NZ Musician October/November 2015 by NZ Musician

VO L . 19

NO.3

O c t o b e r / N o v e m b e r 2015

E RN H T R NO IAS B

FREE THE CHILLS ILLS WINTER MODERN MAORI QUARTET FANE FLAWS THE SHIFTING SANDS SALAD BOYS B2KDA ONE WAKA GOLDEN CURTAIN GPOGP

Shunkan

NZ MUSICIAN magazine PO Box 99-315, Newmarket 1149 Auckland New Zealand Phone: (09) 373 2572 editorial@nzmusician.co.nz

VO L . 19

N O . 3 O c t o b e r / N o v e m b e r 2015

www.nzmusician.co.nz Publisher / Editor: Richard Thorne richard@nzmusician.co.nz Assistant Editor: Silke Hartung editorial@nzmusician.co.nz Advertising: Carl McWilliams editorial@nzmusician.co.nz Website Contact: web@nzmusician.co.nz Designer: Silke Hartung Pre-Press & Printing: MHP Print

Contributors Briar Lawry, Jonathan Pearce, Caitlin Smith, Jamie McCaskill, Michael Hollywood, David McLaughlin, Amanda Mills, Rob Burns, Godfrey De Grut, Mark Bell, Sammy Jay Dawson, Martyn Pepperell, Trevor Reekie, Seamus Maguire, Kevin Downing, Eliza Beca, Tony McMaster, Daniel Phillips, Jack Woodbury, Anna Loveys, Laura Dooney, Darryl Kirk, Reuben Rowntree, Thomas Goss, Ania Glowacz, Jesse Austin, Bing Turkby, Oliver Clifton, Stu Edwards, Huia Hamon, John Paul Carroll, Finn McLennan-Elliott

NZ Musician magazine is published six times a year. Available direct by subscription and free through selected outlets. For advertising or subscription enquiries please contact: editorial@nzmusician.co.nz or phone (09) 373 2572

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FEATURES

REGULARS

LESSONS

Shunkan . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Finding Your Voice . . . .

Deep Thinking. . . . . . . .

Golden Curtain . . . . . . . .

On Foreign Soil . . . . . . .

Guitar Cool . . . . . . . . . .

The Shifting Sands . . . . .

The Lawful Truth. . . . . .

The Chills . . . . . . . . . . . .

REVIEWS

Out On The Street . . . . .

Salad Boys . . . . . . . . . . .

X-Factory . . . . . . . . . . .

STUDIO: Laney Ironheart IRT-Pulse USB Pre-amp . . . . . . . . 5

One Waka . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fresh Cut . . . . . . . . . . .

Girls Pissing On Girls Pissing

Moments Like These. . .

Ills Winter . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fresh Talent . . . . . . . . .

B2KDA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tutors’ Tutorial . . . . . . .

Ex-Pat Files. . . . . . . . . .

Building Blocks . . . . . .

COVER Shunkan

Photograph by Kassandra Lynne

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GUITAR: Digitech Trio Band Creator. . . . . . . . .

Dry your eyes you’ve thought too much. Nothing worth crying over now. Broken glass on cobble stones, Milk running down Is it true we know too much? Is it true the youth is floating with us Like a ghost – Not Ours To See, Ills Winter p37

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Shunkan

It’s a band, but there’s no escaping that Shunkan is the vehicle of Marina Sakimoto, a clear thinking 22-year old in who just a couple of years ago was a fully-fledged California musician. Somehow living in Southland has unlocked the breadth of potential she has likely long held, including allowing Japanese influences to appear alongside her smart re-presentation of classic American ’90s indie rock culture. Briar Lawry talked with Marina and some of her musical collaborators, bass player Reese Jensen, guitarist Sonny Heremia and drummer Andy Gibbs, in Christchurch.

here are many paths people follow in pursuit of their dreams. Some common, some less so, and some only walked by one person. Marina Sakimoto, the woman behind Shunkan, is probably one of those people. Originally from Los Angeles, Marina has been based in NZ for coming up to two years. Until a recent shift a little further north, she called Invercargill home. Trading sunny California for the deep south does seem extreme – but sometimes, extreme is just the order of the day. Especially when love is on the line. “I didn’t have much going on in LA, and I was

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at that point just before you hit your 20s, and you’re like, ‘What can I do with my life’. I figured I would follow my heart. “A lot of people thought I was crazy, because NZ is just so far removed from where I’m from – but I was pretty interested in learning about a new country and a new culture and everything. I think I’m better for it.” Our local music scene is definitely better for it, too. Contrary to the usual success route of ‘make it in NZ, head overseas, try to make it overseas’, Marina has found her feet making music in a Kiwi provincial paradise – and back overseas people are paying attention. Spin, NME, Vice, Noisey, The Guardian – Shunkan are making some beautiful noise. Marina’s own story began as a kid, raised with a new wave and U2 soundtrack to her early years. “I remember I first just really wanted to play guitar. Because boys played guitar, and I didn’t want to be stereotypically girly – I wanted to be like The Edge. It wasn’t like I wanted to shred – I just wanted to make nice riffs that were kind of simplistic and melodic. “I took guitar lessons at 10, and that was a 10-week course. After it finished, from then on I just taught myself, until I was in a band and was able jam with other people.” Although already busy songwriting, it was definitely all about the instrumentation for mini-Marina, who even then wanted to upset people’s gendered expectations.

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“I didn’t want to focus on the vocals at all – I wanted to be known for playing guitar and I didn’t want to fit the mould of the female singer with the male background.” Prior to Shunkan’s ‘The Pink Noise’, released in November, all of Marina’s recording experience had been self-administered and self-taught. “I’ve been recording Garageband and Logic stuff for myself since I was about 13 – and now I’m 22. I’m sure many musicians can relate – it’s what you’ve got on your laptop, and you’ve grown up with it. I haven’t really progressed too much on it since, but I think it’s just being patient with the process and song-writing and stuff.” The basic tools used for her earlier recording played a key part in the sound and structure of ‘The Pink Noise’ recordings. “It was all really lo-fi. It wasn’t for aesthetic purposes or anything, it was just because I literally had nothing except my laptop, so it involved being as creative as possible with a tiny amount of tech.” Minimalist though her set-up may have been, the sound made an impact, which in turn helped bring about the Shunkan band as it currently stands. In 2014 95bFM’s Fancy New Band showcase came knocking – and in a needs-must type situation, Marina quickly threw together a music-making gang, with the help of her guitarist/partner Joseph Boath. “We got some friends together and practised extremely briefly – and it was pretty intense – but now we have five people in the band.”

The most recent addition is drummer Andy Gibbs, providing a particularly vital addition to the new sound. “She’s jazz-trained, and she really ties us together performance-wise.” Having only met the band a few times before recording, Andy is clearly delighted to be a part of the Shunkan crew. “The tunes were so fun and well crafted – I think something just clicked. I needed to play them more. So we did.” Sonny Heremia provides the third guitar, while fellow Californian (and soon returning to American shores and leaving a vacancy) Reese Jensen takes bass duties. “Marina and I played for years in a band in LA. I love making music with her so much that when she started Shunkan, I had to come here and join the band,” explains Reese of his own NZ music industry stint. NZ On Air Making Tracks funding followed hot on the heels of the success of ‘Honey, Milk And Blood’. The EP was self-recorded in early 2014, and released soon after, with NME describing it as ‘…swamped in shoegazy, unfuckwithable fuzz [and dealing] with loneliness, melancholy and malice’. Getting recording-plus-video funding for Our Names was a game-changer, but being able to make the music she’d always meant to did bring its own fan-related complications. “I was kind of worried – a lot of bands do this and then the fans don’t like the more hi-fi studio album sound,” Marina laughs about the issues that funding brought with it. But she was prepared to take a chance on the material, confident that the songs were strong enough. “I tried to make it sort of ‘boom-y’, with a wall of guitar – basically what I’ve wanted to do since forever, and I was finally able to do it.” There is a decidedly ’90s indie rock vibe to ‘The Pink Noise’, and that’s no coincidence, Weezer’s ‘The Blue Album’ was a huge inspiration she admits. But beyond some traceable roots, Marina definitely has other musical forces driving her that don’t necessarily make themselves obvious in the sound. “There’s so many really weird inspirations that trickle through, like the bands I grew up listening to. But when you hear it, you may not think that’s what it sounds like.” Spin made comparisons with Japandroids and Tiger Trap, noting: ‘Sakimoto’s voice is a uniquely fluttering, seasick thing that neither comparison really does justice to, so you’re just going to have to listen.’ ‘The Pink Noise’ came together nearly a year before release, from a week spent recording at The Sitting Room in Lyttelton with Steven John Marr, best known for his involvement with Doprah. The time constraints proved a challenge. “I can write songs pretty quickly, but having to finalise recordings and to mix and to master was hard. I’m so used to being in control of that stuff that having someone else do it was nerve-wracking. “It was definitely liberating, though. Like, ‘I can’t do 100 takes of this one line, I just have to do it, and if it’s good, it’s good’.”

“A lot of what I love in Japan and Japanese culture is flowing into what I do now, along with a mixture of English and American culture.” – Marina Sakimoto Shunkan’s album was mixed, mastered and recorded by Marr – evidently the first album that he has had such a full role in. “He was able to teach us a lot – he was super picky with the instruments that we used and how everything was set up. It was cool to learn from him. “There wasn’t a heck of a lot to do in Lyttelton, but it was fun in Christchurch at the end of each day. I was more exhausted than I can even remember, but we would go back to Steven’s and play some video games and chill out.” The starving artist lifestyle is one that most musicians have to get accustomed to at some juncture or other – for Marina and her band, recording was a bit of a financial low point. “Our food supply was so limited, I had Up & Gos and Doritos throughout the whole time – and that was as exciting as it got. But the

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weather was really nice, and we were really near the bay and the harbour. It was really awesome to just hang out in this pretty place that we hadn’t been before.” After a little metaphorical door-knocking, Shunkan signed to UK-based indie label Art Is Hard Records.‘Honey, Milk and Blood’ was released by the label, and ‘The Pink Noise’ is up next across a variety of formats (including a particularly gorgeous pink 12”). The label’s belief in the band has led to some major PR coups. “They’re crazy. People look at them, and they think, ‘Oh, a small DIY label’ – it’s literally just two dudes trying to juggle a million things at once. But that makes it really cool, because it’s straight from the heart and genuine – and they just want to put out good music. “One of them works within music PR and they just know so many people – big places that there’s no way in hell I’d be able to get a hold of. I didn’t even know what NME was when I first saw our piece – every day was just a new thing. I mean, I was in a band for five years and we couldn’t even get in the local newspaper, so it was pretty wild.” Of the new album, the label says: ‘…there's Weezer-esque choruses, melodies to make Radiator Hospital proud and shoegaze interludes that might even cause Kevin Shields fathom a grin’ – all of which is 100% accurate. With extreme exposure comes a range of listeners and commentaries – which can be a scary prospect. “It’s kind of weird in this day and age, with people on the internet – you assume that people are just saying the worst things and critiquing you for everything. But it’s been so positive, so extremely positive, I’m almost worried – obviously I don’t want people to make fun of me, but it’s really just been overwhelmingly positive.” Having been that The Edge-idolising kid, the issue of sexism in the music industry is simultaneously an important and frustrating topic for her. “It’s such a huge thing that I’m constantly battling. A lot of front-women want to be up front – they want to make it political. But I do what I do because I kind of just have to – it’s who I am and I never really wanted

attention, I just wanted to do what I wanted to do – to make a band, to share my songs. “I’ve worked with pretty cool people, for the most part and people have mostly been really respectful. There were total scumbags in LA, but compared with bigger places in the world, there’s such a sense of community here. There are some really bad, hard places to be a girl musician in parts of the UK or the States.” Marina is also hyper-aware of strange nuances of the music business faced by people across the board. “The brutality of the LA music scene is just so stupid, in this era of the internet allowing artists to control their own content.” The brave new world of genre classification, especially by music nerd bloggers, amuses her. “It’s not like I make music and think, ‘I want to make a specific genre album’. It’s just whatever I’m into at the time. People try really hard to come up with the right label so they know how to classify it in their head – I mean, I tend to try to do that too – but it gets pretty funny. For now, it’s really just indie rock.” For now. The new material Shunkan has been working on since recording ‘The Pink Noise’ has been labelled by Marina herself as “…a weird combo of Brit-pop, shoegaze and anime theme song… whatever that turns into!”

“A lot of front-women want to be up front – they want to make it political. But I do what I do because I kind of just have to – it’s who I am and I never really wanted attention, I just wanted to do what I wanted to do – to make a band, to share my songs.”– Marina Sakimoto

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As she gets older, Marina is getting more in touch with parts of her heritage that she ignored – or actively tamped down – in her younger years. “A lot of what I love in Japan and Japanese culture is flowing into what I do now, along with a mixture of English and American culture.” ‘The Pink Noise’ is a testament to years of musical development – as a guitarist, a vocalist and songwriter. Woven into its fabric are elements of cultures born into and adopted, inspirations assimilated and actively sought out – and some of those melodic riffs that kid-Marina wanted to create. Joseph sums up the collective positive vibes of the band. “Playing in Shunkan has been the best experience of my life. I wouldn’t change it for the world.” And Sonny is on the same page. “Playing with Reese, Marina, Andy and Joseph is the best thing ever. I’ve never felt so close to people with music… it’s like opening up your soul.” Shunkan means ‘moment’ in Japanese. Marina is seizing all of the opportunities the world is sending her way, and making some serious magical moments in the process.

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3FWJFX By Jonathan Pearce

Laney Ironheart IRT-Pulse USB Valve Pre-amp

nalogue to digital convertor technology is now cost-effective enough to be integrated into any aspect of the audio chain. The trend has been towards replacing analogue circuitry with digital solutions, from stompbox effects pedals to PA room correction EQ. With the Ironheart IRT-Pulse (rrp $499), Laney have developed a new hybrid of vintage and modern, aimed at the recording guitarist. At a glance, with USB socket and vaguely labelled push-buttons, the IRT-Pulse seems mysterious, however plug it in and the glow from inside the cage says this is a valve amplifier. For guitarists the next part is obvious – guitar goes in the input, front and centre. On the amp we have rotay controls for Gain and Volume, a ‘Hot’ mode for more distortion and a Bright switch. After the valve amp Laney have given us a host of options for what to do with our valveamplified signal. There is a balanced output, for connecting to a PA system, which also works in unbalanced operation with a guitar amplifier. There is a headphone amplifier with 3.5mm output socket and volume control. And, built into the small metallic-black box, there are analogue to digital (and digital to analogue) convertors that interface with a computer via USB 2.0, making the Pulse a completely integrated guitar recording set up. For the Pulse to be useful in the studio, it must have good convertors, regardless how good the valve amp sounds. I auditioned the Pulse against my RME Fireface and, remembering the near past when cheap convertors meant that things sounded as though they were playing from under a scratchy woollen blanket, I was very impressed. For playing back pre-recorded music, monitoring via the headphone amp, noise was no issue, and the reproduced audio spectrum was full-range. The Pulse exhibited a slight presence lift from 5Khz compared to the RME, but could not be called harsh. The Pulse sends two channels, via USB, with a dry DI sound down the ‘left’ channel and the valve amplified signal down the ‘right’. Left and right must be firmware hangovers from the convertor chip’s original design purpose, as they have no correlation to the stereo field here at all, and should simply be considered as input channels one and two. In Reaper (my chosen DAW) I was able to record either one or both, as I wished. My second test was to compare the DI

signal of the Pulse to the Hi-Z input of the RME. My only major criticism of the IRT-Pulse is with this DI signal. My Les Paul Deluxe strummed heavily on an open E chord was able to push the convertor to clipping (0dBFS), and that guitar’s mini-humbucker pick-ups are not as hot as many modern pick-up designs. For a device designed for heavy rock styles, and given pick-ups designed for those styles are typically high output, I was surprised to find this apparent lack of headroom. Played within these limitations, the RME was noticeably brighter and more dynamic, with a lower noise floor too, but the DI signal from the Pulse was useable, and will be what the Pulse expects to see in ‘Re-amp’ mode (more on which later). DI concerns aside, the IRT Pulse is a valve pre-amplifier, and in this regard it is excellent. It begs you to go straight to max. gain in hot mode and hoon! The Pulse distorts in a familiar soft-clipping, heavy way, without stepping on the sonic characteristics of your instrument.

With the Les Paul it was punishingly heavy for riffs, with the mid-range bark of that guitar fully on show. With a classic Telecaster it was completely different – big lows and highs, unruly and thrilling. Full-on like this the Pulse feels very like a cranked valve amp, compressing with the pick attack and responding to playing intensity. Winding the gain back can produce useful heavy rock tones, but as soon as the gain gets below about 75% the bright switch is needed for air and presence. Also impressive was the clean sound

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produced by the Pulse at very low gain. It was broad and did not lack low end or clarity. In fact it inspired me to plug a bass in, which sounded fantastic, eminently recordable. I measured the Pulse passing signal way down to 20Hz, so no worries there. The two other controls between the valve amp and the convertor are a mid-scoop EQ and speaker emulation. I found the effect of the mid scoop EQ very useful and preferred it most of the time for the relative high frequency boost it creates. Speaker emulation seems to be on all the time when outputting via the ADC, and is only optional for the line output. To hear the effect I listened via the line output into a line input on the RME. Without the speaker emulation the distortion is raspy and fuzzy, useful in a ’60s context perhaps, but it is assumed that a speaker cabinet or a third-party speaker cabinet emulator will be applied. I tested this using AmpliTube 3 and created useful alternative sounds to the built-in emulation, especially if brighter tones are required at low gain settings. There is a ‘dark’ switch across the line output, which would only be necessary for the brightest of amplifier destinations. Once the guitar tone has been recorded (DI and amp sound), you can re-amp that signal through the Pulse to further tweak the tone, and re-record the results. The ‘Re-amp’ switch on the front panel routes the left channel coming out from the computer back through the amplifier, which then goes back into the computer in the same way a normal input does, via the ‘right’ channel. The internal routing required in the DAW to make the re-amp feature work properly is tricky, and unfortunately the user manual is little help. Once set up I immediately used this feature to severely damage a drum sound I was working on (very fun), and along with guitar tones it could be used to dirty-up vocals or anything and everything else that needs valve distortion. A fully-featured and excellent sounding valve pre-amp, and a decent studio interface for that purpose, the IRT-Pulse will have a home with many guitarists. The Pulse makes it possible with only two cables, and in silence, to record a blistering valve amp tone, and for that it must be applauded. Alternatives are from modeling amp-interfaces such as the Line 6 POD Studio or software-based alternatives like AmpliTube.

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GJOEJOH ZPVS WPJDF with Caitlin Smith

Inflatable Dolls, Widemouth Frogs & the Spaghetti-sucking Pucker Vowel shaping, facial anchoring and facial stretches…

hink of your favourite singers… what do they all have in common? That’s right, a mouth. In fact, all my favourite singers have huge mouths. What joy! Unfortunately, here in puritanical Nu Zulend, we seem to have great shame around opening our mouths, or even showing any facial expression whatsoever. So, this here column is dedicated to mouth shaping, facial anchoring and facial stretches. Register how you feel right now. Check in. By the time you’ve read this and used these tools, I promise that you’ll feel 1,000 times betterer…rrr. When you sing, imagine that you are one gigantic mouth, nothing else! Hum and then slowly open your mouth – the sound will get bigger and bigger. This is good. What we communicate is primarily dictated by what spaces in the head are made available for resonating. Just talk to Seth Macfarlane about how powerful shifting sound around into all the nooks and crannies of the mouth, pharynx, mask, sinus and nasal cavities, is. Experiment with different accents and cartoon voices: Sesame Street’s baby seal, Eric Cartman or a Texan draaawl… it’s all about the movable parts of face and head. So let’s get movin’. Next up we have to create a happy home for the five main vowels. You can’t fit an ‘i’ inside an ‘oh’ mouthshape. Our job is to provide the right snuggly accommodation for each vowel we sing. You wouldn’t ram a square peg into a round hole, now would you? The Shapes Starting with the brightest and furthest forward, ‘I’ is the widest horizontally and vertically. ‘E’ is the wide-mouth frog or the widest sideways. Pull the corners of your mouth apart with your index fingers and delight the under-5s by telling the story of the wide-mouth frog to remind you of who you are (and how much you like eating flies with your long sticky tongue!). ‘Aah’ and ‘aye’ require lifting cheeks (so you can barely see over them), and dropping your jaw on the floor, a la Jim Carey in Mask. ‘Oh’ is the inflatable doll and finally, ‘Ooh’ is a kissing pucker or sucking spaghetti. For the last two mouth-shapes, think of the potter at her wheel molding and drawing the wet clay sides of the vase up and into shape (these are the sides of your lips). Singing in Maori gives a great mouth workout too, because of the pure, open vowels.

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In order to feel, hear and taste the difference between a vowel being ‘at home’ as opposed to ‘locked out’, sound each vowel starting from a floppy-mouth possum-in-the-headlights position, then form the exaggerated mouth shape for that vowel. Hear the vowel become fully resonant and ringy? Sing a blues scale on ‘Doobie, doobie, doobie doo’. You’ll need spaghetti sucking puckers for ‘ooh’ and wide-mouth frogs for ‘ee’. Contrast by singing with no lip movement… no contest. Giving your face a workout makes singing so much easier, rounder, fuller, more enjoyable. Furthermore, listeners discern the words and know how you feel about what you’re singing too. Result.

5. 6. 7.

Your left ear. Your right ear. Jut the chin out and up so that you’re pressing your chin to the ceiling. Hold/ extend these stretches for at least 30 seconds each. Pretend you’re a fish by silently shaping ‘Ooooooweeeee’ repeatedly.

In order to really maximize mouth-space, we can lift the soft palate in the back of the mouth. This is like putting a skylight in or opening up the sunroof acoustically. Voicecraft™ calls these following tools Facial Anchoring (but it’s more mid-head anchoring). Feel / see that when you yawn, the uvula lifts up and space is created at

We must free up the face for expression, articulation and resonance. Imagine your face is fluid or on acid. Make it malleable, liquid and mobile by doing facial stretches. Funny, we tend to mumble and paralyse ours faces more when singing originals. This might be insecurity or cringe – not wanting anyone to hear words. Film yourself or look in the mirror to register how lazy or active your face is when singing different material. We have to tell one hell of a story using our 5,000 or more facial muscles. Kapa haka, Indian classical and Balinese dance all tell the story through the face. With the dominance of text-based communication, we’re losing our ability to engage in face to face communication / conversation. Tone, through facial expression is everything. We must free up the face for expression, articulation and resonance. Two things I say to students more than any other are, “lift your cheeks” and “show me your teeth”. Imagine your face is fluid or on acid. Make it malleable, liquid and mobile by doing facial stretches. 1.

