(Wellington)
Contents 2. Letter from Editor 3. What’s on your headphones? 4. Barnaby Weir 5. Riki Gooch 6. Minuit 8. Disasteradio 9. The Inkling 10. Charlie Ash 11. OdESSA 1 2. Lee Prebble 14. Dukes of Leisure 15. The Accelerants 16. Warren Maxwell 18. Sam Scott 20. Jess Chambers 21. Ryan Prebble 22. Dayna Sanerivi 24. Shihad 26. Jeramiah Ross 27. Connan & The Mockasins 28. Age Pryor 29. Rhian Sheehan 30. Otis Chamberlain 32. Matt Chicoine 34. LOOP
36. How it Works
38. Hollie Smith
40. Twinset
41. Raashi Malik
42. Rio Hemopo
44. Adan Tijerina
46. Justin Doyle
49. Ghostplane
50. The Reveals
52. Mon Ami
53. Sidecar Fury
54. Toby Laing
56. Tommy
57. Tessa Rain
58. The Chandeliers
60. Hot Swiss Mistress
Letter from Editor It was a sunny day back in January when I first caught up with Barnaby Weir to see what he thought on this project. After some very large phone bills, lots of emails and a whole load of film, it’s all done, a 64 page magazine looking into some of the characters that form the Wellington music scene. I have had help along the way from some real talented photographers and writers. These images have all been credited and I thank everybody for their help. The images and interviews without credits are all done by me. We have edited the interviews as little as possible, to keep them true to the artists words, find out their place in the scene and what makes them tick. I’d really like to put a big shout out to all who have helped me out and shared their knowledge. This publication would not be possible if it wasn’t for a select number of businesses who are willing to take a risk on new creative projects and don’t get swamped down by figures. You guys rock. I’d love to hear your feedback and if you are involved in the music scene it would be great to hear what you are up to. Feel free to email me on patshepherd@exposurelifestyles.com Take it easy! PAT
Editor, Designer, Chief Photographer, Chief Writer Pat Shepherd
Contributing Photographers Contributing Writers Sean Aickin Kendra Wallace Blink Esther McLaren Gareth Moon Disasteradio Louise Hyatt Rosie Justin Doyle The Dowse ‘The New Cool’ Ananda/ Trashe’
PRINTED BY: 0800 PHANTOM posters@0800phantom.co.nz
The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the publisher. Exposure Lifestyles is subject to copyright in its entirety. © Pat Shepherd 2005 All Rights Reserved
What’s on your headphones? the IPODs on shuffle... Last track was Agent Alvin, present track Coco Solid. ‘Now I am A Bird’ by Anthony Paul from Minuit and The Johnsons. Sam Scott I’m listening to sa-ra, cool. Hollie Smith ‘Upward over the mountain’ by Iron and Wine. Daryl from Dukes of Leisure ‘Macaco’ (Mundo Zurdo; Madrid, Espana), a shit-hot band made up of MC’s and musos from all over Latin America and Spain. Adán Tijerina
Bjork – Medulla. Ryan Prebble
‘Breaks Co-Op’ CD – very relaxing/good production. Warren Maxwell Howlin’ Wolf. Connan
‘Denim and Leather’ by Coco Solid. Rosie from Charlie Ash
I’ve been cranking heaps of Stereolab’s Emperor Tomato Ketchup. (the album) Disasteradio Bulgarian Gypsy Music. It helps me come up with fresh and invigorating dance moves. Osaka of The Inkling Bright Eyes – Jesus, what a writer. I can’t stop listening to ‘Digital Ash In A Digital Urn’. Fiona Apple’s latest ‘Extraordinary Machine’ – her record company wouldn’t put it out. Idiots! It’s brilliant. I’m in awe of her. Pender of OdESSA ‘dying will be the death of me’ – by Cephalic Carnage. Otis Chamberlain 3
Barnaby Weir is a man many would class as one of NZ’s most talented songwriters. Currently working on music for a new Flash Harry album, The Black Seeds third album and putting the final touches to Fly My Pretties 2 album, he took a moment off to talk about his music.
Barnaby Weir
Do you have a particular person/place/band that inspires your writing? Not really, relationships always have influence on my music, Wellington is inspiring most of the time, I listen to lots of different styles of music which obviously has some sort of influence... The politics of the world disturbs me, and most of what’s on telly has the potential to make me feel ill. Sometimes I write about how I feel at a certain moment, or ‘what I want to do’ songs and then other times just come up with fun party style lyrics. I’m still finding my process. Do you find modern technology is making your job any easier? Yes, modern technology has changed the way I make music, in fact modern musical equipment and high tech audio electronics continue to make leaps and bounds, like a vertical bell curve on a graph. Although sound technology has progressed massively sometimes it’s the older analogue gear that has the best sound. I have a modest studio set up, but it’s fine for doing demos, tracking for final sessions and editing. In my way of working it’s easier to write a song with a guitar than my computer. The computer is a tool. I can use it to make my ideas sound better but it doesn’t write music, it records it. Who would you love to jam with, dead or alive? I would love to have had a jam with Al Green when he was in his decadent years, or Marley before his political militancy, or Johnny Cash, Hendrix, Brian Jones. Living… Al Green, Bob Dylan, Dr Dre, N.E.R.D, Nick Cave ahhhh so many. If FMP could be performed in any country and any setting, where would it be? I’d love to take FMP to Mars to perform and record the first outer space concert for all the robots and bounty hunters of the galaxy. Or if that wasn’t possible how about playing at the top of the Sky Tower... Then free falling to the bottom after... I don’t know, New Zealand has some top spots to play at already!
Riki Gooch has inspired many through his work in Trinity Roots, we talk about his solo work and what drives him.
Riki Gooch Tell me a bit more about the new solo stuff that you are working on? Currently working on an album for Capital Recordings under the guise of Eru Dangerspiel mainly in the producer seat, playing all the instruments and working with really gifted singers with voices only I could wish I could have!… Are you featuring any other artists in this project? So far I have been working with Laughton Kora and Aaron Tokona with more peeps in the pipes… Are there any people or places that get your creativity flowing? Being with my girl Natasha and the oncoming prospect of fatherhood are the greatest inspirations… How do you find Wellington as a base? Wellington is a great base because of the people rather than any geographical reason. People here have heart and integrity, due to the lack of industry and self praise probably. We live on a big rock between two islands with a big faultline and a shitload of wind. Character building etc, etc… What musicians inspire your work? The musicians that inspire me are the people next door. You know what I mean?… What gives you the biggest high in your work? The biggest high for me is being able to be yourself in front of 500, or three people and having no idea of where you are… Your 5 minute solo at the Tsunami relief gig made everybodies’ jaws drop with amazement, do you practise those sets or is it just made up on the spot! I kind of make it up on the spot… It depends on what kind of mindset I’m in... I need to do more work on that shit though…
Paul from Minuit fills us in on touring, technology and convincing the bar staff he’s in the band.
Minuit
Did you guys have to do lots of touring before record companies took notice? Minuit are from Nelson… Touring was something we did without thinking about it, trip to Chch this weekend, to Dunedin the next, then Wellington… There’s only so many times you can play the Nelson Arts Centre. Real hard to break into the Auckland scene though if you from out of town… One guy actually said of a demo, ‘not bad for a band from the provinces’… Who uses the word provinces?? So it hurt me when I heard some bands who’ve never been outside of Auckland say ‘if we don’t get a deal in six months we’re gonna split up’, jeez is that why you play music? 6
you’ve put your whole love of bands in the hands of some punk at a label... Fuck, labels NEED bands to exist... But ironically they hold this mysterious power... At the same time they’re kinda handy too: contacts, hook-ups, networks, brain power, they know their stuff cos it’s what they do. We’re real happy with independent Tardus dealing with our stuff, it’s fantastic all these indies are hooked up with major distribution, backing interesting albums. How does the atmosphere change with the variety of venues you play at? Outdoor gigs are fantastic... The PAs are monsters and the people are monsters...
And we’re all there to have a ball… That’s where we started playing, outdoor parties like what the PHAT club in Nelson run these days. We’ve been lucky to have some tracks on TV with videos and people recognise them and sing along… That kinda energy gives you the shivers at gigs.. It still bewilders me. There’s nothing worse than playing private or VIP parties where everyone got in free… Nobody gives a shit that they’re there… It’s evil…
Has technology helped you guys with gigs and costs, etc? Has it helped us? Dunno, we have always wanted to do Minuit as an electronic act, but we’re definitely not gear freaks… Ryan has an old ASR 10 keyboard sampler… It is a clumpy, heavy, piece of shit that you can’t get upgrades for and is always overweight on planes… But sounds fantastic, we’d never part with it... It can only hold one track at a time and needs zip drives to load up the next track, so you need to have some form of filler in between… Hmmm, more gear… So I got a KORG triton as well, and that’s pretty much the live set… Songs are written on computer then sampled back into the machines to play live… Pretty fuckin’ simple… But I dare any guitar cherub who says we ‘just press play’ to try playing guitar AND drums AND bass AND tell Ruth where you’re up to in the song… And walk away emotionally unscathed. You guys show real energy on stage, do each of you have a way of preparing or chilling before a gig? Ha! Each different, Ryan’s usually DJing… Ruth’s trying to keep away from leering alcoholics… And Paul’s trying to convince the bar staff he’s in the band. Is there a particular order that songs come to you in, i.e. beats or lyrics first? Once, Ruth came up with lyrics and tune first and it took three years for me and Ryan to come back with the music… She’s never let us do that again. Mainly, me and Ryan come up an idea or a loop or something, fire it to Ruth, and she sits down and figures something amazing from that… She’s flukey… Either that or really talented… Sometimes before a gig we tell her we’re playing a new one tonight and she’s never heard it before… That’s how she came up with the Species II track… Just made it up on stage… Then we all tried like hell to remember it till next day. Is there a particular moment in your work that gives you the biggest high? When we give a piece of music to Ruth and she comes back with words and a tune that are phenomenal, and you just think ‘where did that come from?’, and you feel the tingles… And you feel what the song can be… It freaks you out… I look at Ryan and he’s thinking the same thing… And Ruth goes “What, what??!” – that moment right there…And all week after that.
