines’ refugees, Sue Tearne and Holly Carrington are long-time friends but might have grown up as twins the way they sing together. They bring tight, yet natural, harmonies to the band while also criss-crossing lead vocal duties with Pete.

These days the Skiffies becoming known for non-embarrassing light-hearted audience participation, which brings lots of fun and laughter to each performance.

The Skiffy Rivets are now welcome performers around the Auckland region and are reaching further afield.

The CD

They are not as old as vinyl but CDs are going the same way.  Still, back in 2016  the Skiffy Rivets recorded the Elbow Room CD with a couple of friends. Named after 50 Miles of Elbow Room, a Carter Family song on the album, it was recorded by the good old fashioned method of actually going into a studio and playing the songs, giving it a lively energy. Like their live performances, the album shows them capable of taking bluegrass, folk, a Cole porter classics, and even an Eagles song, and putting them together like a jigsaw where the individual pieces fit together to make a surprising and pleasing scene.

Additional musicians on the Elbow Room CD