3. 4.

‘Expand’ – stretch the mouth as large as you can. Push the flesh of the face in all four directions, up, down, left to right (say ‘banana!’). ‘Squeeeeze’ – squish your face into the centre / tip of your nose (say ‘prune’). For a tongue workout, touch the tip of your tongue to… Your nose. Underneath your chin.

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the back of the mouth. This amplifies sound. Exaggerate these catalysts and the same thing will happen (except without the evil tongue stiffening of a yawn). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Shiver. Bite into a toffee apple, baring down with top teeth. Feel cold air suddenly hit the back of the mouth. Suck on a thickshake straw. Snarl silently like a tiger. A genuine, wedding day smile. Silently (and violently) meow. Flare your nostrils.

Note how each facial anchoring tool subtly changes the tone? Try describing the differences in feel and colour. Some brighten; snarl, biting, smiling and some darken; cold air, sucking on a straw. Facial anchoring, mouth shaping and facial stretching are especially helpful when singing high pitches because they like the extra room to run around in.

www.facebook.com/caitlinsmithmusic Twitter @BraveCaitlin Caitlin@caitlinsmith.com

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NPEFSO NBPSJ RVBSUFU PO GPSFJHO TPJM Jamie McCaskill sometimes makes up the numbers in the Auckland-based Modern Maori Quartet, a foursome who take a crowd-pleasing, part acting/part-crooning, fun and fresh approach to the territory of the famously popular Maori showbands of yore. And sometimes the fill-in guy gets lucky, right? Certainly on this occasion because, with just two months notice, Jamie (thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s him third from the left) got to go with them to Uzbekistan, where the MMQ had been asked to compete in the Sharq Tolanalari World Music Festival. Now thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got to be a rare opportunity for a lad from Thames.

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been the fill-in guy for the Modern Maori Quartet (MMQ) for nearly two years now. When someone in the group isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t available I am more than happy to jump in as needed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; though I never expected this call. After being heard singing the traditional Chinese folk song, Mo Li Hua, at the Auckland Chinese Lantern Festival in February this year the Modern Maori Quartet were invited to compete at the Sharq Tolanalari World Music Festival in Uzbekistan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A competition? Sorry where?â&#x20AC;? was my reaction on the phone when I was asked about my availability. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And fill in for Francis Kora?â&#x20AC;? Francis had to stay behind with prior commitments with his other famous band. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Umâ&#x20AC;Ś sure, sounds cool.â&#x20AC;? I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what was more daunting. Being ask to fill Francisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; shoes or going to a country I had hardly heard of and knew nothing about. I believe it was filling Francis Koraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoes to tell you the truth.

gig to warm up for Uzbekistan. We played to an audience of about 250 people and a good warm up it was. A lot of our banter had to be improvised to a non-New Zealand audience, as some of them would have no idea what we were talking about. It went down well with good laughs received and a fantastic applause of appreciation for the music. To be fair there were a few New Zealanders in the crowd to help the audience along but all in all I think we won them over. Too much Maoris.

Taranaki, August 20 I joined up with the boys (Aucklander Matariki Whatarau of Ngati Tamatera, James Tito from Taupo, and Dunedenite Maaka Pohatu of Ngati TÄ manuhiri/Ngati Porou) in New Plymouth, where they were coming to the end of a regional tour as part of the Taranaki International Arts Festival. I was straight up on stage with them in a humble little hall in Eltham. I forgot how easily this fantastic show band charms its audiences and how super-tight they are musically. I think I spent the whole performance in awe while at the same time trying to recall the five days of rehearsal I had with them a month prior. I also couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but think how well this particular style of Maori music and Maori humour would go down to an international audience.

Toshkent, Uzbekistan, August 24 Our first introduction to Uzbekistan was with the not so delightful crew of Uzbekistan airways. If this was anything to go by we were not in for a very good time. The horrible wine and food while watching Dr Doolittle on a communal screen was painful. It was like they had got the old crew together for a reunion on this one flight, and they hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t done this job in 20 years. But that review will be for my travel mag article I think. Arriving in Toshkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, things couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been any more opposite. We were treated like royalty from the get go. Police escorted in our own bus to the hotel. Our money exchange taken care of at a good rate. Food provided. Luggage taken care of. It was then that we realised the enormity and importance of the Sharq Tolanalari International Music Festival for Uzbekistan. Sixty-six countries coming together to compete for the grand prize of US $10,000. That doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sound like that much compared to the scale of the festival,which definitely attracted a lot of world-class talent.

Auckland to Malaysia, August 22 First stop on our tour was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. MMQâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s managers, Yee Yang Lee (aka Square) and Sums Selvarajan are from Malaysia and used their contacts over there to secure a

Samarkand, Uzbekistan, August 25 On the train from Toshkent to Samarkand, the city where the

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festival is held, we were put in a carriage with delegates from other countries. To me they all looked like very experienced world-travelling musicians, and that I was fish out of water. But I never let that show. I think. Arriving in Samarkand there was music playing and flags waving. It was like the Olympians of world music had arrived in town. Our translators/minders Lobar, Zarnigor and Fayoz were holding the NZ flag so we headed straight towards them and were led to our bus. After being police escorted through the beautiful city of Samarkand to our hotel, we relaxed with a few $2 beers at the bar, then joined a parade to pay our respects to the supposed greatest ruler of all time, Amir Timur. Down in the lobby every country was dressed in traditional outfits and we were in finely cut suits. Hardly traditional. That fish out of water feeling was becoming more prominent. Our first performance was a community type gig in a suburb of Samarkand. Each country allocated to that community were only required to play one song and after a bit of discussion we decided to stay away from our competition songs and do a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mash upâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the boys call the Pakanga Medley. We had already decided that all songs performed there were going to be in te reo. We were a hit! People who had no idea what we were singing about and had most likely

never heard our language before were wanting their photos taken with us and we had to be bustled into the bus to keep the crowds away. Back at the hotel was like a music festival in itself. Still in our suits, a self-important, funny looking German music manager tried to bring us down by commenting that our suits were not traditional NZ garments, but we shrugged her off as more and more people were attracted to the Maori vibe we were creating. Garage party in Uzbekistan anyone? Maaka attracted a huge crowd while jamming in the lobby and was joined by musicians from Indonesia, Egypt, Dubai and Latvia until Indian and Pakistan drums drowned everyone out. Reggae to a traditional Pakistan beat was, one would say, an interesting flavour. Sharq Tolanalari International Music Festival, Samarkand After another community gig at a local music school it was competition day at the amazing historic Registan Square. After being patted down and walking through a metal detector, a first for me and the boys, we were led into the most beautiful green room anyone has been into. After a few TV interviews we were on the biggest stage in the festival. We blasted out our intro song Haere Mai then the te reo version of Royals, our ballad Pungawerewere (written by Rob Ruha) and launched into a haka written by our very own James Tito. It was electric and the crowd roared. We may well have been the first Maori to perform a haka in Registan Square. Following the performance fans mobbed us again. Eh? We’re just horis from NZ. What is this? On prizegiving night we were awarded one of the 10 prizes – the award for Most Emotional and Daring Performance. Talking to other competitors who have played the festival before revealed that the good results usually are giving to countries where Uzbekistan can get political gain. In 2015 China was the country to win the grand prize! Apparently as a patron of the festival, President Islam Karimov, was heading to China the following week, so this result would have set him up

for good times there. I’m pretty sure there is no political gain awarding NZ with a prize, so we will take that credit on merit for our performance I think. Kia ora to that! Back at the hotel it was last night party time with our rugby loving friends the Georgians who gifted us a bottle of Georgian wine and a wee jam into the night. I had never been a subject of so many photos with randoms in my life as during this whole experience. All in all, it was a most successful trip for MMQ, and if you ever dream of being famous in a country with the most beautiful women in the world then head to the Sharq Talonalari World Music Festival in Uzbekistan. It’s mean! Ngā mihi ki a koutou Modern Maori Quartet! I guess modern Maori music and humour does go down internationally after all and these fish were back in the water!

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Golden Curtain

Hardly Purgatory

Three albums in, Napier-three-piece Golden Curtain can sometimes seem to be taking the piss, such is the recognisably channelled and casually vibrant nature of their latest alt pop offerings. Michael Hollywood chatted with singer and guitarist Andrew Mckenzie about the gestation of ‘Hell Is Other People’, and to enquire how they engineered such a light pop guitar sound.

t’s the province that gave us Pixie Williams, Johnny Cooper and Phil Judd. More recently, it’s where Connan Mockasin and Lee Prebble learned their formative music chops, the domain of Devils Elbow and home turf for 2015 Taite Music Prize winners, Jakob. Hawke’s Bay is also home base for Andrew Mckenzie, Andrew Gladstone, and Brad Gamble, who collectively go by the name of Golden Curtain. If the names seem familiar it’s likely because you recognise them from past lives with Grand Prix (Mckenzie), Garageland (Gladstone), and A Twin Moon (Gamble). Golden Curtain has a new release out. Called ‘Hell Is Other People’, it’s the trio’s third album. Despite some previous form as a philosophy student in Wellington, Mckenzie is quick to deny any connection the new album’s title might have with one of Jean-Paul Sartre’s most famous lines. “I’m sure people will listen to the title song and know I’m not being super heavy or dark. It’s a light-hearted chorus, and I wasn’t getting into existential philosophy or anything when I wrote that one.” Andrew Gladstone was initially planning to join us, in the wake of a well-received Garageland reunion gig in Auckland, but had to pull the plug after becoming consumed by his very own personal version of hell – the brutal seven-day cold that has clogged up GP waiting rooms right across the land this winter. The drummer and Mckenzie share a couple of different musical projects. It’s clear their collaboration is as much about embracing a much coveted work/life balance as it is about a mutual love of playing music. “More and more as time goes on, you start wondering what the game plan is with this whole thing. By the time you get to our incredible old age you start asking yourself about the things you enjoy doing. The most enjoyable thing at the moment is just coming up with new stuff and recording it. “As a band we’re just trying to go forward and come to terms with the fact that people don’t buy albums anymore. I think it’s really important to keep on making music, but to also understand that at the same time you’ve got to keep your

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day job. This is where I grew up. I’m working on the orchard – and I’m doing music.” Having returned to Napier and started playing music with Mckenzie,Gladstone decided he needed to pull back on the Americana. ‘Hell Is Other People’ might just be the band’s most pop-geared effort thus far, yet for all of its hooks – and there are a few – Mckenzie wasn’t shy about keeping things experimental and fresh. “I came up with this idea that involved re-stringing the guitar as well as re-tuning it. All of those songs are on a guitar where two of the thickest strings are taken off and replaced by thin strings, like you’d find on the other side of the neck. So instead of going across two octaves, there’s one octave, but there’s a lot more notes, and once you realise that, you can hear it in the music. Because we’re a three-piece I can’t be doing anything too involved on the guitar while I’m singing, so I was trying to come up with a way I could try to play some more interesting chords, but in an easy way.” He’s keen to share the credits and present the album as very much a team effort. “Brad is a multi-instrumentalist and a songwriter. He’s about 20 years younger than Andrew and I. His first instrument is the bass, but because he can play everything he can listen to it from the perspective of a songwriter, a drummer, and a guitarist.

“Andrew had the idea to add some brass and wind to a couple of songs, and there’s a Girl From Ipanema feel to some of it. So a friend of ours, Anton Wuts, who is a guitarist, but also an

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accomplished wind instrument player, came in and helped us out.” Matt Mear was originally drafted in to play trumpet, but helped out by adding flügelhorn. “We had access to some really great gear, great mics and a lot of really old German equipment owned by sound engineer Brett Stanton, another friend of ours. We set things up at my home in a way that gave us a much better sound quality than we’d been used to. I came up with a rough mix and tracking, but Brett tidied up the mix and mastered it.” Even before ‘Dream City’ is released plans are in place for another Golden Curtain album. It’s likely to feature a songwriting collaboration with San Francisco-based writer Alex Green, who edits a website called Stereo Embers. “Alex put out a book called Emergency Anthems, a collection of his prose. I did an interview with him about a year ago, and learned of some stuff culled from his book that the publishers didn’t want to use. He sent some through, and I read it and saw how it could be turned into songs. So he gave me free rein to do what I like [with the words]. We’re actually seven songs into it – he’s sending through lyrics and we’re coming up with the music.” Although not quite a return to the halcyon heyday of yesteryear, the live scene in the Bay has flourished since the return of the storied Cabana venue in Napier in 2008. More recently there has been the emergence of Hastings’ venue Common Room. It hosts regular jazz nights, and generally acts as a hub for all manner of creative revelry. In addition to gigging as Golden Curtain, Mckenzie and Gladstone partner up as country “side-project” Michael Rhinestone Cowboy – just guitar, drums, and unrecorded old Grand Prix country songs as Mckenzie casually describes it. “Andrew’s got this really old drum kit, older than us, and I play acoustic guitar. It’s really good for parties and we’ve done a few gigs at the Cabana as well. It’s light-hearted and fun. “The beauty of this is that none of us need Golden Curtain to be any sort of money-making thing. I know some musicians who have gone down the road where they want their career in music to be their living so they get into all sorts of stuff, including chasing government funding, and playing gigs that most of the time you wouldn’t really want to do. If you don’t need music for your income then you’re free to play the music you want to play.”

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Top 10 Legal Tips

n last issue’s Lawful Truth column we looked at the first five of the top 10 legal tips to help keep you safe in the NZ music industry. Although some of those first five tips were pretty straight forward, (like, ‘Don’t sign anything unless you understand it’), some of the others dealt with the specific nature of the NZ music industry, such as the importance of becoming a member of APRA/AMCOS and Recorded Music NZ. It would pay to take the time to go back and check out those first tips again before you dive into our final five below! 6. Make sure your band or artist name is original. Over time the name you perform under could easily end up being one of your most valuable assets. All the hard work you do in playing shows and releasing music means people become familiar not necessarily with ‘you’ but more likely with the name that you have chosen to perform under as an artist or group. You might change your name and still be the same artist, but it is very hard to let everyone else know this. When you choose your name make sure you do enough research to be certain no one else is using the same name. The worst case scenario is that no matter how well known you become, if another artist or group had the name first they may be able to legally stop you from using it. This would mean that a lot of hard work in building up your profile will be wasted. There may also be other costs too, such as the money spent on any merchandise with your name on that can’t be used anymore 7. Consider getting trademark protection. Trademarks can help protect the rights you have in your name and any logos that you may also use. Although you will still have rights in your group or artist name and associated logos without actually registering a trademark, having a registered trademark gives you much more defined and far reaching rights and makes it much easier to legally enforce these rights too. 8. Structure your business properly. Right from the beginning you need to be thinking about the legal set up of your ‘business’ as an artist or group. In some cases this may be as simple as making sure you are GST registered, in other cases it may involve incorporating a limited liability company, or even companies to look after different aspects of your music business activities. The legal structure we’re talking about here is all about how your music business activities are established and categorised in the eyes of the law. Taking the time to work out the most sensible way to structure the business

– Part 2

of what you do as an artist or group can not only ensure that the music and other ‘assets’ you create receive the best protection possible, but also that you are operating in the most tax efficient manner, meaning more money in your pocket and fewer issues with the IRD. 9. Get organised and get professional. As simple as it may sound you can save yourself a whole lot of time and problems by getting organised and treating work you do as an artist or group in a professional way. If you want your music to be more than just a hobby then treat it that way. Keep good financial records of all of your music specific income and expenses. Keep copies of any contracts you sign. Keep backups of any emails and other computer files – including music files! As well as keeping good records you also need to act in a professional way. Returning phone calls and emails and turning up on time are important. Save the rock’n’roll attitude and behaviour for when you are on stage. Not only can being unprofessional and disorganised sometimes lead to you inadvertently breaching contractual obligations you may have, but because our music industry is so small if you get a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to deal with you will shut a lot of doors even before they’ve been opened. 10. The more information you can give your lawyer the better. If you ever have to go to a lawyer to get advice on a contract or an issue that has arisen, make sure you let your lawyer know everything– even if it’s something you think you may have done wrong. A fact that to you doesn’t seem that important could have massive legal significance. The more you tell your lawyer the better understanding they will have of your position and the better they’ll be able to advise you. Lawyers also have very strict obligations at law whereby whatever you tell them they have to keep in absolute confidence. If you can keep these five tips in mind, as well as the points we covered in the last issue of NZ Musician, you will be well on your way to avoiding some of the most common issues and pitfalls artists suffer in the music industry. David McLaughlin is a specialist music lawyer with Auckland law firm McLaughlin Law (www. mclaughlinlaw.co.nz). He can be contacted by email at david@mclaughlinlaw.co.nz or on 09 282 4599. Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide a general outline of the law on the subject matter. Further professional advice should be sought before any action is taken in relation to the matters described in the article.

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The Shifting Sands

The quirky, colourful and heavily detailed hand-drawn artwork adorning The Shifting Sands’ new album brings to mind those art-rich Flying Nun releases of yore, and musically it comes as little surprise to learn that the band hail from Dunedin. Indeed David Kilgour lent guitar to a couple of tracks, while the wild environs of the Otago hinterland also played a part, as Amanda Mills discovers in talking with Mike McLeod, principal songwriter, vocalist and player of guitars, synths and Indian harmonium.

ike McLeod fell in love with music from an early age, taking piano lessons as a child and picking up the guitar when he was about 13. “I was always heavily into music throughout school… it’s always been a really big part of my life.” Moving from Ashburton to Dunedin to study at Otago University in the early 2000s, McLeod became enamoured with Dunedin and its surroundings, and decided to stay. He started The Shifting Sands as a project after his previous band, Alpha State, ended. “Alpha State sort of hit a brick wall [creatively], or it felt like that to me,” he laughs. “I sort of wanted to do something slightly different… I had a bunch of songs, and I put them together with a bunch of friends, so that was the first Shifting Sands record.” ‘Feel’ was essentially a solo project, created and recorded in 2010, but not released until 2012, on Fishrider Records. The album had a revolving door of performers as he reveals. “I think we had about three different rhythm sections, and about 15 or 16 different musicians ended up playing on the record.” A move to Auckland lasted only about six months, before the lure of Dunedin drew him back. On returning, he established a live band to play ‘Feel’, leading to The Shifting Sands morphing into a three-piece band rather than a solo project. First drummer Rob Faulkner

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moved to Invercargill, opening the door for Jake Langley to join the band in 2012. Bassist, synth player, and recording guru Thomas Bell joined around the same time, soon becoming integral to the band. “Tom… has been the driving force in the production of the album,” McLeod enthuses.“He does all the recording. He’s played synthesisers and things… he mostly plays bass, but plays a few other instruments just to add flavour as well.” The Shifting Sands’ beautifully swirling new psychedelic-rock album ‘Cosmic Radio Station’ has been in development since 2012. The trio made good progress, with 90% of the album completed before being sidetracked

2014 – the beautiful, hazy All The Stars (‘Cosmic Radio Station’s first single) – was released on the Fishrider label’s ‘Temporary’ compilation. ‘Cosmic Radio Station’ was recorded in remote and picturesque locations around Otago Peninsula. “I had a little crib out near Purakaunui… that I ended up buying off the supermarket noticeboard…” McLeod laughs. “We recorded probably half of the album there.” Whareakeake (also known as Murdering Beach) was another location, as friends had a converted woolshed that was available. Further recording was completed at Chicks, which has a small recording space, where McLeod and Bell have equipment, and expertise at hand.

“Geography has inspired at least some of the songs on the record, so it was quite nice recording at locations slightly removed from Dunedin.” that year by the opportunity to run legendary Port Chalmers venue, Chicks Hotel. They have turned it into one of Dunedin’s premiere gig venues, which McLeod admits “put the album on the backburner for a good year or two.” One track did make it out of limbo in early

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Otago Peninsula’s remote, raw and elemental environs almost inevitably played a large part in ‘Cosmic Radio Station’. “Geography has inspired at least some of the songs on the record, so it was quite nice recording at these locations, slightly removed

“I like a lot of other bands, like The Clean, say, that have instrumentals as part of the repertoire… I think sometimes you can express things with music, when you can leave words out of it.” – Mike McLeod from Dunedin in Purakaunui and Whareakeake. My little crib… it’s really isolated… it was quite nice to go out there and feel far removed from the world. You can get quite introverted and into your creative projects without any distractions, which is good. “Other songs are sort of inspired by life experiences, without going into too much detail about particular ones,” he laughs. The album’s title stems from a conversation. “I was chatting with a friend about songwriting…. we were talking about the cosmic radio station, which is something you tune into to get creative inspiration… I thought [it] was a nice idea.” The album is structured for vinyl, each side ending with gentler sounding instrumentals – Whareakeake and Radio Silence. “I really like instrumentals,” McLeod explains. “I like a lot of other bands, like The Clean, say, that have instrumentals as part of the repertoire… I think sometimes you can express [things] with music, when you can leave words out of it.” Textural elements abound, and strings feature in All The Stars and Whareakeake. “Alex, who plays the violin [on Whareakeake] is a dear old friend of ours. He’s a neat violin player, so we roped him into doing a couple of sessions.” Also roped in was The Clean’s David Kilgour, who played on ‘Feel’, and here features on Coming Back and Radio Silence. “I’d like to think of him as an honorary member,” McLeod laughs, citing Kilgour and The Clean as influences, and naming the band as one of his favourites. “I played on one of his albums a few years ago,” McLeod says. “Tom is also his bass player, so we… share a member. We ended up touring the States together last year, The Shifting Sands supported David Kilgour and the Heavy 8s. I usually ask him if he wants to come along and play, he’s usually quite generous with his time.” McLeod agrees with the ‘psychedelic’ tag being used to describe ‘Cosmic Radio Station’, but admits they wanted this album to be a bit more rocky than their last. “The intention was for this one to be a bit more in your face.” ‘Cosmic Radio Station’ is heavier and more cohesive than ‘Feel’ in sound, which he puts this down to the band influence. “‘Feel’ was written at home on an acoustic guitar, not really intentioned for a rock band, but this has been written as a guitar rock band album. Most of the songs are my songs, but there is a lot more creative input from the band on this record, and one of the songs is Tom’s.” The Shifting Sands played a handful of shows in Australia at the end of September and early October, touring ‘Cosmic Radio Station’

nationally throughout October and November. Theyhope to get back to the US in mid-2016. An EP was recorded last year in LA, while touring with David Kilgour and the Heavy 8s. “It might be another year before [the EP] makes its way out. It’s probably a slightly different sound… I guess it’s more LA rock or something,” McLeod explains. “We recorded on a Neotek analogue console, onto two-inch tape, so it was a bit of a vanity project in some ways.” That EP was recorded in three days with

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Manny Nieto, who has produced The Breeders, and Mars Volta. “Normally, we’re just quite self-directed when we want, but suddenly we were being told what we were going to be doing, which worked out quite well. His ideas were really good, and they were different to ours… it’s nice to do something a bit different.”

