Our usual editorial writer has taken the week off this week and since I've been hanging out to brag for the past few weeks, I thought this is probably the perfect opportunity!

Lisa and I have put loads of work into getting muzic.net.nz to the stage of where it is today, and we've currently got a whole white-board full of new ideas to put in place over the next few months.

Basically our aim is to increase awareness of New Zealand music across all genres and provide services for musicians and their fans alike. We love our country and our music and we'd like to share some of that with everyone else.

Here's some impressive numbers:

Running muzic.net.nz is something we are both proud of and it is made so much easier by being in a country that supports it's own music. We get to experience everyone's efforts everyday in dealing with recording companies and musicians. We've all got something to be extremely proud of!

Don't hold back if you want to contribute yourself, we need all of the help we can get, so please get in touch with us.

-- Adam

1) Which NZ artist/band do you think will be a huge international success one day?
As far as bands go I have no idea. I think the Gods of music have all the band names on a dart board. When they're not busy influencing promotional, A&R and events organisers, they suck on the liquid amber and play darts. One lucky band bags it.
 
2) Who would you most like to tour with?
Well there's a great band, well a duo actually called 'two bucks chips' out in Papakura. They crank out the tunes with some nice flavours and i've heard they actually get people along to here them play! Truthfully, we'd play with anyone as long as they're on this planet.
 
3) What is your most embarrassing concert moment?
When our drummer turned up to a gig looking like a world war 2 kamikaze pilot. At first I thought he was a meandering Japanese tourist looking for his Teppenyaki fix for the night. He walked in with the biggest pair of chopsticks I'd ever seen! I was hurrying over to tell him that we didn't like punters eating sushi on the drums when I realised it was Tony, our drummer. I told him to stop drinking Sake before gigs.
 
4) What are you planning on doing during 2005?
Well mainly it's just playing hard and smart. We're up for anything really, as gigs go I mean. We're into having people at our gigs and having a good time and to show our appreciation, we like to give our punters a little bit of 'stick' on the night as a 'thank-you' for turning up. Sonic does have a pretty serious and vigorous management side - I mean, they have fun, but they're focused and work hard. They know what the goals are and they're kicking the balls hard. It's not as painful as it sounds.
 
5) How did you come up with the name Sonic?
Nikki [lead singer] and Amos [bass] were skulking around Tapu on the Thames Coast around 8.30pm looking for a fish and chip shop. We'd decided to split Auckland City for a few days and remind ourselves what it was like to breathe clean air again. It all get's a bit hazy after that. I think dreaming up band names is like trying to name a baby. You want to get it right and not look like a pillock for the rest of your life. We did figure that if too many mean people made fun of our band name, we could always change it by deed-poll.
6) What is in your CD collection at home?
I have a box for my cd's. Inside is some used chewing gum, a broken Britney Spears CD that I used for playing frisbee with my dog Phoebe, a bundle of letters from record companies that thanked us for all the nice shiny coasters we kept sending them and my favourite: Jamiroquai, Steely Dan and the best of Nana Muskuri.
 
7) What advice would you give other budding musicians/bands?
Stop listening to cliched advice about setting goals, keeping your head up and playing hard. I'm sick of it to be quite honest. I've checked this with all the members of Sonic and they said:

Drummer, Tony: What? Didn't hear you sorry, I had my earplugs in.
Guitarist, Gav: He was late too didn't hear the question.
Singer, Nikki: She's blonde....
Bass player, Amos: As I said, ignore the cliches. Forget what anyone else says about your music, don't take anything personally [even when it's meant that way] and put your heart and mind into reaching and grabbing whatever it is to make you feel like 'you've made it'.

Check out Sonic on muzic.net.nz!

The new album from The Shocking Pinks, 'Mathematical Warfare', was released through Flying Nun Records on February 28th. It is the follow up to Dance The Dance Electric, about which Pitchfork Media said "simultaneously one of the most tragically hip and irreverently unaffiliated records of the year" and was given an 8.2 rating out of 10 by the abnormally harsh US music/media website.

Nick Harte was favourably compared to Brian Wilson at the tender age of 13 by one of NZ’s leading rock publications, and we think we know why. As the sole entity behind Christchurch band The Shocking Pinks, Nick has written and recorded an album full of harmonic and layered pop tunes about relationship make ups and break ups - in short, love songs that work on many different levels.

Consisting of 17 songs inspired by Nick’s tumultuous & emotional ups and downs over the past year or so, 'Mathematical Warfare' takes the listener on a rollercoaster journey through the mind of a social misfit and dysfunctional wunderkind. His musical repertoire encompasses distinctly expressive vocals, muted drums, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, saxophone, keyboard, xylophone and an infinite layering of all these tones that ushers in a kind of MBV Renaissance.

First single, Emily, is receiving strong support from bNet stations across New Zealand and the accompanying lo-fi video is screening on telly right now. Other mood-shifting tracks include the rollicking 18, the slinky Girls, the expansive fields of Secrets, hip-shaking Lucy, and the mellifluous dream-peace of Roquaril.

The album was recorded entirely by Nick and his engineer Mark in a Christchurch studio called ‘191’ and is a positive and distinct move away from the electro sound of the last album. Nick tells us "...the new album is consistently about love songs and it’s hard to compare the sound to anything else, but it’s definitely more poppy. I guess because it’s me completely solo I just went way over the top."

And we’d have no choice but to agree with that assumption, because the results sound great.

'Mathematical Warfare' is released on 28th February, 2005.

The Shocking Pinks will be doing the LOW HUM tour throughout March, look out for dates coming soon...

Check out The Shocking Pinks on muzic.net.nz!

New Artists

The following are new artists that have been added to muzic.net.nz during the past two weeks. Check them out:

Competitions

E. McCabe, Lower Hutt & G. Hall, Massey were the winners of the D4 Sake Bomb competiiton. The following prizes are still up for grabs on muzic.net.nz:

8 Foot Sativa - 'Breed The Pain'
The Axe Attack - 'New Zealand Metal Vol. 1' & Subtract - 'Formula One'
The Shocking Pinks - 'Mathematical Warfare'
Rezinator - 'Who's To Blame'
Wash - 'NiveFiveZeroFive'

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• 6
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• 7
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• 8
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• 9
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• 10
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• 
  Muroki @ Galatos, Auckland - 19/04/2024
• 
  When The Cats Away @ Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington - 21/04/2024
• 
  Luke Buda @ Whammy Bar, Auckland - 20/04/2024
• 
  Phoebe Rings @ Whammy Bar, Auckland - 20/04/2024

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• 7
  END OF BEGINNING
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• 8
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• 9
  ESPRESSO
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• 10
  WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE)
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