7
Disasteradio is a band consisting of Luke Rowell and computer. Since the acquisition of the first family computer (the venerable Commodore 64) at age 6, Luke has been fascinated with the possibilities of synthesized sound combined with pop melody, inspired by the many game soundtrack composers.
Disasteradio Text by Disasteradio
Lower Hutt – City Of Progress Hutt City (geographical name Lower Hutt) is located at the southern end of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the second largest city in the Wellington Region and borders on the capital city Wellington. The streets are paved with printed circuits. If an outsider ever looks at Lower Hutt with his naked eyes, he will go blind. If a blind man looks at Lower Hutt, he will be able to see. The Hutt River is comprised of pure silicon, and the business district consists solely of arcades and thrift stores. All residents of Lower Hutt must voluntarily end their lives while they are still young. Those who fail to voluntarily end their lives by the appointed age become “Runners” who are hunted down and killed by policelike enforcement officers called “Sandmen” There’s something for everyone in Hutt City! Disasteradio recently relocated to inner Wellington and misses the City Of Progress terribly.
Osaka fills us in on where The Inkling get their amazing sounds from.
The Inkling You guys are very experimental with your sound, have you found any Interesting things about how different sounds effect people? We have found that certain modes are recognised for their ability to influence the psyche. However, it is ground that a great many muso-mathematicians have covered. The numerous randomised control trials we conducted on animals suggested that they really like our music. But now we try and approach things from a less contrived, more intuitive angle. Your videos that I have seen are amazing, are you guys behind their concepts? The most featured video, for “The Booyeouw Shamble”, was pretty much the brainchild of its director Sam Buys. The tornado-esque quality was the product of a traffic jam, however. If you are referring to the scene in a dimly lit room with elegantly clad femme fatales, yes. Do you have any particular people or places that give you inspiration or help spark ideas for your music? Once an initial idea has been established it seems derivations follow logically, or often illogically from there. We are definitely inspired by non-musical sources. And, though it would be nice to cite our diverse cultural climate, or the Cuba Street massive, I trust we’ll still be churning out this angular music when we relocate to Zimbabwe in 2006. Stefan Sagmeister once defined a mistake as “An unplanned outcome, seen at first negatively.”, do you ever find mistakes lead you into something and end up being part of a great song? Speaking personally, having made “mistakes” which I could immediately recognise as brilliant, I can only agree with the first clause of Sagmeisters famed quote. I see what he’s getting at, but what we call mistakes are often seen negatively until, hopefully, we forget about them altogether. An associate, who was present for one of our compositional mistakes, defined it as “a cultural orgasm”. I still see it as one of the most powerful moments on our forthcoming album.
Photograph by Blink
The luxury of Lycra.
Charlie Ash
Photograph by Ananda/ Trashe’ There is nothing quite like slipping your body pre-show into the silken cocoon of a body suit made of 100% Lycra. The cat is born! And she could pounce on any member of the audience at any time, or indeed leap from speaker stack to stack. You see when I find myself once again in a wrestling suit, I have to ask myself… Is this sane? Jeezus!!! Lycra was up there with nuclear in the 80s’. I guess the body suit is my second skin. A skin that’s unafraid of falling, not scared of reaction and couldn’t give a flying rat’s arse about acceptance. My leotard has courage and self confidence, and when inside so do I. xx Charlie ASH.
We catch up with OdESSA singer, Pender, on their energetic live shows, hairbrushes and their much anticipated album.
dESSA I’ve been hearing stories that Pender used to sing infront of the mirror until you guys all got together and started OdESSA, is this true or all lies? I’ve been singing 5 years. OdESSA have been 3 of those. I have no idea what I’m doing. I wanted to start a band for a lot of years but I was just too shy, so yeah – mirror, hairbrush – man, you gotta start somewhere.
It seems you guys have a real big fan base, do you think this is due to playing lots of gigs and getting the name out there? Absolutely. We’ve only ever been a live band until now. In the first 2 years we played anywhere we could – 50 gigs in our first year, just locally, with a residency at Amba Bar that used to be in Blair Street – just trying to build a support base. We must be doing something right cos people keep coming back. We’ve made a lot of wonderful friends. Are there any plans for an Odessa album soon? Our debut album called ‘Oak Park Avenue’ has been finished for nearly six months! We’re looking to put it out in early July. There’s a lot of different factors stalling things along. We’re already looking to record the second one as soon as we’ve got some money together. What gives you guys the biggest high in your work? When it all comes together on stage, everything clicks, the whole noise is locked into a really cool groove or whatever and you all know it, looking around at each other like, wow it’s actually working! Ha ha ha. Everybody has a completely exclusive smile for that and I know what they look like. And when you’ve got the crowd with you. Bullet-proof!
11
As a member of The Black Seeds and having worked with some of NZ’s most talented musicians, Lee Prebble is a master of all things musical.
Lee Prebble Can you tell me a bit about what your job consists of? My job is a bit like a full time hobby really – very full time! There’s basic everyday running of Surgery Studios, maintenance, cleaning etc, as well as recording and producing the music that comes through. I love both aspects of it. I couldn’t spend all my days running the studio without getting into some music and vice-versa. It’s a happy relationship. As a Producer, are you always being offered more and more work? When I first left paid employment and set up the studio, there was always a worry that when I finished the current job, would there be anything else after that, and therefore where was my next income going to come from? But I’ve since learnt that something always comes up, and I’m in a great
position at the moment that I am able to be a bit choosy about the projects I take on, so that I’m only producing music that I truly believe in. This means that it’s usually not the best paying job, but the one I’ll get the most satisfaction out of and that was a big reason I set the studio up. How did you get involved in producing? I got involved in producing by starting out working in radio stations as an announcer and then engineer of commercials, but I soon realized that this was going to lead me into deep depression! I had always played music and it just kinda fell into place. I was very lucky to get an internship at Marmalade Studios, where I stayed for about 4 years, meeting great musicians and slowly getting my hands very deep into music. I left Marmalade and set up the studio.
Do you feel you are always learning more each session? Upon completion of an album, I’m always amazed at how much I have learnt from the project. It’s almost that I feel I didn’t know anything before I started! And that’s what makes it so incredibly addictive. You never stop learning. Is it hard to decide when an album is done and not to make any changes? You can usually tell when an album is finished. Sometimes everything is sitting just right and any more tweaking will take it a step backwards. Sometimes you just plain run out of time and then other times you just can’t listen to a tune anymore, and if you do there may be the temptation to press… Delete!!!!!!!!!! Is modern technology making any changes to the way you work? Technology is definitely changing the way music is made and often it’s not for the better. We’re getting lazy cos computers do so much for us now, but the trick is to make sure that you always have the upper hand over the computer. I like to have a good mix of old and new. You can use endless plugins to make something sound cool, but it’s much more satisfying to make it sound cool before it hits the recording device. In saying all that though, I couldn’t do what I do without my beloved computer! 000011111001010001001 What’s your ultimate studio setup? My ideal studio is kinda simple really and probably not all that original. I’d love a nice building a little bit into the countryside, maybe even by the sea. Nice big warm rooms, fireplace, lamps, kitchen, windows. And outside, a few chickens and sheep, nice big trees and garden. Oh yer and I guess some gear might help. Mmm, nice big neve console, Protools HD, ooh some sexy looking mics (that sound as sweet as they look), a huge rack of outboard gear… Mmm I’m getting a bit excited, excuse me… I have to… 13
Dukes of Leisure
Dukes of Leisure guitarist Daryl talks on the Carter Observatory, the question of vocalists and making Wellington rock audiences dance again.
How did the Carter Observatory come about as a location? Not long after starting to practice within the dome, we realised that a gig up there would be a very good idea. We were the first band to put on a gig there, and we’ve organised and played at every gig there since. The first gig we played there incorporated Ian’s knowledge of the stars, by getting him to do a southern night sky lecture during a break in the set for those friends who came along. You have no singer, has that always been the case? The Dukes Of Leisure started life as a group of musician friends who got together in a room, got messed up and jammed. A vocalist friend of ours came along to that first event, and ended up mostly just listening to the cacophony that the instruments created… And subsequently advised us that we don’t need a vocalist. So we sobered up and continued without one. We have certain moments when our main drummer George will pick up a microphone and make tuneful vocalization. He doesn’t sing words though, which makes his vocal contributions essentially just another instrument in the mix. Any advantages/disadvantages to that? By removing the vocalist from the equation, we are forcing the audience to come to their own conclusions as to what our music is about. And by not having a microphone readily available on stage, we avoid embarrassing stage banter. 14
Any big plans for the future? Our big plans are to complete and release our EP, finally play a show outside of Wellington. At some point soon, we hope to hijack some dance venues so that we can use their trance inducing lights and projections to help our audience to get lost in the music, and hopefully to help Wellington rock audiences to dance again. What gives you the biggest high in your music? Performing live is the biggest high. Our music tends to flow and peak and explode as a set rolls by. It is quite easy to go into a sort of trance when performing with the Dukes which tends to leave you quite spaced out and elated.
The Accelerants keyboardist Leo fills us in on what the band has been up to and what playing live will do to you. Photograph by Sean Aickin
The Accelerants Your debut album has just been released, how long has that been in the making? About three years from when Marty wrote ‘Up on yr Heels’ and ‘Raygun’ to when he finished writing and recording ‘US Woes’. How would you explain your sound if someone was to ask you in the pub? “Wild surf guitars, with a heavy old R&B beat.” or “big beat punk with psychedelic and soul bits.” You guys are amazing live, what’s your secret to getting the crowd moving? Like I said before it’s the combination of the boys’ wild guitars and Ricky’s real big beat that gets ya shakin’.
I’ve got a little secret that involves staying cool, getting hot and reaching out to the room a lot. Clapping sure helps too. How do you find Wellington as a base, no plans to jump ship trying to find fame? I only know Wellington and Melbourne… Who knows what else is out there? We wanna go live in the UK soon. Do all of you work on the music full-time or work other places? Well now that you mention it being in Wellington means no money for live rock ‘n’ roll so other sources are needed. There’s more to life than rock n roll anyway… Like druggery! What gives you the biggest high in your music? Playing live makes you fucked up! Didn’t you know that? I am honestly tripping when I play and it feels good. Marty particularly enjoys recording also… Trying out different ideas and sounds… I’m slowing getting to dig it. I get a real kick out of stumbling across a new song idea too.