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his issue’s bass column is the result of a conversation between some of the Otago Music Department staff while we took a break during recording at our Albany Street Studios. We were discussing what tracks were influential in our personal choice of musical instrument. I was a trumpet player at high school but, when a friend bought a Rossetti Bass 7, I thought bass would be much more ‘cool’. So, I started paying a lot of attention to bass lines on singles in the late 1960s. At the time I had no idea who Carol Kaye was (even though I liked Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys), nor did I know who James Jamerson was, even though I loved Tamla Motown. There were many bassists I did know about, however. McCartney’s lines on ‘Pepper’s’ and ‘Abbey Road’ were always on my parents’ record player. Entwistle was also a favourite for his solo on Keep On Running - Spender Davis Group (Jackie Edwards)

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My Generation and, of course, there was Jack Bruce in Cream. Anyway, I have transcribed here parts of two songs that I loved as a ‘young person’ and that made my list of, ‘Why I am a bass player’ tracks in our studio discussion. The first is from The Spencer Davis Group, which featured a 16-year old Steve Winwood on vocals and guitar, and his brother Muff on bass (a Harmony H22 bass, to be precise – and way beyond my dreams as a kid!). The song is called Keep On Running and was composed by Jackie Edwards. The bass is very high in the mix for the time (1965), probably because it was produced by Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records. Blackwell was producing ‘rock steady’ (the forerunner of reggae) singles in the 1960s and these singles always had loud bass – as things should be. Keep On Running can be found on Youtube. The bass line starts the song and the main riff returns throughout. It is a minor pentatonic riff played in the key of A major, and it can be played easily with your fingers 1 and 3. I always enjoy the overdrive sound that would be the result of a 1960s valve amp ‘clipping’. The second example is Macca’s line from With A Little Help From My Friends (1967). The line is almost an exercise in how to play a bass line by J.S. Bach, until you arrive at the chorus when he starts really driving the song. Unlike Bach, it was played with a slight swing feel, which is why there is a ‘quaver = triplets’ sign at the top of the transcription. Have a listen to the original version and you will hear what I mean. I liked it because I was studying Bach at school at the time (the reason why I liked Jack Bruce too). This line was played on a Rickenbacker ‘4001s, of which only 150 were made (they are mostly in collections these days). Macca used flat wound strings with the foam dampers that were standard on Rickenbackers, raised at the bridge, hence the ‘thuddy’ sound. Due to the constraints of 4-track recording in the 1960s, the rhythm section tracks were usually ‘bounced down’ onto one track (that’s why ‘mono reprocessed for stereo’ albums sound strange on headphones and the bass and drums are often only on one side). McCartney, however, used to add the bass last, thus ensuring he had a track to himself and that he would be prominent in the mix. Significantly, both of these bass lines were played with picks, though they can also be played by finger if you prefer. See you next time. (Dr. Rob Burns is an Associate Professor in Music at the University of Otago in Dunedin. As a former professional studio bassist in the UK, he performed and recorded with David Gilmour, Pete Townsend, Jerry Donahue, Isaac Hayes, Sam and Dave, James Burton, Ian Paice and Jon Lord, Eric Burdon and members of Abba. He played on the soundtracks on many UK television shows, such as Red Dwarf, Mr. Bean, Blackadder, Not the Nine O’Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones. Rob is currently a member of Dunedin bands Subject2change and The Verlaines.) ashdownmusic.com/artists/252/ Robert-Burns

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The Chills

Part Past,   Part Friction A quarter century past now, the much talked-over ‘Dunedin sound’ left the city with a number of resident musical heroes, surely none more enigmatic and reluctant than The Chills’ Martin Phillipps. A new, really new, album by his band, which has been hinted at for more than a decade now, has finally arrived. It comes courtesy of London-based label Fire Records, who have backed several other Chills’ re-releases in recent years. Amanda Mills caught up with Phillipps as he prepped for the album’s international release.

icture this: A cold winter’s night in Port Chalmers, less chill blue and more frost white. The Chills are playing to a packed audience who roar to every song, especially the new ones. Martin Phillipps looks both elated and relieved, like a weight has lifted off his shoulders. Phillipps is one of Dunedin’s most recognisible musicians, along with his ‘Dunedin sound’ peers, many of whom still live in the city. His career as singer, guitarist, songwriter and band leader of The Chills is well documented – both the highs and the lows. Like his peers, Phillipps is well respected and admired locally and internationally, and numerous names and faces enthusiastically cite his songs as favourites, especially the preternatural and eternally beautiful Pink Frost. The Chills (Phillipps plus guitarist/violinist Erica Scally, keyboardist Oli Wilson, bassist James Dickson, and drummer Todd Knudson) have a new album out at the end of October on Fire Records/Flying Nun. ‘Silver Bullets’

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is the first studio album of new material for the (current) quintet in 19 years – a generation or two away from the last Flying Nun album, 1996’s ‘Sunburnt’, when The Chills had an often changing line-up. This band has been an all-but stable one since the start of the century. “Frankly, I don’t really think of it in those terms anymore”, Phillipps sighs. “It’s been 16 years now with Todd and James, and I think about 11 with Erica, and about eight with Oli… we’ve been through some really weird times, and it’s been great to see their response seeing the album happen.” Despite that gap between studio albums, The Chills have not been idle. They’ve performed locally and internationally, and in 2004 released an EP, ‘Stand By’ (re-issued late in 2014 by Fire Records). Since then, two live albums have appeared; ‘Somewhere Beautiful’ in 2013 (the original vinyl release with unique prints by artist Shane Cotton on Far South Records, and subsequent issues on Fire

Records), and in 2014 ‘Live at the BBC’, again on Fire Records. There was even a performance on Shortland Street at (fictional) Chills’ fan Chris Warner’s wedding. All this was happening while ‘Silver Bullets’ was germinating. The delay since ‘Stand By’ was not intentional – an album was to follow soon after the EP. “Who could have forseen the endless kind of turmoil! Part of it has been… all sorts of contractual things going on, all sorts of things,” Phillipps shrugs. To an extent, a lot rides on ‘Silver Bullets’, and Phillipps feels the weight of expectation for the album. However, he is confident they have delivered. “Taking the songs into the band rehearsals, we realised we were onto something special… we were all of one mind that we really didn’t care what people thought.” A substantial amount of material for ‘Silver Bullets’ has existed in some form for a long time, some pieces (like the guitar line for America Says Hello) dating back to the ’90s. Warm Waveform began life as the track Warm (found on ‘Sketch Book’), and was debuted at the Gluepot in the mid-1990s, when Phillipps played it with the JPS Experience. Small parts of other songs were, as Phillipps says, “severely re-written”, but two thirds of ‘Silver Bullets’ is new, written since the band started the recording. The creation process opened floodgates to his subconscious. “If there was a song structure

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problem I’d go to bed thinking about it, wake up inevitably around three or four o’clock in the morning, and ‘bing’ there’s the idea.” He discarded pages of accumulated lyrics after realising he wanted the album to be topical. “I just did not want to add more trivial pop-rock music to the huge amount that’s out there already, so had to walk that fine line of trying to do something [meaningful], without it being slogans, and easily dated,” he says. The title ‘Silver Bullets’ fitted with this too, itself an album titlein-waiting since the ’90s. “I knew it was kind of a follow up to the concept of ‘Soft Bomb’, the Pacifist impact against the wrongs of the world… actively doing non-violent things. At the time ‘Silver Bullets’ was being written I knew very clearly what it meant. It meant physical blows against dark forces – silver bullets for vampires… but it’s not encouraging violence, or revolution.” ‘Silver Bullets’ was mostly recorded at Otago University’s Albany Street Studios, with one track, Pyramids/When the Poor Can Reach the Moon recorded at Karma Sound Studios in Thailand – part of the same sessions that generated the Molten Gold/Pink Frost 13 single. Pyramids/When the Poor Can Reach the Moon was intended for that single, but Phillipps had other ideas. “I knew that it wasn’t going to be a b-side, I just didn’t tell the label. I just knew it was a perfect opportunity to try out my band

in a recording situation... and it worked out really well.” The album was produced and mixed by Phillipps and Brendan Davies at The Strongroom in London, late in 2014. “We had the chance to really fine tune it… from being 20 little adjustments down to eight, and then the final two or three, and then the luxury to just sit back… and find a couple more little things to fix. Nothing is ever what you expect it to be, or want it to be, sometimes it may even surpass that.” While Phillipps wrote all material on the album, he credits The Chills for many ideas. “I ask the band a lot more than I ever used to… and I take their advice very seriously… This will be the first album that I’ve let the band have a lot more input than previous occasions… they knew what I was aiming at, and can all suggest better ways of doing it. “Oli Wilson has done some excellent arrangements. Most of his keyboard parts he would do six completely different sounds. Erica’s violin is becoming more and more a recognisible facet of The Chills. We didn’t get as much on the album as we hoped… and, her guitar playing is… more powerful.” ‘Silver Bullets’ is instantly recognisible as a Chills album, vintage almost. “I think it was intentional that I wanted to bring The Chills’ sound up to date, but only in the sense of recording us in the best possible way, utilising the studio technologies without breaking new ground. I think in terms of what makes it sound like us, I think not emphasising bass and drums as most people do. I’ve always viewed them as utilitarian... “I love The Chills’ stuff to have things you’re discovering after a long time of listening to it. I’m not ashamed to say we flew parts round that people had played well on one place to another place… it was a priority to make the best possible album that will outlast the band.” The album artwork is by Wellington-based artist Bruce Mahalski.While Phillipps,in continuing the aquatic theme, considered using an image of a great white shark, a thought occurred: barracuda are silver, and move incredibly fast, like bullets. Single America Says Hello features starfish and Warm Waveform will use two kissing seahorses, both also Mahalski’s work. At the time of writing, Phillipps is in the UK, holidaying and doing some promotion, including a performance at the Incubate Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands. “We didn’t have a huge turnout, about the same as the London show,” he smiles.“I think it’s certainly the best solo stuff I’ve done. I seem to be, at 52, finally getting good at it.” A surprise performance was his cameo appearance singing Pink Frost at Neil and Liam Finn’s London show. “I’d been in contact with Neil about just going to see the gig anyway, and he suggested I sing it. Luckily we had a sound check because there’s a wee bit of tidying up to do! It worked out really well.” Phillipps has been performing a fair amount in Dunedin lately, alone and with The Chills. Despite the time and effort invested in the

recording process he expects Underwater Wasteland (his own favourite album track) will evolve live to surpass the recorded version. “It will just become more dynamic as we explore it, and work out what each other is really doing, and trying to achieve.” Tour dates are currently being booked for NZ and Australia, with negotiation for UK, Europe and US shows in 2016. Phillipps is personally keen to get back to the US to tour, as it was always the band’s biggest market and they haven’t played there since ’96. 2016 will also see another release, Flying Nun’s re-issue of ‘Kaleidoscope World’, a double LP with new additions. “On vinyl, it was only ever the initial eight tracks, and then when it was on CD it was 18 tracks, which very inconveniently will only fill three sides of vinyl… but, it was a good excuse to go through and find things… we’ve found at least one rarity, Smile From A Dead Dead Face… it’s been well recorded, and sitting there for years!” Another potential re-issue is ‘Brave Words’, with a complete re-mix. “I really want to see that done… we just got lost in the use of ’80s reverbs… I think there’s a really nice middle ground where we can bring out the power of that band, and have that atmosphere... And, it will finally give me a chance to bring ‘Brave Words’ in line with all the other ‘SB’ titles – then it can be ‘Spoken Bravely’: the remixed ‘Brave Words’!” Ah, yes. Eagle-eyed readers may well have noticed a coincidence with The Chills’ album titles – since 1990 they have all been brought to you by the capital letters S and B – ‘Submarine Bells’, ‘Soft Bomb’, ‘Sunburnt’, ‘Sketch Book’, ‘Secret Box’, ‘Stand By’, ’Sweet Bites’, ‘Somewhere Beautiful’, and now ‘Silver Bullets.’ Was this intentional? “It started as a sheer coincidence with ‘Submarine Bells’ and ‘Soft Bomb,’” Phillipps explains.“I just wasn’t even aware, and then it… seemed a fun thing to do after that! I even tried to persuade them to reissue the ‘Kaleidoscope World’ LP as ‘Springboard: The Early Chills’, but no, they weren’t having that!” So, the future. It’s certainly onwards from here, something Phillipps is more than happy about, though his health may dictate exactly what happens when. “I can’t undo the liver damage, but I’m certainly taking better care of myself. I’m actually feeling pretty good… it’s really hard to know what the short term picture is going to be, but I’m certainly determined to make better use of my time than I was 10 years ago.” He has plenty of ideas for The Chills, seeing ‘Silver Bullets’ as a new start. “The plan is to keep going… in some ways, the next album will be the first fresh one for decades… I’ve got some vague ideas how to take The Chills’ sound into completely new directions… it’s just become more exciting – more like the early days than it has been for a long time, in the sense of the world is my oyster, I can really start exploring my music again.”

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3FWJFX By Mark Bell

Digitech TRIO Band Creator I

t doesn’t seem so long ago that the first compact flip-top cellphones were the stuff of Star Trek fantasy – grown men in business suits furtively imagining they are Captain Kirk urging Scotty to find more power, “We need MORE power!” Exciting times indeed. Now of course nobody pauses to consider that the phone they are carrying has more numbercrunching grunt than the NASA mainframe super-computer that calculated Apollo’s trajectory to the moon. This thing filled its own room! We just accept it and expect that our tiny electronic devices can accomplish the most mind-bendingly complex tasks almost instantaneously, and god help ‘em if there’s any time-lag getting the information back from space. Which in a roundabout way brings me to this issue’s review focus, Digitech’s Trio Band Creator. What it does, when you stop to actually think about it, is amazing for a device which looks exactly like, and costs about the same (rrp $399) as, a guitarist’s high-end stomp box. The Digitech Trio is essentially a rhythm section in a box; it learns your chord progressions as you play them and then plays along with you in a variety of genres and styles of your choosing. This is great news for guitarists trying to hone their craft at home without a rhythm section to feed off, and perhaps hitting the creative wall, as we all do from time to time. And best of all, it won’t drink your beer, hit on your girl/boyfriend or irritate your parents with excessive volume. The Trio’s control panel is self-explanatory and simple to use, with Bass and Drums volume knobs, a Tempo knob, Genre selector (blues, pop, alt rock, Rock, country, R&B and jazz) and a choice of 12 Style selections, the

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last two being in ¾ time. You can assign three separate parts to each song (conventionally that would be verse/chorus/ bridge) via push-button LEDs. There’s an Alt Time button which halves/doubles the time, and a Guitar FX button with a choice of two effect options appropriate to each genre. There’s a headphone output for silent practice with its own volume control, Guitar In and Amp Out jack plugs, a Mixer Output for recording, which has an in-built cabinet emulation, an input for the optional FS3X foot controller for hands-free part creation and paging through the three song parts, and a mini USB plug for any future software upgrades. You can also store songs you have created via this connection to your computer. The quality of the 64-bit drum and bass samples is very good and appropriate to the genre selected, from driving rock and rattley bass to tippy tappy rimshots and authentic double bass. The Trio has a wide selection of feels, drum fills, bass lines and passing notes stored in its memory banks, all sampled from real players and instruments, which it accesses and matches to the Genre and Style that has been selected, and specifically matches to the chord progression played into the device. You will also notice that each time it cycles through a particular part it will introduce subtle variations in terms of the drum fills, passing notes and turnarounds, lending the backing a much more human element than you might expect from a pre-programmed machine. Operating the Trio is simplicity itself. Once you’re plugged in the Learn LED will flash, indicating it has its ears on and is awaiting your chordal brilliance. Just hit the stomp button and play in a way that conveys the progression,

tempo and feel without any embellishment. Keep it straightforward, as you can get fancy once the rhythm section has got things nutted out. If the various parts of the song happen to be at different tempos the Trio will recognise this and play back accordingly, so I’d recommend playing to a click if you want all the parts to play back at the same tempo. It will however make allowances for small timing anomalies and quantize everything into good shape. When the cycle of the first part is complete hit the stomp button at the end of the bar and you’re done. If you screw up, just hold the footswitch down for a couple of seconds and the part will be erased and you can try again. Then hit the Part 2 LED and repeat the process for your chorus or whatever comes next. Be mindful that you’ve only got three parts, so if you have, say, a pre-chorus, you’ll have to build that into the verse part or chorus and it will be there every time you cycle through that part. So yes, the Trio has its limitations. For example if you have an intro that only happens once in the song, you would have to use up one of your parts to create that, leaving only two for the rest of the track. So prog rock is definitely out of the question, or any songs that have unconventional arrangements, multiple parts, off-beat pushes or wacky time signatures. Oh, and the drummer has no interest in reggae whatsoever. After a bit of thought I did come up with a way to partially sidestep this problem. By making use of the Trio’s three minutes

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of sample time you could write a very complex three minute arrangement, but the drum feel would remain the same throughout. Also if you have a riff-based song where you want the bass to double the guitar part, you can’t tell the device to “…just play what I’m playing.” It will let you know,“I can do this, this or this very competently, but I am not going to learn your riff.” If I were asked to make suggestions for a big brother version of the Trio they would be these; five or even six song parts, the capacity to store songs, and the ability to learn bass parts note-for-note. This would greatly expand the usefulness of the Trio into live performance and demo recording applications. As it is, where I see the real strength of this device is as an aid to learning how to be a more complete guitarist, who can lock in with a rhythm section and improvise confidently. Unlike the real thing the Trio will never get bored with repeatedly cycling through a chord sequence, and this is what you have to do to gain confidence with your soloing. As a teaching aid I can also see the Trio would be a very useful asset, for example using the Tempo control to slow down a chord sequence then gradually building up speed as the pupil masters the progression. All in all the Digitech Trio Band Creator is a fantastic tool for learners and accomplished guitarists alike, as a writing and practising tool, for making simple demos or even just to have loads of fun with jamming and making a glorious racket. And let’s face it, anything that increases the fun factor in the sometimes arduous, lonely and repetitive business of mastering the guitar has got to be worth its weight in gold.

Y GBDUPSZ with Godfrey de Grut

Don McGlashan â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lucky Stars

first heard Lucky Stars on National Radio while driving home from a gig late at night and was immediately moved by its matter of fact imagery and well designed pacing. Lyrically it shines with the type of contemplative internal discourse many only acquiesce to during those brief moments when introspection can thrive outside of our hectic daytime lives. Structurally Lucky Stars presents four efficient verses packed with nifty internal secondary rhymes, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Morning â&#x20AC;&#x201C; warningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and also including the super catchy eponymous refrain at the conclusion of each one. The third verse is extended and acts as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bridgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; section with a dynamic build up incorporating non-diatonic 7ths to the chord structure to add some harmonic tension. The fourth verse is a composite meshing of the first half of verse one and the tail end of verse three, an economical use of text that epitomises the songâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recurring touch points of geography and the cyclic shifts of electric and natural light. In between verses two and three, and between three and four, are what I will refer to as choruses, as they are the only full sections that repeat exactly within the song. Although Lucky Stars can be thought of as based in D major, the harmonic framework includes sections of the competing key centre of G, which combined with some extensions to the length of certain vocal phrases, adds a level of uncertainty and tension to portions of text before resolving eloquently to D major at just the right moments. This, for example, is accomplished early on with the simple addition of a non-diatonic minor v chord, Am, and later in the chorus with a red herring bVII, C major chord. McGlashan sets the framework of D major with the static movement between I and IV (G). (Interestingly both D and G belong to either D major or G major key centres, but we most naturally perceive any starting chord as the home key.)

