Ensuring the Long Term Future of Christchurch's Best Live Music Venue, A Rolling Stone
By A Rolling Stone
NZ $58,543 pledged
218 people pledged
Closed
NZ $50,000 minimum target
This campaign was successful and closed on 31/07/2023 at 5:00 PM.
Make a PledgeAbout
Ensuring The Long Term Future Of Christchurch's Best Live Music Venue, A Rolling Stone
Project 2023-06-29 17:17:52 +1200
We want to ensure the future of our music venue, A Rolling Stone, Christchurch, for the benefit of the music and arts community of Christchurch - musicians young and old, amateur and professional, community groups, diversities and fringe, NZ touring artists and international artists of all genres. We've been steadily building over five years, through the most difficult times imaginable, but we are booked solid into 2024, our business is beginning to flourish with a strong forecast for growth, and a growing reputation!
I’m Gretchen Kane, and along with my husband Mike, I’m the owner of A Rolling Stone – the best medium-sized, dedicated live music venue in Christchurch, and maybe even one of the best dedicated venues in the country.
What We Do
We created this venue and have worked without let-up for five years, steadily building it into the amazing space and inclusive community hub it is today. We’re dedicated to giving our artists, and audiences, the most amazing show experience possible.
We host so many events! Primary and high school music performances, all-ages shows, youth bands, open mics, songwriters’ nights, jazz jams, community group performances, ARA Jazz School, Hagley Jazz, Battle of the Bands, Dig the Gig, the Christchurch Big Band Festival, international touring artists, NZ tours, local bands, dance groups, drag & burlesque shows and ceilidhs and more!
Kids can experience a real stage and a sense of where they can go with music. Youth can find a supportive place to fit in, which is beneficial to mental health and wellbeing. We also proudly employ a great team of young (often musical) people in our business.
The Future
We want to continue providing a great venue for shows and touring acts and to keep growing our community, hosting even more schools, groups and artists, helping to nurture the future of NZ music. We’re excited for the future, and completely dedicated to the continued success of A Rolling Stone. We feel so lucky to be working in a field we both love so much!
Thank You!
We’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone who has supported us in our first five years of business. Pledge today and choose yourself a great reward which comes with our heart-felt thanks! You’ll be helping us to continue supporting the Christchurch musical community, and to grow even stronger for the future! Thank you all!
Testimonials
“We had the best concert and the best time, found a gem of a venue and made great friends with the owners - it doesn’t get better than that.”
Ben Waters, UK piano player for Jeff Beck, The Rolling Stones, Ray Davies, Chuck Berry, and many more.
“Best venue ever!”
The Barnstormers, Tasman Blues Club.
“One of the best venues we’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.”
The Barley Shakes, Australia.
“Many thanks to Mike and Gretchen at A Rolling Stone for providing the perfect live performance venue and hosting international troubadour Andrew White.”
Isabella Miller Bell, musician and promoter.
“A Rolling Stone in Christchurch is, without doubt, one of the best venues in New Zealand for musicians who want their music to be heard by an attentive and appreciative audience of music lovers.... I still remember our concert at the Rolling Stone with great fondness, probably one of the best concerts we had in NZ during that particular tour.”
Eric Bogle, internationally renowned singer/songwriter. Composer of ‘And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda’ and ‘The Green Fields of France’ recorded and performed by such artists as Makem & Clancy, The Pogues, The Fureys, Dropkick Murphys, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, and more.
“An incredible venue, the best in town. Mike and Gretchen know how to run a perfect music venue, they’re all over it! Fantastic sound, lighting and stage set up.”
The Skeatles, New Zealand.
Comments
Updates 3
We Haven't Forgotten Your Kindness!
01/10/2023 at 10:12 PM
Hi Everyone,
An update from us here at A Rolling Stone. You're probably wondering if we've disappeared off the face of the earth! Sorry for the delay in getting in touch with your chosen rewards. We've been a bit under the weather recently but we're working on the rewards right now and will be in touch very soon. We're also working away on lots of great music events for the future and look forward to seeing you at something again soon.
We're so grateful for all your support and feel very loved! Bless you all!
Love from Gretchen and Mike at A Rolling Stone
T H A N K Y O U ! ! ! !
28/07/2023 at 11:08 PM
WOW!!! It's been quite a Friday! We honestly can't thank you all enough for helping us to reach our minimum pledge goal of $50,000 today!!
We've been so humbled by all your support and generosity. All the beautiful things you've said to us and messaged to us. It's clear that so many of you really value what we do here, and that A Rolling Stone is held dear in the heart of the Christchurch music and arts community. That having a venue like ours in Christchurch is something you really care about.
