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Success on the periphery
Dunedin noise-rock trio Dead C formed in 1987 and over the past two decades has
made more of a reputation outside of New Zealand music circles. They're on the
fringe, and they don't plan to leave it. A pop group the Dead C are not, but for
an ensemble - made up of Bruce Russell, Michael Morley, and Robbie Yeats — so
ardently free-form and unmarketable, they've done nicely. "The irony is,
we've done very well in commercial terms by being 'uncommercial,'" Russell
explained. "I don't know many of our contemporaries in New Zealand who are
in better career positions than us. We make money. We can make any kind of
record we like." Much of their international clout was forged in the
nineties with the Siltbreeze label, run and recently revived by Tom Lax of
Philadelphia, with whom they released some of their most acclaimed discs,
including 1992's Harsh '70s Reality, 1995's White House, and 1997's Tusk. The
Dead C has released over 20 albums and is cited as one of Sonic Youth's
favourite bands.
(15 October 2008)
With rapturous applause
Gisborne-born soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, 64, "came, sang and
conquered" with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at a Ravinia gala benefit
concert. Looking every inch the beauteous diva in a stunning red-and-black
ensemble, Te Kanawa was at her very best in three of Canteloube's 'Songs of the
Auvergne', sustained in a pastel hush of sound that perfectly caught their
dreamy, folk atmosphere. She softly traced the arching cantilena of two arias
from Puccini's 'La Boheme', notes touched in lightly, pathos held at arm's
length, as is the diva's expressive wont in Puccini. Te Kanawa ended her
programme with three encores; roses were presented and standing O's ruled the
night.
(21 July 2008)
Scaling the opera ladder
New Zealand tenor Geoffrey Knight is a versatile individual, a former member of
motorbike gang Highway 61, a stuntman, actor and deep sea trawlerman, Knight is
currently performing Gilbert & Sullivan's operetta Utopia Limited with the
Rockdale Opera in Australia. Knight said the next step is work with one of the
professional Australian companies. "I'm the last person that thought I'd be
doing this, but I love it," he said. Knight graduated from the National
Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art, where renowned international bass and
visiting tutor Grant
Dickson commented, "I believe you have the talent, intelligence, and
the potential to be a highly sought after singer on the international
stage."
(21 April 2008)
Maconie explains Stockhausen on war
Composer and musicologist New Zealand-born Robin Maconie writes about celebrated
German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen's controversial statement after September
9/11, in which he called the terrorist attacks "the greatest work of
art" ever. Maconie writes: "Stockhausen's opinion deserves respect as
the view of one who knows what war is about, has suffered and forgiven, and does
not shrink from confronting the moral ambiguities of international conflict nor
from recognizing that actions undertaken for a morally defensible cause can
still inflict enormous cruelty on the innocent." Maconie joins American
composer Morton Subotnick and Björk, in ultimately discussing Stockhausen's
fame as an avant-garde composer of startlingly original and uncompromising
music. The New Yorker music critic Alex Ross calls Maconie "Stockhausen's
chief chronicler" and this article a "passionate defence". Robin
Maconie is the author of Other Planets: The Music of Karlheinz Stockhausen.
(14 March 2008)
The most popular
Wellington comedy pair The Flight of the Conchords won best comedy album Grammy
for their debut EP The Distant Future at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in Los
Angeles. The EP is a collection of six tracks written by the self-declared
"Fourth most popular folk-comedy duo", Jemaine Clement and Bret
McKenzie. Although neither was present to accept the award, Clement told The
Dominion Post the announcement was made at a separate low-key event before the
main ceremony. "We were with all the weirder colours of the spectrum - the
best polka album and best Hawaiian album." McKenzie was enthusiastic about
the win telling the Post it was a great day for New Zealand comedy. "I wish
my grandmothers were still alive. They would be so proud and I could call them
and say, 'Granny, I've won a Grammy'," he said. A Conchords full-length
album will be released in April.
(10 February 2008)
Cosmic pop
One-woman Christchurch act Bachelorette is winning over Australian audiences
with her "beautifully odd, inter-planetary pop". Annabel Alpers is
currently touring Australia with her new album, Isolation Loops, which
she recorded in a remote wooden hut near the mouth of Canterbury's Rakaia River.
A review in the Melbourne Age describes the album as "lovingly
kitsch space-pop", and likens Bachelorette to indie electro acts Stereolab
and Broadcast. Alpers studied composition and computer-based sound design at
Canterbury and Auckland universities after a brief stint in NZ psych-pop band
Hawaii Five-O. "I had been playing more psychedelic rock/pop kind of music
in bands," she says. "But once I was able to access computers with
multi-tracking and electronic instrumentation, the more my solo stuff developed
and the more fascinating it became. Bachelorette was really born out of
computers."
(26 October 2007)
Sellaband springboard for NZ rapper
Christchurch rapper Maitreya has found international fame through sellaband.com,
a new social networking site for entrepreneurial music lovers. Sellaband allows
users to buy "shares" in acts they think have the potential for major
chart success. When the amount invested in an act reaches the US $50,000 mark,
Sellaband helps the musician record and globally release a studio album, the
sales of which benefit the "believers" (fan investors). Maitreya, now
based in New York, was sixth artist to break through the $50,000 barrier and is
currently recording his debut album - One
Love and Light.
(9 June 2007)
Finn welcomes world to his kingdom
Tim Finn has embarked on a tour of the UK and Europe to promote his latest solo
album, Imaginary Kingdom. Finn wrote most of the album in NZ, which he says had
a major influence on its sound. "Gertrude Stein said, 'People are the way
their land and sky is.' I think that's true. Most of my writing was influenced
by New Zealand's land, light, air and water." Imaginary Kingdom will be
released in the US on April 24; a week before Finn joins brother Neil for a
Crowded House reunion at California's Coachella Music Festival.
(28 February 2007)
Chills still thrill
Flying Nun legends the Chills are the unlikely inspiration behind
up-and-coming Swedish band Peter, Bjorn and John. The indiepop trio pay tribute
to Dunedin's finest with a song titled The Chills, on their third album Writer's
Block. "First we took a beat from an old Dionne Warwick tune," says
bassist Bjorn Yttling, "then we made this Pink Frost [the Chills' most
loved song] chorus thing. It's like a homage to them." Martin Phillips
formed the Chills as a 15-year-old in 1978. The band went on to become Flying
Nun's most successful international act of the 80s and 90s.