The first verse describes a place, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hendersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (D major) and a time, dawn, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Still in the darkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (A minor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the ii chord borrowed from G major â&#x20AC;&#x201C; nicely woven together with the text!), and an action, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gas in the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (G major). Already the majority of chords can be derived from G major but McGlashan then chooses to lift us back up to the sharper key (D) by introducing A major (the V chord from D major) sung over, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;See my reflection in the smash proof glass,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; followed by Bm and G respectively.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a neat game, played throughout with the push and pull of key centre mirroring the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist as they consider their life and surroundings. There are allusions of danger; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Smash proof glassâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;; beauty in the various light sources, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Light from the forecourt spills all over the carsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;; equal parts sympathy, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Barefoot man whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s buying cigarettesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and neighbourly, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Stand in line with

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all the restâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. A rich tapestry of the human condition is woven together with the refrain, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I thank my lucky starsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as the lyric payoff that frames the answer to the question of our protagonistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s place in the world and his seeming wonderment of being alive to reflect upon it. The remarkably simple act of extending a phrase beyond the square shape of four and eight bar lengths is underplayed in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popular songwriting, but McGlashan is particularly canny with his pacing in general and this song benefits from the addition of uneven phrase lengths at two points. Firstly at the end of the chorus where we hang on an unresolved Bm chord for an extra three measures after, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Glad of the company, glad for all theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done for meâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This sets up an unexpected breathing space and an opportunity for the listener to reflect on the meaning of what has been said. Is McGlashan thankful for the characters in the story giving him inspiration to write a song? There is also a nifty one-measure extension of the IV chord to the third verse phrase where he repeats the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Stop to put gas in the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; line. This struck me at first listen as a witty meditative pause to consider the repetitive nature of our lives and the de ja vu aspect of the mundane. It is juxtaposed beautifully with a following line, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The dawn comes creeping up the harbour mouthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, to put it all back into context. Sometimes songs hit your ears at just the right time, when you are most receptive to them. Lucky for me it was Lucky Stars by one of our most thoughtful and generous songwriters, Mr Don McGlashan. Godfrey de Grut is a Silver Scroll co-winner with Che Fu, MD of the 2013 & 2015 Silver Scrolls and co-artistic director of Coca Cola Christmas in the Park 2015. He is a freelance writer, arranger and producer, lecturing in popular music studies at the University of Auckland. Follow his musical ramblings @GodfreyDeGrut on Twitter or email godfrey.degrut@gmail.com

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Salad Boys

Emerging initially as a side project for members of Christchurch bands T54, Bang! Bang! Eche! and Dance Asthmatics, Salad Boys have spent the last month touring their disingenuously-titled debut album ‘Metalmania’ across North America, at the behest of Chicago record label, Trouble In Mind Records. Sammy Jay Dawson caught up with Salad Boys’ vocalist/guitarist Joe Sampson ahead of the album’s September release.

hristchurch trio Salad Boys have drawn regular comparisons to the glory years of the Flying Nun sound, which may in itself explain their appeal to US pop-plus label Trouble In Mind Records. Their just-released debut album also largely plays homage to ’80s American college radio, noticeably influenced by bands such as REM, Sonic Youth and Pavement, as well as The Clean and Chris Knox. Salad Boys started out in 2012 as a side project, guitarist/singer Joe Sampson explains. “I was in T54 at the time and James Sullivan [drums] was in Bang! Bang! Eche!. Both bands were going through a bit of a quiet phase at that point for various reasons. “James and I used to work together and our job meant we’d take trips to Timaru and the West Coast. We realised we had a similar taste in music so we’d listen to quite a lot of stuff in the car, quite a big range. Wire, Jay Reatard, Sparklehorse, PIL, lots of German stuff… but also classics like The Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, and heaps of Flying Nun – of course The Clean and David Kilgour. “I guess it was a chance to form a band more influenced by our favourite bands than our other projects were. I felt like there were some things I wasn’t allowed to do with T54, and maybe James felt the same. I’ve always liked The Clean-style songs, the REM-style songs – the chordy kind. The songs I’ve always been writing, but in the bands I’ve been in those songs have always sounded out of place. So it was good to finally be able to do that stuff. “There’s a certain raw magic that Ben [Odering – bass] adds when we first learn a song, there’s the odd exception but most of the time we immediately align musically.” A 4-track recorded online demo tape released in early 2013, found success, aided by their appearance at 2013’s Camp A Low Hum

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festival. The indie pop three-piece’s popularity continued to spread with a number of tours alongside the cream of Melted Ice Cream’s (Sampson’s baby) musical crop. Following the release of the DIY label’s first compilation album, ‘Sickest Smashes From Arson City’, also featuring the likes of Ipswitch, The Transistors and X-Ray Charles, word of the band’s lo-fi sound spread across the ditch. Returning home from playing Australia’s east coast they were approached by cool Chicago indie label, Trouble In Mind Records. “We actually started recording the album in 2013,” says Sampson of ‘Metalmania’, which was released internationally on the US label in September.“It took quite a while to get finished. A lot of the songs came together quite quickly, getting them down on tape was a bit of a longer process however. “We recorded all the drums in September 2013, with the intention of finishing things off that year, obviously that didn’t happen with producer Steven Marr [Doprah] getting super busy, and Ben Odering living in Auckland at the time. Myself being a perfectionist didn’t help. All of a sudden it’s 12 months later and there was still a lot to be done. “Then Trouble In Mind Records got in contact with us, which we didn’t really know what to think of. It kind of felt too good to be true, so we acknowledged their interest, but not much more than that. About six months later they contacted us again saying, ‘So, are you still keen? What’s the deal? Have you got the album?’ “So we started to attack it more. I showed them one of the completed tracks, which they loved and said they were keen to release the album. So we thought, if they’re into the Salad Boys based on the strength of a single song then that’s a pretty good sign – you can’t really

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ask for more than that. That’s when I said to myself, ‘What the hell are you doing? This is the dream, you’ve wanted this your whole life, why aren’t you grabbing it?!’” Backing the release of ‘Metalmania’, the band set out on a five-week, 26-date tour of the US, including a show at Jack White’s famed label Third Man Records in Nashville. A three-city NZ tour planned for late October will see the band wrap things up before work commences on a follow-up. “There’s another album worth of material ready to go, which I reckon are stronger than the last record,” Sampson promises. “Though everyone says that, don’t they?! “I’ve been trying to get back to the way I used to write songs when I was a teenager, which was a lot more instinctual. There’s a lot of stuff I’ve discarded to the cutting room floor for being too simple that I’m only now starting to rework into tracks now. A track doesn’t have to be needlessly complex to be good, but sometimes there is this fabricated judgment in a songwriter’s mind.” Their label clearly sees them as worthy inheritors of Christchurch’s musical heritage, warmly raving about their place in the sun… ‘Like the originators of Christchurch’s Eighties DIY scene, The Salad Boys use their town’s isolated Southern location to their advantage, fostering their hometown scene & perfecting their tunes free from the sounds & expectations of a larger city. That freedom undoubtedly contributes to the rural vibe of ‘Metalmania’, whose sound makes sense in a dark rock club & DIY space, as well as floating down the Avon River, placing them firmly into the physical & musical landscape of New Zealand. After all, location is everything.’

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JONATHAN BREE: A Little Night Music In a former life, Jonathan Bree made bubblegum-esque music in The Brunettes, his catchy songs hinting at a love of ’60s vintage song structures. ‘A Little Night Music’ follows his 2013 debut solo album, ‘The Primrose Path’, and takes a darker turn, with strings, celeste and piano creating sinister cinematic sounds that combine melancholic melodies and orchestrated textures. These textures come from a new love of classical music, gained after Bree inherited Bartok and Tchaikovsky ballet records. The classical influence features heavily, referenced on the cover in a monochromatic image of Bree as the conductor. His lovely, crooning velvet vocals (which envelop the listener like a cloak) are key, sitting well with the orchestration. The slightly anxious, sentimental ballad Once It Was Nice is a prime example – waltz rhythm, music-box celeste and orchestrated strings providing a lush textural base for Bree’s soothing voice. Weird Hardcore and Tear Your Face Off again have dissonant strings, though punctuated with synthesisers, and the biting There Is Sadness adds guitar to contrast the cinematic orchestration. This album feels like it could collapse under the weight of its own darkness, but it doesn’t – Bree pulls back, «Õ VÌÕÀ }ÊÌ iÊ`>À iÃÃÊÜ Ì ÊÃ >À`ÃÊ vÊLi>ÕÌÞ°ÊU Amanda Mills

ROSS MEECHAM: Navigate Reality EP

Ross Meecham is the kind of singer/songwriter you feel like you’ve heard before – although his output seems to be only single Anything and now this 7-track EP. These days living in Christchurch with a growing family, he spent time in a rock band in the UK last decade. His style is readily approachable – no ego, no anger, no bitterness – indeed there’s a hint of ‘pure’ about this release. No overcomplicated subject matter, mid-tempo, not quite pop and not really indie. With a sense of a stripped back Stereobus, this proves a refreshingly simple and pleasing listen. Self-produced and released it is primarily acoustic guitar or electric guitar, with some piano and lovely harmonies. Ordinary Day is as unpretentious as it sounds, and damn catchy. Icon To The Masses is a gem – modest songcrafter alert! Closer Stay is an intimate version of a potential stadium buster, a la Ed Sheeran. This is a great example of simplicity ÊÃ }ÜÀ Ì }Ê ÊÌ iÊLiÃÌÊ« ÃÃ L iÊÜ>Þ°ÊUÊAnia Glowacz

SILICON: Personal Computer

Prior to winning his first APRA Silver Scroll with his brother Ruban for Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Multi-Love, Kody Nielson managed to record, mix and produce this solo album, under the moniker Silicon. The aptly titled ‘Personal Computer’ is Nielson’s plain-packed response to all the digital mass production in the world and how many factories pump out ‘perfect’ products that are in fact imperfect. Musically the album reveals this concept as you listen. The title track begins with an electronic voice speaking followed by a synth heavy track with effective use of vocoder. While single Cellphone contains a 911 call (hinting at real life), the track still feels electronic and distant with the vocal track hidden by doubling it down the octave. The first half of this album is quite electronic, with varying synth and vocal textures, the songs tied together with a similar bass line in terms of both timbre and rhythm. Burning Sugar is a turning point, showing more ‘real’ instruments and the clearest vocal sound to this point. Love Peace (which may be considered the ballad) features brother Ruban on guitar and Kimbralike vocal phrasing. Partner and Opossom bandmate, Bic Runga, provides bvs for Blow, and final track Dope includes the Nielsons’ father‘s flugelhorn and soprano sax parts. This track also has the same electronic spoken voice as Personal Computer, recapitulating the concept of the album. A relevant concept has been developed in a highly effective way, making it not only acceptable in a pop frame but also in an art music context. s *ESSE !USTIN

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YOKO-ZUNA: This Place Here One of the best things about the jazz and hip hop genres is the capacity each has for embracing the concept of collaboration. The nature of hip hop in particular – with its emphasis on sampling and production – makes it ripe for a cross pollination of musical ideas, and many of the genre’s seminal moments have been born from this pick and mix approach. And so it is with ‘This Place Here’, the debut release from Auckland four-piece Yoko-Zuna. It’s an album which features lyrical/vocal star turns from local luminaries such as David Dallas, Spycc, Team Dynamite, Bailey Wiley, Melodownz from Third3ye and Goodshirt’s Rodney Fisher. Throw in a variety of instrumentation from the group’s core members – keys/synth, sax, flute – plus terrific recording and mastering from Cam Duncan, and the result is a wonderfully eclectic mix across the album’s nine tracks. So much so, it feels plain wrong to file this hybrid concoction exclusively under the hip hop banner. The album’s roots are deeply embedded in the genre, there’s no question about that, but above ground, given the air and room to breathe, these soul and jazzinfused tunes take on a life of their own; boundaries are breached, horizons are expanded and ultimately ‘This Place Here’ is guaranteed a much wider reach than might have been expected. One or two tracks appeal as glorious half-formed ideas that could perhaps be developed further, but there are no duds. The RnB-styled One’s Cycle, topped with a deliV ÕÃÊÃ Õ `Ài V i`Ê > iÞÊ7 iÞÊÛ V> ]Ê ÃÊ>ÊÃÕ «ÌÕ ÕÃÊÃÌ> `Ê ÕÌ°ÊU Michael Hollywood

GOLD MEDAL FAMOUS: Deep In The Heart Of Saturday Night

Described on their Bandcamp page as avant-garde pop, GMF manage to get slightly psychedelic here on tracks like Three, with twisty washes of synths. With many a synth-pop texture on show, the band also mix in organic sounds such as trombone and even koto. Hooking you in with electro-grooves, they then hit you in the face with straightfrom-the-hip lyrics. In Zed Em the chorus liltingly urges ‘…expand the playlist… life’s too short to be boring.’ They certainly aren’t afraid to be upfront. This attitude of combining catchy tunes with hilarious lyrics will already be familiar to followers of band member Vorn Colgan’s previous output under his other band name Vorn. Joining up here with Tamsin Grigg and Chris Wilson, two other eclectically talented multi-instrumentalists, that creativity gets multiplied by three. ‘Recorded while drinking at Vorn’s flats in Wellington during 2014 and 2015,’ as it says on the sleeve, the result is a retro electro-pop trip, 11 tracks delivered ÊÃ ÀÌÊV Õ ÃÊ vÊ} `i Ê} ` iÃÃ°ÊUÊBing Turkby

THE PHOENIX FOUNDATION: Give Up Your Dreams

The 6th album from increasingly psychedelic Wellington indie rockers The Phoenix Foundation. The up-tempo drum grooves we started to see on 2013’s ‘Fandango’ (with the introduction of drummer Chris O’Connor) really shine on ‘Give Up Your Dreams’, creating a rhythmic thread that ties the album together. While cohesive as a whole, showcasing Samuel Flynn Scott and Luke Buda’s knack for coming up with genuinely interesting hooks, melodies and vocal lines, some of the tracks do risk getting locked into their own grooves, with somewhat repetitive riffing and a lack of dynamic variation. The synthesiser-laden, electric tracks are a cool change from the more usual TPF folky acoustic guitar. The energy is tangible, the album feels made for live shows, dancing and jamming. The supremely catchy, non-sensical ballad Bob Lennon John Dylan and the R&B inspired “ah’s” that open Celestial Bodies are good examples of the kind of quirkiness you can expect from the album. TPF don’t show any sign of giving up on their dreams and continue their sonic experimentation, honing their songwriting skills in an iÝV Ì }ÊÜ>Þ°ÊUÊOliver Clifton

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DEL THOMAS: Shifting Sands

This second album Wellington bluesman Del Thomas offers a hybrid of blues and country with a raw edge. Simplicity is the key to ‘Shifting Sands’’ character and the space created in the songs is appealing. The mood varies from the gently driving Movin’ On to the more loping and introspective Looking For A Reason. Jaunty instrumental Jimmie’s Jive (a nod to fave guitarists Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan) breaks up the early tracks, with Phil McLaughlin’s clear guitar tone and simple blues phrasing leading the way. Thomas manages to squeeze in moments of country influence, but the blues is never too far away in his arrangements. While McLaughlin’s guitar input is a key to the album’s unique flavour, a second instrumental, Finnen Haaddie, with its slow Celtic dirge, shows multi-instrumentalist Thomas can handle the lead guitar role just as well himself. With James Shanks’ drumming, the live feel of the recording and the raw production stays true to the rootsy, blues intent, and will be sure to translate well from the CD changer to live performance. s 3TU %DWARDS

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Verging of breaking through onto the international roots reggae scene, this hearty 10-track EP is Israel Starr’s first big release, following two singles and numerous local and international collaborations. What contributes nicely to the vibe of ‘Through The Ages And Forever’ are the references to old school reggae, tape, raw gritty treatment, traditional sounds and swings, using loads of reverbs, such as Do For Love. High quality production, courtesy of Zane Graham, along with beautiful vocals enhance the whole experience. Created at Bless Up Studio and mastered by Chris Chetland at Kog, the music is fused with intros and skits, with themes rolling from political through to whānau, but all locked in with live musicianship. “I try to make something that sounds different – different ages, different sound of reggae,” inserts Starr. A great addition to your summer road trip playlist – especially sneaky last track Long White Cloud.ÊUÊ(UIA (AMON

BRAVE NEW VOID: BNV

‘BNV’ delivers a steady stream of impressive alt-rock with a distinctly Brit-flavoured edge. The eight tracks from this Wellington four-piece maintain momentum and should be treated as a lengthy EP, rather than a short (41 min) album. Opening track Keep On Keeping On sets up the sort of intensity that can be expected from a stadium act, which hints at plenty of live takes as part of the recording process. With a lyrical theme of loss and hope running throughout, vocalist Joe Harrison injects wry snippets of irony into his phrases. The songs are generous in length and given plenty of space to develop. While the majority of the playlist powers forward like a melodic rock Trojan horse, closing track Change The Skyline eases up the pace to finishes with epic class. Those looking for an introspective Sunday listen should jump into BNV.s 3TU %DWARDS

SUNKEN SEAS: Glass

Sunken Seas provide a sonic barrage of mood and melody, and enveloping textures, a force to be reckoned with. Waves and walls of sound, but always with a tender (or tough), thoughtful, intelligent lyrical bite in amongst the threatening canyons they create with their instruments. Sonic architecture it truly is – of the best kind. This second album follows on from their 2012 debut ‘Null Hour’ (as a three-piece of Ryan Harte on vox and bass, Luke Cavanagh’s guitar and Craig Rattray on drums), with and EP entitled ‘Cataclysm’ released in 2013. Originally from Wellington, they have relocated to Auckland, brought in new drummer Jordan Puryer and added David Provan as second guitarist. The result is spectacular, the band have totally come into their own. With other observers’ thoughts ranging from ‘industrialised space rock’ through to ‘shoegaze’ I prefer the band’s own description of ‘hauntological’. Haunting and ‘churchey’ (that big epic space-filling sound) most certainly. Their influences might be the likes of Pumice, Bailter Space, Seefeel, Spacemen 3 et al, plus hints of The Cure, Loop... but I believe that Sunken Seas bring something new and unique to the table. Recorded at Munki Studios in Wellington, these guys are not to be ignored. s !NIA 'LOWACZ

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NEW GUM SARN: New Gold Mountain Recorded by Sam Hamilton, this 8-track debut from Auckland indie rockers New Gum Sarn is as much about the countryside of Puhoi as anything, according to the band. Anxiety Nap is an instrumental blues number that builds, evolves and subsides before Bad Soy rocks a groove with occasional triplets and introduces the laconic, whining vocals completely at home amongst the jangling soundscape. Money Talks is immediately given the gold star thanks to the lyric, “Money talks to me 40 hours a week”, and I’m literally moments away from soap boxing. Panic In The Treasure has a cute guitar intro that ends up being the whole song, and title track New Gold Mountain meanders into a laid back rhythm section with haunting vocals searing through the outro. Blue Flag highlights the rockier side of New Gum Sarn, following an old style guitar/bass interplay at the outset, with dissonant melodies and a spaced out guitar solo, giving just a hint of Brit rockers Supergrass. Small Boys begins as vaguely oriental before a Strokes-like guitar rock sound takes over. By the time Saigon Paris works its way to the end the fourpiece have finished their album off in uncompromisingly indie-rock style. For fans of all of the musical references that feature above, and also The Veils, ‘New Gold Mountain’ hints at a DIY attitude, songwriting prowess, laidback vibe and boutique sound that New Gum Sarn can now claim as their own. s *OHN 0AUL #ARROLL

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Big Bombo is a vehicle for the music of Aucklander Ivan De los Santos. By turns, anthemic, driving and swinging, the songs are drawn from a colourful pallet of sonic approaches. Spread across five tracks it works a rich vein of indie pop, driven by a crisp delivery from a focused rhythm section and pulled from the front by the guitars. It’s as if Prefab Sprout invited Johnny Marr over, only to have Kevin Shields crash the party. The vocals are right out front but without overbearing their musical setting. Recorded at Show Pony and The Lab studios by Amos Clarke and Olly Harmer, the production has the right mix of grit and polish, the drums particularly well handled. Opener Revelations is a perfect slab of indie power pop. The Leftovers of a Song Inside Of You is a wide-ranging beast from its jittery opening riff to its blossoming shoegaze middle eight / lead section. Lyrically opaque at times, there are elements of self-doubt and the pursuit of perfect romantic situations. Closer m.a.v. is sung in Spanish, the lyrics from a poem by Argentinian writer Lucio Madariaga. A diverse and well crafted debut EP, the songs seem always on the move, drawing in new textures whether melodically or dynamically, while retaining their identity. Surely one of this year’s best local self-releases. s $ARRYL +IRK

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Raucous fairground-style fun, in the vein of Mr Sterile Assembly. Just like the Assembly, Swamp Doctor may venture to very edge of experimentalism but only ever in service of the song. These are songs that are actually about something, not just a catchy chorus (though there are some of those too!) Subjects range from alien abductions to rampant consumerism, and the lyrics are very poetic. Exhibit A. ‘… and thus sticky time trickles thru me like a syrup.’ The great strength of a band like this is the sheer variety of musical ground they can cover, switching between male and female vocals, adding or subtracting instruments as they judge it necessary. And it could easily become a mess, but it doesn’t when the musicians have good hooks to hang the songs on. Recorded and mastered by Rohan Hill, with mixing done by drummer John Wilson, The Swamp Doctor has what you need. s "ING 4URKBY

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From the first note you know Tami Neilson has created something special. Crafted out of grief and love, Neilson’s latest album is for her father, Ron, who passed away earlier in 2015, and whose life, talent, and memory weigh heavy on her heart, mind and songwriting. ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ is collaborative, part-written with brother Jay with contributions also from Delaney Davidson. It includes two songs started by her father and finished by Neilson and her brother – the sparse, powerful title track and the Patsy Cline-channeling ballad Lonely, written by Ron and completed by Tami (notable

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for beautiful vocals from her and guest Marlon Williams). The album’s predominant soul sense is alternated with country, blues and defiance; witness the storming Holy Moses and the raucous vaudeville music-hall Laugh Laugh Laugh, both evangelical and bursting with energy. Musician collaborators Delaney Davidson, Dave Khan, Ben Woolley and Joe McCallum again give exceptional performances, the production by Davidson and Ben Edwards emphasising the songs’ foundations and Neilson’s extraordinary vocals. Regardless of the grief and feeling present in almost every note she sings, ‘Don’t be Afraid’ is not maudlin, though a sometimes heart-wrenchingly sincere sentiment channeled into the ÕÃ VÊÃ iÊÃ >Ài`ÊÃ ÊV Ãi ÞÊÜ Ì Ê iÀÊv>Ì iÀ°ÊU !MANDA -ILLS

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Having pumped out three releases since April last year, Miho Wada (flute, alto sax) is back with ‘Bumpy Road’ – written and recorded while pregnant. There is nothing in the way of Wada getting her music out there. Supported by a range of musicians from Miho’s Jazz Orchestra, including husband Pascal Roggen (violin, guiro), Andrew Rudolph (guitars), Eamon Edmundson-Wells (bass) and Jared Desvaux de Marigny on drums, along with additional instrumentation from several others, Wada proves that her study at Canterbury University has paid off, her expertise shining in the diversity of tracks. When The Sun Goes Down provides a bluegrass shuffle for Wada to place catchy melodies over top. Okinawa Daydream shows off her lyrical playing, as well as Roggen’s beautiful violin phrasing. Mapua Funk does exactly what it says and funks it up, giving Wada a chance to showcase her alto saxophone skills. Recorded and mixed by Olly Harmer at The Lab, mastered by Don Bartley at Benchmark, this album provides a great fresh take on flute music and something to get you in good spirits. s *ESSE !USTIN

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Significantly less metal than the name would suggest, this debut album Christchurch’s Salad Boys instead captures the jangle-pop of US ’80s college radio with Kiwi lo-fi grit. Hook-laden, smartly written pop music is the order of the day here. Singer/guitarist Joe Sampson’s Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde combination of clean openstrummed chords and wall of noise sonic assault may be reminiscent of ’80s Dinosaur Jr. on tracks like Daytime Television, but it’s the layers of slide guitars and Byrds-esque open tunings that really take these songs to greater heights. There’s bittersweet slacker anthems (Better Pickups), garage-pop nuggets (My Decay), frantic post-punk (No Taste Bomber) and good ole’ rock ’n’ roll (Dream Date), but perhaps Salad Boys’ biggest talent is penning extremely catchy pop songs and making them sit comfortably in their own flesh. Also featuring bassist Ben Odering and James Sullivan on drums, ‘Metalmania’ walks the fine line between raw and polished, without sounding needlessly under-produced – oft a cliché in the genre. Recorded and mixed by Sampson and Doprah’s Steven Marr, mastered by Mikey Young and released on the band’s US indie label Trouble In Mind Records. There’s no attempt to make ’Metalmania’ a song-cycle concept record, instead think the playfulness of / iÊ i> ÊÜ Ì ÊÌ iÊÃ }ÜÀ Ì }ÊÌ> i ÌÃÊ vÊ¼ ÕÀ ÕÀ½ÊiÀ>Ê, °U 3AMMY *AY $AWSON

