Friday 24th February 2023
What a brilliant way to start our 2023 season! Good Habits are Bonnie Schwarz (cello + vocals) and Pete Shaw (accordion) and they delivered just what they promised* on their website. Folky goodness but with with eclectic sounds, drawing on their diverse musical tastes. The storytelling from Bonnie and Pete was perfect. They shared their adventures of a pandemic spent happily stranded in New Zealand as well as some insights into their burgeoning relationship, musical tastes and song writing approach.
Our sold out audience loved it and Good habits have made a lot of new fans in Ettington.
Their sets were varied and moved from great self-penned songs by Bonnie and Pete, to some traditional Jewish tunes and the odd well chosen cover. They aren’t just a good time band either. There were moments of real tenderness and emotion. But the whole evening was shot through with the duo’s infectious warmth, energy and positive vibes. Here’s their set-list but how they made sense of this we don’t know!
They stayed overnight and even did parkrun on Saturday…with Pete running barefoot in spite of the cold! They were heading off to another gig in Uley on Saturday and by the sounds of it have a hectic time ahead with festival appearances, more gigs and Pete joining his other band, The Trouble Notes for dates in Germany, France and The Netherlands before a UK tour.
We carried on our new tradition of a photo in the kitchen with the hats….which shows off Pete’s New Zealand dungarees to great effect.
*oh and Pete sings too; very well actually. They should add that to their bio.
Read more about Good Habits here and listen to their music on Spotify here.
Ryepiece Concerts 
A wonderful concert and another new band you’ve introduced me to! Thanks to everyone involved for organising and for a great evening! Looking forward to the next one!
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Thanks Wendy. They were great weren’t they and such a lovely young couple. Steve’s food was delicious. But as Bonnie and Pete reflected afterwards, the audience at Ryepiece is wonderful too and plays a massive part in making these concerts so special.
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