Warren Maxwell took some time away from the bubs to catch up with us on the success of Fat Freddys and the benefits of self releasing.
Warren Maxwell
Tell me about the part you play in Fat Freddys Drop, has the success of the album sunk in yet? I play sax and flute in Freddys but as individuals we can also shape which direction a song may go during each given performance so I guess you could say we are all conductors as well… The spontaneity of improvisation. I think the success will sink in when I can actually afford to buy a house for my family in Wellington somewhere. It’s getting too expensive just to live in our own country! How do you see things balancing out with Fat Freddys and The Little Bushmen? Freddys has definitely taken priority for me at this point in time because of the opportunities and successes that have culminated over the past 5 yrs, but I am a bit of a workaholic, so I guess I’m kind of holding down ‘two jobs’. I feel that it 16
is essential to be involved in other side projects to keep everything ‘fresh’. I love playing horn within the soul/ roots sound of Freddys, but I also enjoy the psychadelic wall of sound orchestration of ‘Little Bushman’. Its like having 2 cars… A 1964 EH Holden Station wagon... AND a 2005 5 ltr Holden Monaro GTS… Beautiful.
It seems most albums you have worked on are self released by the band, has this had many benefits? Yes – in every way possible. Firstly, by going independent, you aren’t reliant on getting lots of commercial radio play and NZ on Air grants to sell records. You genuinely are at the mercy of your audience and whether they like your music or not. It all comes back to the songs – not a product or an image. Secondly – you make more money because you aren’t paying for someone else’s offices and BMW’s and ‘business trips to LA’. (On your behalf of course!) I must point out however that, this is only because we write underground/alternative music i.e. not 3 minutes long for ZM/FM. You are whom you play with. I should also point out that if you go independent, your work load triples… Get yo ‘business hat’ ON!
Your lyrics are very thought provoking, what influences your writing? Day to day stuff that effect everyday people influence my writing. It’s nice to know someone else is going through the same ‘times’ as you. I don’t like to insult the listener with blatant messages. I prefer to colour lyrics with metaphors so as to leave the interpretation of words open to an individual’s psyche and the social ‘make-up’ of that person. “I’m yet to find a path that’s right for me” are some lyrics from THE DREAM; where would you like to see your path leading in the future? Well I feel like I am lucky enough to have found my path so I guess just to stay on it. Be the best Dad/partner/muso fulla I can be and maintain. What gives you the biggest high in your music? I think the biggest ‘high’ comes from performing live, taking your audience on a journey…Taking them as far as their bleeding ears and aching hearts will let them go and then bringing them safely back home… Exhausted but satisfied.
Sam Scott on life in the Phoenix Foundation and the ideas behind his solo work.
Interview by Kendra Wallace Photograph by Sean Aickin
What gets you going in the morning? Well I’m definitely not a morning person. So for me it’s all about coffee. Preferably a strong soy flat white from somewhere that does Supreme (and then hopefully their fair trade brand!). Olive Cafe on Cuba St is a good place to start the day ‘cause you can get wired on the good stuff and then wander over to Slow Boat Records to talk about rugby. Who influences you in your music? Sooo many things. My mum always wanted me to be a musician so I’ll say Mother and perhaps Lou Reed. That’s a good combo! Together they could rule the world. Also at the moment I think soul music and folk music are driving my home experiments. I can make folk music.... I don’t think soul is gonna work out for me. No matter how much I believe in The Commitments.
What excites you/ really gets you going in your music? In my own music? That’s a hard question. You have to get into that crazy zone to make great music. It’s all about losing any concept of the physical world. Kinda like meditation but with more beer. What is the greatest thing for you when playing a gig? Well this might sound weird, but I have found that when you play bigger venues and they have a good large backstage area and the band can hang out and talk shit and eat take-aways and do silly vocal warm ups... Just getting some team spirit going can make a gig feel so much better. What/who inspires you in song writing? At the moment I’m working on some songs inspired by the ocean and what living next to it means. So at the moment it’s Island Bay all the way.
What has the Phoenix Foundation taught you? I’ve been in this band my whole adult life so I have learnt many many things. I’ve made so many mistakes in this band in terms of how to communicate and deal with people and collaborate etc... The thing it’s taught me is that if you just apply yourself you can actually record a whole album. Something that seemed very daunting a few years ago! Have you developed as a musician in the band? In what ways? Oh yeah everything I know on the guitar I have learnt from watching Luke and Con. And any chance I get I jump on the drums. I’m the worst drummer ever but very slowly over the years I have learnt how to almost carry a beat. Give me another ten years in this band and I’ll be able to play a fill. Do you plan to stay in NZ or go abroad with your solo career? The solo stuff won’t drive me. I’ll go where Phoenix goes and try and slip my solo stuff into the mix when I can. Why/what made you want to go solo? Well I havn’t gone solo as such. That implies I left the band, which is far from true. I just wanted to make some music that could be a bit simpler and more song driven. Phoenix stuff has a tendency to become quite worked on. I wanted to take a holiday from that and hopefully make a record that still sounds good... We shall see. What approach do you want to take to music in your solo career? Simple folky stuff in general but it’s only just coming together now so who knows. There are a lot of fantastic musicians who have offered to help so I’ll just feel my way through it and however it comes out at the end doesn’t bother me too much as long as it’s a good listen. 19
It’s been 3 years since Jess finished her time at Nelson College, studying vocals and made the move to Wellington. “I took classical training, it’s so hard. If you can sing classical you can tone it down for normal performance. I lifted the bar on my singing by trying classical but I’m not an opera singer at all. I wish I could”. The training must have paid off, with Rhian Sheehan quoting Jess as “one of the most beautiful vocalists and people I know”. Jess features on Rhian’s album ‘Tiny Blue Biosphere’ and Music for Nature Documentaries’. “Rhian and Jeramiah (Module) have so much gear but are so smart with it that it has raised the standard of gigs for me. They know what it takes to use me to my full potential.” Jess has started work on her own album and is excited about getting out there with her own stuff. “I have written all the songs, just getting help with the beats reallly. It’s not going to be electronic, but it is going to have phat beats.” Jess hopes to get the album out by the end of the year.
Ryan Prebble has a voice that many would die for; we catch up with Ryan on his solo work.
Ryan Prebble
Tell me a bit about your future album, has it been in the making for a while? It’s taken me about 18 months to finish. I recorded most of the songs but then found as I was mixing them, that I was able to perform them better. So I re-did some and recorded some new ones. Some of the tunes are kind of bluesy, down home style, a fairly straight forward sound. Others are a bit more interestingly arranged, such as the use of tone generators, musical saw, and interesting noises produced from everyday objects. I tried to keep the arrangements quite minimal, just to sort of reinforce what was going on with the guitar and voice. But I think it’s still quite a full sounding album.
You said you were in talks with London record label, how did that come about? One of my friend’s brother is involved in the label. He heard my stuff and liked it. He showed his friends and they all agreed. Nothing’s been finalised yet though. It seems like you have a lot of creative people around you, does that always help get the creative juices flowing? It’s hard to say really. I’ve always been around creative people. My Dad is an amazing woodworker, so my brothers and I would always be down in the workshop crafting something up. And my brothers all played music. I managed to get them all on the album too which is fantastic. And now living in Wellington, well there’s an endless amount of amazing creation going on. But inspiration often comes from seeing holes and gaps that need to be filled. What gives you the biggest high in your work? Eyes shut, playing to a noisy audience and hearing them quieten as you transcend. 21
The waterfront fog provided a great outdoor studio for our photoshoot with singer/songwriter Dayna Sanerivi. Being fairly new to Wellington, Dayna talks on her inspirations and how things are working out here.
Dayna Sanerivi
Travelling… In the last six years of my life I have spent a lot of time on the move, following the heart and exploring Aotearoa and beyond. Through the adventures, music has always been there… Everywhere I go I am blessed with random jams and inspiring musical experiences… I’ve learnt so much from watching, listening and jamming. I’ve been exposed to different cultures and ideas, and learned and seen new ways of being in the world, which has helped develop my sense of self and I’ve gained a heartfelt appreciation for where I come from, and a connection to my roots. Travelling has inspired songs, and helped clarify a few things… You know, little things, like my life’s purpose! One of the few things I am sure of is that music is a definitely a major part of that!
Inspiration… I am inspired by so many things... From life changing events and realisations in my own personal life, to a simple understanding shared by many. Love, life, love... I’m a Venusian woman so love does seem to be a recurring theme... And not just the romantic kinda love either, but the unifying human experience of love and fear that can bring both anguish and blissful joy, harmony and discord, moments of insanity as well as a feeling of coming home. Contacts… Wellington is proving to be a good place for making all kinds of contacts in the music industry… And yes I have been graced by the production skills of Mr Gooch. Riki’s a bro from way back in the good old days of high schooling in Dunedin… He’s an inspiration really, and it’s been so great watching his progress with music. I bumped into him about a year ago, not long after I moved to Wellington, and put it out there to do some recording together… And we have just finished a track. He produced and mixed one of my songs called ‘any other way’. I’m hoping for more…We’ll see. The industry… It’s all new to me! Wellington is a great place to learn the ropes. I find people here incredibly supportive and knowledgeable. They have been willing to take the time to share what they know and there is a sense of community here which is quite unique and refreshing.
Shihad lead singer Jon Toogood talks about the pros and cons of life in Wellington.
Shihad Photog
raph by
Sean A
ickin What were the reasons for being based in Melbourne before the release of your album? I’m now based back in Wellington where I live with my wife and stepdaughter and have done so for a year and a half. The other 3 boys still live in Melbourne and have done so for 6 years. Initially, the move to Melbourne was because we had just signed a deal with Warner Brothers in Australia and a part of that included shifting to Australia and touring hard. They didn’t mind whereabouts in Australia we moved to just that we do it so we decided on Melbourne because it is the equivalent city to Wellington in that it’s arty, cultural, everyone wears black and the coffee’s good. Unlike Wellington it has heaps of live venues of all shapes and sizes and that was perfect for us.