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Modern rockers Coridian have arrived with an endearingly natural, heavy and emotive four-track EP, led by powerful vocals, given depth by expansive guitar arrangements, and momentum by a versatile rhythm section. Recorded (and mixed) by Paul Lawrence at Roundhead, things kick off with Fight or Flight, a building soundscape that gives way to emotive vocals, while arpeggiated guitars and energetic drums interweave dramatically. Brave Disguise expresses a more melodic side to the Auckland four-piece (three Raven brothers plus vocalist Dity Maharaj), featuring a big chorus and ending with a feel not dissimilar to Oz prog-metallers Karnivool. Alexandria is punctuated with memorable melodies and unpredictable structuring. Coridian’s penchant for 6/8 grooves is by now undeniable, and the crushing rhythm section combined with the expressive guitars and vocals lands this sound somewhere between Incubus and Deftones. Frogs and Crossbones rounds out the EP, reversing guitars lead to vocal notes that go on and on. A groove change raises the stakes before a prog rock turn with attitude, and unapologetically dissonant riffs make way to the outro. ‘Oceanic’ is, by design, the best representation of an alternative, modern rock band – heavy, melodic rock, warts and all. s *OHN 0AUL #ARROLL

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THE BLISTERED FINGERS: The Blistered Fingers With a name like The Blistered Fingers, you might think you know what to expect from this New Plymouth four-piece. Rather than the fret-burning blues the name might suggest, instead think more the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s southern rock of Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;60s revival boogie woogie, RnB and game-changing rock legends The Band. Indeed perhaps their biggest strength is their breadth of influence, seemingly sounding, at the same time, like everyone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; yet uniquely. Featuring Kerr SharpeYoung on guitar), Ash Gesterkamp (drums), Jimmy Hick (bass) and Karl Raubenheimer (guitar/vocals), this self-titled debut sees the band ditch needless over-the-top virtuosity in exchange of song service, having fun while blurring the line between revival rock and neo-blues. Recorded by Dave Carnahan at New Plymouthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s King St Studio with additional musicians Robin Wells (saxophone), Viv Trewick (trumpet) and Callum Judd on keys and percussion filling out the sound, there certainly is a sense of grandeur. Not content to keep the 12 tracks from sounding like improvised blues-jams, The Rider wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be out of place in a Clint Eastwood spaghetti-western. Album opener Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Not Easy sees The Blistered Fingers at their best, its mellow groove would have stood shoulder to shoulder with tracks off The Bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self-titled second album. s 3AMMY *AY $AWSON

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NZ artist Jason Lankino and Chilean producer Mauricio â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Melodikoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ravet Jr have created an upbeat and exciting internationallyfueled release. The collaboration with Lusophone Asian and Latin American cultures creates a summer-juiced feel with both contributing a smooth and sensual flow, comfortably switching between Espanol and English. The variety of voices and languages featured remind the listener about the diversity of the human race. This 10-track album sits firmly in a world format, hailing back to the urban style of music with interludes and interesting audio soundbites. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Grand Unification Vol 1â&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a magnificent fusion of sounds; from well-produced reggaeton tracks to hip hop, and traditional Latino vibes, overall itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a testament to the producerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and the artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; passion for their craft. Stand out tracks are Freedom and Roots, but each song Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;}Â&#x2026;Ă&#x152;vĂ&#x2022;Â?Ă&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;}Â&#x2026;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;iĂ&#x203A;Â&#x153;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}Â°Ă&#x160;U (UIA (AMON

'2%' &,%-).' !.$ 4(% 7/2+).' 0//2 3TRANGER )N -Y /WN (OMETOWN Flemingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second outing with The Working Poor, and alongside the evident irony, the road-worn Auckland songsmith has perfected the art of what might be called working manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blues rock. An edgy country-tinged blues rock, with a gruff lived-in vocal to both die for and rally behind. The sort of voice you might get if you crossed Dylan with Knopfler, or Petty, or Waits, or any combination thereof. Produced by the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drummer Wayne Bell, Flemingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vocals sit atop beautifully crafted compositions and songs about things that matter. Songs about important things like bad politics, cruel cities, and matters of the heart â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not necessarily in that order. Songs like Corporate Hill, Night Country Blues, the lovely piano ballad Autumn Auckland, and the intimate Heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Wreck. But more than that, more than the voice, more than those lyrics, what really makes â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Stranger in My Own Hometownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; work is the sense that each member of the six-piece band knows exactly what their job is, and as a unit they execute it to perfection. And you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really ask for much more than that. s -ICHAEL (OLLYWOOD

GT42: GT42

Long-time Wellington friends Vinnie McParland and Steve Haugey evidently put a lot of love and effort into this album. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rock in the traditional sense â&#x20AC;&#x201C; think â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80s influences, though cleverly none of them overt. Actually itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more that smooth Journey(!), via KISS, The Cult, Ozzy, Van Halen, a mellow Motley... shards of both decades, distilled through these evident lovers of all that music. You can hear the love in their songwriting and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really neat. Props for the restraint and that despite the familiarity of sources it is by no means a predictable listen. Clever even. Spacious dramatic vocals float across big drums, lead guitar break outs and rhythm washes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just one flavour. Elsewhere things are more immediate, closer to an easy listening rock radio format. The 14-track album provides a curious and often surprisingly pleasing trip down various musical memory lanes. s !NIA 'LOWACZ

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Paekakariki may be (as the song says) the land of the tiki, but it is also the stomping ground of Moumou Timers, who have been together for four years, performing when they can. This is their second album and with it they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t moved far away from the style established with 2013â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ti Miti and Beyondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sugar Hitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is wide-ranging bluesy rock, and while it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to change the world the album is well performed and impassioned. Epic The Raven Spy, the swinging bluesy Carrie and others play to the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strengths, while some songs, like the half-hearted reggae All The Troubles and the repetitive Lucy No Brain, could better have been left off. Sacharine sweet it is not, but â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sugar Hitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; does pack some punch, with tight performances especially from vocalist Donna Hitchorn and guitarist Mark Te One, who delivers some great solos. Solid overall, it would benefit from a slightly lighter touch. s !MANDA -ILLS

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Following up his 2014 debut album â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Paradisoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Jimmy Hazelwood now brings us this walk through acoustic pop with touches of folk, and catchy choruses that quickly become singalongs. His raw and wavering voice comes to the fore on the title track. Off the Road is infectiously catchy, with minimal guitar surrounded by percussion and a fast moving melody line. He has stuck with his earlier album sound, however â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Make It Betterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; does point to a move further into pop, and away from acoustic or folk music, certainly with Undone and the Get Out While You Can remix. Falling Down is the highlight, with some tasteful slide guitar added by his dad, Dean Heazlewood of The Mockersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fame, and a chorus that perfectly fits Hazelwoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vocal range and tone. Mostly self-recorded, a few of the tracks were produced and engineered by The Takeover, whose electronic remix of Get Out While You Can does bring the EP to a slightly odd close, being placed alongside the pleasantly acoustic elements of the rest. s &INN -C,ENNAN %LLIOTT

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DELANEY DAVIDSON: Lucky Guy Quintessentially stamped with his unique musical identity, Delaney Davidsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest album ties in well with his extensive previous work, but readily holds up as a standalone piece. Catchy, memorable choruses are easy to find, right from opener Broken Wheel with its tremolo-laden guitar. Foot stomper Somethingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wrong has an energetic and lively groove, while the slower Wait, which closes things out, sticks in the brain with its dark, ominous feel. Placed halfway through the album, Tell It To You breaks things up with a new upbeat feel to reinvigorate the listener. The slide playing on this track is perfectly executed. Gimme Your Hands is another instantly memorable gem, though such a song would certainly lose its magic if performed by anyone other than Davidson. The exposing lyrics, distinct vocals and lo-fi recording sound break down any barriers between performer and listener. While his songs hold up on their own, the solid rhythm section of Ben Woolley and Joe McCallum glue Davidsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s carnivalesque creations together tightly. Recorded under the seasoned ears of Olly Harmer at The Lab, with mixing and mastering done in New York and Switzerland, the albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production aligns with Davidsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own travelling troubadour persona. While the tracks may be short this is largely due to his to-the-point songwriting, requiring no extraneous filler material. s #ARL -C7ILLIAMS

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Ebony Lamb began her music career in 2010 out of a heartbreak that opened a door to a dormant musical talent. Five years and four releases later her Wellington quintet, Eb & Sparrow, have this second album which is heavy with emotion, delivered with pathos and Lambâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smoky, bluesy voice. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sun/Sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; spins a tale or two out of the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Americana/torchsong sound, with lap steel, trumpet, and mellophone adding exotic touches. These are most obvious on Mighty Wind and Kimbolton, just two of the songs that envelop the listener in a whirl of seductive noir. The weary, lonely I Want You is full of cinematic space, and the beautiful Little Hands relies on sparse arrangements and good songwriting. Eb & Sparrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sound is part Cowboy Junkies, part Renderers, but their own personality is stamped firmly with dusty alt-country, and a touch of mariachi trumpet on Loaded Gun. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sun/Sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is less interesting when the band are more conventional, but best when focusing on Lambâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lovely voice and the atmospheric performances of the band. An album that comes from the dark night of the soul â&#x20AC;&#x201C; lonesome, shadowy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but glorious. s !MANDA -ILLS

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Auckland-based three-piece â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tim Fowler on guitar/vocals, Patrick Girard on drums and bassist Peter Beazley â&#x20AC;&#x201C; follow up their debut EP â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We Are All Bigotsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Self-described as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;repressed angry engineer punk rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, their dry humour infuses each of the dozen tracks without ever slipping into self-parody. I love the raspy punkified vocal and tempo, reminding in places of Rancid and Ruts DC. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a mix up of styles though. Some reggae beat on I Think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m OK, with the brilliant line, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you dig deep, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll probably just find a hole.â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s punk, but not as you may know it. The production is very clean and the lyrics are witty and sharp. Inspired by Randy Newman and adopting the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;false narratorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; role in songwriting, a variety of subjects are ably covered. I Deserve Everything has a Suicidal Tendenciesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; vibe, while on Pohutukawa Black Flag gets a nod. Guatemala seems more Dead Kennedys. Two engineers and a philosopher, apparently they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have time for too much navel gazing, and so for Ghosts Of Electricity short and sweet is the order of the day. s !NIA 'LOWACZ

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The brainchild of Wellington-based musician and writer Dave Currie, You Barbarians combine angular drop-tuning riffs and pulverizing drums underneath a Morrissey-esque croon. Bringing to mind alt rock bands like I Am Giant with the stoner groove of Open Hand, this debut EP sounds more like a band with a few full length albums under their belt. Currie plays bass and takes lead vocals, with Rhys Telford on drums, Jessica Aaltomenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s violin and Kevin Currie playing horns. Clocking in at just under 25 minutes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a short listen, but one that covers a large array of moods and textures.

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There are mellow moments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Northern Suburbs with its yearning violin pulls the track into more emotive territory â&#x20AC;&#x201C; while down-tempo closer Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Own Eyes ups the suspense levels. Chaotic yet often beautiful, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Helioshivaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is anything but a record of opposites, its dynamic instead being one of its biggest strengths, and testament to Currieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s songwriting skill. Recorded at STL Studios in Wellington by Currie himself, with guitars recorded long distance by Brian James Wanders in New York, mixing and mastering by Dave Currie and TKO at STL. Though Currieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice is an obvious weakness, the oft out-of-tune wanderings also make it one of the albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strengths. Bringing a broken-hearted human element to otherwise hard driving alt rock might not be anything new, but â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Helioshivaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; certainly does its best to add something to the formula. s 3AMMY *AY $AWSON

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Bakers Eddy are a four-piece Wellingtonian rock band practically bubbling over with enthusiasm, and currently in Europe reaping the rewards of their National Battle of The Bands victory. This, as well as radio play for their lead track Something Outside from both The Rock and Hauraki serve as indicators of a high quality homegrown rock act with plenty in the tank. Title track Plastic Wasteland features an immediately relatable chorus, with socio-analytical lyrical content delivered on a melodic smorgasbord. The feel is undeniably Shihad-esque, proving the capital hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t run dry of rock talent. Something Outside, with a Hives-like riff and groove, highlights the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s control of dynamics, as well as their propensity to be downright exciting. Hyper Excessive Consumption rounds out the triple threat EP featuring energy to burn, guitar parties, punk undertones and a lyrically mature reflection on the world we live in. A sense of drama and tension permeates, just behind the veil of this three-track rock EP, and highlights Bakers Eddy as a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;watch this spaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; kind of band. s *OHN 0AUL #ARROLL

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Dunedinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Shifting Sands worked on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cosmic Radio Stationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for over 18 months in perfecting the albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s psychedelic pop-rock sound. Mike McLeod (vocals, guitars, synths, Indian harmonium), Thomas Bell (bass, synths, samples), and Jake Langley (drums) are the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nucleus. Alex Vaatstra adds strings to All the Stars, and the lovely, deceptively simple instrumental Whareakeake, and The Cleanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s David Kilgour provides guitar on two tracks (Coming Back, and the spacey, instrumental Radio Silence). â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cosmic Radio Stationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has an expansive sound, belying the recordingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s close quarters â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a woolshed in Whareakeake and a falling-down crib (bach) north of Dunedin, with overdubs completed at Chicks Hotel. The album mixes light and weighty. Opener Waiting For The Sun is airy, underpinned by a fuzzy drone, so instantly familiar it could easily be The Clean. Even lighter is the dreamy waltz-time We All Fall Down, with McLeodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weightless vocals and synth line, and the acoustic-led All The Stars, a beautiful album highlight. Things do get heavier â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Making It Through and Dreaming To Keep Awake rock out with walls of guitar, and denser rhythms, further examples of The Shifting Sandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; well-written rock songs, unhindered by fleeting trends in sound or style. s !MANDA -ILLS

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An energetic debut romp of spikey new punk, with plenty of pop smarts going on. Taurangaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Funkillers are a hard-driving quartet fronted by vocalist Shannon Avery. The engine room of veteran Scottish drummer Willy Mone and American bassist Doug Yeiter contrast and compliment each other, with the drums pulling and the bass pushing to create a monumental foundation. Guitarist Rob Heath opens spaces for Averyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s well-nuanced vocals to work, scattering drawn out motifs that coalesce back on top of the rhythm section. There are wig outs and weird-outs that bring to mind early B52s. Stamping all over this beast is a vocal performance that screams Riot Grrrl. Averyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vocals are aggressive but carry a melodic sweep that punch the sweet spots of the songs. Under the hood, this is pop music, done by a band steeped in punk and new wave and fully aware of everything else that has happened since. Clocking in at only 15 minutes, the EP seems longer because it holds your attention from start to finish. s $ARRYL +IRK

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One Waka

Towards A Dream Robbie Hewson, One Waka’s vocalist, guitarist and spokesperson, admits to being obsessed with classic dub production, the likes of Lee Scratch Perry and King Tubby. The Christchurch dubsters, he says, always thought they’d go down the dub road rather than the Kiwi-common roots reggae road. ‘Dub Sea Voyages’ is their album of proof. Martyn Pepperell spoke with Hewson, along with drummer Teina Paniora and bass player Matt Yates.

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ro, if this album comes out good and we’re really happy with, pressing it to vinyl would be success,” enthuses Robbie Hewson, vocalist, guitarist and koauau player in 7-piece Christchurch dub band One Waka. “If we could press it to vinyl, be happy with it, and have a really vintage sound that the stays true to some strong reggae elements and true to ourselves, I would be happy as. That’s success for me.” Hewson is talking about ‘Dub Sea Voyages’, an album he’s been writing and recording with his bandmates since last summer. For One Waka, summer 2014/’15 was the best season of their career to date. After several years of playing and recording together the band were really moving around the country. They’d been performing at festivals in both the North and South Island, and were forming what bassist Matt Yates describes as “some hearty songs” off them. Inspired by the landscape and culture of places they were spending time in, like Kaikoura and Golden Bay, they rented a holiday home in Akaroa to record a bunch of demos. “They served a massive purpose in helping shape what we wanted to do with it,” Hewson reflects.“It’s one thing to do it live, but it’s another to record it.” When One Waka started playing together over a half a decade ago, their initial collective inspiration was powered by the excitement of seeing local dub, roots and heavy soul bands like Shapeshifter, Salmonella Dub and The Black Seeds play big atmospheric live shows. As the years progressed however, they found themselves delving

deeper into classic ’60s/’70s Jamaican dub, and more recently, modern Californian roots reggae. These influences were evident in their self-released 2012 debut EP ‘South Bay Sessions’, and are only more pronounced on the songs they’ve been working up for ‘Dub Sea Voyages’. “We always thought we’d go down the dub route rather than the roots reggae route,” says Hewson. “I’m obsessed with classic dub production; King Tubby, Lee Scratch Perry etc. Traditionally dub was a production technique, but I think nowadays there is a new trend, especially with US roots bands like John Brown’s Body, to have a live band with a full horn section producing a live dub sound – rather than the dub being an after production. We’re all about bringing a full sound.” With the Akaroa demos as guides they connected with Peter Williams and Ben Delaney from Riverside Sound Studios in Christchurch, and started laying down some proper recordings. Outside of an instrumentation and performance style focused on recreating dub in a live format, another central element in One Waka’s music is lyrical content rooted in reality and real life experiences. “I suppose a lot of the tunes stem from individual experiences to begin with,’ Hewson says. “As we progressed, they began to be experiences as a band. I think we’re quite tight, not just at playing music – anyone in the band could hang out with anyone and get on

great at any time. “We go on snowboard trips together and do outdoorsy stuff. I think it’s a big influence on us.” That tightness he attributes in part to the involvement of saxophonist Chris Henderson and his sons Hemi and Teina Paniora (percussion, vocals, taonga pūoro and drums, vocals respectively), rounding out a line-up that also includes James Johnston (keys, synths) and Greg Stanley (trumpet, guitar). “Because of that, the vibe has extended out to the rest of us. We’ve grown together and been through a lot together. We’ve picked up a lot of people along the way. The fit has just been there. It’s what we’ve been about rather than just picking up session dudes. I think it’s been about the family buzz and life lessons along the way.” Something that differentiates One Waka from some of the other dub bands active around NZ at the moment is their use of traditional Māori instruments like taonga pūoro and te reo Māori vocals in some songs. “My dad has a big dream about everyone in NZ being able to speak Māori or understand some Māori, regardless of who they are or where they are from,” Teina explains. “Being in the band helps him with that dream as well. The other guys in the band like Robbie and Matt, you’d swear they were more Māori than I am sometimes.” After independently selling 1000 copies of their debut EP, performing at some key summer festivals and regularly playing around the South Island, One Waka are excited to see where ‘Dub Sea Voyages’ might take them. “As important as the shows are the experiences we have with each other,” Hewson enthuses. “We go away and have endless laughs. I think that’s what keeps the ball rolling for us.”

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Fane Flaws

Left to right: Greg Taylor, Fane Flaws, Paul Murphy, Bernie McGann, Mick Lieber, Ian Watkin, Beaver. (BLERTA)

Fane Michael Flaws is a visual artist, painter and video director who has made short films and TV commercials and video clips for a number of artists. His work has seen him inducted into both the Massey University Design Hall Of Fame and the NZ Film Archive Music Video Wall Of Fame. Fane is also a musician who has recorded and performed with the theatrical communal styled ’70s band Blerta, then Spats, which later morphed into the pure pop outfit The Crocodiles. Their hit single Tears (co-written by Fane and Arthur Baysting) still gets ample radio play. Fane later relocated to Australia, securing a publishing and recording contract with Mushroom Records. The resulting experimental Devo-esqe album, ‘I Am Joe’s Music’, is reputedly Mushroom’s worst-ever selling album. Living these days in Napier, Fane Flaws still performs with his band No Engine, continues recording with colleagues Peter Dasent and Tony Backhouse, aka Bend, and creates art of all descriptions. His Youtube channel is a goldmine of creativity. Can you remember the when and where of this photo? On tour promoting the first Blerta album, recorded in Sydney, it’s backstage, probably pre-gig, at the Wanganui Town Hall in 1975. One of many pics taken by Robin White, who travelled with Blerta as an all round troubleshooter, building props and sets, helping run the light show, print posters, set fire to the audience and record the mayhem on celluloid. How did you come to be part of Blerta? I wanted to be a drummer – I had the sticks and I was in the Wellington College Pipe Band! I would play my Who album ‘My Generation’ (1965) and slam along with Keith Moon on a couple of exercise books and my bedside table. My father vetoed the drum kit, so I bought an acoustic guitar with a pick-up and a 12 watt amp from an enterprising local for 25 pounds (which I got as a reward for passing School Certificate), and learned to play You Really Got Me by the Kinks and Tin Soldier by The Small Faces. After Design School my parents gave up on trying to steer me into a sensible career. I was living a stoned existence, writing songs in a flat in Roseneath, when one night on my way down town, the Blerta bus pulled up at the bus stop and offered me and my mate a ride to their concert. It was such an amazing night of interactive film, theatre, music and the best after-party. I decided I had to get on that bus. When we heard that Bruno was auditioning musicians for a new tour we fronted. Patrick Bleakley (bass) and Greg Taylor (horns) and I auditioned and they both got in. I figured I’d be left behind as I simply couldn’t play well enough, but I