Photo: Dave Mitchell's 2023 Annual John Prine Memorial Night
There are just 3 days of our crowdfunding campaign left - SATURDAY - SUNDAY - MONDAY till 5pm - and we're going so well, so let's smash it out of the park! Still 3 days to pledge for a great reward - maybe our delicious crispy chicken burger and a drink - we're looking forward to serving you up the best burger in town! Maybe even a Guinness-Lovers Merchandise Pack! Still 3 days to share the pledge and tell your family and friends. Everything extra pledged in those 3 days gets us further towards our goal and helps us in our mission to keep supporting the Christchurch music and arts community. Helps us keep giving opportunities to youth musicians. Helps us keep young people in jobs. Helps us keep us rolling, rolling, rolling!! We have so many plans and we're so excited for the future - so keep sharing!
Also, we're so looking forward to Sunday's All-Star Benefit Concert. Tickets are selling fast, you can get yours for just $20 from Under The Radar Ticketing. It's going to be a beautiful afternoon of camraderie and love through music. Magic.
Thanks everyone, we're honestly so grateful!
Gretchen & Mike
A Huge Thanks to You All - Only 5 Days Left!
26/07/2023 at 1:43 PM
Hi Everyone,
We're writing to say a HUGE thank you to all of you who have pledged and shared our campaign. We've been so humbled by all the amazing support and feedback so many of you have given us - all the lovely things you've said about what we do and how important this venue is to you all. It makes us totally resolved to reach our goal and move ahead into the future. Your support has really empowered us!! We are so excited for the future, for what we can keep doing, and for all the amazing musical connections that we can help with.
With just FIVE days to go on our campaign, it's never been more important to spread the word, so please keep sharing it to everyone you know, either by social media or word-of-mouth! If we don't reach the goal, we don't get anything, so let's keep the stone rolling!
Last Friday night, Tombstone Entertainment & Martin Hornigold hosted an old-school hard rock and metal fundraiser featuring The Deadlights, Hired Guns, Lanthanum, and Damage Effect. The music was amazing, the feeling in the room was amazing, and lots of money was raised for the campaign, which is shortly to be pledged. A massive thanks to everyone who supported, it was such a great night!
Here's Anna from The Deadlights, looking fierce!
This Sunday, 30th July, Al Park has organised a huge benefit concert with top solo and duo artists. All proceeds are going to our campaign, tickets are just 'twenty bucks to keep us alive'! You can get your ticket from Under the Radar ticketing here:
Check out the line-up!
Thannk you all again. Your support means so much to us, and helps us to keep supporting the Christchurch music scene. Please keep sharing, and also grab yourself a great reward for your pledge!
Best wishes,
Gretchen, A Rolling Stone
Pledgers 218
31/07/2023 at 4:55pm
31/07/2023 at 4:04pm
"We need you, we support you and here's to way more shows at ARS"
31/07/2023 at 3:20pm
"Thank you to you both and your staff for the great work you do in providing a top notch venue for Christchurch musicians and music fans"
31/07/2023 at 3:05pm
31/07/2023 at 2:38pm
"Thanks for all your support of Bad Revivals!"
31/07/2023 at 10:41am
31/07/2023 at 10:25am
"Love what you guy's do for Christchurch music commuity and so pleased you have reached your target - Arohanui"
31/07/2023 at 1:07am
30/07/2023 at 9:41pm
30/07/2023 at 8:28pm
"All the best from Bernie"
30/07/2023 at 7:24pm
"Good luck you guys You run a great venue Clare"
30/07/2023 at 5:13pm
30/07/2023 at 4:33pm
"May you be rolling in money to get the monkeys off your backs. Love from Joanne and Chris"
30/07/2023 at 4:16pm
30/07/2023 at 4:11pm
30/07/2023 at 3:26pm
30/07/2023 at 1:30pm
30/07/2023 at 12:54pm
"It's an absolute pleasure to support such lovely people and a great venue!! "
30/07/2023 at 12:28pm
30/07/2023 at 12:27pm
30/07/2023 at 8:45am
"Congratulations!! We're so happy you reached the target. Hope you all have an awesome time today at the Benefit. Pete & Jo <3"
30/07/2023 at 8:31am
"Kia kaha!!"
29/07/2023 at 9:02pm
"All the best you guys! Argene & Chris "
29/07/2023 at 8:20pm
"Glad to support such absolute legends of our local scene. Cheers ARS"
29/07/2023 at 7:00pm
29/07/2023 at 5:50pm
"We love you guys. Best pint of Guinness in NZ. Your favourite Irish twins 💕"
29/07/2023 at 9:42am
"Absolutely love Mike and Gretchen. A Rolling Stone is a fabulous venue!! Keep the pledges coming!!"