(7 July 2006)
Dusty Down Under
Already triple platinum in NZ, Bic Runga's third album - Birds - is now making
waves across the Tasman. The Age: "Dark and majestic … [Birds] is
without a doubt Runga's best album - 11 eerie, atmospheric songs that sound
somehow displaced, out of time, but classic." Sydney Morning Herald:
"Gentle and lush, it features delicate melodies augmented by lavish backing
vocals and occasional flourishes of harp and French horn. Held together by the
lightness and agility of Runga's voice, the best songs evoke a smoky, retro
cocktail bar - the sort of setting in which Runga made a cameo in the film
Little Fish, as a 'Vietnamese lounge singer.'" Australian Vogue: "With
Birds, her quietly devastating third album, Runga keeps the lights way down low
while radiating a deep soulfulness that could transform her into the Antipodean
Dusty Springfield … it's a contender for the first great album of
2006."
(12 March 2006)
Hansen homeward bound?
MTV Europe’s head, New Zealander Brent Hansen has retired after nearly two
decades with the company. Hansen joined MTV in 1987 as a news producer and
soared through the ranks to become the President of Creative and Editor in Chief
of MTV Networks International. “Brent’s strong, creative instincts have …
helped us achieve a unique editorial voice and music credibility that will
continue to lend integrity to our brands for years to come,” says MTV Networks
International president Bill Roedy. Always maintaining he would retire from the
top job at 50, and after 18 years in London, Hansen is looking forward to making
“time for my relationship with New Zealand.”
(17 February 2006)
Something old, something new
The internationally acclaimed NZ String Quartet made an impressive debut in
Minneapolis, performing as part of the annual Music in the Part Series in St
Paul. The Quartet's program included the world premiere of NZ composer Gillian
Whitehead's Hin-pu-te-hue, a work celebrating the Maori goddess of peace. Star
Tribune: "The sense of quietude that might have been expected from a work
commemorating peace seemed oddly lacking as sophisticated contemporary
sonorities interwove with the ancient sounds. But together they created an
eerily haunting and compelling aural landscape." The NZSQ comprises Helene
Pohl, Douglas Beilman, Gillian Ansell and Rolf Gjelsten.
(21 November 2005)
Leading the Radio One renaissance
Zane Lowe, the NZ-born DJ single-handedly credited with making BBC Radio One
cool again, was named Music Broadcaster of the Year at the Sony Radio Academy
Awards in London. He also picked up the Specialist Music Prize, in recognition
for his helping the new breed of British guitar bands to mainstream success.
Radio One audience figures have risen from 1.3 to 2.25 million since Lowe joined
the station in 2003.
(10 May 2005)
Perrier-nominated folk parodists Flight of the Conchords have landed their own Radio 2 series, with a host of names from the comedy circuit lending a hand. The duo’s improvised show will be broadcast from September. The show charts how Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement – ‘New Zealand's fourth most popular folk parody duo’ – try to crack the UK’s lucrative novelty music scene. Much of it was recorded on a portable mini-disc at London landmarks including Hyde Park, The Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus - and the first aid room at Broadcasting House. The Conchords, who won their Perrier nomination at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe, also have TV development deals in place with NBC in America and Channel 4 in the UK. (June 30, 2005)
Thumbs up for Next Big Thing
Steriogram scores a healthy 4 out of 5
stars in iAfrica’s music guide with their debut album Schmack. “[Beneath]
the slick production and tight arrangements, Schmack reverberates to the sound
of five guys having as much fun as they can … With a healthy pop edge that
should pull them up the playlists, and just enough rough edges to stay cool, the
album unwinds like the soundtrack to a roadtrip movie, all fat guitar hooks, and
a rhythm section as well drilled as the All Black backline.”
(30 March 2005)
Datsuns in good company
The Datsuns have been invited to play on
a tribute album for the late, great BBC DJ John Peel, alongside superstars
Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, Peter Shelley, David Gilmour and Peter Hook, and
fellow bright young things The Futureheads and El Presidente. Peel’s son, Tom
Ravenscroft, personally selected the bands and artists appearing on the album,
which will be released on October 17 to mark the first anniversary of his
father’s death. “All the artists on the record have at some time been played by
Dad, whether recently or before I was born, and in some cases before they were
really popular. It's unpredictable, and there's hopefully someone or something
in it for every listener.”
(23 September 2005)
New wave jazz
Acclaimed Kiwi pianist Aron Ottignon
launched his debut album, Culture Tunnels, with band Aronas in April.
Inspired by Pacific log drumming, the Aronas sound is an innovative take on
acoustic jazz. Sydney Morning Herald: “[Ottignon’s] own piano playing in
Aronas sometimes also has a drum-like function. He tries to avoid falling into
predictable piano grooves, such as Latin, reggae, shuffles or whatever, and the
end effect is amazingly fresh, while still feeling familiar.”
(15 April 2005)
Luna Rendezvous
New Zealand born, Harvard educated and New York resident Dean Wareham and his
band Luna track through Japan promoting their final album Rendevous. “Where
the last half of Luna's career flirted with edgier tempos and sun-splashed pop,
"Rendezvous" returns to the languid, hypnotic feel of their early
work. This music is reflective yet buoyant, like post-party floating in the
pool, stargazing after everyone has gone to sleep. The album retains the energy
of their live shows by avoiding overdubs and gadgetry, instead putting the band
in one room together and keeping the best take. That may be why
"Rendezvous" translates so well onstage. As they sink into the first
chords of opener, "Malibu Love Nest" -- the yawn of Eden's guitar
fills curling over a fluid bass line -- I realize that they aren't solemn,
they're just under the spell of their own music. And judging by the capacity
crowd, the spell is contagious.”
(24 October 2004)
Good things take time
An Australian Rolling Stone
feature examines the intimate and lengthy process behind the making of
Everyone Is Here, the first collaborative album by Neil and Tim Finn in
nearly a decade. “Hyperbole can’t do [the album] justice. It’s folk, it’s rock,
it’s got some of the biggest choruses either brother has conceived. Lyrically,
it’s both intimate and epic, direct yet deeply poetic. It’s music overbrimming
with life … [For] over a generation, these Finn voices have provided many of us
with an alternative conscience, invited us to join in and sing along. Theirs are
voices for the ages, only improving with age.”