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knew Blerta had a Kids’ Show, which they used to placate wary locals who didn’t like the idea of hippies in town, so I told Bruno I had a wizard’s act. He was lukewarm, but after a gig at the Victoria Union Hall, I approached him as they were packing the bus and he said “Hop on”. I said, “Can I bring my guitar and amp?” and that was it – I was ‘on the bus’ travelling with BLERTA – the Bruno Lawrence Electric Revelation Travelling Apparition! Bruno taught the novices how to listen and play (which often involved being hit by a flying drumstick if you were off-beam), and when I finally got to play him some of my compositions his eyes lit up. He said to Chas Burke Kennedy (guitar), “What do you think?” Chas replied, “He should write them – we should play them!” I was now a songwriter. I also was able to bring my skills as a designer to the party and became resident poster artist. When he discovered my given name was actually Fane he said, “Fane Flaws! That’s a much better name!” and began to call me by it. Everyone else followed suit and that changed me profoundly. I realised I had been using the wrong name all my life – I was named Fane after my uncle, but my mother didn’t like it so she called me Michael – I am not Michael. Following Blerta, what was your next move in art and music? Bruno had kept bumping into my life from the age of 14, and that was to continue. After he fired me from Blerta I used a small inheritance to record 18 songs I’d written that we hadn’t played in the band. I enlisted the help of two amazing rhythm sections; Patrick Bleakley and Chris Fox, and Mark Hornibrook with the young Kerry Jacobson, who later became famous drumming with Dragon. Chris Seresin played wonderful keys and Tony Backhouse, whom I had admired in Mammal, arranged the vocals. These recordings, which were captured at Delbrook Studios, a four-track in a Tawa basement, are remarkable to me to this day, and seminal in that I proved to myself that I could organise my own music to happen on my own bat. I was a band leader waiting to happen. I was now married with a child and living at Paekakariki when I was invited to play guitar with The Andy Anderson Express, a blues and boogie covers band. At the first rehearsal I found a strange, long-haired bearded man, with glasses and a greatcoat with the collar turned up, sitting behind the piano. He was so shy he barely spoke, but when Andy kicked into the first song, The Doors’ Roadhouse Blues, he began to play the most wonderful boogie-woogie piano I’d ever heard. It was Peter Dasent. After a couple of gigs I said to Peter, “Mate I love Andy but I don’t want to play 12 bars all night. I’ve got so many songs of my own – do you want to hear them?” He came out to my place and after an hour of raving about the music we liked, we realised we were musical soulmates, and he was

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ready to join forces and form a new band to play the songs. Les Hots, soon to become Spats, was born. We developed a kind of Blerta-influenced show where we would play a stack of original songs, largely by me and Tony Backhouse. In three sets we would appear as three different bands where we took on character and costume changes. We came on first as Les Hots & The Carbonettes, in punked tuxedos, and played a mad set of â&#x20AC;&#x2122;40s swing. Then as The Dukanes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a â&#x20AC;&#x2122;50s style doo-wop group featuring songs from Zappaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Reuben & The Jetsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, and finally a new-wave set as The Crocodiles. For the Robmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Roadshow tour we got Neville Purvis (Arthur Baysting) to be the compere, Bruno as a guest saxophonist and actor, and Limbs Dance Company on board, and hit the road. After performing to a packed Cabana in Napier we headed to the Blerta home base in Waimarama for the weekend. While we were there Geoff Murphy, Albol, Ian Paul and assorted helpers shot the first independent band-made music clip for our song New Wave Goodbye, at the homestead where the set of the classic Crunchie commercial, which Geoff Murphy had directed, was still standing in the field. You can see this on my Youtube channel. As usual for us, business and art did not gel, as we now had a clip which featured on Radio With Pictures, but no record deal â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and consequently no single ever released. So much for entering the industry. The Crocodiles are said to have come about at the instigation of the legendary Kim Fowley picking up on the band. How was that? Legendary American producer Kim Fowley came to NZ on his honeymoon and his wife left him after three days. He went to the Windsor Castle, heard Street Talk, and had them in Mandrill Studio the next day recording their wonderful first album. At some point over that week the word went out that he was looking for bands with original songs. I think Arthur got him a tape of Spats and he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want these guys up hereâ&#x20AC;?. Arthur called me in Waimarama and I hitch-hiked to Auckland. Tony flew up. We went into Mandrill, I think it was a Sunday. Fowley, Glyn Tucker and Street Talk were all in a little office. He was on the phone calling Bruce Springsteen. It was the middle of the night in the US and a sleepy, irritated Springsteen answered the phone. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hey Bruce itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kim Fowley â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in NZ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just recorded this great band, listen to this...â&#x20AC;? He played a track and then said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What do you think Bruce?â&#x20AC;? A half-awake Springsteen replied... â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeah sounds great Kim â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going back to bed.â&#x20AC;? The next issue of Rip It Up had a full page ad with Fowley and the Band under a heading, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bruce Springsteen says new Street Talk album sounds great!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; It was an eye-opener to the world of LA hype. Fowley also introduced us to Wally Ransom who encouraged us to sign a terrible publishing deal with Southern Music, which I believe he had a slice in. We were so ignorant we signed a 50/50 deal with Southern Australasia. When the record came out in Europe Southern Music Worldwide took 50%, then Southern Music Australasia took 50% of the remainder, so Arthur and I basically

ended up with 12.5 % each for Tears. A pitfall he failed to mention. I liked the guy. We went back to Wellington, stole Jenny Morris and Tina Mathews from The Wide Mouthed Frogs, grabbed Bruno as usual, and The Crocodiles were born. Arthur and I wrote a bunch of new songs for Jenny to sing, including Tears, and we were away. We asked Mike Chunn to be our manager, blindly assuming he would have a clue cos he was in Split Enz, and worked our arses off for maybe two years. It was a typical cock up. Tears was a Top 20 hit, but took three months to get there and due to naive disorganisation, by the time it was on the radio in Dunedin it was over in Auckland. It never happened all at once and the important second single chaos was a debacle. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ask me how or why we were so stupid. With a bit of basic logic, I believe the band could have continued and enjoyed some considerable success. Chunn worked us to death, sometime three gigs a day, and eventually I burned out and left the band before the second album. I spent a couple of months exhausted, recuperating on Waiheke where I began painting, which is something I have never stopped doing and has earned me a living over the last 15 years. In Australia your I Am Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Music reputedly achieved the lowest sales figures on Mushroomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entire catalogue. Is that true? In Sydney Arthur Baysting and I began an intense period of writing, and even had a brief stint as house songwriters for Chapel Music. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t long before Chapel realised that their idea of pop music and ours were not in the same neighbourhood. I was headhunted by Michael Gudinski, the owner of Mushroom Records, who wanted to publish my songs, which gave me the leverage to get a record deal. So I signed with Mushroom. I was then able to get Peter (who was bored with the Crocs) to join me in Sydney and The Way You Get Your Way was released as the first single for I Am Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Music. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aussie rock legendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Lobby Loyde was given the job of producing our album, which was a blessing and a nightmare. Apparently Mushroom gave him fuck-all budget, but he fell in love with us and paid for much of it himself. This was great but it took two years, fitting us in between other paid projects. The outcome was that instead of making a great pop album as the record company expected (which I had the songs to do), we made a weird album, which one reviewer described as sounding like Frank Zappa arguing with Talking Heads in a Wellington pub! It was the usual strategic cock up, but I was so bloody minded I probably wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have listened to any words of wisdom had they been offered! You became well-known as a director of music videos, including, Parihaka for Tim Finn and a number for The Mutton Birds. While I was waiting for the I Am Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Music album to grind to completion I had to stay alive. I did lights for Tonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s band The Blue Tongues, drove a cake delivery truck, and then lucked out. There was a very positive response to the

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video I had done for The Way You Get Your Way, so I decided to form I Am Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Films and try and get work making vids for other bands. It was a kind of breakthrough. I was still working in the music industry, but I was being paid by record companies for the very first time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; something that never happened to me as a musician. I was now a director. Eventually with four kids I felt the need for a home base and returned to NZ. The only problem was I had no money and needed a house. Joe Bleakley who was a film industry art director suggested I might get work directing TV commercials, so I took my show reel around and ended up doing just that. I spent the next 12 years working for the dark side, which was great for the mortgage and gave me the chance to use the film crews I employed to help me make music clips for bands. A wonderful tradition in NZ, as we had experienced as Spats, is that film techs have always worked for fuck all, to help local bands get their music promos made. I made clips for The Holidaymakers, Tim Finn and Herbs, Dave Dobbyn, Neil Finn, The Front Lawn and many for The Mutton Birds. We usually received $5000 from NZ On Air, with the record company obliged to put in the same amount. I can recall that only ever happened twice, so we made the clips for whatever money we had. The first time I was ever paid for a clip was on Giant Friend, when at the end of the shoot Don McGlashan, who knew the score, came up to me and slipped a roll of $500 cash into my pocket and whispered, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for you mate.â&#x20AC;? I got home late that night and delightedly announced that I had actually been paid. I put my hand into my coat pocket and it was empty â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d left the money in the back seat of the cab never to be seen again! Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the most important thing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d pass on to a young musician or artist? s ,EARN TO DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE n SO YOU DON T end up bitter and twisted. s $ON T GO INTO BUSINESS WITH ARSEHOLES n SO YOU donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end up bitter and twisted. s "E YOUR OWN CLIENT n SO YOU DON T SPEND YOUR days watching someone else fuck up your work and end up bitter and twisted. s 3URROUND YOURSELF WITH EXPERTS n SO THAT whatever youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not an expert at doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fuck up your work. s 'ET OUT OF THE WAY n ALLOW THE WORK TO manifest itself. If you interfere too much YOU will fuck up your work. s !BOVE ALL PURSUE EXCELLENCE n SO YOU DON T END up shortchanging yourself (and the world). s $EVELOP A SPIRITUAL LIFE n SO YOU DON T GET sucked into the illusion that you are just a body. s &ORM A ,ODGE OF THE !BSURD WITH YOUR BEST friends â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so that you can have a secret ring. s !LWAYS CALL YOUR MUM

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Extended Play For the full length version go to

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Girls Pissing On Girls Pissing In September Girls Pissing On Girls Pissing released their third album ‘Scrying in Infirmary Architecture’, a collection of songs that evoke a mixture of drudgery, pleasant indifference and sinister confrontation. The Auckland five-piece’s music may seem chaotic and inconsolable, but they are by now a well established Auckland act and have a sincere attitude towards what it means to create music and art in NZ. Seamus Maguire talked with guitarist and vocalist Pope Casey James Latimer (Casey Latimer), horns player Steven Huf and keyboardist and vocalist Aki Bukkake (Aka Iti Ransfield-Crummer) about their album and what the group are up to.

Taking The Proverbial I

n a run-down flat in the heart of industrial Newton, reminiscent of Pixar’s ‘Up’, live members of Auckland avant indie rockers Girls Pissing On Girls Pissing. The lounge walls are covered with gig posters and art work. While I was with them singer Aki spent the time lying on a couch with a cat in her lap playing Skyrim, listening in and adding an occasional insight to the conversation. Steven (horns) was also rather quiet, but perhaps only because guitarist/singer Casey was eager to voice his ideas. Perched on the armrest of the couch he chain smoking rollies between fetching several cups of tea. The other two members, drummer Catherine Cummings (Cumming), and clarinet player and keyboardist Alex Knight (Brown) are both currently on an OE. The quintet has existed for a long time under the moniker, starting out as an improv noise solo project of Casey. He quickly found it was involving several people and that it needed a more steady direction, and with this album the direction they are heading as a band is clear. Their music is deeply rooted in a creative output spurring from the subconscious ethers of the mind, avoiding any explicit objective or goal and instead taking it as it comes, as Casey describes. “I think anything done creatively should work that way otherwise it just becomes impure when you think, ‘Yeah, I gotta write this or do that’. It should start just from wanting to come together and do something [rather] than from a want to succeed. We haven’t really had any desire to succeed in that way, which is good because people who do like what we do like it because it is honest and slightly less generic.” Their album features a stark contrast in textures. Heavy apocalyptic guitar tones jump to compositions reminiscent of early 20th century classical music. Casey says it is a direction they have moved towards as a band, expanding beyond guitar, bass, and drums towards a more sonically diverse palate. “When you are just a rock band there is only so much you can realistically do with a guitar and drums. Using arrangements, other ideas, or being more adventurous; that comes with the evolution of knowing each other and playing together. Now that we are a bit more comfortable we can be like, ‘Let’s do something a bit weirder’, or we understand how we compose or we can think

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about things that might not be written yet.” Some of the techniques used in the recording process show their music and the way in which they are composing music has expanded beyond the ‘simple rock-band’. The opening track off the album, A Failed Exorcism, begins with a droning hurdy-gurdy, recorded onto a four track and has been slowed down and manipulated underneath a sample of a manic speech about the occult. “I guess with that sample I used I was quite struck listening to it, and it seemed appropriate to have it in the album. There is some truth to what he is saying but it is also paranoid and ridiculous. It really comes across in this album, that idea of getting too caught up in your head. As much truth as there might be in insanity there’s got to be balance and some clarity.” Other parts of the album include layers of analogue synthesisers, and contact mics placed directly onto the guitar alongside heavily pitch-shifted and distorted tones. Casey attributes his sound to “using the wrong guitar all the time, like using a capo instead of going lower. I just use a pitch shifter and it makes it sound a bit fucked.” He determinedly makes the most of the little music gear he has. “If you get a good drummer and put them in front of a bucket they will play something good. It is important to have things that work and do what you want them to do, but when it becomes about the equipment you are using you start to miss the point. I don’t have a lot of money so I’ve just had to figure out how the things that I have work and what they do. People come up and say they love a certain sound and ask what I’m doing, and I find it amusing because it is just this shitty multi effects pedal.” The band see themselves more as a group of artists than as just a band. The artwork that is published alongside the music has always been a major part of what the band is about. “When we first became a band that was what we decided. Our first thing we put out was a piece of art. We can do exhibitions every so often and play amongst the art. Catherine doing the video was her doing her artistic interpretation of that sort of thing.” All their releases have been paired with a zine that is filled with artwork by the band and the lyrics of each song. Since the consumption of music has moved from a physical medium to one that can be predominantly consumed online the artwork that accompanies music has a taken a backseat. With Girls Pissing on Girls Pissing that is not the case. “We are just tying in what we do as artists in that sense. It seems a bit redundant when people don’t get somebody to put that side music. I think sound should be accompanied [by art] in that sense. It doesn’t have to be but it is really cool when it is. That is the shitty thing with this digital thing, when people just release albums digitally and it is like, ‘Woah you could have done so much with that.’” The album was recorded in Upper Queen

St with audio engineer friend Joshua Lynn at Thinkt. Having his input and outside view was a necessary resource during the recording process. “It was nice having someone not in the band in a sense do that. Doing things within

the documentary Land of the Long White Stain, opened (and then closed) an art space. While the music may seem fresh to new listeners, the band cannot help but feel they have outplayed the songs off this album and instead have moved on to newer more developed music. “Doing a double album and a large book would be kind of cool,” muses Casey. “We have a lot of time and we have recorded a lot of material and it would be funny. No one listens to an album let alone a double album. But I mean look at ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ [Smashing Pumpkins] and you can see they can work, for obvious reasons.”

”It is important to have things that work and do what you want them to do, but when it becomes about the equipment you are using you start to miss the point.” – Casey Latimer the band can be quite laborious. Once you have written everything and played it a million times and recorded it is quite stale.” The album was recorded two years ago, so understandably a lot has changed. In those two years they have played countless shows, toured up and down the country, featured in

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Are You A Multi-Skilled Guitar Player?

any guitar players think that just playing the instrument is all that matters, but that is an idea that’s seriously wrong. Physically playing the guitar is only about one fifth of what you really need to know. The other 80% is what I call the ‘head stuff’. The head stuff includes things like music theory, technique, repertoire, sight-reading, ear training, general knowledge, live sound, arranging, composition, and recording skills. Music business skills could also be one of them if you want a professional career in music. They are just some of the areas that good guitar players know a lot about as well. What is your knowledge like of those areas? Most top players are multi-skilled, they are not just guitar players as such. The more you can up skill yourself in those other areas, then the better you will do in music, and the more your phone will ring. Now I am not saying you need to be well skilled in all those aspects mentioned, indeed there are some that you might want to avoid. If you are in a covers band and not playing original music then a knowledge of arranging or composition will probably not interest you, though it could be an advantage later on. Let’s have a look at the different areas mentioned above individually. Music Theory – Lets you understand how other instruments work, and how they work together, understanding song forms, how different keys and key signatures work , what scales to play in your solos, and there is a lot more to learn within this subject. The more you know about music theory the better. Technique – Without sufficient technique of your instrument you will

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always be found wanting, inevitably when you don’t want to be. Many times I’ve asked guitarists to play a certain thing and they can’t physically do it, or even know about it. Not a good situation if you want to impress others with your playing. Some things to work on could be fingerstyle, alternate picking, sweep picking, playing along one string, playing diagonally across the neck, etc. There are many others to explore that I haven’t mentioned. If you are an experienced player, you could also work on improving your technique. Repertoire – It is surprising how many guitar players only have a limited range of songs they can play well from start to finish. Having a well-rounded knowledge of different genres of music will help you like no other, especially if you want to get more gigs. The more songs you know the better, and it’s also a good idea to learn all the guitar parts to the songs if you can. Sight-reading – I have written about this well-worn topic many times before, but having a good ability to sight-read will definitely help you get more gigs and help you learn new things a lot quicker than what you can if you can’t read. Learning to sight-read is not difficult if you learn it the correct way. Ear training – Commonly known as ear straining, or fear training in music schools, though it needn’t be. It’s not that scary at all. In fact this is the most important skill you need as a musician. After all, what is the use of being a guitar player if your ears can’t keep up with your playing? If you find it difficult to work out riffs, licks, and chord progressions quickly and accurately, then you need to get some ear training right away. I find this is the biggest problem many students have when beginning lessons with me. General knowledge – This includes things like how to re-string your guitar, different types of guitars and how they sound, some of the many different tunings used, knowing the history of your favourite players and that of different musical forms, etc. Having a well-rounded general knowledge of music and other related areas will help you greatly as a performing musician. Live sound – Basic knowledge of how PA systems work, how effect pedals work, what order to have them in, how your amplifier works, how to mic up your amplifier for the PA system, etc. Just understanding the language and equipment will enhance your communication skills. Arranging – The ability to take a song, yours or someone else’s, and re-arrange it to make it more interesting and saleable. People with such skills are scarce, but if you learn a bit about it, it can help you stand out from the crowd. Composition – The fundamental ability to create original songs that you can later record, hone at open mic nights or jam with your friends. Having great composition skills can really propel you into the big time, Lorde and Neil Finn are classic examples. Recording skills – If you have composed some great songs then you will want to at least make a demo recording of them at home before venturing into that big studio to get a quality production done. It’s easy to begin increasing your recording skills by having a small set up at home and recording yourself frequently. You need to learn about things like mic technique, the use of EQs, compressors/limiters, delays, reverbs, and other toys that are used in the studio, among many other things. So hopefully you can now see that being a guitar player (having the 20%) is one thing, but being a complete musician (having the other 80% as well) is another. There are many other skills that you will really need to know too of course, however, the number one skill we need as guitar players is the one that is most commonly missing – ear skills. Now you don’t need to think all this is overwhelming. If you just pick one or two of the skills mentioned above, and get to work on them for a few minutes a day, you will quickly begin to see results that will really surprise you.

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Ills Winter

Bravery and Bravura Moving on from duo project Porcelain Toy to the solo persona of Ills Winter, it’s no surprise to learn that Elizabeth de la Rey naturally draws musical inspiration from the artistic realms of poetry and theatre. When Eliza Beca caught up with her for NZM the last of the guitar tracking for Ills Winter’s debut album, ‘Duchess Of Whispers’, due out late November, was still in progress.

hile Ills Winter might be a relatively new moniker for artful musician Elizabeth de la Rey, she certainly isn’t a stranger to the process. Speaking from her Wellington home, she gives the impression of years spent experimenting with different performance mediums, instruments and genres, including a lifelong dream to write a musical, “something sort of camp and awesome,” she laughs. It’s apparent she’ll never tire of the challenge, but with Ills Winter Elizabeth seems to have settled on something more permanent. “I know that I’ll be playing music until I’m an old grandma, and I’m trying to shape this latest project with Ills Winter so it’s something that can really carry on.” That’s not to say her upcoming album stemmed from some preconceived, clear cut idea with respect to her sound. The album is a

collection of songs written over the past two years, produced and mixed by her husband, composer Emile de la Rey. “I’m glad that I’ve got a bit more of a journey going on,” Elizabeth says of ‘Duchess Of Whispers’“Ills Winter was meant to be mainly grunge stuff, I was gonna keep it raw and now it’s completely changed… but I’m glad cause it’s still got that element in there.” It’s music that’s been built on and added to over time, developing throughout the recording process into numerous instrumental layers, yet still maintaining a sparsity around the vocals. The textural density and wide range of timbres are striking – an element perhaps augmented by the influence of her husband, whose background is predominantly electronic. Emile was recently a finalist for the ‘Best Original Music in a Series’ award at the 2015 APRA Silver Scrolls for his work on the TV miniseries ‘Hope and Wire’. Ills Winter diverged from the de la Reys’ earlier project Porcelain Toy, a prolific duo which was largely recording oriented, putting on theatrical shows to accompany their work once or twice a year. With Emile increasingly busy with film projects, Ills Winter provides Elizabeth an outlet to create music by herself, allowing more of a live focus. “With Porcelain Toy I was always running everything by him… but with Ills Winter I can just do my own thing, and if he wants to join in he can. I’m focusing more on really crafting the

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lyrics with this project, and I want to tour more and be out of the studio.” It’s not primarily though musical experimentation that Elizabeth has come to refine her style. She battled thyroid cancer in 2011, leaving her unable to sing for a few months. She says she’s more or less past thinking about it now, but is still dealing with the ongoing aftermath. “It’s always going to be kind of lingering. I didn’t feel inspired by being ill… I just felt angry. I had to grow up a bit.” With singing out of the picture she became more involved in writing, as is apparent in the crafted nature of the lyrics in her more recent songs. “I wrote a lot of poetry around then and that’s trickled into Ills Winter stuff. I love how you can compact a whole lot of different experiences into one paragraph.” She describes her poetry as a new love, which she has recently been incorporating into her music to create a more definitive sound. “Before it was either poem or song and they were very separate, but they’re starting to come together now and I’m really excited to show what’s new. The poetry was very private, personal stuff, but ironically it’s kind of more relevant to other people because I’m not trying to be safe. People are gonna think what they do anyway.” Previously her songs were dominated by themes of romanticism, complimented by choirs, dance and multimedia in one-off theatrical performances at BATS theatre. “I was very focused on Emile and I being a couple, but there’s more than that, we’d be doing music if we were together or not. It always became an interview about our romantic relationship.” She seems to have found freedom in letting go of this idea with Ills Winter, delving more into the essence of being someone who dedicates their life solely to creating art, something of a lyrical theme to the upcoming album. Patti Smith’s 2010 memoir ‘Just Kids’ is one of the influences behind this. “I hope one day I’ll be an old woman, scruffy and wrinkled, and known as an artist and musician… that’s what was inspiring me. “I’ve got so much more to give, I really wanna go nuts on stage and just let go a bit more. Porcelain Toy was a bit more organised and pretty, and I wanna embrace a bit more of the ugly… we’ll see how that goes.” With the Ills Winter album still being tracked and an art exhibition coming up (she’s also a painter), Elizabeth’s not getting much sleep, but isn’t fazed. “I just want to be doing this full time, that’s why I haven’t had a family or anything. I’ve given up a lot of things for it and I’m happy to have. It feels like it’s starting to grow now, all the work feels like it’s starting to pay off.”