Was there much difference with the music scene there compared to Wellington? As I mentioned before, there are so many places to play in Melbourne. No matter what level your band is at, there are numerous places to play and being as big and spread out as it is you can play lots and lots of shows to different people in different areas without people getting sick of seeing you. This means you get tighter as a band and you get a chance to really hone your shit live (1 live gig = 20 practice room sessions). In Wellington we would have to make each show an event just to get people along, then not be able to play again for ages. What I do miss about Wellington’s music scene compared to Melbourne’s is that, because it is small, you end up hanging out with everyone in the music scene, regardless of what sort of music it is, therefore there is more exchanging of ideas, styles, opinions etc. which makes the music in Wellington (and NZ in general) more unique and interesting to me. You guys are one of NZ’s most succesful bands, was there a major event or day that made you think, “Shit, we’ve made it”? No. there have been awesome experiences along the way but there has never been any massive peaks out of nowhere. It’s always
been head down, work hard and go along for the ride and sometimes you find yourself in some amazing place going ‘how did I get here?’ basically, it’s a pretty damn good job. How is your music going overseas? It’s been a long time since a band called Shihad has been to Europe and in America we’re pretty much back to square one but we’re still getting heaps of good feedback to the new album from people all over the place (a gig offer in Russia even) so we’ve just decided to follow wherever LITNH takes us and have a good time doing so. What gives you the biggest high in your job? I like the whole deal. Playing live can be the most life affirming, energising experience I’ve found. Going to bed with a new piece of music in your head that wasn’t there when you woke up that morning is awesome. Getting something that’s been bothering you out of you and down on paper in a way that makes sense feels awesome. Working with images and coming up with designs that you love for album and single artwork is also challenging and rewarding (when the idea works of course).
“Module music... Which is electroambitriphopdrumandbasssynthrockclassicalacousticsoundscapes” – Jeramiah fills us in on his sound.
Jeramiah Ross
aka Module
Jeramiah Ross
Tell me about the whole new live style of your music? I’m mainly an electronica artist but with a bit of a difference, I come from a classically trained background and have been composing music on the piano since I was really young, I also played in bands on many different instruments, and when I began to write music using computers, I still kept that same approach. I very rarely programme anything, it’s all played into the computer/samplers, via midi keyboards even the beats, it ends up sounding very organic, and performing live it’s all live electronica, controlling the sections of tracks, playing live synths, singing, playing guitar and getting people in on it… It’s like a band but using a computer/synths/effects instead of conventional instruments, as a review once said, “Between the wires and cables animal meets machine and it’s beautiful mate.” Tell me about your thoughts on music frequencies and what you have found out? The more I make music and perform live I’ve realized I’m just playing with frequencies, and lately I have noticed all the frequencies around us, sound waves appear in many forms of nature, our brain makes waveforms that look a lot like musical sound waves, the sea, the shapes of hills, the earth spins in a cycle, which is what a soundwave does, cycles at different frequencies, we live in a rhythmic world, night day, birth death, start stop, that’s what my album is about really, it’s called remarkable engines, it’s pretty cool we have these things in our heads that make waveforms, alpha, delta, beta, that look like, sinewave, sawtooth, noisewaves, perhaps music is the mirror of our minds… What gives you the biggest high in music? Making a room full of people dance, and feel good and free… and taking people to nice places with the music I write, affecting people in some way, if I’m doing anyone of these things right…I’m doing my job. mirror of our minds… 26
Connan talks to us about his place in the music scene and what makes him tick.
Connan & The Mockasins
Photograph by Blink
How do you find Wellington as a base? I love it, its got a really neat atmosphere! I’m staying opposite the Botanical Gardens and it doesn’t even feel like I’m near a city. One thing I noticed when I first moved to Wellington was how narrow the roads were and how close the buildings are together, it’s an intimate little city. But I think the coolest thing about having Wellington as a base is that you don’t have to be around the industry/make-believe crap if you choose not to be, which I think has to be good for all music. Do you have any particular people or places that spark new ideas for your music? Yeah places, pictures, people. (I won’t name any people in case I miss some.) I carry a dictaphone with me everywhere I go and hum things into it discreetly every now and then.
What gives you the biggest high in music/ what gets you excited in music? Ahh. I love playing live! But I also love writing music and knowing that people are actually interested and are gonna want to hear this. I love the idea of people being excited about your next album or number. that’s where I wanna be when I’m older!
You are very experimental on stage with your songs, do things always go to plan? I don’t really know. I guess the beauty about experimenting is that there isn’t really any wrong. But in saying that, if you got really n you nervous you could possibly really stuff it up I p. The u o r g of ure suppose. I haven’t really thought about it and ” kind hen fig second fully like, t e ways d r it hasn’t happened yet so I feel lucky. o c e e of thes een first, r nd hop a “live ople listen a . I love both ow I have b le is s in n s e the midd ocka group rst, p ut for er my ! d B The M r “record fi ve” kind of n . r u e h it li rity get ou ase have y to present it mix them to oing to rele ber one prio g m y w a u o m d n h a out e my some music and sins ar ant to and w g electronic the Mocka ut in record nt (haha) b a T , e nam 27
Age Pryor
Age Pryor is due to release a new album in the coming months featuring Tessa Rain, Darren Mathiassen, Mike Fabulous and various musos from round town.
New Album: The new album is a mixture of new songs and instrumentals and uses a fairly broad pallette of tonal colour. The overall vibe of it will be something new for me. I feel like there are some strong songs on it, and I’m looking forward to getting them out and heard. Wellies: I have loved being based in Wellington for the past couple of years because I’ve been in a collective studio environment. I don’t like working on my own too much, and having buddies around, even if everyone’s doing their own thing, makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger. Also, for the first time I’m seeing folks who have worked hard for years and years get significant results and reward for their efforts. It’s a good sign that nationally, the music industry is developing, and that the Wellington scene is staking a place in that development. Change: There’s been very little political change locally for years. For some that’s a good thing, but I find it pretty frustrating. We are currently losing a lot of what’s good about Wellington, instead of maximising it. It makes me think that this might not be a place I’d like to live in 10 years time. I see it as the universal problem of people/organisations chasing the dollar and not seeing the value of intangible things like community. Read “The Corporation”! I think that book is just as relevant for NZ as it is for the States. Outdoors: I’ve worked in the outdoors as an instructor for the last 8 years, mainly part-time or seasonal. It’s been a way to get balance between city life, music work, physical fitness and financial demands. I tend not to write while in the outdoors (although an exception is the title track of the new album, written while tramping up a steep hill in the bush!); but I still agree with something I was told years ago: you can’t write music about music – you have to be out there in the flow with everyone else. 28
If music is all you do, it starts working against itself. Biggest high from job: The biggest buzz I get from being in music is finishing things. Taking an idea through a process of writing, practise, refinement, and performance/ recording can be a lot of work. It’s satisfying to get to the end and look back at the original inspiration. Hopefully the final piece still represents that initial thought or emotion.
Rhian Sheehan on his favourite artists and the evolution of his live sound.
Rhian Sheehan Who are some of the best people you have worked with in NZ, any you really want to work with? I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with some great musicians over the last few years. Jeramiah (aka Module) is one of the most talented musicians I know. We are working on an album together at this moment… Another fav would have to be Paul McLaney from Gramsci, he is such a gifted song writer and a great friend. Your music needs a lot of technology, has technology changed since your first album? Yes, very much so. It gets better every week these days. Sometime I think to myself how lucky I am to have been born at this time in our technological evolution. I never would have been able to do what I have done 20 years ago because the technology wasn’t around at that time. How is the transition between studio and live shows? Live we use an array of programs and synths. I have really focused on making our show “live electronica” rather than approaching it all from a DJ angle. Because of this we have great fun, and are constantly evolving our live sound. What part of the whole scene/industry gives you the biggest high? Knowing that thousands of people have paid money to buy your music… That’s a pretty amazing feeling, and it’s a special thing knowing that people are touched emotionally by your art. Is it scary giving your songs away for somebody to remix? No, its exiting. You never know what a remix will end up sounding like. I was lucky to get so many talented producers remix my music. Music for Nature Documentaries was a really fun project.
We tracked down Otis on the artwork that is making him in demand in Wellington and worldwide.
Otis Chamberlain aka
Mephisto Jones
Can you give a quick rundown on some of the materials and techniques you use? I mainly use markers, sponge chisels, aerosol and stencils. I enjoy a lot of different mediums and tools but stencil and markers seem to be the best way for me to come to a sound conclusion with any given image – I’m way better with linework than colours, and stencils allow me to get close enough to be happy with both. Is it hard to produce a piece under a time schedule? I guess so – unless the piece ‘takes over’, I’m not particularly time management efficient either – but in general I think a lot of artists working to the clock will never be totally satisfied with the end result – especially if they’re the kind who prefer the infinitely more natural approach of ‘walking away and coming back with a fresh head later’… On several occasions I’ve nailed the linework in an afternoon, but the colour and texture elements have
dragged way out before I’m happy to let it go, that’s just me but I think its fair to say that deadlines = sacrifices, and not many artists like sacrifices. Can you tell me a bit more about your up coming exhibition and its theme? The next solo is called ‘Catch a Beat in the Head’ – it was initially meant to consist solely of musically inspired pieces but as the works have come together, the overall focus seems to have taken a broader shape – now looking more like a rogues gallery of various characters, some musical other more sinister and a few non character pieces too. It’s probably more focused in style than them… But the following show (planned for spring) will be a more focused affair. It’s titled ‘Face The Day’ and all the works for it have already been drafted out – so that one will be a bit more linear. Does all this artwork leave you any time for your drumming which I keep hearing lots of good comments on? Cher – Yeah I force myself to make time for music now – I’d given up a lot of it in the last few years to do art related stuff, and ultimately it wasn’t healthy. I need both to keep me on the everelusive level. The balance keeps me regular!
