In the wake of such a prolific impact on the worldwide drum & bass scene, The Upbeats continue to push the boundaries. Perennially packed with enough energy to rock the floor and backed up with genuine emotion and an infinite capacity to inject a taste of something different into their music, The Upbeats’ albums drag you deep into their own personal world of drum & bass. Their fourth album Primitive Technique is out now. Dylan answered the following questions for muzic.net.nz:

How would you describe The Upbeats’ music in one sentence?

Raw grungy electronic pub rock with a musical touch.

What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?

I think it would have to be a toss up between Jeremy falling asleep on stage during a show (Few too many shandys) or me falling through a gap in the stage in Bali in front of the whole crowd at a festival. Good form.

Where is your favourite place to relax in NZ?

In the Upbeats mansion private library with the fire roaring and one of our corgis curled up asleep on the lap, whilst devouring some poetry and listening to jazz.

What can you never leave home without?

Headphone splitter - for breaking up long journeys watching silly comedys on our laptops together.

What local albums have you been enjoying recently?

Have been really into the stuff UMO have been doing lately - even though I guess it's not 100 percent NZ. Love the treatment on everything and feels really fresh but nostalgic... Vibes!

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

Well we are pretty busy now promoting and touring the new album and will hopefully have a bunch of remixes to support that coming out soon. We also really want to follow up these with another EP of newer tunes that we have been working on in 2013.  On an totally different thing we will hopefully have a collaboration hip hop / slower tempo release out within the year with MC Armanni reign who features on 'Primitive technique' as well.

The Upbeats are Jeremy Glenn and Dylan Jones.

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Keir provided the following information to muzic.net.nz:

Dick Tracy has been through a lot so far in what is a young, but still on-going life as a band, seeing more ups and downs than a elevator attendant. A year ago, they had just formed and entered themselves in a musicians competition and had the glory of taking out the top spot, winning the Battle of The Grand. Following their win, they recorded a single with Tiki Taane and felt well on their way to living what they all had dreamed. Rifts in the band quickly raised their head and tension caused the band to slow down and lose what momentum they had, ultimately ending in the eviction of a member and the band forced to be incomplete. A new member was found to replace the former band mate and a new life for Dick Tracy began, however marred again when another member was forced to change cities for employment and the band was left again feeling lost. Fortunately an old friend had appeared on the scene and quickly stepped up. With the two new members, the band found they gelled more than ever and a new Dick Tracy was born from the ashes of what they once thought could not be repairable.

The band have since released their newest single Old Long Johnson and are about to release the debut video for the song and are quite prepared to push themselves to the limits to become an integral part of the NZ music scene.

Tell us about Dick Tracy’s newest single Old Long Johnson?

It was the first song we actually had written and it will probably always be one of our favourites. It’s just about a fictional character who is the idol of all rock legends and pretty much a party King. We weren’t actually going to record it as the single, but at the last minute we changed it in the studio and Tiki said “YES! That’s the one!”, so we were happy we did in the end.

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

We have our single release party at Murphy’s Law in Palmerston North on the last day of NZ Music Month (31st May) which we plan on being epic. Following this we will be having a small tour of the North Island and then just trying to book ourselves as many gigs as possible.

We also have another single already recorded, which the music video process will start very soon.

What sets you apart from other bands?

We party harder.

How would you describe Dick Tracy’s music in one sentence?

A Steel Tornado of Party Rock.

Dick Tracy is Richard Naylor (guitar), Ben Jamison (drums), Aaron Naea (bass) and Keir Scott (vocals).

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Single Release Gig Page

Newtown Rocksteady is a dance band that simply makes you move. Cool covers, righteous melodies, and hot original songs, rocksteady is more than a band, its a moment in life. Their second EP Goin' Steady was released in April with the title paying homage to the growth of the group, over the last three or four years, into a solid unit and one which looks set to keep rocking steady. James answered the following questions for muzic.net.nz:

What is your favourite place to relax in NZ?

My favourite place to relax in New Zealand is probably Golden Bay. It holds a special place in the band's heart as the scene of Newtown Rocksteady's first tour and the locals always receive us so warmly there.

