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With gold and double-platinum selling albums in New Zealand and several years of successful touring, Wellington-based 7-piece The Black Seeds have been winning over fans with their unique blend of reggae, dub, funk and soul since forming in 1997. Carving out their reputation on the strength of their critically acclaimed studio albums and legendary live performances, they now enjoy a large following all over Aotearoa, as well as a growing fan base throughout Australia and Europe.
The Black Seeds started turning heads around New Zealand following the release of their debut album, 2001’s 'Keep On Pushing'. The album received widespread critical acclaim, including being named one of the top 50 albums of the year by Rip It Up Magazine, and eventually reached gold sales status. 'Keep On Pushing' was released in Australia through Shock records and France, Belgium and Switzerland through Productions Speciales, with the first single reaching no 29 in France’s ‘Groove’ charts and no 100 in the overall French single charts.
The group’s second studio album, 2004’s 'On The Sun', added a heavy dose of funk and soul to the dub reggae sound that underpinned 'Keep On Pushing'. 'On The Sun' debuted at #3 on the New Zealand album charts, achieving double platinum sales and solidifying The Black Seeds’ status as one of New Zealand’s premier groups. Album single 'So True' was one of the most popular New Zealand songs of 2005, receiving massive support from commercial radio and music television, while singles 'Turn It Around' and 'Fire' received widespread airplay on student radio. In 2005 'On The Sun' was released in Australia through Shock Records and Loop Recordings.
The Black Seeds are renowned as one of New Zealand’s finest and most dynamic live acts. They regularly sell out New Zealand and Australian tours and play headline slots at some of the regions biggest music festivals. In September 2006, they completed their second, hugely successful European/U.S tour. The 27-show tour saw the band perform in Holland, Austria, Germany, Scotland, England and Ireland, including a sell-out gig at London venue, Koko. In October 2006, the band returned to New Zealand via the U.S., where they performed shows in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
On July 16, 2006 The Black Seeds released their highly anticipated third album 'Into The Dojo' in New Zealand. The album spent 5 consecutive weeks at no 1 in the album charts and has now reached well over platinum sales. While 'Into The Dojo' (named after the band’s practice room at The Surgery which was once a karate dojo) contains the elements that have characterised The Black Seeds’ music in the past, it also shows a great deal of development in the group’s sound. Song-writing duties have been shared throughout the band, while Daniel Weetman and Bret McKenzie have joined Barnaby Weir on lead vocal duties. The result of a year-long creative process, 'Into The Dojo' is The Black Seeds’ most mature and accomplished music to date.
On November 4th, 2006, 'Into The Dojo' was released in Australia through Remote control Records followed by an album release tour.
In 2007 the band plans to release 'Into The Dojo' in Holland, Belgium and the United States followed by more European / U.S. tours.
Band Members:
Barnaby Weir (vocals, guitar)
Daniel Weetman (vocals, percussion)
Mike Fabulous (guitar, percussion)
Bret McKenzie (vocals, keyboard)
Jarney T Murphy (drums)
Tim Jaray (bass)
Lee Prebble (knobs, faders)
Artist Website
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