Do you approach people to use your work or do they hunt you down? I send stuff out into the flux where I think it fits, and I’ve had some cool opportunities come back as a result. Most artists can say the same, but I’d rather not waste energy trying to weed out potential buyers/clients etc – I have enough trouble getting the shit done – perhaps some of my work is something to be sought after by some – and that’s rad, but at the end of the day I just like to do what I do without letting the money/commerce side of it factor in too heavily. The mighty dollar will generally overshadow (if not kill) the sentiment, and a lot of artists depend on their work to get out there to survive (and by all manner of means) – for some, that’s what works and it’s fine, but I’d rather not be the Mormon artist. Maybe I’ll give some of it away, put something in a public space – whatever – let the work speak and if you’re happy with it, the greater human isotope dictates someone else will too, then hopefully good things will follow. What gives you the biggest high in your work, ie, a new idea, the final piece, etc? Final pieces are always good – especially if the journey was a long one… I also enjoy the little epiphanies that happen during smoko that get you hyped on something fresh (or perhaps that’s just the three sugars in the Dilmah). EZ
Matt Chicoine talks on life in the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Matt Chicoine
Photograph by Gareth Moon
aka Recloose What were your reasons for leaving Detroit and heading to NZ? I met a special Kiwi lady while touring in Australia in 2000. She coaxed me down here. We now have a son together so my roots are firmly planted. I think I was and still am very disillusioned with America as well, so this was an extra kick in the ass. How are you finding things down here? I’m still enjoying it, especially when I take advantage of what New Zealand has to offer (the nature man!). But I get pretty bored if I stay at home or stay in Wellington too much. And I miss basketball, American cheese, and burrito stands. What are the main differences in the music scene here compared to the States? I’ll compare it to Detroit since that’s my frame of reference. The differences are very obvious. Detroit is a post-industrial, depressed city and as such the music that comes out of there is often more synthetic
sounding and more melancholy. People hide out in their cribs only to come out when they have a good reason to. They associate less with one another. New Zealand is almost the polar opposite – beaches, greenery, tight social/musical scene, etc. And as a result you get tunes that are more acoustic, more laid back (y’know, the ‘island vibes’), and are more positive and optimistic. A generalisation yes but that’s how I see it. How did your tune with Dallas come along? It was an accident. Dallas wrote the tune to a completely different track. It stewed for awhile, then I did this new song that the vocals worked better with, and we arrived at Dust. Had to tailor it a bit to make it fit and stretch it out over the length of the tune but in the end I think it worked. Have you heard any other local artists you would be interested in working with? The new album ‘Hiatus on the Horizon’ is filled with local artists – Riki Gooch, Jonathan Crayford, Hollie Smith, Mike Fabulous, etc. That said I’m always on the prowl for a new person to bounce ideas off of and have a jam with. I live down the street from Maka McGregor and we’ve been talking about doing stuff for months now, just need to pin his ass down (that dude can travel!).
Has modern technology changed the way you work, made it any cheaper or easier? It has lessened the constraints but in that sense it’s rendered music-making way more complicated. I almost miss the days of having 20 seconds of sample time to make a whole track, it was more of a challenge. That said I think it’s a lot easier now to get a better sounding recording at home, and there are some cool programs out that enable you to tap into your creativity in different ways. (I’m playing with Ableton Live at the moment…) My biggest high in photography is jumping around at front of stage, pressing shutter and knowing I’m getting awesome shots, what gives you the biggest high in your work? I can relate to this, I think spontaneity and randomness can result in some of the greatest artistic moments. I love to have a framework of a song looping and blindly grab a stack of old records to play over top and see what happens. Every once in a while you strike gold… Recloose ‘Hiatus On The Horizon’ is out through Loop Recordings
Photograph by Gareth Moon Text by The Dowse, ‘The New Cool’
LOOP has now released over 30 albums and has distribution in British, European, American and Australian markets.
“We are all driven by music” “Well hey if the album’s gone gold here, why can’t it be gold overseas?”
LOOP all began with a good idea – a magazine that promoted fun, vision and change. The attached CD full of NZ music and culture clips helped build, develop and support a fresh wave of talent from Aotearoa. This prompted a massive shift – to turn the LOOP brand into a record label. We reinvented the company as LOOP Recordings Aot(ear)oa – a label that creates, markets and distributes a unique sound both here and abroad.
The key to our success is New Zealand creativity – aligning ourselves with people who share our passion for it and our vision of taking it to the world. Aotearoa has a distinctive flavour and style that stems from our unique and isolated environment. Our music is influenced by the land and infused with the Pacific. Aurally it’s a lot more spacious. This is what gives our music its point of difference.
LOOP is driven by the power of music. With a unique sound and positive messages, New Zealand music has the ability to educate and facilitate change. We’re taking it to the next level and aiming to get it heard as widely as possible.
People are the key to the world. Be nice, have fun!
The LOOP team have broad and varying skill bases. The most definitive thread of commonality amongst the troops is a love and passion for music and for the development of the New Zealand soud and taking that sound to international music markets.
www.loop.co.nz
APRA and Copyright Text by Petrina George
The law of copyright has been around for well over 100 years, yet it still causes confusion to most of us. What began as simply the ‘right to copy’ in the 1800s has developed to a collection of individual rights and has become even more important to copyright owners. As the composer or author of a musical work, you are the first copyright owner of your music and/or lyrics. There is no registration or application process for copyright as copyright protection occurs automatically. As soon as your work exists in a material form, i.e. it is written down or has been recorded, your work is under copyright. In New Zealand the duration of copyright, is the lifetime of the copyright owner plus 50 years. The New Zealand Copyright Act (1994) confirms the exclusive rights for copyright owners 36
of musical works, and these rights are generally grouped into the following three main rights: The mechanical right – the right to record the work in any form (CD, tape, digital etc). The synchronisation right – the right to use the music in a film, video or audio-visual programme. The performing right – the right to perform or broadcast the work in public. Each of the above rights can generate royalty income for a writer/composer. Also, as copyright is a collective right, you can assign individual rights or assign the complete copyright in a work. In general copyright owners want to retain their rights and only assign or licence specific rights to others, to allow them to use their music in some way. Songwriters and composers who have become APRA members, have legally assigned their ‘performing right’ to APRA. APRA is then able to then license public performances and broadcasts of copyright music, and distribute royalties generated from those performances to the copyright owners. APRA is a non-profit association that is run by and for its members – and our services benefit both copyright owners and the users of music.
APRA licensees pay licence fees and provide information as to the music they have broadcast or used. The major licensees are radio and TV stations, live music venues, concert promoters, gyms, restaurants, airlines and businesses, which play music for their customers. With the licence fees and information received APRA applies its distribution practices to determine the royalties payable. Following is a summary of the legal situation, confirming how APRA can operate: Composer Original work – Copyright Act 1994 – Section 14 Copyright exists – a property right Copyright Act 1994 – exclusive rights – Section 16 Composer has the exclusive right to: perform the work in public broadcast the work include the work in a cable programme service Composer assigns rights (public performance right) to performing right society in their own country/territory APRA (Australasia)
Overseas Society Reciprocal Agreement
Public Performance of Copyright Music APRA licences public performance of musical works – collects licence fee APRA collects data and identifies works performed or broadcast APRA distributes royalties to composers of the works performed or broadcast.
APRA is one of many performing right societies that exist throughout the world and APRA is formally affiliated by international agreements with each of the overseas societies. APRA members will automatically become part of an international system that is in place for songwriters, composers and music publishers, and can receive royalties from overseas performances and broadcasts of their works.
There is no cost to join APRA – if you write or compose music or songs and these works are publicly performed or broadcast – you should become an APRA member. Contact the APRA office for an application pack or apply on-line: www.apra.co.nz If you have any questions about membership of APRA, please contact Petrina George – on 0800 69 2772 (ext 209) or email: pgeorge@apra.com.au 37
With the release of her debut EP, Hollie Smith talks on her music and why I might get a poke in the eye.
How do you find Wellington as a base, it seems you have things pretty good down here? After being in Welly for a few years I honestly don’t know how I did anything before it. Well really I guess I didn’t… Haha. Nah it’s just such a good supportive environment to work in. Obviously all made up by the ‘family’… I’m still getting used to it really… Down here you can call on someone you don’t really know to have a jam and they will be there quite willing to put ideas forward and help you with stuff, hang out and not walk out the door saying “I’ll send an invoice”. It really is for the love… The musicians down here never act as if it’s a job, everyone is so extraordinarily musically minded. They enjoy hearing ideas and potential in ideas, even if it’s played by someone who isn’t fabulous at an instrument… (que Hollie… Hehe.)
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You are working alongside some very talented people, who do you look up to and who would like to work alongside? It’s hard to answer this question, cause I kind of did that first… Over the last little bit I have done collaborations with some of the most incredible people I could ever hope to work with… Trinity Roots, Fat Freddys… But funnily I have never had my own band or really focused on my stuff. Despite that I have been writing for 10 years. (I am the queen of procrastination) so to answer that honestly I am for the first time quite excited about working with myself! But I reckon I can call on a few of those fullas to bail me out.
You have been very successful in the music scene from a young age, where would you like to see yourself in another 10 years? 10 years time? Shit. Happy… Firstly. I spent a lot of my younger life dealing with shit and it affecting everything. I don’t want to do that again… I just wanna be happy, you know, in a position where things can never get that bad, ‘cause you know what you want. Musically? International… And I guess being respected for the music I create not just the voice… I have issues with that. I wanna be a musician. Where do you get your inspirations for writing/ do your experiences with Celtic music influence your writing? Firstly. Mention that Celtic album again and I might poke you in the eye… Haha. that was written by my stepfather Steve McDonald and I sung on it… It was a great learning curve for me and a good experience which led to USA tours and some recording oppotunities which were amazing. (None of which turned out due to me not wanting to be the next Britney Spears.) But none the less it was good to do but it was the most challenging recording I have ever done. Writing my music is inspried by lots of things.