(October 2004)
Finn-tastic
The Finn brothers’ headlining
performance at Summerstage Central Park thrilled fans and critics alike. NY
Times: “Rock bands of brothers aren't known for amity […] The Finn Brothers
… set out to be the exception, as Neil and Tim Finn revelled in a fraternal bond
both in and out of their songs.” Neil earned particularly high praise: “He is an
unabashed heir of the mid-1960's Beatles, writing unhurried melodies that
usually carry kindly sentiments about perseverance in the face of small and
large disappointments.”
(3 August 2004)
Jews Brothers go global
The Naxos World Label’s Rhythm for
Kids album received a glowing review in the Star: “[It’s] a neat grab for
the pre-consumer demographic. There's 13 tracks of worldbeat from 12 countries
[…] a mix of young stuff and folk that's mostly very cheery, with obvious
opportunity for clear-the-room sing-along choruses.” The album features NZ’s
Jews Brothers doing Klezmer in Hebrew and English.
(10 April 2004)
Play it again, John
Auckland University student John Chen
was the overall winner at the 8th Sydney International Piano Competition, held
June 30 - July 17. The 18-year-old competed against 36 rigorously selected
players from around the world, eventually walking away with $43,000 in prize
money and the chance for international stardom. The Sydney event has been staged
every 4 years since 1977 and is regarded as one of the most prestigious of its
kind.
(19 July 2004)
Concord Dawn shifts base
Leading drum’n’bass act, Concord Dawn, have moved their studio from Christchurch
to Vienna in a bid to win over the European dance scene. According to the Age,
Matt Harvey and Evan Short are “one of NZ’s biggest musical duos since the Finn
brothers,” whose “driving basslines and monstrous drums […] have resulted in a
European touring schedule that rivals any of their British-based counterparts.”
(2 April 2004)
Pure dynamite
Global sales of Pure, the international debut album by teenage singer
Hayley Westenra, hit the one million mark in early January. Released in
September, Pure is the best-selling debut classical album in British
chart history, and the second best-selling album ever in NZ (after Crowded House
hits set, Recurring Dream). Pure is slated for a March
release in the US. Westenra is pictured below wearing Kelley Osbourne's (reality
TV star and daughter to Ozzy) design for the
Glassons
Breast Cancer Research Trust T-Shirt campaign.
(13 January 2004)
Get real
Brent Hansen, NZ-born MTV
Europe chief executive, criticises the current obsession with ready-made pop
stars epitomised by hit reality Television show, American/Australian Idol:
“These programs make good TV but from a musical point of
view, they do not have any value … I totally believe they have devalued us,
taken us back to light entertainment and voyeurism.” Despite this Hansen remains
an industry optimist: “I think it will come
right as long as there is confidence from the labels right through from the
indies to the majors in signing new talent … [It is vital that] people don't
lose their nerve and that the industry continues to be an art and not a science.
It is not just about quick burns and quick returns.”
(6 November 2003)
Sweet as
NZ soprano Hayley Westenra is the voice behind the fastest
selling debut classical record of all time in UK history. Pure has outstripped albums
by Pavarotti, Charlotte Church and Andrea Bocelli, with nearly 20,000 copies
sold in its first week of international release. 16-year-old Westenra has a ₤3
million, 5-album deal with Universal, has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Sydney
Opera House, Albert Hall, and counts Sir George Martin, Jose Carreras, Bryn
Terfel and the Royal Philharmonic among her collaborators. She is soon to star
alongside fellow Kiwi Daniel Bedingfield – as well as Luciano Pavarotti and
Cirque du Soleil - at the Royal Variety Performance in Edinburgh. Guardian:
“[Her voice] is genuinely remarkable"
(24 September 2003)
The D4: luring the young and hip
The sounds of Kiwi band The D4 are
being used in an attempt to modernise the game of baseball in the US. Videos of
The D4 and fellow rockers The Donnas and The Ataris are being used as
between-innings entertainment in a bid to attract a younger, hipper crowd.
According to Major League Baseball figures, the average age of a ticket-buyer is
currently 45.
(8 August 2003)
Cleaning up their act
The Las Vegas Sun applauds the
arrival of Anthology - the collected works of Flying Nun legends, The
Clean. "Two decades later the music still brims with the raw, lo-fi energy
that helped usher in the modern indie movement […]If you're a Clean fan from
way back, Anthology should finally signal an end to your frustration. And if
you're new to the band, consider yourself lucky to be getting so much great
stuff in one easy-to-find package."
(1 August 2003)
Soul sister
NZ-born Carla Werner's debut album - Departure
- proves a moving experience for New York Daily News reviewer, Jim
Farber. "[The songs] have a compellingly confessional quality … Werner
sounds most like a female Jeff Buckley, borrowing a few of his melodic lilts and
vocal tics. But, ultimately, her sound, and her sorrow, are her own."
Werner gives her own description of her sound in an interview with the New
York Post: "I think of it as poetic descriptions of what I'm
feeling at the moment […] A rainy day is the perfect environment to listen to
it. Melancholy is really part of everyday life, and my music is a product of
that."
(19 July 2003)
Nuns fly high in Seattle
Seattle Weekly chats with
"one of New Zealand's coolest exports" - David Kilgour of The Clean. Kilgour answers questions on a musical career which spans 20 years;
from 1981's "coughing, cursive, and practically perfect Boodle Boodle
Boodle" to the "every bit as urgent, acerbic, and
exceptional" Getaway two decades later. Featured in a previous
issue were Flying Nun stablemates The Tall Dwarves, whose latest CD - The
Sky Above the Mud Below - was pronounced "maximally minimalist and
cleverly cool."
(May-June 2003)
Rhodes steers latest hit
Kiwi singing star Teddy Tahu Rhodes has a lead role in the latest opera by
Academy Award-winning composer Rachel Portman. Portman's adaptation of the
classic French children's book The Little Prince premiered with the
Houston Grand Opera on May 31st. Rhodes plays the part of the pilot.
