Wheel of Experience

Teaching Benedict Cumberbatch how to play the banjo for the Netflix film The Power of the Dog has been one of the most intriguing recent gigs for banjo player David Ward. David's also one of the three multi-instrumentalists who've been performing their show Wheel of Experience for a decade now around the country. He, Peter Daubé and Dave Khan present a series of ballads about characters from Aotearoa's early settler history. Like so many live shows, Covid's scuppered some of their planned concerts including this year's Auckland Folk Festival. But they have just confirmed that they can go ahead with five planned shows in Hawkes Bay as part of the Small Hall Concert Series. Lynn Freeman speaks to David and to lead singer Peter Daubé about their unflagging fascination with the legends they sing about - from the notorious Burgess Gang to confidence trickster Amy Bock and the flamboyant Portuguese 'westie'' Don Buck.