Sounds, music, people, lyrics, instruments, thoughts. I don’t know, it’s all I know so it’s hard to separate it and name it. I’m a pretty vacant person really, most of the time I have no idea… What an egg… Ay? What gives you the biggest high in music? When it comes to preforming I can be pretty insecure when it comes down to it. I don’t like being hated and I don’t like being judged. Remembering that performing and singing on stage are two very different things. Performing is hard for me… Talking to the audience and stuff. I don’t like the sound of my own voice. And I’m real critical of my singing – if I sing shit I hate it. When I sing good…Really it’s like having noone else in the room… Everything goes away, there are no worries about anything, I can feel the energy of the room and the music but I’m on my own up there and when the crowd is loving it I get so happy I get pins and needles in my toes.
Twinset give us the lowdown on their sound and the advantages of self funding.
Twinset How did things go with Loop? Well we put out our first album ourselves. Our second was on Capital Recordings, and it wasn’t until our fourth album that we had much to do with Loop. As we’ve evolved as musicians, so too has Loop evolved as a record company. I think they’re really just getting started. What were the advantages of self funding your new album? Not having to worry about the recoup.
Are all 3 of you full-time musicians? Yes we are, and we have been for some time now. Our first regular twinset gig was at ‘tatou’ on Kent terrace. Do the gigs bring in more money than the CDs? At the moment yes. The CDs are worth doing because we havn’t been touring as much as we would like, because we’re getting so much work in Wellington. How often do you play live/ any regular spots? We’ve got 3 or 4 weekly gigs with twinset, at The Last Supper Club, Finc, Concrete. Individually we’re involved in various projects – the Scribes of Ra, The Eggs, Deva Mahal and The 5 Pleasures, Hollie Smith and The Skeleton Crew, The Funny Cats, etc. 40
Any reason for no guest vocalists on new album? A pretty good reason; the music didn’t call for it. We just try and do what the music wants, that way we journey closer to truth. What gives you guys the biggest high in your music? I think of music as the search for truth, so any of those moments where we find it, in front of an audience or not. Did you all study music? Man, we all studied life. And we’re all still studying it.
Raashi talks on her role in Rhombus and her love of Indian folk songs.
Raashi Malik How did you get involved with Rhombus? I have known Simon and Thomas for a number of years and been involved in music with them for a while. When Rhombus was in its early stages, I started singing backing vocals to a couple of tracks which then progressed into becoming the main vocalist on other tracks down the line. Do you have any way of preparing for going on stage? Just try to get warmed up as much as possible, and perhaps a whiskey or two! Tell me about your Indian songs? I recently spent 6 months in India and fell in love with a lot of folk songs from different parts of the country. I learnt a few in the various dialects, such as Bengali, Nepali, Rajasthani, and Hindi and have brought them
back to NZ and interpreted them into my own style. One of them, a Rajasthani Lullaby, will feature on the new Rhombus album. Are you working on any big projects or solo work? Always. I have started collaborating with Rhian Sheehan and also like so many others, trying to develop my own solo work. It comes from my soul/downbeat influences and I play keyboard as well as sing. What gives you the biggest high in your work? Writing and recording I think – it’s the moment that you lay down the basis of a song in your head and see it through all the way to recording is really satisfying for me.
We catch up with one of the friendliest guys in the business on the memories Trinity Roots have given him and the excitement of going solo.
Rio Hemopo
You have been a part of one of NZ’s most loved bands and have also featured on other artists albums, can you tell me some of the people you have worked with? Well with Trinity Roots I had the awesome privelege to work with many talented musicians, actually there’s probably too many to mention. Artists thaat have toured with us have been; Jonathan Crayford, Chris O’Conner, Ned Ngatae, Hollie J Smith, Stefanie Hearfield, Darren Mathieson, Mu, JP & Mikee Dee (IRE) to name a few. We were also lucky enough to do a few support slots for overseas acts such as Ben Harper, Lee scratch Perry, Mad Prof, Dry n Heavy, TY and John Buttler Trio. Not to mention all the local talent and festivals. Who do you most look up to in the NZ music scene, who has helped or influenced you along the way? There’s so many good musicians and bands around at the moment across the board that it’s not just one particular group. There’s been a few groups through the surgery lately which I think will do well; The Inkling, Ryan Prebble, Odessa. Then the usual suspects, Fat Freddys Drop, Cornerstone Roots, Black Seeds, Phoenix Foundation, Kora, Twinset, some have also recorded there and are already household names. I like what’s happening with the retro rock thing here, and the hip hop is definitely achieving an international level. The roots/underground scene is healthy, it’s lookin pretty rosy all round aye. I have to say Paul Dyne and the staff at the Conservatorium were an early influence on
me and how I approach music. Paul in particular, as he was my bass tutor and the head of jazz studies at the time. He’s such a talented musician and solid bass player. I arrived in Welly straight out of the bush, to study and he made it all worthwhile. Warren Maxwell and Riki Gooch, one of the biggest if not the biggest musical and personal growth periods for me to date. I learnt so much during the time we had jamming. MU, I really like his production styles and beats he’s been making great stuff for a while now. Chong Nee and Sub Mariner for the same reason. And last but not least, there has always been the support of my family, my lady, and her family. TripleA is your new project, can you fill me in on the story behind it? TripleA (Affirmative Action Aotearoa) is my solo project. I’m in the process of recording three tracks, a twelve inch vinyl record. I’m fortunate to have MU producing the tracks and Chris Yeabsley has been helping expand the harmonic areas of the songs. I’ve also had Aaron Tokona and Riki Gooch do a bit of session work, and I’ll be pulling in a few others no doubt, before we finish – thanks Bros. It’s something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while, and is inspired by what and who really turned me on to music in the first place, family Xmas parties in the shed with all the whanau singing away. Those are my earliest memories of seeing and hearing music in a context where everyone was envolved, playing guitars, spoons, the table top, singing at the top of their lungs. I love music that gives you that feeling, where you wanna tap something, singalong, or jam with the tracks. I guess musically, it’s influenced by the music that I’m playing or listening to at the moment which is afro-beat, roots, and hip-hop. I love the rolling bass lines and synchopation of afrobeat, the African trible styles. The sincerity of roots. The story/poetry, heavy bottom end and phat production of hip- hop (more the underground stuff than the commercial end). There’s a bit motown influence in there too. It’s early days yet so who knows where it’ll end up.
Are you finding it exciting going solo? Yeah. Exciting, frustrating, terrifying. A big learning curve. A choice one though. Is modern technology changing the way you work / Is it a constant learning process? Definitely. There’s no way Trinity Roots, Fat Freddys Drop or most artists could entertain the idea of staying independent if it had not been for the present technology. Now it’s a reality. Everythings a constant learning process, for me anyways. Does it put a smile on your face whenever you hear people playing your music or singing along? Sure. Sometimes it’s a little embarrassing. Other times, say a quiet cafe, it’ll remind me of the actual recording itself. What gives you the biggest high in your work? Aside from the music, it’s the opportunity to meet/ work with people from all walks of life, all parts of the globe and in all sorts of jobs, crafts, and professions. Good people make anything enjoyable, and I’m gratefull that the thing I do lets me meet lots of good people.
Adan talks to us on life in NZ and how salsa is getting the Wellington crowds moving.
Adan Tijerina Tell me a bit about where you are from and how you got involved in such talented bands in NZ? I am from a Chicano community east of Seattle, Washington in the USA. ‘Chicano’ is not a term many are familiar with over here, but we are becoming a huge proportion of the American population. Chicanos are Mexicanos who were either born in the United States or emigrated there when very young. Because we have spent such a significant portion of our lives outside of Mexico we have adapted to a lifestyle different from our Mexican relatives still residing in La Republica. Unfortunately, I allowed myself to get involved in many of the ills that we Chicanos were using to make immediate individual gains, rather than the enduring enhancements the community needed; drug sales, theft, gang violence, and substance abuse were prominent occurrences throughout my adolescence. The school environment was not welcoming, and therefore, I did not attend. It was not until my last year of high school that I realized the value of education; it was not until seeing friends shot, killed, incarcerated, or addicted that I began to notice the capacity of education as way to be free. After I finished high school, I studied law in university and then set off to travel and ultimately ended up working in Mexico City.
That is where I met the Kiwi Do you find that your Mexican past has helped woman that would become create a diverse sound in the current bands you my wife and mother of my play in? children, and after a bit more Like most Latinos, I grew up going to dances travelling, I ended up here with my family. Not like school dances, but to do some post-graduate community dances where you have everyone research at Victoria. from kids to grannys out on the floor shakin’ their I was here for a month thang. And it is not like here where everyone faces when I got a gig covering the band or DJ and sways and bobs in unison. for someone at the Jazz This is dancing! Like partner-to-partner, moveFestival in 2000. I was also your-ass-and-hips kind of dancing. working as a bartender in I suppose that with this background, it would be the St. John’s Ambulance silly to believe that I could not have some effect on Building, and that is where the dynamics of a band situation, and in that way, I met Rio. He asked me yes, it does create a diverse sound. to sit in on a Trinity Roots gig, which turned out to be How do you find the Salsa scene over here? the first of many, and he Although the salsa scene in Wellington is small, it is seemed to introduce me to just as vibrant as many larger cities. It is made up of a about every musician in collective of people that are very faithful to the scene the city that week. I still and will turn out in full-force to dance at each and consider Rio and Riki two every event. Salsa music is not meant to be listened of my dearest friends; in to and analysed while sipping on cognac and stroking fact, Riki, was best-man, your goatee. It is dance music, and some of the best gigs ring-bearer, and flowerI have done in Wellington have been the high-energy girl in our wedding almost salsa gigs where there is not one ass in a seat and not a three years ago. dry brow in the house. Tell me a bit more about the instruments you play? I play percussion instruments from Latin America, mainly those from Central America and the Caribbean: congas, timbales, bongos, shekere, and numerous other percussion instruments from the jaw bone of a goat to the head of a shovel. Many of these instruments were adaptations of instruments taken to Latin America through the African Diaspora.
It seems you have a nice lifestyle in Wellington, how do you find it as a base? I have a beautiful family. With that going for me, it wouldn’t matter where in the world I was. However, the last thing I would want to do is go back to the States, pay an arm and a leg for health insurance, and have conventional medicine tell us how to birth and raise our children. I would like the kids to have the opportunity to live in Latin America though, so they can live life in Spanish for a bit and have the opportunity to put things into perspective for themselves, but it won’t be for some time now. I have got some projects coming up that I would like to really sink my teeth into, so Aotearoa will definitely be ‘home’ for a while.