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Tribute

was Hello Sailor’s first bass player back in 1975 and after a few rehearsals we hit the road, first to The Trees in Tokoroa and onto the Leopard Inn on the waterfront in Napier. Even in those early days Graham’s voice was one of the outstanding features of the Sailor sound, where the intention of the groove and feel was obvious and you could hear and understand all the words. I left Sailor early in the piece but we kept in touch over the years and I’ve been their sound guy for about 20 years, travelling all over NZ doing stadiums, festivals, bars, parties and more parties. On a good night with Graham in fine voice and the band on the ball I was the luckiest guy alive. What a gem of a voice, to get it out on top of the mix with just the right amount of reverb and delay to create a mood, and then wrap the band around it. The band had released a record of new songs, ‘Surrey Crescent Moon’, three years ago and a lot of these songs made it into the live set. There are great songs on this record with reasons to live. It’s pretty special when a bunch of guys in their 50s come up with material that cuts it with the stuff they wrote in their 20s. Graham was such a larger than life character who could break into verse at any given moment. He would contribute to any poetry gigs that I was involved in through my relationship with Red Mole and Alan Brunton. It always impressed the poets that Graham could stand and deliver with no notes. It came straight from the heart and the hip. Every singer has a special relationship with their sound engineer and I loved twiddling the knobs for Graham and the band. I feel sad that I’ll never get to wrangle that wonderful voice on a live gig again. I have quite a few Sailor gigs I’ve recorded over the years and I’ll dust them off and see what I can come up with. It’s been a privilege and a pleasure to have known and worked with Graham Brazier and to count him amongst my friends. I always let him know this along the way and whenever I did he would crush me with a bear hug. Bless you Graham. s 4ONY -C-ASTER

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Graham Brazier 1952-2015

ear Graham, I first met you back in early 2004. It feels like yesterday to me now. You were doing the promo thing – an in-store at Real Groovy Records. I vividly remember your arrival, swaggering into the store (wielding an already opened Heineken) with the sort of rock star confidence that most so called ‘rock stars’ would kill for. As Josh Hetherington put it, you exuded a dangerous, “Don‘t fuck with me”, attitude, and in spades! Proudly and unashamedly old school, you stood out amongst the drab and mundane, in an increasingly superficial and plastic age. All of this before you even pulled out your guitar and performed. And when you did... Magic unfolded. ‘East Of Eden’ had just come out, and uniquely enough I loved that album before I loved Hello Sailor. I love ‘Inside Out’ too of course, but for my money, ‘Eden’ is your masterpiece and crowning glory. Truly one of the best albums ever recorded. I’ve lost count of exactly how many times I've seen you play live since – easily in the triple figures. I go to a lot of gigs, but there’s not many artists I want to see 100+ times! With you it was always exciting, unpredictable, wild! You just never knew what was going to happen... It was a real blessing to be at the last one. You sounding better than ever, that amazing voice undiminished, and impossibly actually getting stronger. At your send-off there was just so much love for you in the room. It was buzzing around the place like electricity and was something I could actually tangibly and physically feel. It was cathartic and healing, kind of like, ‘Oh you haven’t really gone anywhere.. not really.’ It’s hard to describe, but it felt like someone – possibly yourself, had chucked a bit of petrol (or a couple dozen Heineken) in the emergency back up generator to get us through. I remember how brave and strong you were after Dave’s passing, and I take great strength and courage from that. There are three or four people I’ve met along this journey called life who have completely and utterly changed my life. You are one of them. Captain Brazier, steering and guiding me on the voyage, sometimes making a swift and sudden detour through stormy weather and jagged rocks, taking me to fantastic destinations I would have otherwise never visited or dared to venture too. You shook things up, turned things sideways and tipped them on their head. For that I’ll always be grateful. I feel incredibly lucky and truly blessed I got to know you GB, It was so much fun... you’ll be with me forever. Sail on Sailor... until the next gig, friend. s $ANIEL 0HILLIPS (Daniel In The Lions‘ Den)

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Photo: Trevor Villers

The full-to-overflowing funeral service for Graham Brazier proved a wonderful testament to the love and respect Hello Sailor’s frontman had won from a tellingly broad cross section of society. The hilarious and loving letter from Rob Tuwhare’s dog, written to Graham while he was recovering from his surprise first heart attack, perfectly illustrated the big man’s even bigger mana, sense of humour and sense of humanity. His presence in New Zealand music was influential and important. By coincidence, NZM’s October issue from exactly 25 years ago included an article by the late Bruce Morley, exhorting the need for a NZ music quota on NZ radio. Pointedly, Bruce finished his piece with that powerful chorus from Billy Bold. Our thanks to the two writers of the following tributes; Tony McMaster, soundman and friend, and Daniel Phillips, a fan and friend. And thank you Graham. RIP

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used to only listen to hardcore and metal, but then I guess I just went through this ‘musical awakening.’” For Te Awamutu native Tim McGiven, this common-enough change resulted in the formation of Boy Wulf, a solo R&B/alt pop project that’s been nearly a decade in the making. “I got into music when I was 15. I’ve been in a few bands… Boy Wulf was the step up from that when I became interested in production.” McGiven juggles a blossoming career in music with studying for a Masters in Environmental Science. While such an academic course may appear at odds with making new music, his time at university has had evident influence. “I took an elective paper on medieval literature at uni and just really got into this 11th century poem called Wulf and Eadwacer,” he reflects in explaining his chosen performance name.“On a side note, Eadwacer is the name of my first album which will be out on iTunes this month.” In preparation for the album debut Boy Wulf recently released his second EP of the last six months. Recorded and produced by McGiven

himself, ‘Party Animal’ is a true solo effort. It’s a full realisation of the claustrophobically bleak sonic world toyed with on his previous ‘La La Love Extended EP’. Consisting of four tracks intended for the album, it was released as a free ‘teaser’ on Bandcamp, to test the waters. “This was the first EP where I consciously aimed for an R&B feel. That said, I often get the feeling that I actually have no influence on how my songs will turn out. I just sit down at the computer, set up my microphone and three hours later I have a song,” he (sort of ) explains. “It’s like when you are driving a car and you arrive at your destination but you can’t remember the drive. Writing music is a subconscious process.” ‘Party Animal’ deals overall with a theme of consumption. The sonically spacious title track discusses our current economic model (written in procrastination of an essay on the same topic), while the following three cover more traditional lyrical themes of drunkenness, love and an apology. All four tracks blend dark imagery with cohesive, unique electronic production. Though Boy Wulf is a capable singer and lyricist, the true star here is his production. Seemingly influenced by a multitude of R&B, hip hop, electronic and pop stars, the beats have a unique and abstract sound, yet remain razor-sharp and focused throughout. Synths soar, bass booms and syncopated drumbeats clatter away, all the while supporting the heavily processed, reverb-bathed vocals. In addition to his own releases, Boy Wulf holds production credits on others, including Canadian artist Sages. “Producing is more of a side project, but I would like to do more of it.” University remains important and exams are looming. “As soon as exams are done I wanna get out there performing. I’ve got a new set which I’m pretty chuffed about. I’ll just take whatever comes…

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lectronica with a bite,” reflects the way rising flame Maya Payne projects her mind’s works into song. Nine months fresh out of Christchurch’s Burnside High School, she’s on a steady rise with her stripped back, soulful electro-pop, and has appeared like a dark horse in the new school of Kiwi pop. Having started recording at the end of last year, Maya has spent the best part of this one creating and refining her debut EP, videos included. The focus has been to find a sound that reflects her current creative vision and style. “I thought since it’s my first EP, I may as well take my time with it. There’s no point putting something out there that I’m not going to like, and that I’m not going to be proud of. I just thought I’d take my time and get it right.” Her debut single, If Only featured on Spotify Poland’s Viral Top 50 chart,

hitting the #1 spot. American DJ PatrickReza produced a sleek remix of the track, which dropped on Earmilk.com earlier this year. Through the internet this young artist has attracted swarms of fans around the world. “It’s flipping awesome,” Maya reflects. “When I wrote that song I didn’t think much about how it would go. I never expected it would get in some Polish Spotify playlist!” Throughout the creative and recording process, she’s been working closely with producers, Josh Fountain and Kabyn Walley (MCHNCL). “My producer Kabyn [pictured with Maya] is my band at the moment – he plays on stage with me.” Maya has travelled regularly up to Auckland to lay down demos with Fountain at Golden Age studio, and also to open for Charli XCX at Auckland’s Powerstation in May this year. “I’d come into the studio with an idea. I’d write it on the piano – and we’d just develop that. The process of making a song is crazy – there’s so, so much that goes into it!” Her father, or ‘dad-ager’ as she refers to him, Matt Power, currently takes care of the management side of things, including, presumably, orchestrating the eye-catching video for If Only, shot in Santorini, Greece and directed by Aucklander Shae Sterling. She dropped a new single, Falling, at the beginning of September, with another compelling European-shot Sterling video clip, in keeping with her sleek visual (and very international) aesthetic. With a few tracks yet to finish, the EP, which Maya has decided to call ‘The Lucky Ones’, will be released shortly, after which she has plans to tour NZ, before taking on the world.

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unterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is the latest EP release from Phoebe Hurst, a follow up to last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s EP â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Lessonsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, but the first under her new stage moniker â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Hunter. Speaking from her parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; home in Christchurch, just days before departing for the UK, Hurst says sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changed her name to differentiate between her two crafts, acting, and music. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would still really like to act, and write, so Hunter needs to be a different entity to me. So I can do acting, and as Hunter do music.â&#x20AC;? Adoption of the new stage name also signals a new direction for the Kaiapoi-raised songstress. Within the beautifully crafted electronic pop Hurst, with the help of producer Micah Livesay, has created, songs that

allow her breathy voice the space it needs to shine. The end product is sparse, but somehow lush at the same time. To add to the contradiction the songs themselves reveal strength, while at times conveying a real sense of fragility. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I did want it to be lyrically heavy, and have lots of melody and showcase my voice,â&#x20AC;? Hurst explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My last EP was a big belty thing, like a showcase kind of show-pony thing, which is fine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but on this EP it was more â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when are the moments? I want to let those pop and have them as tasty bits, and try to make everything else intimate and pointed, and articulate.â&#x20AC;? The self-titled EP includes four songs. The first two she says are to do with an â&#x20AC;&#x153;existential crisis kind of thing,â&#x20AC;? the other two, relationships. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They sit closer to who I am now, those songs. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a lot more emotionally invested in this project, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot more myself than the last one.â&#x20AC;? Hurst wrote the songs on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hunterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; herself, but turned to her friend Livesay for help in producing the sound she was after. She sent her songs to him in Auckland and the two bounced ideas back and forth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was very much an intrinsic part of creating the sound of things. He was very good at being able to tap into what I was trying to do. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got a really good earâ&#x20AC;Ś and it would click into place. He gets what I want to do, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really important, you want to work with someone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on your wavelength.â&#x20AC;? In mid-September the 26-year-old left for the UK, off to do her (musical) OE thing. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hoping that exposure to Europe, and its audiences, will help her grow as a musician. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Apparently the way people listen to music in Berlin is a lot more intense. I could be totally wrong, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never been so I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know, but this is what people whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been there say, and I crave that criticism to get better, and test things out.â&#x20AC;?

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ellington four-piece Brave New Void consists of Carl Mann on guitar, Joe Harrison (vocals), Matt Coplon (bass) and drummer Chris Hart. The band launched their first video for The Flesh Is Willing on YouTube earlier this year and quickly building a following for their distinctive brand of rock, have since completed production of their debut album, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;BNVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Atmospheric guitars underpinned by a solid and articulate rhythm section, their music can best be described as pop music, clothed in the beguiling sonic textures first explored by bands like My Bloody Valentine and the Creation label bands of that era. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeah, a lot of people have related us to Interpol. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say my big influences are early â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s shoegaze stuff. A friend of mine asked if we had got into the goth crowd yet because they would like the album, and I said I know a couple of goths, but no,â&#x20AC;? laughs Carl. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I met Carl I was like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What the hell is shoegaze?!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? remembers

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Joe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know the term. As a singer, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m much more inspired by the likes of David Bowie and Brett Anderson from Suede.â&#x20AC;? The members of Brave New Void have been in various bands in the past, but the most impressive set of musical circumstances surely belongs to Carl. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had a record deal, and publishing deal with my first band in the UK called Westpier, but that all went pear-shaped. I went on to do session work for a few years, most notably playing guitar for Kylie Minogue for a while (tours/studio/writing sessions). I was a touring guitarist with Sleeper for some time, and I did some studio sessions with Guy Chadwick, from The House of Love, among others.â&#x20AC;? Formed in January 2014, the band has made considerable progress in the 20 months since. "Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gigged a hell of a lot in the last year or so,â&#x20AC;? says Carl.â&#x20AC;&#x153;We did lots of three men and a dog pint nights, but as our name got out there we got some bigger gigs. We played at Valhalla here in Wellington, where they asked us to headline and get a couple of bands behind us.â&#x20AC;? Support slots for the likes of Pop Will Eat Itself, The Lemonheads and locals Ghostwave were indeed very well received. The band credits that hard work in the live setting for giving them a leg up when it came time to record. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We started off with the idea that we were going to record two tracks, and they were going to be a single. That was at Monkey Studios with James Goldsmith. In the end, we tracked eight songs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that was our live set at the time and bagged all the drum and bass parts,â&#x20AC;? Carl reveals. Brave New Void are planning to record more newly written tracks and tour the country over summer, looking at a NZ tour in February and hoping to have a new EP out around March next year.

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UIF UVUPSTµ UVUPSJBMT by Reuben Rowntree

Choosing Your New Headphones

t’s late at night, you need to finish a mix and get it uploaded but you can’t risk waking the flatties again… so you reach for your trusty headphones. The process of working with phones is quite different from speakers, as music can sound unnatural without basic acoustic cues that we often take for granted. The lack of acoustic reverb amongst other phenomena can also become fatiguing. Still, some decent headphones cost far less than a good pair of studio monitors, so here are a few quick tips for purchasing your next pair of headphones. When choosing from the many options the first thing to consider is not the price but rather the purpose, as recording and mixing really have different requirements. Headphones come in two basic varieties, opened-back and closed-back. In short, if you are using your headphones for recording then you probably want them to make as little noise as possible in the room to avoid recording spill into the microphone. The closed back design means that the ‘little speaker’ inside will be sealed from the environment as the headphones press against or over your ear. The opened-back design actually has vents on the outside of the headphones that allows some sound to travel into the environment. This type of headphone can have a very open and natural sound that can be great for mixing, but it creates extra noise that will easily be recorded by a sensitive condenser microphone. A couple of popular opened-back designs are the Grado series of headphones such as the SR80e and several of the AKG designs such as the semi-open K240.

If you are focusing on recording detailed acoustic instruments then a closed back design will probably be most appropriate, but if you are mostly going to be mixing/listening then, while both designs are usable, you may prefer the beautiful vibrancy you get from an opened-back design. Now it becomes a matter of what will give you a sound that you can use as a trustworthy guide to create your music. General aims: Something that is neutral and natural. You want to hear the music for what it is and avoid having the headphones superimpose too much of their own character. Of course if your goal is simply listening pleasure on the bus then by all means go for models with the most bass, but for the average recording musician I’d stay away from any of the typical DJ lines as the bass is often way over-emphasised. Specifications: You’re not going to like this answer but it is very hard to gauge what they sound like from a piece of paper. Can you explain a mountain vista in a few sentences? The key pieces of data are distortion, frequency response and sensitivity (volume). Again there are specific applications that demand a particular requirement. A drummer will need a loud set of phones that won’t distort for example. So look at the specifications, but honestly, when looking at the bass response, seeing that one set extends down to 16Hz and

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the next goes down to 9Hz is irrelevant to how it actually sounds in the real world to a human. Trustworthy reviews and recommendations may be a better place to start – see www. headphone.com for many good reviews. Popular magazines like the one you are reading and Sound on Sound regularly review and offer shootouts/comparisons. I once received some fairly sage advice from an older engineer – buy the most expensive Sennheiser headphones you can afford. These days there are so many great manufacturers to choose from that the list really is too big to even start here, but the underlying principle really holds true – you get what you pay for. A good set should last years so bear that in mind, but when it comes to the final decision, personal preference at the end of the day will vary wildly, so try before you buy. Some bottom line recommendations: Low-Priced (both closed-back): s AKG K44 (pictured left) or s Sennheiser HD419 Mid-Priced (both closed-back): s Audio Technica s ATH-M50x High-Priced (both open-back): s Sennheiser HD650 s (or HD800 if you have a spare island to sell, pictured above). Reuben Rowntree is a lecturer at SAE Institute in Parnell and spends too much time obsessing over equipment. He may be contacted at r.rowntree@ sae.edu

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FY QBU GJMFT Â° DSBJH EFOIBN Auckland world music fusionists Beyondsemble were just one of the local musical outlets of multiinstrumentalist Craig Denham, who these days calls Prague home. Having toured Aotearoa six times with Beyondsemble, Craig thought it would be great to show his new Czech Republic busking ensemble his own native country. Pragmatique play an eclectic mix of whatever takes their fancy - from ska, Balkan and European folk to gypsy swing, Latin, pop, jazz and funk. The five-pieceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tour runs through October to the end of November, taking in a wide selection of venues, familiar to odd-ball, from far northâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mangonui to Stewart Island. Before packing his busking bag Craig dialogued with NZM via email.

Can you introduce yourself in Czech? Yes, but my Czech is really not very good at all. Ahoj, Jmenuju se Craig. Mluvim jenom trochu Cesky. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hi my name is Craig, I speak only a little Czech.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; How did you first get involved with music? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m from Kaikohe in the Far North. Have pretty much been playing music my whole life. Started doing professional gigs when I was 12 on piano with my dad playing sax and clarinet at the Beachcomber Hotel in the Bay of Islands. We had a residency there. As a teenager I played in a number of bands north of Whangarei. Often I was the only pakeha in the place. I believe I owe my groove to all the funky Ngapuhi I had the honour of playing with in my youth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; think I was one of the only keyboard players around at that time

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in the area. I played a lot of reggae, soul, rock, RnB type stuff. Later I moved to Auckland and started getting into Latin music as well as Irish music and Gypsy swing. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when I took up the accordion and tin whistle. Some of the better known projects Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been involved with over the years include Ardijah (played keys for them for about six months), Ruia Aperahama (I was MD of his band for about four years â&#x20AC;&#x201C; heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Time Mr Wolf guy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and the Waiata Marley albums), Mamaku Project (I played accordion) and then my own Kiwi band Beyondsemble. I was in 13 bands at one time in Auckland trying to survive as a musician. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when I created Beyondsemble. It was an attempt to have a band that at least covered 70% of the styles I liked to play. There seemed to be an established local audience and fanbase for Beyondsemble. What was the reason you left NZ? The main reason was probably my Czech girlfriend, but I had been considering a move to Europe for a while. Although I think the acoustic music scene is starting to really thrive in NZ it is quite hard to make a living off it as there just arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the numbers of people to support it. In Europe you can tour all year and never see the same person twice. I guess there are just more people here interested in the kind of music I like to compose and play. I had spent a couple of years living in Scotland a while back and had also spent some time in Ireland and in France. I first came here to Prague five years ago with Mark Mazengarb, the original Beyondsemble guitarist. He was on his OE and I joined him for the last seven weeks of it. I had no plans to visit Prague. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t on any list of

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mine. We came to Prague because we had put the message out on FB that we were looking for gigs and places to stay and some random guy we didn't even know (who had heard us in NZ and since moved back to Prague) organised five gigs for us. We couch-surfed with my now partner. We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get together then but she came to NZ for a year on a work/travel visa and we became a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been progressively moving to Prague ever since. Now Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m based here nine months a year and return to NZ for about three months, usually to tour with Beyondsemble or Alpaca Social Club, which is a duo with Jon Sanders, the Beyondsemble guitarist. Did you have work lined up before leaving? I had no band or plan when I came other than find some musicians and make something happen. I was fairly lucky in that regard. It used to be illegal to busk in Prague and when Mark and I were first here we were interviewed for a documentary promoting the rights of buskers and trying to lobby the council and such. We had been illegally busking here and the doco maker wanted our opinions as international musicians. Through that experience I somehow became attached to that whole movement and quite by chance, the day I arrived back in Prague was the day the official launch of busking happened. All the people who wanted to busk met in the town square to busk legally for the first time. I got an invite from the doco maker and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where and when I met the founding members of my now band, Praguematique. I also work with other musicians and performers in Europe. Jon Sanders is somewhat like me being half-based in NZ (and in

Beyondsemble) and half in Dingle, Ireland. We get together and do gigs elsewhere in Europe. I also work with storyteller Tanya Batt from Waiheke Island. She visits Europe occasionally working in international schools and such, and we team up wherever possible. We have worked together for over 12 years and have a number of albums of storytelling and music for kids. I bring Beyondsemble over here when I can. I’m very lucky in that I have a British passport as well as a Kiwi one so I can come and go and work in the EU with no hassles. Accident of birth. Thanks Dad! Occasionally I get a bit of session work. I have a small studio here and have produced the odd folk album in the past and because it’s so cheap to live here I can be pretty cheap by NZ standards. The odd musician in NZ sends me a track to add keys or accordion or whistle to and I get paid in NZ dollars. Great when it happens. Works out cheap for them and good for me. The sins of globalisation! When you first settled there what were the biggest challenges? The biggest challenges are still the same actually. Organising my own gigs. In NZ I organise my own tours and such, but doing so here in Czech language is definitely an issue. I can’t be my proactive self quite so much, which makes me more dependent on others. That’s an issue for me. I’ve ended up doing lots of gigs for the expat community and English speaking places as a result. So I’d say the language. Not that I can’t survive without it, but that it’s harder to generate my own kind of opportunities without it. How does the ratio of income to living costs in the Czech Republic compare to NZ? No comparison. Prague is cheaper by far. I think that’s why there are so many creatives here. It’s maybe around $500-$600 for a month’s rent here. That being your own flat with internet and power included. Food is cheap and beer is ridiculous, $2 max for a pint at the pub and as little as 50c in the supermarket. That being said, it’s all relative. Gigs pay very little. A top jazz musician in one of the clubs is likely to get around 1500 CZK which is just under $100. That’s considered very good money here. I’ve found myself a great niche playing in the Irish pubs in the centre of Prague. I can play any night of the week I like (there’s no one else playing Irish music here – it’s crazy), and my duo friend Vlada and I get 1500 each.

