Bandstanding: “It’s all about having fun”

from The Fringe, August 2021

Leys Memorial Trophy returns to New Lynn

It is about having fun, enjoying what you do

It was a Fleetwood Mac performance at Western Springs on a bright sunny afternoon in 1977 that changed Andrew Maitai’s life. “I was 15 years old and I went with my dad. It was the Rumours Tour. At the time, they were my favourite band. I felt like all my hair was standing up on end and part of my being was vibrating and tingling with excitement. I’ve been hooked on live music ever since.”

Andrew is the founder of New Lynn-based recording label Powertool Records, record store Alien and live venue UFO. The label has grown from its early days representing Auckland bands to releasing artists from many diverse genres from all over the world.

Andrew professes an affinity with Dunedin. “There are quite a number of Dunedin-based artists that have released music on Powertool. However, there have been a bunch of overseas artists as well. Some of the places that are home to Powertool artists include Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, London, Melbourne, Dresden and Warsaw, as well as, here in New Zealand, Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Christchurch, New Plymouth and Masterton.”

Always a music fan, Andrew was one of those nerdy guys that collected lots of records and CDs and attended tons of gigs. “My first band was Joed Out, formed in 2000. Other bands I’ve played in are the Dead Souls, Poison Arrow, The Bilders, Otis Mace, Malcontent, The Fuzzies and Art Wank. Playing live is always a buzz, it’s just great to be creative. I have a punk rock attitude of just getting up and doing it. I love it!” Art Wank, one of Andrew’s current band’s (he’s the drummer) is set to release a new recording soon.

“I initially started Powertool Records as a vehicle to market Joed Out, so they were the earliest Powertool releases. In 2003 I released a compilation featuring all my favourite local bands called Here Come The Bulletholes. The success of that album inspired me to release music from other acts. Needless to say Joed Out has long since ceased and Powertool Records is nearing its 200th release.”

Record shop Alien followed in 2009. “At the time it was because I wanted somewhere that all my catalogue was available. I was frustrated that I could not get all my catalogue into shops, so this was a way to have everything on display in one place. In the beginning the shop was very sparse as it just had my catalogue. Now we have added second-hand records to the mix to expand the shop further. I like to specialise in both alternative and New Zealand music. However we do have a huge range of all genres and now stock both second-hand and new releases.

“UFO started in 2011. I used to run lots of shows in town and I did a regular weekly event called the Indie Club. I was doing these at the Dogs Bollix two or three times a week. The Rugby World Cup happened

that year so the owner of the bar in his wisdom asked me to cancel all my upcoming shows. I had spent countless hours booking and promoting these shows, so I decided to set up my own live venue, UFO, in the Powertool space and literally moved all my shows there. UFO has been operating ever since. “UFO has been a great place for the community. It is one of the few all-ages venues that caters to young and up and coming bands. It provides a springboard for young bands. It also provides a safe space for young people to see their peers perform. It is a community that offers a lot for our young people and I hope it is, and will continue to be, enjoyed and embraced.” When asked who would he say are his Before starting his record label, most successful acts Andrew says “That’s a Andrew owned a power tool shop. really hard question to answer. How do you measure success? Do you mean commercial success or do you mean artistic? The most commercially successful releases I have done are the first Bulletholes compilation album, One Man Bannister’s Evolver album and the King Missile EP that I released back in 2016. Artistically, everything on Powertool are successes to me. I’m extremely proud of the Powertool catalogue.” Andrew is currently in the throes of moving premises. “The owner of our current building is selling all his property to developers so I was forced to move. Moving is a mammoth task. So far we have been going every day for the past few weeks and I envisage that we won’t finish for another few weeks. The good thing about it is that we are returning to our old premises at 2/9 Veronica St. I have a ton of great memories there and I’m excited that we are returning.” However there is a catch – the UFO live shows may not be able to continue at Veronica St. “If this can’t be resolved, I may be forced to (heaven forbid) move again. If anyone reading this has a suitable space that I can operate UFO gigs from, then please, please get in touch!” Apart from all the hard work, Andrew says the rock’n’roll lifestyle is a ton of fun. “However, it is also a commitment and there are only a tiny percentage of people that can make a living from it. To be successful there are a lot more ingredients than just being a good musician. In my opinion the best reason to do it is for yourself. It’s not just about commercial success. It is about having fun, enjoying what you do, creating something unique and sharing that with the world”. For more info about Powertool and to contact Andrew go to www. powertoolrecords.net or give him a call on 0274492587. Check out Facebook for Powertool, Alien, and UFO pages.