(30 May 2003)
Variation the key to "Briwi's" success
NZ born popster Daniel Bedingfield profiled in the Philippine Star.
"You know how an artist will go to great lengths to maintain his style and
keep some elements of his first hit in all of his future releases? Well, not
Bedingfield. Not only do his works vary in genre, he does each one exceptionally
well." The 23-year-old has the UK and Asian charts in his thrall, and is
now plotting his US takeover.
(2 May 2003)
Dirty deeds earn place on hall of fame
Oz-rockers AC/DC have been inducted to the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,
as one of the top five best-selling bands in U.S history. NZ drummer Phil Rudd
makes up one part of the legendary four-piece, which has been rocking stadiums
for over thirty years. Says an incredulous Angus Young; "Are we being
inducted or indicted? […] We have some fans who would probably be more happy
if we were put in the Bastille.''
(9 March 2003)
Sweet as in South West
NZ sent its biggest contingent yet to the prestigious South By Southwest (SXSW)
music festival and symposium in Texas. The talented line-up comprised The
Datsuns, The D4, Goodshirt, 8 Foot Sativa, PanAm and Damien Binder. The
Datsuns reportedly gave a "head-turning, ear-pounding performance in
front of hundreds of music execs, fans and other musicians."
(8 January 2003)
Finn-spiration
Legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has nothing but praise for Neil Finn, who
he collaborated with on Seven World's Collide. "That experience with
Neil was one of the highlights of my musical life so far […] Because I had
gone out and played to Neil's audience and with Neil, I then went back to my
album with a slightly different perspective. I just finished the job off with a
renewed enthusiasm." Keeping it in the family, Finn's son's band - Betchadupa
- opened for Johnny Marr and the Healers in Sydney last month.
(24 January 2003)
Northern exposure
The Datsuns are taking their
acclaimed brand of rock firepower to Canada, with shows scheduled for Toronto,
Montreal and Vancouver. Their highly anticipated foray into North America
precedes the release of their debut album there on March 4.
(29 January 2003)
Rebirth of Loop
2002 saw the highly successful reinvention of Wellington's Loop
magazine as an independent recording label. With acts like The Black Seeds,
Rhian Sheehan and 50HZ on the books, and albums which look as good as they
sound, it's not hard to see why. Loop's Hannah Cornwell: "It's about
NZ creative culture as a whole. For us to just go 'We're only about music,'
we're cutting out a good 50% of our market which appreciates good quality
design."
(4 December 2002)
Frodo's choice
American pop oddballs Elf Power have released a covers album featuring NZ's
Tall Dwarf's - the now disbanded Chris Knox outfit. Nothing's Going to Happen
also includes renditions of songs by Husker Du, T. Rex, and Jesus and Mary
Chain.
(5 November 2002)
South Pacific sounds
NZ group Te Vaka has made the list of nominees for next year's BBC Radio 3
Awards for World Music. The Polynesian ensemble, led by Opetaia Foa'i, describe
their sound as "tribal, powerful and rootsy yet melodic, warm, earthy and
atmospheric." Te Vaka means "the canoe" in Tokelau - the
predominant language used in the songs. The winners will be announced in London
on March 24.
(28 October 2002)
Psathas & Kiri
NZ composer John Psathas and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa provided some of the high
points at Manchester's eclectic "Pulse Festival." The concert was the
climax to a six month exploration of Commonwealth arts entitled "Spirit of
Friendship," which merged classical, jazz and world music. Psathas'
"colourful concerto for percussion, piano and orchestra" formed the
evening's centerpiece, while Dame Kiri's encore of an unaccompanied Maori song
"clearly touched a chord in the large audience ..."
(1 August 2002)
The blink and you'll miss him sex symbol
"Lord of the extras: Elfin charmer nets fans." A pout like that and
musical and comedic talent! Wellington musician Bret McKenzie (The
Black Seeds, Flight of the Conchords) has found internet fame via a split
second appearance as an elf extra in Lord of the Rings. Dubbed
"Figwit" by besotted fans, McKenzie's "brooding good looks"
have spawned web-shrines from England to Israel.
(6 August 2002)
Pacific mix
Jazz has been described as the "original dance music" and one of the
genre's legendary labels, Verve, has dipped into its vaults and commissioned new
mixes for contemporary dancefloors. Kiwi Mark de Clive Lowe joins MJ Cole,
Thievery Corporation, Masters at Work, Tricky and Richard Dorfmeister in
remixing the great vocalists of jazz, including Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald,
Billie holliday and Nina Simone.
(June 2002)
Heavenly pop hits
Aotearoa musical ambassador Neil Finn's One
Nil launched in the US as One All, and draws in at No.2 on Salon's
audio charts. New songs and collaborations with Wendy and Lisa of Prince and
the Revolution fame, see Finn in fine form: "Finn sticks to his trademark
sweet melodies and atmospheric arrangements [...] He's always played beautiful
pop tunes, but at the same time his lyrics are full of doubt and darkness."
(19 July 2002)
Finn's food for the gods
Tim Finn takes matters into his own hands with his sixth
solo album, "Feeding the Gods. "I'm realising how much of a
classicist I am," he says. "For a long time experimentation with sound
and colours and textures was just a given...every record had to be different
from the one before it".
(20 November 2001)
Jihad ... whoops, I mean Shihad
NZ rockers Shihad undergo
cosmetic change post-Sept 11 after concerns were raised about the band name's similarity to the word jihad,
(meaning holy war). The name Shihad was taken from a mis-spelling of the word
jihad in the sci-fi novel Dune. Now known as Pacifier, they are set play their first gig at the
LA's hip Viper Room.
(15 March 2002)
The Odder Rock Tour
Neil Finn
has just completed one of rock's great experimental tours. He started off
playing with friends from Radiohead and the Smiths in New Zealand, and ended up
on stage with complete strangers in Britain. "There's a lot of memories
that will stay with me," he says. "A thrash-metal version of Four Seasons in One Day,
for starters."
(11 September 2001)
Pdf copy
Band of Strangers
Further adventures in just-in-time music: Neil Finn concocts bands on the
fly to "put the cat among the pigeons" inviting complete strangers to
play with him on his upcoming British tour.