Laughing really. Part of it is on account of my ability to shoot the breeze with all the English speaking tourists as well as the music. So the English language is definitely a financial plus for me here. Part of my plan is to be based in Prague but to tour elsewhere in Europe where I can earn Euros. I did seven gigs in Germany this June and earned the equivalent of 29 gigs at an Irish pub in Prague, so it definitely pays to be mobile! Who were the first musical friends you made? Actually that first day of busking when I met Praguematique was quite funny. I was too shy to talk to anyone as my Czech was so bad. Thankfully my girlfriend Klara was with me and she recognised a cajon player from some African drumming thing she’d been to. He met with a guy with a nice guitar case and I was like, ‘These guys seem to have their act together, do you mind going and asking them if I can join them.’ I didn’t want to stand on a corner playing my accordion alone. I’d literally arrived that morning after a 36-hour flight from NZ. Anyway they were dead keen and sort of started deferring to me straight away in terms of song choices for the street and such, as they’d never busked before. I ended up teaching them a bunch of Beyondsemble tunes and other musicians joined us over time. I remember it vividly. That whole first year of busking in Prague was amazing. The city is so vibrant and there was an incredible vibe between all the street performers. Sadly that has changed in recent years. Do you manage yourself or do you work with an agency/manager? Oh to have an agent… I’d love one. I manage myself. Organise my own tours. I have some cool friends in a couple of places who help with gigs in their area. What would you say was your biggest success since leaving NZ? Keeping my girlfriend! It’s not easy being with a wandering muso like me to be sure. I guess, musically speaking it would be just being able to support myself off my music. I can now do that here. It took a few years to make enough contacts and find the work but I’m pretty well established now. Or maybe it’s just making people happy. I feel pretty fortunate to be able to make my living doing what I love and though it’s a struggle at times it feels worth it when people are moved by something I’ve composed or played. I guess that’s where ‘success’ really lies for me. Is it easier to work with music in Europe compared to NZ, or harder? I think both. NZ is by far my favourite country to tour and it’s much easier for me to organise having done it six times already with Beyondsemble and speaking the language. Here you have to be at least 6-12 months in advance and usually you are not taken seriously without an agent. For an unknown it’s really hard to get a start. A couple of years ago I sent out over 100 emails to prospective clubs and such, only to get one reply. But then, you

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can always play in the streets and do whatever gigs you can get together and eventually it all grows. I think you can go anywhere in the world and pretty much land on your feet if you can play music relatively well. I think it’s easier making my living here in Prague just playing in an Irish duo and doing other musical projects whenever I want, than it was in Auckland being in truckloads of bands and taking anything in order to stay alive. You’ll be taking Praguematique on tour to NZ this spring. What can audiences expect of the new band? I think people who like Beyondsemble will like Praguematique. (Beyondsemble still exists. We toured in Germany this June as a trio, but we are having a rest from NZ for a bit.) We also play a really wide selection of styles and a few of the same tunes occasionally. I think we are more of a dance band though. The majority of our gigs here have been dance gigs though we do have some more subtle stuff we can pull out for people to sit and listen to. I’d say we have a bigger sound too, having a great bass player on board as well as three of us singing. People can expect high energy, diversity, a sense of humour, a bit more eastern European flavours than Beyondsemble, some nice solos (hopefully) and joy! What instruments and gear do you typically use? In NZ I have a Kurzweil PC3X keyboard and also a Korg X50 and I have a vintage 1950s Scandalli accordion with Sennheiser mics installed. Here in Prague I have a Yamaha S70XS and I’m about to get an accordion I designed myself! I pick it up in January from Italy. It’s being made by a small family company called Cooperfisa. It is the mother of all accordions and will have separate outputs for left and right hands (amongst other unique features) so I can put the left hand of the accordion through an FX processor. Can’t wait to get my hands on it. At the moment I’m playing another Scandalli accordion over here but it’s just an average sort of an instrument. Then I have a bunch of tin whistles and low whistles. My favourite whistle is a low F made by Maurice Reviol of Reviol Woodwind in Laingholm.

Extended Play For the extended version go to

www.nzmusician.co.nz

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CVJMEJOH CMPDLT with Thomas Goss

Status in the Scene

Part 1: Breakout Bands

very town where live music is regularly performed has some kind of scene: an ongoing series of performances by local and visiting musicians that adds up to its own culture. Some scenes are thriving, with great live acts, dedicated audiences and venue owners who encourage the performers. Other live music scenes can be stagnant, with the same bands playing all the time, so-so audience turnout, and venues that barely survive. Most likely your own local scene will feel like a mixture between the two extremes, with some great shows and quite a few off-nights; audiences whose loyalty is a real struggle to win; and some places doing well while others struggle. Over the next three issues, we’ll explore what role your band is likely to play in a local music scene, depending on your level of achievement and reputation. Another way of putting it is status. When all the bands are lined up on an imaginary scale, how far along is yours? The decisions you make and the gigs that you’ll play really depend on what status you’ve reached in your scene. Getting started The most basic level of status is that of a new band on the scene. Some might use the word ‘beginning’, but I prefer to say ‘breakout’. Any healthy live music scene is going to have established acts around which much of the gigging revolves. A new group of musicians brings some fresh blood into the mix and can really liven things up. On the other hand, they have everything to prove and virtually no credibility until the scene starts to notice them. So many breakout bands are well and truly ‘beginners’ in terms of experience and professionalism, and they come and go with such frequency that it can actually drag the scene down a bit to make things too easy for them. This is why some of the biggest club scenes have the most stringent gate-keeping, with many

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hoops to jump through before a band is accepted as having even ‘breakout’ status. Knowing the territory It’s astonishing how many musicians think that they can just enter into a pub/club scene without any advance knowledge, and move quickly forward in status simply because they’re technically accomplished. They want to be recognised as leaders in a group of unknown people to whom they don’t yet belong. It’s so much better to just go out and attend gigs every chance you get. Learn who is running the show and doing the work behind the scenes: venue managers, barkeeps, techs and bookers.

This formula is the same for any status in a scene,whether breakout, established, or touring. It can also cut across status, with a breakout band becoming established very quickly through their contacts with more accomplished bands, or local heroes being taken along on tour by major acts. Getting gigs Once you’ve spent time making connections and attending gigs, it’s time to turn that exposure into action. Don’t go too far too fast. Some members of your band will likely be itching to play the big gigs from the very start, but the more a gig is about your ego the less it can be about winning and maintaining a faithful audience.

afraid to experiment, like several bands booking out an unlikely venue and inviting all their friends and family, and then making guest appearances in each others’ sets. Audience development When you’ve paid some of your dues as described above (and they can be hugely fun to pay) then you may find the process of booking more and more serious gigs starts to take over on its own, with bookers asking when your band is going to play at their venue, or established bands calling you up to ask you to open. The reason why? Credibility. You’ll have shown that you can get an audience together and make a few hundred people feel

Great new bands that have their own following and are connected in the scene are an indispensable resource. Local scenes would eventually collapse without them. Find out who are the bands with the biggest following, but more than that, who is in that following and why do they always show up? What are the different vibes at different gigs, and is there anything beyond the style of the music that’s responsible? Most importantly, get to know everyone who seems like they might want to help you, because you’re going to need them if you’re serious about your passion. Forming alliances One band practicing in its basement is an unconnected bunch of people. Two bands who know and trust each other pretty well are the beginnings of their own scene. Three or more interconnected bands can form the basis of their own musical culture, if they perform music with a similar resonance and like to support each other live. If the interdependency is strong enough, the musicians can change from band to band, or start new bands without losing their status.

It’s better to do the hard work of playing smaller gigs with an intimate connection to attendees – that way, they can really get to know you and feel like they’re a part of what you’re doing musically, rather than just existing to make you into a star. Therefore, don’t fear the smaller gigs – the all-ages shows, the street fairs, the coffee-houses, the student union appearances. These are opportunities where the stakes are very low, and you can afford to make all the mistakes you need in order to develop your instincts and polish your act. Most of all, you’ll have time to connect with your audience, to chat with them casually after the gig after you’ve fought for their attention during your act. Meanwhile, try to book yourself and your mates’ bands. This is so much better of a strategy than just trying to book yourselves. More than likely, you’ll have much the same crowd of followers anyway, so most of them will stick around for the whole show. And don’t be

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great, and that’s some fairy dust that the scene wants sprinkled over it. As much of a pain in the neck as breakout bands can be, great new bands that have their own following and are connected in the scene are an indispensable resource. Local scenes would eventually collapse without them. You are needed. If you can build on your momentum, then you’ll eventually reach a new level of status, in which your band becomes a part of the scene, moving forward to its rhythms and natural evolution. For some advance advice, don’t miss next issue’s installment of Building Blocks: Status in the Scene, Part 2: Established Bands. Thomas Goss is a producer, band coach, and composer/orchestrator with an international clientele that includes Billy Ocean, Melanie C, and Canadian jazz star Nikki Yanofsky. He is Education Composer-InResidence for Orchestra Wellington, and his online orchestration course is available from macProVideo.

Smokefreerockquest 2015 National Final

Industry

t’s always a considerable priviledge to attend the national final of the annual Smokefreerockquest – the culmination of more than 40 heats and distillation of 700-plus hopeful entrants down the year’s best high school bands and soloists/duos. With such a wide range of music, musical skill and performance standards it’s surely not an easy thing to judge. Nor is it always easy to report on in a balanced fashion – everyone has their favourites, right? One thing that was (unusually) noticeable this year was that the lads heavily dominated. All three solo finalists were young men and four of the six finalist groups were male-only bands. All-girl ‘space princess rock’ (self-proclaimed) band Courtney Hate inevitably stood out – four year 12 students from west Auckland’s Green Bay High School who are already making waves in the city’s indie scene. So NZM asked them to help us out – specifically to write about three important recent gigs, including the Smokefreerockquest finals. Courtney Hate is drummer Xanthe Brookes, bassist Marieke Van Orsoy De Flines, guitarist Ruby Colwell and lead singer Jami Kerrrigan. Here’s the band’s ‘gig diary’.

A Strange Day’s Night Auckland Town Hall, June 3/4 The ‘A Strange Day’s Night’ fundraiser concert for Play It Strange took place over two nights in the Auckland Town Hall. Originally Fiona McDonald was looking for a female guitarist to play with her on the night, so our music teacher (Jeni Little) suggested Ruby. Fiona then unfortunately pulled out of the concert but luckily Mike Chunn asked Courtney Hate to play two Rolling Stones’ covers! We were all very excited but felt the pressure to do the songs justice. Originally we chose Angie and Moonlight Mile but ended up playing Sympathy For The Devil instead of Angie. We worked on them for a couple Saturdays, getting up early and heading to school to practice. We weren’t overly satisfied with the final product of our individual parts, but together it seemed to sound pretty good. We made a few changes to the songs to make them our own, changing ‘man’ to ‘woman’ in Sympathy For The Devil and the climactic structure. The actual nights were kind of odd, all very surreal, however super rad! The biggest crowds we had played in front of – and on that stage where so many of our heroes had played. Waiting back stage, watching the band before us play, we were all jittery – quite nervous. Ruby was anxious for her solo and Jami still cramming to memorise the lyrics. The Town Hall acoustics are incredible, we’ve

Courtney Hate never had such good sound quality. We didn’t make any mistakes (woop!) and both nights when we finished we got a huge standing ovation.This was a huge surprise to us, so fricken cool. 11/10, would recommend to a friend. We felt like we had accomplished something huge. Along with a huge confidence boost, we got quite a lot of support and attention from people, liking and commenting on the video of us playing. Someone’s mum even asked Jami to be her daughter-in-law while introducing her son. Smokefreerockquest National Final Ray Freeman Arts Centre, Epsom, Auckland, September 11 In the two weeks leading up to the Smokefreerockquest final we had gigs, exams, two full days of filming, a whole day of recording at Roundhead studios, mentoring with Priya Sami, a day of meeting the other contestants and talking to some previous competitors who now form Strangely Arousing. We had been wanting to record for ages and really enjoyed that day at Roundhead. We were stoked about having Priya as our mentor. As well as being hilarious she understood our sound and where we wanted to go with our music. She gave us really helpful advice and still respected what we had created (while teasing us for studying between takes). On the day of the final we sound checked and heard the other bands for the first time. We were so impressed by the high quality of music being produced – everyone was amazingly talented. We wondered if we fitted in, we were all very different. Before going on, we freaked. Nothing was sinking in, the moments to follow were what we had dreamed about since first voting for Heroes For Sale to be SFRQ 2012 People’s Choice. We tried to push ourselves out of our comfort zone, Ruby even danced a lil’ (shock horror!) and we started to get more comfortable. Apparently after the first swear word in Nein Senpai Poisson some older lady in the crowd gasped, “Oooh, I don’t like that”. We over-analysed a few mistakes but Marieke, being our camp mother, reassured us

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that we did rad and that we should be proud – which we really are. We did us. We danced carelessly the rest of the night, especially for The Big Gus who are also from Green Bay High. We didn’t end up placing, (Jami was on the floor crying after our performance because her last note of Scrublet sounded like an old man dying), however realised we had done well and that we didn’t mind one lil’ bit! Miss June Tour Golden Dawn, Ponsonby, September 18 Our first R18 gig! At a bar! We awkwardly crammed ourselves on the tiny platform, hoping Xanthe wouldn’t fall off stage behind the drums. Priya, Jeni, judges from SFRQ and our families were all there. We completely butchered the first song, but luckily the rest of the set was sweet, despite not being able to hear each other all that well. We played Lovers Lane by Hunx and his Punx, Rebel Girl by Bikini Kill, White’s Not My Colour This Evening by Cherry Glazerr, and four Courtney Hate originals; Sleezoid, Nein Senpai Poisson, Creepazoid and Scrublet. People came in from outside, bobbed their heads, we even had a mini mosh. Two cool French dudes with piercings got us to write down ‘Courtney Hate’ on a napkin because we “…must be famous!” We got sent to the back of the mosh by a very worried security man but still screamed along to all the words and watched Miss June in awe. Annabel is so supportive and is like a big sister figure to us. It was such a fun night and we were all carefree, lots of smiles and compliments all round. We have a long way to go but we’ve done pretty fricken well upon reflection. We feel extremely privileged to have been given these amazing experiences (not to say we didn’t work our butts off in the process) and are so thankful to everyone who has supported us and we hope to continue kicking metaphorical butt. s #OURTNEY (ATE >"39,SSLY3SOd Sj_gP9n "g9 3GSSM jm

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ABBREVIATED Fusion We’ve been dancing happily to them for a decade but now Batucada Sound Machine is no more, the band instead formally acronymed to B2KDA. Characterised by its repetitive style and fast pace, Batucada is described as ‘a sub style of samba and refers to an African influenced Brazilian percussive style, usually performed by an ensemble’. While borrowing their name from this sound, B2KDA’s rhythm-driven songs fuse hip hop, soul, rock, contemporary electronica, afrobeat and brass into handclapping, foot-tapping, summery, good-time music. More of a collective than a traditional band, they have a new album called ‘Rising’, about which bassist/manager Alex Urlich and vocalist Paaka Davis talk with Silke Hartung.

t seems like at no point in the history of B2KDA has anyone ever been confidently able to say who was part of the band at a time. ‘Core band’, ‘touring band’ – these are terms you hear a lot in interviews. “The people on the album aren’t the same people who are in the band right now”, laughs bassist Alex Urlich, in NZM’s office along with MC/ vocalist Paaka Davis to promote the band’s fourth album ‘Rising’. These two, plus Felipe Simonetto (guitars, vocals) make up the current ‘core’ of the band, with additional support and wider membership coming from Joel Shadbolt (guitar, vocals), Guy Harrison (keys, trumpet), Thabani Gapara (sax), Dean Rodriguez (percussion), James Hughes (percussion), Riduan Zalani (percussion) and Adam Tobeck (drums). Previously packaged as Batucada Sound Machine, the band recently decided to change the band name to the shorter B2KDA (which they approach as B-2-K-D-A), after much deliberation. Why the change? Urlich reveals the (current) band’s frustration with the tricky to pronounce original handle. “At hundreds of gigs we’d have people say ‘Batacuda’, ‘Barracuda’ – all sorts of stuff – they’d never get it right. You want people to be able

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remember us, and when they go to check out the band on Youtube, they wouldn’t know what to type.” One place where the newly adopted name hasn’t been well-received is Germany, long an important market for the band. Their record label there reckons that people won’t be able to grasp how to say B2KDA. “Our band logo still has the name ‘Batucada Sound Machine’ in it, and that’s a compromise for the German market, because our distributor over there says all of our success we’ve had in Germany is associated with the name BSM.” As a consequence, the German album version will be released with a different art work. Across Europe the band is signed with Cologne-based label Global Music Orchestra, which specialises in and celebrate, local identities of music from all over the world. Familiar GMO labelmates are Moana & The Tribe, whose manager Sol De Sully was also a mentor of B2KDA’s former manager Scott Grafton, and has been very helpful with making contacts for the band over the years. Grafton and the band amicably parted ways on a management level, though he still looks after their bookings in Australasia. The task of

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managing the band presently falls to Urlich. Pressed as to why, he says that they realised they could save themselves some money – quite a consideration when you are talking about an international touring band of nine (or so) players. “I do most of the management work,” he says. “But we share it – I try to delegate stuff that’s too much for me to Paaka and Felipe.

you realise pretty fast is how little response you get. It’s a challenge just having the time and motivation of getting knocked down, or no response, and to still keep going.” One encouraging early positive for the album came from Christchurch’s student radio staion RDU, where their single Same Old Thing went straight into the weekly Top 10. “Those stations are the ones we’re aiming

“There’s this world-ish vibe, but we didn’t just want to be ‘hippies’. Getting a crowd really cranking, that was what we were trying to achieve.” – Paaka Davis “Our company is called Halfblood Music, whch James [Hughes] and I are the directors of. He helps with all the money because I’m terrible with taxes and all the rest of it.” On the downside, Urlich notes, handling managerial work does take away from being a musician, actually writing songs and making music. Being a fairly large band with some more permanent members, some less, decision making also presents a challenge. Davis illustrates with an example. “Recently we had a subject that we had to make a big decision on. Myself and Joe live in Tauranga now, and we have rehearsals on Monday night. It was impossible to do the whole coming back and forth for one meeting, so we did it by Skype, and through that we made a decision. If we can’t do it immediately like that, we’ll just wait for a rehearsal and have the meeting afterwards. That’s been going pretty good!” “We’re trying to be a very democratic band”, expands Urlich. “Communication is the key. When you have nine people in a band, people have different levels of caring about certain things. Maybe this person doesn’t really care about what we put on the poster, while another person might be really passionate about it. I’m always trying to put it across everybody. If they don’t reply, they don’t reply, but at least you put it out there.” Practically speaking, they’ve found that communication works best for them via WhatsApp. “That seems to be the one everyone is responding to, more than email. It works!” Davis’ smile gives away that some frustrating trial and error came before their figuring this out. With funds restricted for publicising the release of ‘Risen’ they’ve spread promotional chores out between each other. Urlich’s strategy was to take a friendly, open approach, backed with a necessary amount of resilience. “I just emailed, ‘Hey guys, here’s our press kit, would you like to listen to our CD?’, and I’ve done that for every radio station we could find in NZ as well as magazines, online... One thing

for mostly, with our music and the kind of people we are.” BSM’s last album, 2012’s ‘Don’t Keep Silent’, was recorded by Olly Harmer at The Lab, with production credited to band members Urlich, James Hughes and Richie Setford. At the suggestion of Scott Grafton the band decided to work with Andrew Spraggon to record and produce ‘Rising’. “We were all big fans of his work with Sola Rosa. Even though we’ve often played with him, we never really hung out much.” When they first got in touch, Spraggon was in the process of recording his last Sola Rosa album, which saw release near the end of 2014. Surprisingly for a band that is all about the rhythm, Spraggon was charged with creating beats, and brought in bass and synth sounds. “The electronic elements on the album are his. We showed him demos, and told him the direction we’d like to go with songs, then he fleshed them out, made them sound cool.” In 2013, with band members spread all over the world, recording of the component parts had to be organised between five different studios. Songwriter and singer Richie Setford (also well known for his own project

Riduan Zalani’s percussion was recorded in his homeland, Singapore, and the remainder between Urlich’s Underground Studio, Spraggon’s small home-based studio and Ellamy Studios in Blockhouse Bay, Auckland. Mixing was done by former Fast Crew member Josh Thorne aka DJ Alias, much of it from a Dunedin hospital bed after Thorne had severely damaged his foot in a workplace accident. Mastering was subsequently handled by Mikey Rockwell. They say that ideas for the new songs came easily, and literally from everywhere. Touring has been the biggest education – and toured they have. Over the last 12 years the band has spent entire seasons in Europe, gathering fresh influences for their own batucada sound from urban turntables and festival stages. “There’s a club called Cassiopeia near Warschauer Strasse in Berlin and the music they play was great – a lot of stuff from there we’d listen to in the van”, Paaka reminisces. They cite Buraka Som Sistema as a big influence. The Portuguese act fuse electronica with zouk (a Carribbean ‘fast jump-up carnival beat’ style) and kudoro – Angolan music, described as ‘upbeat, energetic and danceable’. “There’s this world-ish vibe, but we didn’t just want to be ‘hippies’. Getting a crowd really cranking, but having those roots – that was what we were trying to achieve.” Following the October release of the album the band has a busy summer ahead. As well, they are already working on the next album with the current line up. “We want to make the music representative of the band right now, that’s always our goal,” Urlich closes. “The reason why there’s still a band is because we love that core essence this band is about; that’s what we want to continue to do. The different line up is going to create different sound. I can’t really say what it’s going to sound like, but we’re very excited, because the musicians are very, very good.

“In a way it’s almost a collective, with members who have a similar concept, as opposed to similar personalities.” – Alex Urlich Bannerman), who penned one of the band’s biggest hits thus far, 2009’s He Said She Said, is currently living in Berlin. “He might still contribute to the band with songs and on tour”, hopes Urlich. “With technology the way it is, this album was actually partially written in Berlin, sending ideas back and forth.”, Davis chimes in. “His vocals on our first single [Can’t Give You (What You’re Asking For)] of the album were recorded in Berlin, and then we joined it together”.

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“We were worried the band would lose its identity with changing band members, especially front people, but somehow there has been something underneath all of that, that’s been the kind of thing that’s held it all together. I think that’s the concept of what the band is about. In a way it’s almost a collective, with members who have a similar concept, as opposed to similar personalities.” lllY,iL7"Y3SO

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