What New Zealand musicians/bands would you like to see more of and why?

I would like to see more of The Nudge, Brockaflowersaurusrex and Electric Wire Hustle because they always make me dance my ass off and are good mates. And I would like to see more of Jonathan Crayford because he never fails to inspire me as an instrumentalist. 

What has been your most memorable show to date?

My most memorable show wasn't the biggest or best-paid but an epic house party in an epic house called The Moorings in Wellington. You know that close, sweaty, fully supportive feeling when a room full of people are about to crush you with the weight of their loved-up vibe. That was it. Also, WOMAD stands out as a great milestone for the band.

What sets Newtown Rocksteady apart from other bands?

Well, Rocksteady is a great party band and the sound of vintage reggae music, however we are also very aware that we are from Newtown, and home and away we represent our place. It's a sense of being the host, or being hosted. When you have a strong sense of identity, "the band" becomes a conduit for building healthy relationships. It's very normal for musicians to represent their lands and traditions, however in an urban environment in our generation in New Zealand, I think the fact that we manage this makes Newtown Rocksteady unique.

Where do you get inspiration to create your music from?

I get inspiration to create music from a desire to create artifacts that are like islands in a river of time, moving and flowing and changing with each performance but retaining their quality as a snapshot of a particular moment or sentiment-little time capsules if you like. All the better if they make the people get up and groove too. 

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

Expect great shows! And some concerted team effort on the compositional front. There is also a desire, and with the release of this EP, a good reason to venture out and play to New Zealand in zones we haven't hit yet, like the lower South Island or the Hawkes Bay, and Auckland.  

What rumour would you like to start about Newtown Rocksteady?

I would like to start the rumour that Newtown Rocksteady has never burned a drop of oil in its career as a working and touring band. I wish it were true-imagine the high seas and hitch-hiking adventures to be had. 

What local albums have you been enjoying recently?

Oooo, Orchestra of Spheres' Nonagonic Now is amazing.. The Phoenix Foundation's Fandango is inspiring.. but there have been a lot of good albums recorded at a new studio called Blue Barn in Newtown, so a family of albums is coming that is going to be quite electric in the scene, like EWH, Data Hui, Family Cactus, Joe Blossom, Ria Hall, Brokaflowersaurus Rex & The Blueberry Biscuits. All great projects

Newtown Rocksteady is Andy Hoy, Chris Winwood, James Coyle, Thomas Owen, Ben Wood, Maz Hermon, Gareth Thompson-Darling, Jeremy Desmond, Fynn Armour, Mike Duffy, Tim Key, Eamonn Deverall, Fraser Ross and Matt Enright.

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Announcing the winners of the MMF Music Managers Awards 2013

The MMF New Zealand and PPNZ Music Licensing are proud to announce the winners of the 2013 Music Managers Awards. 

Andy Murnane and Frequency Media Group won the prestigious Manager of the Year award for his work with artists Home Brew and Aaradhna. Andy also took out prize for Outside the Box Award recognizing the Home BrewSpeakeasy 48 hour album release party, which garnered unprecedented media attention for the band and resulted in a #1 debut on the New Zealand top 40 album chart.

Teresa Patterson of CRS Management won three awards on the night; Online Achievement for the re-launch of the Six60 website which came 2^nd in the Umbraco international design awards; International Achievement for her work growing Six60 in the American and European markets, and finally Best Independent Tour recognising the extra work required to put together Six60’s sell out nationwide tours including several dates in Australia.

Nominated for the first time this year, Janette Searle took home the Upcoming Manager award for her work with Sola Rosa while Ria Hall received the award for Self Managed Artist Of The Year for her outstanding effort balancing the fine line between being creative and business minded in her musical career.

This year the venue awards were split into to categories: over and under 750 capacities. These awards were voted exclusively by members of the MMF – Best Large Venue went to the iconic Powerstation and Best Small Venue went to the equally iconic Leigh Sawmill for the second year running.