28/07/2023 at 11:20pm
"Congrats Mike & Gretchen! Keep it going! H&B xx"
28/07/2023 at 10:15pm
"Mike & Gretchen you are amazing, keep on keeping on, Christchurch needs you! Love Eileen "
28/07/2023 at 9:01pm
Followers 2
Followers of Ensuring the Long Term Future of Christchurch's Best Live Music Venue, A Rolling Stone
Ensuring The Long Term Future Of Christchurch's Best Live Music Venue, A Rolling Stone
Project 2023-06-29 17:17:52 +1200
We want to ensure the future of our music venue, A Rolling Stone, Christchurch, for the benefit of the music and arts community of Christchurch - musicians young and old, amateur and professional, community groups, diversities and fringe, NZ touring artists and international artists of all genres. We've been steadily building over five years, through the most difficult times imaginable, but we are booked solid into 2024, our business is beginning to flourish with a strong forecast for growth, and a growing reputation!
I’m Gretchen Kane, and along with my husband Mike, I’m the owner of A Rolling Stone – the best medium-sized, dedicated live music venue in Christchurch, and maybe even one of the best dedicated venues in the country.
What We Do
We created this venue and have worked without let-up for five years, steadily building it into the amazing space and inclusive community hub it is today. We’re dedicated to giving our artists, and audiences, the most amazing show experience possible.
We host so many events! Primary and high school music performances, all-ages shows, youth bands, open mics, songwriters’ nights, jazz jams, community group performances, ARA Jazz School, Hagley Jazz, Battle of the Bands, Dig the Gig, the Christchurch Big Band Festival, international touring artists, NZ tours, local bands, dance groups, drag & burlesque shows and ceilidhs and more!
Kids can experience a real stage and a sense of where they can go with music. Youth can find a supportive place to fit in, which is beneficial to mental health and wellbeing. We also proudly employ a great team of young (often musical) people in our business.
The Future
We want to continue providing a great venue for shows and touring acts and to keep growing our community, hosting even more schools, groups and artists, helping to nurture the future of NZ music. We’re excited for the future, and completely dedicated to the continued success of A Rolling Stone. We feel so lucky to be working in a field we both love so much!
Thank You!
We’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone who has supported us in our first five years of business. Pledge today and choose yourself a great reward which comes with our heart-felt thanks! You’ll be helping us to continue supporting the Christchurch musical community, and to grow even stronger for the future! Thank you all!
Testimonials
“We had the best concert and the best time, found a gem of a venue and made great friends with the owners - it doesn’t get better than that.”
Ben Waters, UK piano player for Jeff Beck, The Rolling Stones, Ray Davies, Chuck Berry, and many more.
“Best venue ever!”
The Barnstormers, Tasman Blues Club.
“One of the best venues we’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.”
The Barley Shakes, Australia.
“Many thanks to Mike and Gretchen at A Rolling Stone for providing the perfect live performance venue and hosting international troubadour Andrew White.”
Isabella Miller Bell, musician and promoter.
“A Rolling Stone in Christchurch is, without doubt, one of the best venues in New Zealand for musicians who want their music to be heard by an attentive and appreciative audience of music lovers.... I still remember our concert at the Rolling Stone with great fondness, probably one of the best concerts we had in NZ during that particular tour.”
Eric Bogle, internationally renowned singer/songwriter. Composer of ‘And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda’ and ‘The Green Fields of France’ recorded and performed by such artists as Makem & Clancy, The Pogues, The Fureys, Dropkick Murphys, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, and more.
“An incredible venue, the best in town. Mike and Gretchen know how to run a perfect music venue, they’re all over it! Fantastic sound, lighting and stage set up.”
The Skeatles, New Zealand.
Comments
We Haven't Forgotten Your Kindness!
01/10/2023 at 10:12 PM
Hi Everyone,
An update from us here at A Rolling Stone. You're probably wondering if we've disappeared off the face of the earth! Sorry for the delay in getting in touch with your chosen rewards. We've been a bit under the weather recently but we're working on the rewards right now and will be in touch very soon. We're also working away on lots of great music events for the future and look forward to seeing you at something again soon.
We're so grateful for all your support and feel very loved! Bless you all!
Love from Gretchen and Mike at A Rolling Stone
T H A N K Y O U ! ! ! !
28/07/2023 at 11:08 PM
WOW!!! It's been quite a Friday! We honestly can't thank you all enough for helping us to reach our minimum pledge goal of $50,000 today!!
We've been so humbled by all your support and generosity. All the beautiful things you've said to us and messaged to us. It's clear that so many of you really value what we do here, and that A Rolling Stone is held dear in the heart of the Christchurch music and arts community. That having a venue like ours in Christchurch is something you really care about.
