What can we expect to see from I Am Giant over the next year?

Well we are gonna release our debut album and play loads of shows all over the place.

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

Have fun and enjoy writing and playing music, because this is the whole point.

Who are your favourite NZ musicians/bands, and why?

Kora because they are amazing and so versatile, Jakob because their music is so emotive and Shihad because they are legends.

What will I Am Giant’s next release be?

We have just released our first EP, the 'City Limits/Neon Sunrise' EP and are hoping to have our first full length album out early next year.

How do you come up with your lyrics?

They are drawn from a collection of our experiences, ideas, thoughts and feelings.
They quite often reflect something we've been talking about or has been going on around us. Our song  'Living the Crash' came about because I was telling the guys how I'd fallen asleep behind the wheel once, had a dream, and woken up still driving which was shocking and we were like "what about this dream, and what about that dream".. Shelton and I both witnessed Ed experience the falling dream at the airport which was pretty funny.. 

Who would you most like to support live?

Rage Against The Machine

What can you never leave home without?

Ultimately my car keys followed closely by phone and wallet. In terms of favourite things.. The acoustic guitar is always in the top 5

How do you describe I Am Giant’s music?

I would call it Edgy, Melodic Rock, something in the vein of Rage collaborating with Coldplay...

What is the best part of being a musician?

Being able to evoke emotions and create a soundtrack to a particular point in someones life.

What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?

Stage diving at a Blindspott concert in front of 10,000 people and miss judging my launch! I smashed my ribs on the front barrier and head butted a poor Innocent punter!

How did you come up with the name I Am Giant?

We sat for a prolongued period passing ideas around till we had something we all liked, that seemed to fit.

What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?

The best would be.. a toss up between Tiger Translate in Hanoi and Homegrown 2010. Hanoi because we had an acclaimed Vietnamese painter Tran Trung Linh up on stage with us painting while we played and it was such a massive show with pyrotechnics and the crown was amazing. Homegrown because we were voted into that slot and it was an amazing crowd and just a great gig to do for a Kiwi band.

How do you keep in contact with your fans?

We have a Facebook page which we are on all the time, and MySpace, our YouTube channel and email. We get back to everybody and love the support and contact.

What rumour would you like to start about I Am Giant?

That we truly are Giant.

I Am Giant are Ed Martin (vocals), Paul Matthews (bass), Shelton Woolright (drums) and Aja Timu (guitar).

Website Links

Muzic.net.nz Page
Amplifer Page
MySpace Page
Facebook Page
Twitter Page
YouTube Page

Thanks to Rupert for answering these questions:

What can we expect to see from Interconnector over the next year?

Video/EP/Tour.

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

Become a DJ - they get paid more and less (if any at all) talent is required, except for Tina Turntables and $ure$hot who rule!

Who are your favourite NZ musicians/bands, and why?

Interconnector: the un-sung hero that sings.

Hollie Smith: Flawless voice live.

Pacifier: I love that album straight up.

What will Interconnector next release be?

Single/Video release 8th July @ John Andrew Ford, presented by Juice TV & Joyrider Promotions with a Bonds fashion show and support from Autozamm.

How do you come up with your lyrics?

I listen to the lyrics of other bands and then use a thesaurus.

Who would you most like to support live?

Sommerset, The Naked and Famous, Deftones, The Bronx, Chevelle, Jimmy Eat World, Dinosaur Jnr.

How do you believe Interconnector fits into the NZ music industry?

Like a fist in the face.

What can you never leave home without?

An empty pack of cigarettes and a killer hangover.

How do you describe Interconnector music?

King Kong v.s Godzilla porno soundtrack.

What is your favourite NZ venue?

Cassette No:9 because it's always full of rich scene whore wankers and they're so nice to be around.

What is the best part of being a musician?

Sacrificing your life for a dream that will never be realised and yet knowing this you do it anyway.

What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?

1995, Cut Off Your Hands, Turning Tricks & Sherpa because they're cool.

What is in your CD collection at home?

The XX, Gyroscope, The House of Capricorn, Aqua (only their pre-2000 stuff though - before they sold out).

What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?

Once I did a poo on stage.

What is your favourite place in NZ to be?

Onewhero & Port Waikato.

What inspired you to become a start Interconnector?

I wanted to look cool without wanting to look like I wanted to look cool wearing High st. rags and using my instrument as a prop.

How did you come up with the name Interconnector?

SHIHAD

What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?

Neilstock '09.  It's where I met my beautiful Goddess girlfriend.

How do you keep in contact with your fans?

All our fans are our friends so we keep in contact through party shenanigans.

What rumour would you like to start about Interconnector ?

We're an endangered species.

Interconnector is Rupert Laffery (vocals, guitar), Sam Manning (lead guitar), Steve Granshaw (drums) and Jordan Young (bass).

Website Links

Muzic.net.nz Page
Amplifier Page
MySpace Page
Facebook Page

Thanks to Matthew for answering these questions:

What can we expect to see from Artisan Guns over the next year?

We’ll be playing some shows throughout New Zealand in mid July and then going to tour Australia in August. I’m really looking forward to the experience and kind of getting our music out there a little more, then we’ll probably settle down somewhere to write more music. So I’m not sure how many shows we’ll be playing after August, but I hope we’ll be able to play more in New Zealand after the Australia Tour. I’m also hoping I can shoot some more videos and do some more visual stuff. We keep everything ‘in house’ so to speak, so I’m looking forward to more collaborations with Reuben etc. I think you’ll see a lot more from us online through Facebook and stuff like that. So keep in touch with us through that.

What will Artisan Guns next release be?