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Justin is a man who NZ artists have a lot of respect for, he spills the beans on the antics of Shihad, Goldenhorse, D4 and others.
Justin Doyle Tell me a brief outline of your tech work and how you got into that area? As a guitar tech your main responsibility is to keep the bands guitars and amps in good working order. When getting ready for a long tour you do as much pre-production work as you can. If the band are playing big shows at a high level you’ll often find yourself restringing up to ten guitars a day. Once the show starts you have a setlist with all the guitar changes and tunings then do your best to keep everything working during the show. With the more chaotic bands you’ll often be running backwards and forth fixing stuff and changing strings within the space of a song. When working for a band playing a big show like a mainstage slot at Big Day Out and a guitarist’s amp stops working you think pretty fast, and hopefully fix it without much drama. The real purpose of a guitar tech isn’t just to set stuff up, it’s to allow the guys on stage to focus solely on performing. Knowing they have someone they trust on hand looking out for them means they can forget alot of the mechanics of playing. You develop a close relationship with the bands you work for and their trust in you is implicit. When seeing a great performance it usually involves more than just the band, the FOH engineer, monitor engineer, stage/guitar tech
Photograph by Justin Doyle
are all working pretty hard throughout the show also. I got into this line of work from firstly playing in bands. I was the overly organised one in our band and made sure we had our shit together. Initially I was doing tour management stuff but found being close to the stage was a lot more exciting than taking tickets at the door. It’s a small industry here so if you work hard and don’t fuck it up you tend to get called on a fair bit. Who are some of the bands you have worked with/ who’s most fun to work with? Shihad, The D4, Goldenhorse, Betchadupa, The Feelers, Anika Moa, Pluto, Goodshirt, Opshop, ElemenoP, Tadpole, Steriogram, Sommerset, Blindspot, Dave Dobbyn, Brooke Fraser, Batrider, and a few more. Great bands tend to have pretty strong individual and group personalities and after a few weeks on the road these get exaggerated further still. I have the most fun on the more intense shows so Shihad and the D4 keep me on my toes the most. The Feelers are the biggest pranksters, and Goldenhorse have the best taste in restaurants. All the NZ bands I’ve worked with have been brilliant, it’s only the odd international act I’ve been called upon to help with where I’ve encountered mild ego issues.
Being around music so much, you must see some interesting sides to music and what it does to people? Yes indeed. Standing on the side of the stage it’s fascinating to observe crowds and the group psychology involved at a show. Some bands lead crowds on emotional rollercoasters, some songs seem to float out across rooms like a form of mass hypnosis, and others are like a call to arms and people just go crazy. Watching a really big mosh pit is fascinating sometimes, but it always looks pretty uncomfortable and smells pretty funky from where I stand. When you work with a band over the years you witness their ascension in industry terms and the effects of the media attention they are getting. People’s egos tend to take off for awhile but any illusions of glamour quickly give way to a realisation of the hard work involved. Touring is hardest when the relationships are strained and people just aren’t getting along, but most bands have this internal culture where everyone keeps everyone on the level. Except singers, they are always a headache! Tell me a bit more about your own music? There is something musical and haunting about almost every sound I hear – the way sounds arrive and disappear. It astonishes me how vibrations in the air inhabit and affect physical space with the same insistence as light or physical objects. I’ve always regarded music as a affordable and flexible form of architecture. You can build these wonderful places with sound and they occupy space as firmly as any physical structure. Some pieces of work create a sense of 47
immense space, so large it’s unfathomable. Even the way that music will change the sense of space within existing physical space overwhelms me. It’s a love of this that shapes and drives the music I make. I want every piece I’m working on to have its own unique space with degrees of depth and movement. When listening it should be totally immersive and relocating. Like that wonderful sense you get when listening to music on the verge of sleep and you just drift off into the depths of it, the lines between sounds and dreams blur and it’s like a world behind the apparent world. The collision of sounds is great too. Hours of layering chaotic sounds against each other seems to lead to so many happy accidents that it’s a popular technique for me. Editing then becomes a process of panning for gold, but trying to leave some mud and sand in too. The current batch of songs I’m working on are kinda weird. I wanted to make the soundtrack to someone’s internal
dialogue, someone who is so overwhelmed by a constant sense of a peripheral sorrow, that when sleeping (usually the only real respite from the rigour of life), they are actually crying in their sleep. The music is the soundtrack to their dreams as they get their pillow a little snotty. I’m fascinated by the emotional gravity of sadness and sorrow, how these emotions hover so hauntingly on the edges of our consciousness. These emotions seem to have a beauty that aches, and shapes us more completely than other happy emotions which to me seem fleeting or frivolous. Has modern technology made a big difference to your work? Technology has definitely formed and shaped way I work now. Without the technology of today I wouldn’t be able to manipulate sounds to the degree that I really enjoy doing. 48
I still adore the years spent sitting in my bedroom, spending hours and hours making soundscapes on a four track, and all the crazy things I’d try to get these wild sounds. The drawback I always faced was that the process when working in analogue could never keep pace with my ideas, and midway through setting up things to get one sound I’d have five other ideas I’d hope to remember and capture. I’m not an analogue romantic in any way. I love tape saturation, valves, real outboard gear, and have enormous respect for the old masters of analogue recording who were true artisan. But personally I feel it’s a generational challenge to embrace the technology of our era – use it, abuse it, stretch the bounds of what its makers thought possible – so long as you’re getting those moments that make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck and your mind becomes transfixed. Protools to me is great blank canvas that allows me to work really fast and instinctively. I can place sounds in a very precise fashion and get really specific about how they will sound, move and behave. You invest something of yourself in your music when you spend time creating sounds, and I just want to combine sounds in such a way that they form a somewhere that no-one has ever been.
Ghostplane Text by Esther McLaren Photograph by Sean Aickin
Wellington indie-rockers Ghostplane have been around since 2003 after rising like a phoenix from the ashes of earlier incarnation Dana Éclair. Guitarist and vocalist Achilles Botes says that work on their new album is coming along, but perhaps a sojourn at the band’s semi-legendary Panther Valley Country Club (also the name of their debut EP, and rumoured to be located somewhere near Levin) will help with the finishing touches. “I just want to get this album done; I don’t care if I’m not seen for a couple of months.” The Country Club EP began with two ten-day writing/recording stints at the mysterious rustic hideaway, which produced “dusty rural instrumentation with quirky urban lyrics throughout, resulting in a lazy, hazy, hugely addictive hybrid of country, lo-fi electronica, surf pop and dry wit,” according to the Sunday Star Times. The album is due to be released in August on Auckland label Arch Hill.
The band spent some time in the big city recording in the Arch Hill studios, but found the atmosphere a bit detached. “Auckland is so big and there are so many niches, and they don’t cross-pollinate. Also, the industry is in Auckland so that may be why bands approach things differently.” Meanwhile back in Wellington, Ghostplane are shooting videos to accompany some of the tracks on the new album. Achilles says it takes at least three before audiences get a sense of who you are. “Video is the one place we have slipped up a bit, out of not having the funds (and time) to do them. We’re going to be doing three in the next month.” Being with a label means the band can leave the uncreative side of things to the corporate types and focus on the writing process, says Achilles. “I find I’m trying to write something really good too early. If you get amazing ideas, explore them, but explore other ideas before you commit. Ultimately though, you eventually have to call it a day. “Letting go of a song is such a tricky thing sometimes. But it’s important to be able to let go.”
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The Reveals fill us in on how they started out and jamming with ghosts in a mental hospital.
The Reveals When did you guys get together? The band basically got together and started playing at the beginning of 2005. A couple of us were overseas and basically the day after we got back, once we had slept off the jet lag, pretty much went about forming the reveals. It’s funny though, ‘cos I remember being in Europe surrounded by all this amazing history and architecture, and after a couple of days all I could think about was, ‘man I wish I was in a band!’ We all had ideas for songs or demo tapes floating around, so when we got together it was just a matter of sorting them out and working through them. Did you all play in bands before? Yep, two of us were in Marystaple, whilst guitarist George MacDonald-Bates was in Ejector. We also had a dodgy side project called ‘nana’s couch’ but they broke up after one legendary performance at a party, where the floor almost broke from too many people being in the room, and a mic got smashed and an amplifier got stolen… nana’s couch unfortunately never recovered after that, but there have been rumours circulating about a reunion very soon!
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How would you explain the sound of the Reveals? The easiest generalisation for our sound is probably indie rock. It’s guitar based, just good tunes man! It’s the type of music we all listen to and love the most, so I guess it’s a direct reflection of that fact. It’s mostly a scruffy sort of pop, but definitely has darker moments borne out of a rock influence. It was once called ‘pop for pirates’ which I kinda like and thought was pretty accurate. But we are in the process of recording an album at the moment, so I guess until I hear it all back, I won’t really know exactly what we sound like! How do you cope with the cost of producing an album? We have been fortunate to record with Justin (Doyle, the blueroom) who is prepared to spend a good amount of time with us to achieve what we wanna achieve without it being a case of watching the clock tick and the dollar signs rise. But thats not to say it doesnt cost! But we just go up and record when we have the funds available, do it in bits kinda thing, or just go and record and sorta worry about it later... But these days if you do it right, you dont need to spend a fortune to make a good album.
Is it becoming hard to find practise space in Wellington, hence the move to Porirua? Yeah it is becoming increasingly hard to find creative space. Inner city living seems to be spreading like a rash and the sad irony is that people move into town to get closer to the creative “action” but in the process force the creativity out of the city. In spite of this, it is great to have a space which is not in the city, it’s funny, our guitarist George doesn’t drive so he has to catch the train to and from practice like the good little boy he is! More to the point, our practice space is in a mental hospital, which can be great for finding inspiration or creativity. It’s really run down and derelict... There’s been rumours of ghosts haunting some of the buildings, and there’s definitely the odd person living there… One time we saw someone pushing an empty trolley at two in the morning for no apparant reason…! What gives you guys the biggest high in your music? Writing new material is definitely a huge high, as is recording a new song and then hearing it back for the first time, but playing live and getting a good response is probably top o’ the list. I have been playing music, or been in bands for as long as I can remember, and so have the others… It’s something that I guess I will always do.