Photo: Dave Mitchell's 2023 Annual John Prine Memorial Night
There are just 3 days of our crowdfunding campaign left - SATURDAY - SUNDAY - MONDAY till 5pm - and we're going so well, so let's smash it out of the park! Still 3 days to pledge for a great reward - maybe our delicious crispy chicken burger and a drink - we're looking forward to serving you up the best burger in town! Maybe even a Guinness-Lovers Merchandise Pack! Still 3 days to share the pledge and tell your family and friends. Everything extra pledged in those 3 days gets us further towards our goal and helps us in our mission to keep supporting the Christchurch music and arts community. Helps us keep giving opportunities to youth musicians. Helps us keep young people in jobs. Helps us keep us rolling, rolling, rolling!! We have so many plans and we're so excited for the future - so keep sharing!
Also, we're so looking forward to Sunday's All-Star Benefit Concert. Tickets are selling fast, you can get yours for just $20 from Under The Radar Ticketing. It's going to be a beautiful afternoon of camraderie and love through music. Magic.
Thanks everyone, we're honestly so grateful!
Gretchen & Mike
A Huge Thanks to You All - Only 5 Days Left!
26/07/2023 at 1:43 PM
Hi Everyone,
We're writing to say a HUGE thank you to all of you who have pledged and shared our campaign. We've been so humbled by all the amazing support and feedback so many of you have given us - all the lovely things you've said about what we do and how important this venue is to you all. It makes us totally resolved to reach our goal and move ahead into the future. Your support has really empowered us!! We are so excited for the future, for what we can keep doing, and for all the amazing musical connections that we can help with.
With just FIVE days to go on our campaign, it's never been more important to spread the word, so please keep sharing it to everyone you know, either by social media or word-of-mouth! If we don't reach the goal, we don't get anything, so let's keep the stone rolling!
Last Friday night, Tombstone Entertainment & Martin Hornigold hosted an old-school hard rock and metal fundraiser featuring The Deadlights, Hired Guns, Lanthanum, and Damage Effect. The music was amazing, the feeling in the room was amazing, and lots of money was raised for the campaign, which is shortly to be pledged. A massive thanks to everyone who supported, it was such a great night!
Here's Anna from The Deadlights, looking fierce!
This Sunday, 30th July, Al Park has organised a huge benefit concert with top solo and duo artists. All proceeds are going to our campaign, tickets are just 'twenty bucks to keep us alive'! You can get your ticket from Under the Radar ticketing here:
Check out the line-up!
Thannk you all again. Your support means so much to us, and helps us to keep supporting the Christchurch music scene. Please keep sharing, and also grab yourself a great reward for your pledge!
Best wishes,
Gretchen, A Rolling Stone
31/07/2023 at 4:55pm
31/07/2023 at 4:04pm
"We need you, we support you and here's to way more shows at ARS"
31/07/2023 at 3:20pm
"Thank you to you both and your staff for the great work you do in providing a top notch venue for Christchurch musicians and music fans"
31/07/2023 at 3:05pm
31/07/2023 at 2:38pm
"Thanks for all your support of Bad Revivals!"
31/07/2023 at 10:41am
31/07/2023 at 10:25am
"Love what you guy's do for Christchurch music commuity and so pleased you have reached your target - Arohanui"
31/07/2023 at 1:07am
30/07/2023 at 9:41pm
30/07/2023 at 8:28pm
"All the best from Bernie"
30/07/2023 at 7:24pm
"Good luck you guys You run a great venue Clare"
30/07/2023 at 5:13pm
30/07/2023 at 4:33pm
"May you be rolling in money to get the monkeys off your backs. Love from Joanne and Chris"
30/07/2023 at 4:16pm
30/07/2023 at 4:11pm
30/07/2023 at 3:26pm
30/07/2023 at 1:30pm
30/07/2023 at 12:54pm
"It's an absolute pleasure to support such lovely people and a great venue!! "
30/07/2023 at 12:28pm
30/07/2023 at 12:27pm
30/07/2023 at 8:45am
"Congratulations!! We're so happy you reached the target. Hope you all have an awesome time today at the Benefit. Pete & Jo <3"
30/07/2023 at 8:31am
"Kia kaha!!"
29/07/2023 at 9:02pm
"All the best you guys! Argene & Chris "
29/07/2023 at 8:20pm
"Glad to support such absolute legends of our local scene. Cheers ARS"
29/07/2023 at 7:00pm
29/07/2023 at 5:50pm
"We love you guys. Best pint of Guinness in NZ. Your favourite Irish twins 💕"
29/07/2023 at 9:42am
"Absolutely love Mike and Gretchen. A Rolling Stone is a fabulous venue!! Keep the pledges coming!!"
28/07/2023 at 11:20pm
"Congrats Mike & Gretchen! Keep it going! H&B xx"
28/07/2023 at 10:15pm
"Mike & Gretchen you are amazing, keep on keeping on, Christchurch needs you! Love Eileen "
28/07/2023 at 9:01pm
Followers of Ensuring the Long Term Future of Christchurch's Best Live Music Venue, A Rolling Stone
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