APRA was this year voted by MMF members as the Music Managers Award Industry Champion for their work with licensing fees for the public performance of musical works. APRA have been recognized for helping make music a sustainable career choice therefore supporting the industry as a whole.

And finally the MMF like to formerly recognize a member who utilises the many resources available to them as an MMF member and who shows great promise in what can be a challenging yet rewarding career. The winner of the Mentoring Success Story this year was presented to Rachel Dawick for her Boundry Riders Project, which turns stories of pioneering women from the 1800’s into songs.

Full Article

New naming rights sponsor announced for Pacific Music Awards

Pasefika Proud is the new naming rights sponsor for the 2013 Pacific Music Awards to be held on 30 May at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau.

Pasefika Proud is a community-based approach addressing issues of family violence in Pacific communities. It is a call for Pacific families and communities, particularly youth, to be a part of the initiative.

“We work closely with the Pacific Advisory Group and the wider Pacific community to support the aims of Pasefika Proud and helping support something like the Pacific Music Awards is a great way to get those messages out to a younger audience,” says Deputy Chief Executive of Family and Community Services Murray Edridge.

The Pacific Advisory Group to the Government Taskforce on Family Violence (PAG) says music is a huge part of Pacific youth identity in this country and promoting Pasefika Proud messages around taking responsibility by making our homes safe and loving in order to nurture healthy, happy and resilient Pacific families are important messages.

Full Article

New Releases

Ghost Wave - New Video - 'Here She Comes'
Pieter T releases second album 'Completion' May 31st
New Single for L.A. Mitchell - Lose The Game
Surf City - New Single and Album
Fat Freddy’s Drop Grindhouse Marionette Video
Gainsford feat Jayson Norris "Everything I Need"
The Map Room - All You'll Ever Find
Jan Hellriegel - Lost and Found
P Money's New Album Gratitude Out Now!
Konflikt releases NZ's first 360º music video
Three Houses Down Release Moon & Back EP & Announce Tour
Ghost Wave - Here She Comes - Single

Tours and Gigs

Into the East - Fight From the Inside - Album Release TourBlackbird NZ & Australia Tour Flying High
The Phoenix Foundation – ‘Fandango’ July Release Tour
BBQ NZ Tour 2013
Stan Walker Announces 'World Tour Of New Zealand'
Heavy Metal Ninjas join Decortica and New Way Home Tour
Shapeshifter Announce Album Release Tour
Welcome back home... Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Rhythm and Vines and Rhythm and Alps have the 2013 festival calendar covered from North to South
The Way Out Tour Featuring Fire At Will and Sonic Altar
Announcing PASSION PIT to play Powerstation July 25th!
95bFM Presents The 7th Annual Fancy New Band Showcase

NZ Music News
Gig and Tour News
Artist News

New Artists

The following musicians have been added to the muzic.net.nz website in the last fortnight:

Add yourself or your band to muzic.net.nz!
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New Reviews

Agent - Kingdom of Fear Album Review
Written by Peter

Bulletbelt - Down In The Cold Of The Grave Album Review
Written by Terry

Newtown Rocksteady - Goin' Steady Album Review
Written by Kerry

The Bats - By Night EP Review
Written by Tony

PCP Eagles - I Hate The Mall EP Review
Written by Janise

Hurricane Kids - Live It Up EP Review
Written by John

Beastwars @ The Royal 18/05/2013
Written by Aaron

Amos/Anon - Thanatos Album Review
Written by Janise

Sarah Conlan Singles Review
Written by Janise

Soljah - Aotearoa Album Review
Written by Emma

Fire At Will - The Way Out Album Review
Written by Peter

The Phoenix Foundation - Fandango Album Review
Written by Chris

Penknife Glides - Pleasure Thru Tears Album Review
Written by Peter

Tiny Ruins - Haunts EP Review
Written by Tony

Tour Features

All muzic.net.nz features can be viewed here.

The next muzic.net.nz newsletter is going out on Sunday 9 June!

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If you would like to feature in a muzic.net.nz newsletter, contact Lisa for further details.

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The next muzic.net.nz gig mail out is going out on Sunday 2 June.

- The muzic.net.nz team

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