Simon and Henry on randomness, getting sideways and the sound of Mon Ami
Mon Ami How would you describe Mon Ami to somebody in the pub? Hard one to summarise... As an umbrella genre, I guess we’d have to say ‘pop’. But basically Si has a musical background of country/folk (Dylan, Young et al), Henry’s more pop (alternative)/Blues/ Classical/electronic (The Beatles, U2, The Cure, Hendrix Blues, Massive Attack). Put that together and you’d get some idea of the easy listening, poppy shit we write.
Do you have any particular people or places that spark new ideas in your music? Ex’s, the bar, the government, the bar, family, the bar, things that you know about, you know? How do you find Wellington as a base? Don’t really know anything else musically as a base. Good tight crew of talent and everybody knows everybody, so the potential for collaboration is marvellous. Has modern technology changed the way you make music/taken away any of the randomness factor? Being a two man act, technology has certainly helped us realize our sound and allowed us to lay it down easily and cheaply (with a laptop). However, we still do all our writing with just a guitar and a piano/keyboard, so the randomness is (hopefully) kept alive because for us, the randomness is born in the writing, not the recording. What gives you the biggest high in your job, i.e. new song, playing live, etc? All of the above plus practicing and getting sideways.
Andrew and Era from Sidecar Fury talk about life in the city.
Sidecar Fury How do you guys find Wellington as a base? We reckon it is a pretty good city for a band to be in. We are happy to be part of a scene that isn’t too pretentious or exclusive, because like any city, Wellington has a lot of arrogance etc among its different music scenes. Do you find the diversity of music in Wellington opens up lots of new ideas to you? The diversity is definitely strong around Wellington. There are some crazy bands that sure know how to take a lot of drugs. Unfortunately we feel quite uninspired by a lot of what goes on. There are a lot of overpretentious garage rock bands that sound terrible, as well as dub scene that is gaining popularity with alternative yuppies. What influences your songs? As far as lyrics go, people we are close to or very distant from, life changes, or anything else Era can put into words in his own way, all influence us lyrically. In terms of the music, we are
influenced mainly by pop/punk/emo bands. Musical inluence can come from both musical and non-musical inspiration. You have supported some top international bands, how does that come about? Anything from sending a demo to someone who decides to help by putting you on a bill, to playing enough decent local gigs with local bands that word gets around that we rock, and someone asks “hey, wanna play support for...” to which we always reply “HELL YES”. Is modern technology changing the way you work? If anything, we’ve learned we can’t cut corners to produce quality recordings etc. Sure if you want to record in a house it will be cheap, but it won’t have the acoustics of the real deal. We want our first album to be recorded in a good studio, save the house for the demos. This is particularly important for our type of music, and the market we are trying to break into. What part of the music gives you the biggest high? Live shows are definitely where we really ‘get high’ on the feeling of communicating our music with emotion. New highs will come along with new goings on.
Toby Laing is a major player in the Wellington scene, and with Fat Freddys new album going global, we manage to pin him down for some questions.
Photograph by Louise Hyatt
Can you tell me a bit about some of the projects you are involved in at the moment? Fat Freddy’s is the main project at the moment, we’re rehearsing and writing stuff for the next album. Scribes of Ra is on the go and CL BOB has a new album out shortly. Apart from that, studio experiments with Riki the Gooch and don’t forget The Tone Moons with S.F. Scott and M. Fabulous. Do you think the fact you didn’t have many lessons on the Trumpet has helped you pick up your own style? I did have lessons when I first started playing the trumpet at the age of 13. That was lucky, it’s such an unnatural instrument that you need to develop as many good habits and techniques as you can in the formative stages. The culture of the trumpet can be highly competitive, with brass-jocks kickin ass, failing to develop such qualities as good taste or restraint. When I went to jazz school in ’95, I was taught by a fine trombone player who was just learning the trumpet himself. That might have been quite fortunate
as I always had a lot of style but not much chops. It’s been slow progress, I’m getting somewhere now.
Did your travels overseas help give you focus on where you wanted your music to go? My travels overseas between ’97–’99 gave me focus on where I wanted to live – Wigtown of course. It can’t be denied that travel gives you a great perspective to understand your own culture.
Do you have any particular people or places that influence your writing of music? The various collaborators and mentors I have worked with and learned from. A quiet room with a piano.
Tommy Benefield voices his thoughts on the music indutry, Wellington and pre-gig preparation.
Tommy Do you guys have a pre-gig routine for preparing or chilling? We have a karakia (prayer) before every show which helps us connect and align the intent of our show around serving and giving to our audience, also I prostrate myself on the floor before god and a pounamu temple on the front of the stage to keep my ego out of the performance and to demonstrate publicly that spirituality is not to be hidden or ashamed of. Are there many pros and cons to being in Wellington and being in the music industry? The music industry is a greedy machine full of capitalist fascists who only care about profit. It’s also full of lying slimy posers and greaseballs who only want to make friends in order to further their career or agenda. This is true of all industries. The musicians themselves are often friendly, generous and supportive; the infrastructure that supports them however is fucked. Wellington is beautiful and cold. Are there any big steps you need to take to further your profile? The planet has 6 billion people on it and about 10,000 have heard of us. Is there a particular part of the music scene that gives you the biggest high? The music.
Tessa Rain is a long-time musical comrade of Age Pryor, she fills us in on her current projects.
Have you had any formal vocal training? A couple of hours… Are there particular people or places that influence your songs? It’s tastes and smells that usually does it. And South Island hills.
Any projects on the go or artists you are working with at the moment? Fly My Pretties; Shanks Pony (Age’s new album); writing for Dirt Poems; backing vocals for Ryan Prebble, for Stefan Bray, and for Harriet and the Matches. What gives you the biggest high in your music? I love that feeling of a fresh song brewing. It’s uncomfortable and astonishing – I imagine it to feel like being pregnant.
How do you find Wellington to live and be in the music scene? I was born here, but I’ve never really lived here until now. It’s good to be home! I’m finding it impossible not to do music here, the environment is that supportive.
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Nigel from The Chandeliers talks about being a guitarless garage surf trio and the buzz that kicks in when the music takes control.
The Chandeliers Photograph by Sean Aickin
Story behind the Chandeliers? The Chandeliers were formed in mid 2003. We were the continuation of our first group the Side Effects which was around 2000/2001, this group originally had two guitarists, bass, keyboards and drums. Somewhere between then and 2003 we lost both guitarists, one to Australian Big Day Out glory and the other to fatherhood in the Wairarapa. The Chandeliers was the result of a continuing energy that just couldn’t be stopped! As a result the Chandeliers is a guitarless garage surf trio! How do u find Wellington as a Base? Very moist! And too cold! However musically it really does kick arse! Heaps of good venues for it’s size, heaps of cool bands to go see! Lots of nice people and not too much traffic! Down side the moisture in our band room is fucking our gear, my hands are near impossible to warm up and our coughs seem to be with us permanently (though we do smoke a bit!). I definitely think that Wellington is a good incubator for bands – giving them the ability to build up a decent size following from which they can then launch themselves to the rest of the world! I now see the push to be getting the underground Wellington music around the country and overseas! Because the only downfall with Welly is there just ain’t enough people for bands to gig everynight. Why? Because after a while you just get bored of them!
Do you have particular places or people of influence? New Zealand! To me this country rocks! I think one of the best compliments I could ever get would be that we sound like we were from New Zealand. The landscape, the birds etc are totally imprinted in our subconscious and I believe if we do our jobs right as musicians then this ultimately must come through. As for people – Heaps! Musically too many to name from total idol worshipping legends to bandmates, friends and family, everyone that we are in contact with is an influence. If you want same names then bands like The Clean, The Mummies, Booker T and the MGs, Link Wray, The Cramps and heaps and heaps more… How do you deal with costs of production? Our production costs are super super minimal! almost non existant. Our last album EXOTICA! SURF! SPACE! was recorded in a weekend at our mate Willy’s studio (ex Side Effect) KEEPIN’ IT REAL! I think it cost about $200 to record, $200 to mix which was done by Dreamboy (the other ex Side Effect) $200 to master, Dr Lee Prebble and $200 to press!! The whole album was recorded, mixed, mastered and released in under three weeks!
What gives you the biggest kick in your music? I think that we are definitely a live band! What you hear on our album is basically exactly what we sound like. We don’t really do overdubs we never ever cut tunes! We basically just set the mics up and play the song. I love playing live, I love the buzz that kicks in as the music starts to total take control of you and the audience. I especially love when something new happens on stage and you get that virginally buzz of spontaneous creation which elevatates you into some new place where you haven’t been before. At the moment we are writing a whole lot of new stuff though and I’m finding that to be just as cool. We’ve never really spent a lot of time just working on stuff in the studio and I’m loving it! Just goofing off making noise and coming up with all sorts of crazy shit! So in an answer to this question I love everything to do with the music! Over and Out. capt Hammonhead
We grab a quick chat with Warner on life in Hot Swiss Mistress.
Are all 3 of you fulltime musicians? Ben (drummer) is a abseiler by day, glassblower by night. Rhys (bass) is fulltime muso & vintage bicycle collector. I do a video course @ TLC. Tell me the basic story behind Hot Swiss Mistress? We all grew up in the Wairarapa and eventually crossed paths, inevitably resulting in a band. The name comes from a beverage that was on the Southern Cross menu. How do you guys find Wellington as a base? Wellington suits us all well. (It’s a short hitch to the Wairarapa!) What do you think about bands moving to Auckland or OZ to boost their profile? I don’t dig big cities, they freak me out. Lots of gig pubs in Melbourne, which is good for giging, but home is where the heart is.
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Do you have any crazy pre gig preparation? I’ll walk up to Rhys and say I think we should start (way too early). Rhys will tell me to wait a while, and a hour later we’ll have a shot, grab a beer each and then we’ll get into it. What gives you the biggest high in your music? A good crowd reaction is always heart warming. And when we pull off a tight set.
Photograph by Sean Aickin