(19 July 2001)
Finn-cast
The Finn and Friends concert goes live over the web.
(6 April 2001)
Neil Finn World
Dotmusic launches
Neil
Finn World to be updated through Finn's UK tour.
(10 April 2001)
One Nil to Neil
Neil Finn speaks about his new-found love of the internet and his
brilliant new album, One Nil.
(29 March 2001)
And to Finn-ish with
"The most prolific writer of
quality songs around at the moment" says Radiohead's Ed O'Brien. How about
Finn as
New Zealand's Paul McCartney? Or Eddie Vedder singing backing at "a small
club in Auckland".
(9 April 2001)
More Finn enough
"Life without a band suits Neil Finn - his second solo album is
phenomenal"
(25 March 2001)
Lord of nations...
"Barton's encore - her own variations on the New Zealand national
anthem, inspired by a tour of that country made at the invitation of James Judd
- was full of devilish pyrotechnics, skittery bowings and left-hand pluckings."
(3 March 2001)
Neil plugged in
New Zealand maestro Neil Finn talks live, performs and announces the launch of his
new website.
(11 January 2001)
Queen of
the organ
New Zealand-born Dame Gillian Weir's career as an internationally renowned
organist has "totally transformed the reputation of the much-maligned king
of instruments".
(22 January 2001)
Country & Urban
New Zealand-born country singer/ songwriter Keith Urban's
"Rollercoaster" gets a Grammy nom,
while Keith himself fronts Music Row
mag and toasts his top-ten success.
(21 January 2001)
Jazzy sound
New Zealand's c.l. bob impress
in Melbourne, "an inventive ensemble whose music ranges from
AfroCaribbean shuffles to Hendrix-style mayhem".
(30 January 2001)
Crowded post
Aussie(?) pop heroes Crowded House to feature on Australian Post
stamps.
(11 December 2000)
Edge music
"Folk and traditional tunes" from New Zealand feature on the Glen
Ellyn Children's Chorus' new CD, Flights of Song.
(27 November 2000)
Howl Space
Top 100 all-time rock and pop
acts on the new website dedicated to the New Zealand sound.
(12 November 2000)
Popstar export
Put it up there with kiwifruit and spreadable butter - the Popstars
formula has become a unique New Zealand export success. Pop-packager extraordinaire
David Foster will be involved in the US edition.
(17 November 2000)
Musicking: an activity not a
thing
New Zealander Christopher
Small's books have been
paradigm-changing events. His latest "Musicking" focuses on what Small believes is music’s ultimate
function: "to provide insight into relationships: between and among notes
and chords and rhythms and meters and many other classes of sound, and also
musicians and listeners (not to mention composers and conductors, producers and
A&R folk, DJs and critics)." Small is in his 70's and lives in Spain.
(30 August 2000)
Rock at Home
Alex Ross' investigation of New Zealand music rock: "surface blips
[generated by the New Zealand bands that do get coverage] in the international
musical marketplace give only a hint of an amazingly rich music culture"
(16 August 2000)
Kiwi singer new sensation in INXS
Two years after the death of Michael Hutchence, Australian rock legends INXS
have announced that they will return with former Noiseworks lead-singer Kiwi Jon
Stevens at the mike. "We've got to get on with our lives and we feel that
the best way to honour Michael's death, in a sense is to get on with it"
said bassist Tim Farris.
(18 July 2000)
Aural edge export: the Dunedin Sound
Dunedin Sound original Chris Knox
"one half of the legendary Tall Dwarfs and one of New Zealand's most
eccentric exports" will release his latest solo platter Beat later
this year. Thirsty Ear Recordings President Peter Gordon describes minstrel of mayhem
Knox
as "a classic troubodour in the real sense of the word ... very much a
legendary independent artist." Praise ... not given lightly.
(24 July 2000)
Kiwi professor of pop crafts summer sounds from Nashville
"If there were advanced academic degrees for pop music, songwriter Tim
Finn would have achieved professor emeritus status long ago. This Split Enz and
Crowded House alum is a craftsman of the first order. "Say It Is So," is a perfectly lilting summertime soundtrack."
(16 June 2000)
Courtney Love: Nelson Girls
old-girl takes on Napster
As a user Courtney loves Napster, but it carries some risks and the
Hole lead singer is wary of corporate relationships in general, "If
you want some little obedient slave content provider, then fine. But I
think most musicians don't want to be responsible for your clean-cut,
wholesome, all-American, sugar corrosive cancer-causing, all white people,
no women allowed sodapop images." Well, what did you expect -
an endorsement?
(June 2000)
Neighbours no more: Kiwi pop culture export success reverses the flow
Aussie girl-group Bardot, the most manufactured band in the history of
pop, have become a sensation. "Popstars", the hit TV show that followed
their evolution from nobodies to Spice Girls, was born from a similar
show, "True Bliss", conceived and screened in New Zealand last year. And, wait for it, the
concept has also been sold to America, but this time with ... a boy
band.
(24 June 2000)
Kiwi blows her bassoon as single-sex barriers make the news
New Zealand woman Rosamund Allison became the first woman to be
recruited to the previously all-male Scots Guards Band.
(10 April 2000)
Art Bin editor itches to be scratched
Auckland based Elam School of Fine Arts lecturer Phil Dadson's innovative
percussion group 'From Scratch' makes Art Bin editor's "favourite
things" list.
(May 2000)
Alt-rock poster boys Luna lose a little sheen
Founding bassist Justin Harwood has resigned his position behind the bass,
and after eight years in the band, will return to his native New Zealand to
raise his newborn baby girl.
(9 May 2000)
Kiwi blows her bassoon as single-sex barriers make the news
New Zealand woman Rosamund Allison became the first woman to be
recruited to the previously all-male Scots Guards Band.
(10 April 2000)
Six degrees of connection for Mark de Clive-Lowe
London's music press has connected with Clive-Lowe's album
Six Degrees.
Already played on the main dance-floor at the Ministry of Sound and touted as a new
step in "futurejazz" for its blending of jazz spirit and club vibes.