We’re looking to start putting together an album next, hopefully to start recording by late this year. We’re really just figuring out what we want to achieve at this point, and try to approach it with a fresh perspective. We’re not repeating anything from our EPs. I feel you lose the magic of the original recording by rerecording something, devaluing it in a sense, and also I feel even though the EPs have recently been released, we’re always developing our sound and trying new things. Not to say we’re going to drastically change into something totally detached or ‘out of left field’, but keep a natural progression, as to not become stagnant and monotonous. So yeah, and album it will be.

How do you come up with your lyrics?

I guess I approach it from a few different angles, mostly depending on how specific or unspecific I want the song to be. I generally write the entire song at once, usually late at night or in the morning when I don’t have a lot going on. I keep my mind open and try to feel it and not force anything. I write mostly from a first person perspective. I write about my life and conversations I’ve had generally pretty close leading up to the time I write the song and try to articulate it in a sort of conversational, or streaming conscious way, I suppose. I don’t know, it’s a little different every time.

What is the best part of being a musician?

Maybe the hours. They can be really late and really early at times but generally they’re pretty sweet. Actually, I think it’s that I get to hang out with my best friends and go on tour with them. Not many people get to do that I realize. Playing the music is great, but it wouldn’t be so great without the stuff in between. We’re in each others hair all the time, but I never grow tired of them, and there’s never a dull moment. Also having people come up to you and say they like something you wrote is awesome. I mean I don’t have a whole lot of people come up to me after shows and say ‘wow, your lyrics really spoke to me ’, but you know what I mean.

What is in your CD collection at home?

My music library at home is generally pretty broad. I don’t want to create anything genre specific, or too replicated or anything like that, so I try to listen to everything I can. I really love Burt Bacharach, and the guys are starting to get sick of me talking about him, but I think so many of his compositions are incredible. He’s probably my biggest influence. So I have a lot of artists from the 50’s and 60’s with songs written by him and Hal David. Nirvana is one of my favourite bands, but I dig pretty much everything from the 90’s cause it’s what I grew up with. So The Cranberries and The Sundays and stuff like that is often what I’ll throw on. Dean Martin and Chet Baker are two of my favourite singers, and I’ll often throw them on when I’m feeling a little dry. I’m a real sucker for 80’s stadium rock and bands like Journey - pre that TV show ‘Glee’, which, in my opinion could have ruined ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ just a little bit and the many memories I have related to that song, but if it got people listening to the original than at least it’s not a total waste. After all it’s pretty much one of the best songs I’ve ever heard.

Artisan Guns are Alex Freer (drums), Jonathan Pearce (guitar, keyboards), Matthew Hope (vocals, guitar) and Reuben Stephens (bass, backing vocals).

Website Links

Muzic.net.nz Page
Amplifier Page
MySpace Page
Facebook Page
YouTube Page

APRA Silver Scroll Awards: Announcing the Top 20 New Zealand Songs Of The Year

Now in its 45^th year the APRA Silver Scroll Award is New Zealand’s pre-eminent songwriting award; and as an event, it is a highlight on the nation’s music industry calendar, an evening of unique collaborations and performances.

This invite only event will be held on Wednesday 8 September at the Auckland Town Hall.

APRA (the Australasian Performing Right Association) are proud to announce the top 20 songs in line for New Zealand’s most prestigious songwriting award...

Full Article

APRA announce Children's Music Awards finalists

Launched in 2008 to celebrate the growth and strength of children’s music in New Zealand, the APRA Children’s Song of the Year and What Now Children’s Video of the Year recognise New Zealand children’s music for what it is: a rich variety of fantastic fun for kids and parents alike.

Finalists for the 2010 APRA Children’s Song of the Year are Rob Wigley for the Mr Roberelli song ‘A Goat Called Ken’; 2008 Song of the Year co-winner Claudia Gunn for ‘Home Sweet Home’, and John Phillips with ‘Kia Kaha Tuatara O Takapourewa’.

Another 2008 winner features in the finalists for the What Now Children’s Video of the Year; The Funky Monkeys return with ‘In The Summer’; as are finalists for 2008 Fatcat & Fishface back with their video best ‘Happity’ and rounding out the video finalists, longtime children’s performer Kath Bee with ‘Individuality’. For the last few weeks, What Now viewers have been voting for their favourite video via www.whatnow.tv, voting is open until the 4^th of July – so check them out and have your say.

The APRA Children’s Song of the Year, judged by an independent panel, celebrates the songwriters and composers who write for the children of New Zealand. Partnering with perennial kids favourite television programme What Now, their viewers vote for the What Now NZ Children’s Video of the Year - so this award is a true “kid’s choice”.

Full Article

Battle of the Bands 2010 National Championship - calling all bands!

Two months of eliminations will be held at multiple live music venues in the main centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch during July and August. Each venue hosts a series of heats, semi-finals and regional finals. Feeder heats will also be held at some other regional locations determined by entry numbers and corresponding localities. Throughout the event, judging and voting determines each region’s champion; who then represent their region at the National Final in Auckland in September.

Calling all bands; registration opened in NZ Music Month of May 2010. THE EVENT STARTS SOON– Entries still open throughout June and July – INTERERSTED BANDS SHOULD ENTER NOW…

Full Article

Free Mastering with Dustrail Audio, Hear the Difference.

A strong professional master is essential for any commercial recording. Great mixes with solid mastering are a vital step in the production process of a song or album and will allow your music to sound present and balanced on any sound system or listening environment.

As an introductory offer Dustrail Audio will master one song for free so you can hear the difference. No fee, no gimmic. We just want you to hear what mastering can do for your music without having to worry about the cost. To get in touch with regards to your project email us at [email protected]

We look forward to hearing your music.

More Info

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The next muzic.net.nz newsletter is going out on 18 July
and will feature 5th Threat, Dole Day Rage and Not OK!

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