stringmansassy
ON TOUR | NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2026
One of Australia’s most cherished duos makes a long-awaited return to the stage. After a decade away from the spotlight, stringmansassy are back, ready to reconnect with audiences and share the music that made them one of Australia’s most cherished duos.
Aaron Hopper & Kacey Patrick
Jazz / Folk Duo
Guitarist Aaron Hopper and vocalist Kacey Patrick are known for their inventive musicianship, dynamic interplay and heartfelt performances.
Forming their partnership in 1996, they quickly became known as stringmansassy, touring extensively across Australia and internationally from 2000 to 2014. Their unmistakable chemistry, inventive approach and deep musical intuition captivated audiences wherever they performed. Now, after a ten-year hiatus, the duo return to the stage for a much-anticipated tour, welcomed by fans eager to experience their artistry once again.
Renowned for their sophisticated musicianship, Aaron and Kacey transcend the traditions of jazz and folk, crafting music often described as spellbinding, enthralling and deeply expressive. As critic Andrew MacLean noted, “Even the laws of physics are subject to subtle manipulation in stringmansassy’s world.”
Their four independent releases: Persuasion (2000), Beautiful Day (2003), Dragonfly (2004) and The Live Experience 2000–2008 (2008), earned national acclaim, with Dragonfly reaching No. 1 on the AIR Jazz Charts and Beautiful Day receiving widespread ABC airplay.
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Persuasion
2000 | Release
Track Listing
Better Than Anything | Nothingness | Persuasion | Fever | Black is the Colour | Fragile | All I Want | The Spider | Images of Chance | My Favourite Things | Sleep
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Beautiful Day
2001 | Release
Track Listing
Gentle Rain | Helicopter | Comes Back Around | Before and After Rain | Beautiful Day | A Day in the Life of a Fool | Berlin Cafe | A Little Warm Death | Lucky Day | Red on Blue
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Dragonfly
2004 | Release
Track Listing
Headless | Rickshaw Man | Song for Dephi | Look Around | Fragile | Safe | Too Many Lovers | Glockenspiel | God’s Art | Nothingness | Milonga | The Queen | Dragonfly | Headless (instrumental)
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The Live Experience 2000-2008
2008 | Release
Track Listing
DISC 1 | LIVE - Uki School of Arts Hall
Fragile | God’s Art | A Day in the Life of a Fool (Black Orpheus) | Images of Chance | Glockenspiel | Berlin Cafe | A Little Warm Death | Whirlpools | Safe | the Sprinter | Red on Blue | Sleep
DISC 2 | LIVE - 2000 - 2008 Various
Waiting for My Real Life to Begin | Nice Work if You Can Get It | Come Together | Vincent | My Favourite Things | Baby Baby All the Time | Softly Tainting Love | Autumn Leaves | Black is the Colour | Big Love | All I Want | The Spider | Summertime | Lucky Day | Down Under
stringmansassy | In Concert
stringmansassy produced very little video content over the course of their career. It was all about the music and the moment. However, there exists a few captured moments, from performances spanning decades, traversing continents, festivals and venues. Many, many thanks to those audience members (and fans) who captured these memories and put them up online. We are enormously grateful! ….. stringmansassy
stringmansassy | Concert Stage | Woodford Folk Festival 2011-2012 (Australia)
Video: serendigity | maleny_steve
JAN 7th, 2011 …. Aaron and I returned to Woodford in 2011/12 …. and what a week it was! I think Aaron was one of the hardest working musicians at the festival with 7 stringmansassy gigs, 4 solo shows and a book launch. He survived - as did we all - the rain, the mud, the ‘doof’ and the enormous week that is Woodford.
Woodford has evolved and changed since we last ventured onto its stages but it is and will always be a festival to cherish. A festival which showcases the heart and soul of music, the rich and vibrant multiculturalism that makes up our Australian and world communities and one that still manages to nurture the ‘sacred’ and the ritual in tangible form. I hope that this essence transcends all the musical and societal trends that are to come and that the ‘heart’ of this very special place continues on for the 500 year vision of this festival.
We thank the organisers and all involved in creating the living breathing entity that is ‘Woodfordia’. You do a magnificent job!! Thank you for once again welcoming stringmansassy to your stages. It is always a magical experience! And my final thought to those who – with us – braved the rain, the mud and the slush…..how fortunate and blessed were we that, for a week, we chose to live in tents and could escape the sometimes difficult surroundings and immerse ourselves in music.
For myself, the highlights of my week at Woodford…. Seeing complete unadulterated joy, illuminate the face of my five-year-old and she twirled to an Irish jig with myself and her godparents. Performing at 4.30am in the clouds, the mist and the rain – with Buku (Mongolian throat singer), Tenzin Choegyal, another female Tibetan vocalist, a Shakuhachi player and Dig musican – for the dawn of the New Year. And finally, our final stringmansassy song of our final show on the Concert Stage – ‘Red On Blue’…It took my breath away!!!
Love, wishes and blessings for the New Year to you all …… Kacey xox
stringmansassy | Live at the Uki Hall, Northern NSW (Australia) | February 2008.
Performing the Luis Bonfa classic, 'A Day in the Life of a Fool', from Black Orpheus.
Filmed by Tim Dowsett, a member of the audience.
Aug 2nd, 2025 | Notes from Kacey …. This Uki gig was one of the truly magical experiences and highlights of many years of touring. The fact that we had the masterful Adam Biggs on sound, was not only a great joy but immensely liberating for us as musicians. In my humble opinion, the sound engineer is the + member of the band. Adam is a master. And, he recorded this show, which now appears, almost in it’s entirety, as CD1 on stringmansssy The Live Experience | 2000-2008. Thank you Adam, and thank you Tim, for putting some visuals to the sound (and sharing it for us to find).