Wax
magazine: "I'm sticking with words 'awesome' and 'genius'
(9/10)." DJ magazine: "I want more (5/5)"
(May 2000)
Piping up a storm down under
Cultural history was made as the massed
bands of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo played in front of a sell-out crowd in
New Zealand, the first time in its 50-year history that the event has gone
outside Scotland.
(10 March 2000)
Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman's
discography continues to grow more eclectic
with each project world music album, Oceania's self-titled release, which
Coleman
produced and helped write, is due on May 2 on Point/Universal Classics Group.
The group features Maori female lead singer, Hine, singing in the New Zealand
language Maori.
(17 April 2000)
Theo Ray - Kiwi Indie singer hits LA
From Indie chart success in New Zealand and Australia, to a #2 single
'Smell' in Europe, to the darker side of Asia and beyond, Theo Ray is now based
in Los Angeles, playing with a variety of collaborators - most recently Peter
DiStefano and Stephen Perkins (both ex-Porno for Pyros) under the name 'Godbox'
...
(4 April 2000)
Mr. Electric and the Superdudes body-rock at New Orleans Jazz Fest
Up and down South Peters
Street, a group of fun-loving folk calling
themselves the "Superdudes" led by Mr. Electric (a 30-year-old former
model from New Zealand) danced, enlisting as many people as possible to "be
super."
(3 May 2000)
Harvey tour
Singer-song writer PJ Harvey heads to the edge for a summer tour.
(14 November 2000)
Bic Runga Sways in Quicktime
The New Zealand artist has scored an internet marketing coup with the
video for her single, Sway, being featured on the frontpage of Apple's
Quicktime website, alongside offerings from Al Gore, Nicholas Negroponte and
AC/DC. The video has already won the Billboard Award for best video by new
adult contemporary artist.
(2000)
Tim Finn inspires repeat of history in Boston
Finn's Boston show prompts memories at Boston gig-guide Go!. Years ago, "[Go!] was introduced to an outstanding New
Zealand pop outfit called the Split Enz. A friend's older sister was showing off
a sweat rag that a member of the band had chucked into the audience. A
couple of years later, the band started popping up on a nascent MTV and Go! was
hooked."
(9 June 2000)
Finn's Boston show prompts memories at Boston gig-guide Go!. Years ago, "[Go!] was introduced to an outstanding New
Zealand pop outfit called the Split Enz. A friend's older sister was showing off
a sweat rag that a member of the band had chucked into the audience. A
couple of years later, the band started popping up on a nascent MTV and Go! was
hooked."
(9 June 2000)
Oceania merge the edges with log drums and electro beats
Former leader of Killing Joke Jaz Coleman joins Maori singer Hinewehi Mohi in a
high-tech fusion on their eponymous debut. "This isn't a fashion record for
me, or a passing flirtation with another culture," says Coleman, recently
named composer in residence at Prague Symphony Orchestra, "I'm committed to
Maori music. I love these people."
(15 June 2000)
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Fame from the field
Wellington-born Singer Will Martin, 24, is one of a number of classical
crossover performers who, writes the Times Online, made their "big
break" singing the national anthem at a sporting event. Martin first
performed before an All Blacks game in New Zealand in 2005, and since then has
sung at Wembley, the Millennium Stadium, Ascot and Old Trafford, as well as for
the Royal Olympic Association. "I'm not naive enough to believe that record
companies watch sports events looking for a new star," says Martin.
"But when you're singing to a huge crowd and a TV audience that can be in
the tens of millions, it is an opportunity to touch people where it matters most
. . . in the heart." "For a certain genre of artist, performing at
sporting events is becoming a more and more important part of their career
development," says Julian Marks, of Event 360, which provides on-pitch
entertainment for Wembley. "The artist's job is also to heighten the
atmosphere and to support the home team." Martin's debut album 'A New
World' was released in September.
(9 November 2008)
Blondes make blog
Auckland singer Gin Wigmore, 21, and Wellington's Ladyhawke are both plugged in
Perez Hilton's Hollywood gossip blog, who enthuses that if you are blonde and
from New Zealand, he is: "LOVING you this week." The site, which daily
receives four million hits, introduced its readers to the
"brazilliance" of Ladyhawke and then Wigmore, whose voice Hilton
describes as "quirky and intoxicating - her tunes fun and charming."
And on Ladyhawke, Hilton says: Pip Brown is "like Lady Gaga with a bit more
of a rock edge - but just as fab." In 2005, Gin (Virginia) Wigmore won the
US-based International Songwriting Contest with her song 'Hallelujah', beating
11,000 contestants from 77 countries to become the youngest winner in the
history of the prize. Wigmore supports John Mellencamp at Auckland's Vector
Arena in December.
(October 2008)
Four decades with Finn
Musician and songwriter Tim Finn is interviewed by Salt Lake City newspaper The
Deseret News about his forthcoming solo album release, 'The Conversation',
and a career spanning 40 years. "If you would have told me 20 years ago
that I'd be in my mid-50s still making music, I would have laughed in your
face," Finn said. "But throughout the years, the fans have seen the
history unfold. And what has helped me is the fact that I'm not mainstream. And
I just need to have one good song every few years to keep my career alive.
However, it is gratifying to me that when I do tour, people are glad to see
me." Finn released an eight-track extended play album called,
'Rarities/Demos/Love Performances Vol. 1' in July, which is available for
download on www.myspace.com/timfinnmusic.
(29 August 2008)
Releasing expectations
Auckland-based band Cut Off Your Hands are described as a "vicious and
vibrant foursome" and frontman Nick Johnston, "the new Iggy Pop of the
New Zealand pop-punk pioneers" on a British news website. The band discuss
the UK release of their latest single 'Expectations', their musical influences
(including the Buzzcocks, Sonic Youth and Bailterspace) and making music in New
Zealand. Johnston thinks the local scene is influenced positively by the lack of
industry. "Bands are formed in New Zealand for the sake of creating
something the individuals are turned on by, as opposed to kids in London
desiring to be the next Razorlight on the cover of a glossy mag. It's naive and
pure and idealistic, but at least it's rooted in substance, rather than commerce
and fashion." Cut Off Your Hands' debut album, You & I was
recorded this year.
