“An intimate acoustic journey through the songs that defined a generation. Our House. Helplessly Hoping. Teach Your Children. Ohio. Suite Judy Blue Eyes.”

There is a specific alchemy that occurs when voices blend in an acoustic space. It is the sound that drifted down from Laurel Canyon in the late sixties. A sound that valued the message as much as the melody. In this special Unplugged presentation, the CSNY Experience strips the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young back to its wood and wire roots.

Performed by Matt Catto, Nick Catto and Jono Tait, this show is not an act of imitation. It is a loving homage to the silver thread of harmony that connected the original supergroup. Without electric volume to hide behind, the focus shifts to the delicate architecture of three-part harmony and the storytelling power carried in songs like Helplessly Hoping, Guinnevere and Suite Judy Blue Eyes.

The chemistry on stage comes from decades of shared history. Long before stepping into the CSNY songbook, Nick, Matt and Jono were the founding members of Hatchetman, an original folk rock trio shaped by an obsession with the sounds of the sixties and seventies. For years they rehearsed for more than ten hours a week. Three voices learning to move as one. Those long nights of locking in tone, blend and breath created the foundation of the CSNY Experience long before the idea had a name.

The Catto brothers carry a deeper thread still. They were born into the Blundell folk dynasty, raised in a world of folk music, and harmonies sung around kitchen tables. This is the blood harmony that anchors their sound. Matt’s background as a vocalist, drummer and percussionist brings rhythmic sensitivity and emotional instinct. Nick adds a musical life lived on the biggest stages, touring with SA’s own Jeremy Loops and collaborating widely across South Africa and abroad.

Jono Tait completes the trio with a voice shaped by a life lived through love, loss, grit and grace. He is the heartkeeper of Alma Café, the home of Cape Town’s acoustic scene, and brings depth and honesty to every line he sings.

The birth of the CSNY Experience did not happen in a planning meeting. It happened at a friend’s birthday party. Three old bandmates reunited to play a handful of CSNY songs. The chemistry was immediate. The nostalgia was undeniable. They realised these songs deserved to be carried forward by musicians who understood the emotional truth and harmonic workmanship at the core of the originals.

Since then, audiences have echoed the same feeling.

“Beautifully crafted harmonies. Great memories, just like the originals.”
“If we closed our eyes we could have been listening to the originals.”
“The vocal harmonies were outstanding, capturing the real essence of CSN and Y.”

This is more than a concert. It is a moment to remember, to be carried back to the songs that shaped generations. Songs written for peace, protest and personal freedom. Songs that still offer a way home. Come and rediscover the harmony.

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