bandstanding: music in the west with susannah bridges
“... the power of musical gatherings ...” Organiser, promoter, caterer, and ‘bringertogetherer’ of people Wendy Morris started out as a volunteer for fundraising events for aid organisations. She founded The Auckland Songwriters Collective and once organised a tour for space-rock band Hawkwind. In other lines of work she owned and ran a mobile home park. And yes she’s a musician, “but my songs are seldom autobiographical – I would have to have had a pretty messed up love life if they were!” Music lessons at primary school began with the dreaded recorder at age seven, but by age 10 Wendy could read music and play a variety of instruments so she formed her own pop band and performed her original songs at assemblies, talent contests and every available opportunity. By age 14 she was performing with adult bands. “I had some exciting times in Auckland’s city music scene and earned some nice pocket money from it. In hindsight it was quite a risky pastime for a young teenager but I got to meet many interesting people and gained a lot of valuable experience.” Debut album Filigree Moon was recorded in 1995. “It was a folk album with a band called Tanglewood. Then my music gradually became more pop/rock in style and in 2012 I recorded my album Entangled at Manuka Studios in Orewa – it has pop, country, rock, jazz and reggae influences.” Graham Brazier was featured on four of the album tracks, playing guitar, harmonica and singing backing vocals. “It was magical hearing his distinctive voice bellowing away at full volume in the recording studio, while he did various takes on my song Why Did it Feel Like Love. It really sent tingles down my spine hearing that great voice singing my lyrics. He was extremely supportive of my music. We became close friends and I spent many entertaining hours with him. I got to hear many of his works in progress and he was always keen to hear mine.” Dave McArtney (of The Pink Flamingos and Hello Sailor fame) and freelance drummer extraordinaire Bruce Morley also had input. “Bruce gave his time very generously and acted as a musical mentor to me. Sadly all three of these people have now passed away and none of them were very old.” Early influences like Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Split Enz and Queen may be recognised in Wendy’s music but her inspiration for lyrics often comes from observing the lives of others. “Ideas for lyrics and melodies come to me in unison, while I pick or strum the guitar. The biggest help I’ve found for improving the quality and quantity of my song-writing is to be part of a songwriters group. I often host song-writing groups for
experienced songwriters and the idea is to bring new material along to receive feedback and constructive criticism. We endeavour to inspire one another to write more songs and we set writing tasks with deadlines, to create a bit of pressure to write. “Once my songs are written I prefer to hand the guitar playing over to other musicians. I have been known to perform on the guitar occasionally but much prefer to concentrate on singing when performing. The songs I write feature a lot of vocal part harmonies and it’s great to be able to focus on my interaction with the other singers.” Wendy’s band The Wendy Morris Band is high on her list of priorities at present. “In the mid 2000s I moved to Whangaparaoa and lived in a very creative household with musicians and poets. My house-mates decided to pull in some musicians to work with me, leading to the Wendy Morris Band being formed around 2011. I’m very privileged to have such a talented group to work with. We all enjoy the collaborative process of arranging original material and creating a unique sound together. The name of the band was only ever supposed to be a working title until a proper name was decided upon, but we’re still waiting for that to happen!” More recently Wendy has been running regular live music events at the Base Café in Titirangi, as well as various one-off events around Auckland. “Over the years I’ve grown to realise the power of musical gatherings to bring people together in a positive way. Friendships are formed and there are many networking opportunities. In many ways loneliness can be worse for people than poverty, so creating a sense of community is just as important to me as the music itself”. A long-term but transient Westie, Wendy landed back in our neck of the woods just over a year ago. “The call of the West has always been there for me. You can take the girl out of the West but you can’t take the West out of the girl! I’m so impressed with the abundance of talented musicians residing in the Western suburbs – and I get really excited when I discover performers who aren’t very well-known but have bags of talent. I’ve been meeting and showcasing some amazing young musicians and many well-seasoned mature performers, who aren’t necessarily seeking fame or fortune but are brilliant musicians and worthy of international careers. I like to help in getting the word out about them when I can.” Current local faves include The Fuzzies, Ha the Unclear, Murder Chord and Freaky Meat. “They’re all quite rocky, edgy and very original.” Continued on page 18 >>
Your Local MPs Hon Carmel Sepuloni
Dr Deborah Russell
Kelston Electorate Office
New Lynn Electorate Office
MP for Kelston
200C West Coast Road, Glen Eden 09 818 4131 kelston.eo@parliament.govt.nz /CarmelSepuloniLabour @CarmelSepuloni
MP for New Lynn
1885 Great North Rd, Avondale 09 820 6245 newlynnmp@parliament.govt.nz /DeborahRussellLabour @beefaerie
Authorised by Carmel Sepuloni MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
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The Fringe APRIL 2020
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