(20 August 2008)
Vocal ambassador
Christchurch soprano Hayley Westenra, 21, performed with the US National
Symphony Orchestra at the 28th annual broadcast of America's popular 4th of July
concert, Capitol Fourth before returning to the UK to continue a hectic 2008
tour. The tour includes the Orwell Park Classical Spectacular and a closing
night performance at the Wimbledon Cannizaro Park Festival. Despite her busy
schedule, Westenra is also one of the youngest ever ambassadors for UNICEF. She
said: "Meeting young people that are the same as me but with such a
different world of opportunity has a profound effect on you. I aspire to be a
singer, which seems so unessential compared with their simple desire for a
regular cup of clean water. You can't go somewhere like that, meet those people
and come back unchanged."
(3 July 2008)
Spoilt for shenanigans
Wellington's Bret McKenzie likes Los Angeles eatery Pie n' Burger because
"the name lets you know what you're going to get. No surprises." This
is one of a sampling of places McKenzie recommends in the City of Angels.
McKenzie has become pretty well-acquainted with Los Angeles over the last couple
of years, having relocated here along with Jemaine Clement, his bandmate in
Flight of the Conchords, to work on their HBO sitcom. Another favourite,
second-hand store 'Squaresville', Los Feliz is where he gets "some good
sweatshirts with animals on them." And on Monday nights McKenzie enjoys the
Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale even though he never learnt to rollerskate.
"I was more into doing the moonwalk."
(22 June 2008)
Shocking advance
Auckland pop band the Shocking Pinks have signed a four-album deal with New York
label DFA Records, which also represents LCD Soundsystem and Hercules & Love
Affair. Founder and ex-Brunettes member, Nick Harte says the band had just
signed with Flying Nun when they were offered the deal. "But living in New
Zealand and having a New York label offering you advances, I just wished it was
the other way around, but it turned out well." Shocking Pinks are currently
supporting Cut Copy on their Australian tour.
(11 June 2008)
Comedic eclecticism
Flight of the Conchords have "a gift of genre-blending that makes even
David Bowie's efforts pale in comparison," writes London Time Out.
Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie shift comfortably from the soft-hitting hip
hop of 'Mutha'uckers' to the admittedly vogueish retro-electro of 'Inner City
Pressure', in which they movingly address the urban realities of alienation and
second-hand underpants. And in the United States, even though many of the jokes
were obviously familiar to the audience at two sold-out shows at Washington
D.C.'s Lisner Auditorium, the crowd roared anew at songs like 'Business Time'
and 'Robots', a song about "The distant future/The year 2000," when
humans had been eliminated by machines. "That confirms a theory that I've
had about Washington," Clement
said of the crowd response. "That you're all robots." The Conchords'
debut self-titled album is released this week in the UK.
(6 May 2008)
Dame Kiri's festival circuit
Soprano Dame Kiri te Kanawa is to perform at three North American summer music
festivals - Washington D.C.'s Wolf Trap, Chicago's Ravinia and the famous
Ontario Elora Festival on July 13. Elora artistic director Noel Edison said:
"It's a first for this festival. Someone of this stature we've never had
before." Dame Kiri's Washington programme includes Strauss, Pucini arias
and Canteloube's Songs of the Auvergne, while in Chicago the singer also
performs two selections from La Bohème and Cilea's 'Io son l'umile ancella'
from Adriana Lecouvreur.
(16 April 2008)
Off-stage antics
Wellington-born musician and "New York Rock God" Dean Wareham formed
the band Luna in 1992 and later, together with his second wife Britta Phillips,
Dean & Britta. Black Postcards is Wareham's just-released chronicle of his
career, and it's 'A Rock & Roll Romance'. Aside from the hint of a New
Zealand accent in his voice, he looks like a pretty typical 40-something New
Yorker writes the Observer. An emissary of New York to the world of indie rock
for almost 20 years, Wareham said of his book: "I wanted to pull back the
curtain, show the boredom, the pettiness, and the arguments." "It's
the hardest thing I've ever done," he admitted. The latest issue of Men's
Vogue features an excerpt from
Black Postcards.
(13 March 2008)
Pianist in demand
Award-winning New Zealand pianist and current associate professor of piano at
Florida State University Read
Gainsford has performed throughout the world as solo recitalist, concert
soloist and chamber musician. Gainsford performs at Middle Tennessee State
University where School of Music Director Dr George Riorden is excited at the
prospect of Gainsford working with the students before becoming a household
name. "From the level of his artistry we know he is going to be an artist
much in demand in the very near future," Riorden said. "This will give
the middle Tennessee public a chance to claim him before becoming
famous."
(4 February 2008)
Music that moves you
The acclaimed NZ String Quartet is currently touring the United States' East
Coast. Formed 20 years ago, the Wellington-based group consists of cellist Rolf
Gjelsten, first violinist Helene Pohl, violinist Douglas Beilman and violist
Gillian Ansell. Pohl and Beilman were born in the US and Gjelsten in Canada;
co-founder Ansell is the only NZ-born member. Gjelsten explains why he joined
the group in 1994, and became a citizen three years later, in an interview with
the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. "The music of this medium is so
profound they wanted to find musicians who would dedicate themselves to this
music," he said. "A bonus is that it happened to be New Zealand - one
of the most beautiful countries in the world that most people would move to
without a job."
(8 November 2007)
Kora impress offshore
Whakatane band Kora is steadily building an international fan base to rival its
one in NZ. The five-piece band - which consists of brothers Brad, Stu, Laughton
and Francis Kora, and Dan McGruer - has just returned from a lengthy tour of
Australia and the UK. Brad nominates a sold-out show at London's renowned Koko
club in Camden as a highlight of trip. "There were many industry people
checking us out and Yamaha representatives came up to me for an endorsement of
their drums," he said in an interview with the Whakatane Beacon. Kora's
self-titled debut album was released in late October.
(20 October 2007)
Emotions running high
Crowded House were praised for their
"emotion-drenched performance" at The Greek Theatre in an LA Times
review. LA Times: "[T]he group's exquisitely crafted songs are
infinitely rich with melodic and harmonic invention but lyrically enigmatic
enough to require fans to be active participants and fill in the missing puzzle
pieces to reach their own conclusions. That gives the songs, mostly written by
Finn, a deliciously long shelf life. And if you're going to be in a band, it
might as well be one that's worth keeping around." Crowded House reformed
early this year, with new drummer Matt Sherrod joining the line-up of Neil Finn,
Nick Seymour and Mark Hart.
