Coconut Cowboys

The Coconut Cowboys are made up of five Auckland musicians who play a unique brand of country music; their performances are often influenced and personified by the different backgrounds and cultures they stem from. Although they often play country standards, the main focus is on the original tunes penned by front man, Basil Po Ching. His music is both lyrically strong and emotionally charged but is also very relatable to the listener. Basil has a long history of singing locally; dating back to the 60's and 70's where he was often seen entertaining audiences in some of Auckland's nightclubs. Other members include Dave Tusani (aka Tsunami) Bass player, who has backed and played with just about every country music performer in New Zealand. He is also a well-known Elvis impersonator. On drums is Mike Beck, another well-known musician who has sat in with the likes of Billy TK Jnr and Snr, Tony Painting and just about every musician in NZ who carries weight in the local music industry. On lead guitar is Mack Tane, who started out in Dargaville with Mark Williams and Willie Hona in a band called the Face. He has also worked with many of New Zealand and Australia's top Entertainers, as both a sound engineer and musician. The final musician is keyboard extraordinaire "Magic" Madden or Bruce Madden as he is known by his old headmaster from St Kent's. Bruce has toured with such names as Renee Geyer, Billy TK Jnr, The Mofo party boys from Fresno California, Juice on the Loose and many other artists.

Although country music is often their main focus, other genres tend to find their way into the mix; this more often than not brings a melting pot of surprisingly good and refreshing music.