(30 August 2007)
Check one-two
Auckland five-piece The Checks featured as the Guardian's New Band of the
Day for August 22. Music critic Paul Lester: "These five New Zealanders may
be teenagers, but they sound as old as the hills that garage bands have been
slowly climbing in their rusty Transit vans since time immemorial. They play
primal riff'n'roll influenced by early Beatles, Who, Led Zep, Free, Van Morrison
and Rolling Stones, and they arrive clutching glowing testimonials from
impressed, impressive fans." Based in London, The Checks have opened for
REM, Oasis and the Hives and have received rave reviews in both NME and Rolling
Stone.
(22 August 2007)
Killer opportunity
Annie Crummer has
been handpicked by the surviving members of Queen to sing on the remake of their
best-selling single Another One Bites the Dust. The NZ singer caught the
attention of Brian May and Roger Taylor after they saw her performing in the hit
Queen musical We Will Rock You in Japan and Australia. Crummer was flown to
London to record the track at the pair's studio in a historic 400-year-old mill.
"Annie is one hell of a singer! A voice in a million," May
reportedly told friends after the session. May and Taylor were so impressed with
Crummer's performance that they have signed her on for a percentage of the
song's royalties - which could potentially earn her millions. Crummer played the
lead character Killer Queen on the Australian and Japanese tours of We Will Rock
You, and will repeat her performance in NZ in October. The Auckland-born singer
is best known in NZ for her hit 80s and 90s singles For Today, Melting Pot and
See What Love Can Do.
(30 May 2007)
Finn spreads the word
Tim Finn talks about future recordings with brother, Neil, being made an Officer
of the British Empire, and the recent spate of band reunions (Spilt Enz and
Crowded House included) in an interview with Pittsburgh's Observer-Reporter. He
also discusses his musical tribute to former Crowded House band-mate Paul
Hester, who passed away in 2005. "I wanted to remember and I wanted to
honour him, and do something he would be proud of and feel good about," he
said, of the song Salt to the Sea. "It's a way for me to go on stage and
talk about it without talking about it, if you know what I mean." Finn is
currently touring the US to promote his latest solo album, Imaginary Kingdom.
The select series of radio appearances and small acoustic shows is intended to
set the stage for a more comprehensive tour in the US summer.
(18 May 2007)
Crowded House on love and loss
An LA Times review finds Time on Earth, the new album by the recently reformed
Crowded House, to be a moving exploration of love and loss. "Pop music
reunions are, more often than not, driven by commerce and/or nostalgia, so the
fact that the resurrection of this wondrous pure-pop band from New Zealand grew
out of shared personal loss gives this one a far richer subtext than most ... In
Time on Earth, the melancholy is palpable and heavy, and although everything
doesn't revolve directly around the loss of a loved one, that theme surfaces in
several of these eminently hummable songs." Original Crowded House drummer
Paul Hester committed suicide in 2005. His death compelled former bandmates Neil
Finn and Nick Seymour to reform the band earlier this year, with new drummer
Matt Sherrod.
(8 July 2007)
Small fish hits big time
Greymouth singer-songwriter Steve
Edwards has become a star in the UK without even releasing an album. A copy
of One By One, a song from his upcoming Fish out of Water album, was leaked to
BBC Radio 2 by the London studio Edwards was recording at. Without the usual
support of marketing and publicity, One
By One was named album of the week and play-listed for over a month.
"It was a very pleasant surprise and at first I felt a slight trepidation
as we didn't have a video or touring set-up to support it but it was great
news," said Edwards, who has just released One By One in NZ. "When
people were hearing it on the radio they couldn't actually buy it and if they
could it would have charted." Edwards has recently returned to NZ from
London and hopes to become part of his country's flourishing music scene.
(31 May 2007)
Don't dream it's over
A new album and world tour by Crowded
House, has made headlines across the globe. According to chief songwriter
Neil Finn, he and bass player Nick Seymour have been considering regrouping
since the tragic death of drummer Paul Hester in 2004. "It just feels like
something good and true," says Finn, "We sought each other out in the
shadow of Paul's passing. That helped us reconnect and gave me a reminder of
what bands are and what they bring." The new album is titled Time on Earth
and will be launched - along with the world tour - at the Coachella Valley Music
& Arts Festival in California this April. Finn and Seymour will be joined by
keyboardist Mark Hart and are currently auditioning for a new drummer in
Melbourne. "It feels right to us that the band should re-emerge at this
time and together with Mark Hart we look forward to reconnecting with the
audience that we established and for whom we still hold a deep respect,"
says Finn.
(26 January 2007)
Conchords take flight in US
America's HBO network has commissioned a 12-part
series based on Kiwi folk music parody duo Flight of the Conchords. Bret
McKenzie and Jemaine Clement are to star in the series, which will feature
original songs from their award-winning comedy act. A pilot episode has already
been shot, with the help of Ali G director James Bobin and Everybody Loves
Raymond executive producer Stu Smiley. The Conchords have previously appeared on
Late Night with Conan O'Brien (NBC), The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson
(CBS) and One Night Stand (HBO), and starred in their own BBC2 radio series. HBO
is renowned for producing high-risk hits such as Sex & the City and The
Sopranos.
(11 September 2006)
Aotearoa meets Sao Paulo
Six NZ musicians spent three weeks in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as part of the Bacardi
B-Live OE, organised by Bacardi and Wellington's Loop Recordings. P Digsss
(Shapeshifter), Barnaby Weir (Black Seeds, Fly My Pretties), Hollie Smith,
Recloose, Maaka McGregor and Alda Rezende worked with 60 Brazilian musicians to
create an album for Loop, which is due for release in October 2006.
Singer/songwriter Hollie Smith spoke about the once in a lifetime experience in
the NZ Herald: "The music is almost secondary to the experience ... but the
music's still going fantastically well ... Like every musician says, music is an
international language and once you start playing, the barriers break down and
there's a lot of freedom there to talk to each other through song." The
Herald describes Smith as "the voice of 2006," thanks to her work on
Bathe in the River from the No.2 film soundtrack.
(20 July 2006)
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