Newsletter Issue #277: 14 Mar 2010
Newsletter... Fail
Hi Everyone,
Please accept my apologies for re-sending this newsletter, but our last attempt had a fairly major omission - none of the pictures would load!
So we have fixed this and for the interest of the artists in this week's edition, we've decided to resend it.
So why did this happen? Over the weekend we upgraded our website and in the process of doing that managed to completely mess up this week's issue of the newsletter.
Which reminds me - go and check out the new muzic.net.nz website - we've been working really hard over the past couple of months to get this ready, so we really hope you enjoy it!
Cheers,
Adam & The muzic.net.nz Team
George and Queen
What can we expect to see from George and Queen over the next year?
The main event for George and Queen this year is the release of our third album, 'Teenagers and Grownups'. We're releasing it in April, and after that Neil and I are heading off to Ghana for 4 months – and to tell the truth, I'm not sure what's happening after that.
What can we expect from the new album?
We have tried to break away from the generic pop-rock sound, whilst still remaining within the genre. Specifically, we tried to focus on writing interweaving guitar parts, instead of playing block chords. The guitar parts aren't 'riffs' as such, but melodies that grow and change.
This sort of had the effect of muddling up which key we were playing in - making it a bit more free sounding. Also, we added improvised sections into our music. This means that we left sections unwritten, and unrehearsed - so that whatever we came up with on the day would be fresh and new. We wanted to do this because when we play live we often improvise, and we always considered it part of the George and Queen sound, even though it wasn't represented in our recorded music. So we hope that our new album better represents our band. I think that this new album sounds very different from the our previous two, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. It still has good, catchy songs, but I think that they have a little bit more depth.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
The advice I'd probably give is (a) hold off getting a “real job” for as long as possible (preferably never), because if you're working then you're probably tired and not as creative, (b) listen to as much music as you can, read as many books as you can, and learn as much as you can – because it'll all give you new ideas, and (c) if no one is willing to help you, then do it yourself. Don't wait for good luck, because barely anyone gets lucky.
Who are your favourite NZ musicians/bands, and why?
Personally, I really enjoyed listening to Split Enz (especially the songs by Tim Finn) and The Front Lawn as a child. It was the quirky-ness, and the interesting lyrics that attracted me. I like it when songs aren't so easy to get. You have to listen to them more than once to form an understanding on what the song is about. These days most of the NZ music I listen to is live – bands from Auckland, or improvised music (at Vitamin S).
How do you come up with your lyrics?
Neither Neil or I ever sit down to write lyrics like some musicians do.
The music always comes first, and we let the music inspire the lyrics.
For me, I will come up with the melody to the music first (Neil often focuses on the rhythm of the words first), and eventually after humming it to myself for a while, I'll find words that fit the hum. Like, a single sentence. And I'll think 'what does that mean?', and will build a story around the sentence. I find it fun, and very creative. I often surprise myself with what comes out. By the end, of course, I've twisted the words around and moulded them into something I'd be happy singing.
What is the best part of being a musician?
I think the two things I like best about being a musician are being part of the music community, and the feeling of being on stage, performing, and everything is going completely right. Of course, this feeling is kind of rare. Often things are going very wrong! But it's worth it, for the times when it goes right.
What is in your CD collection at home?
We actually don't own any CDs, except for two bluegrass CDs that I was given at the Old Time Country Club in Montreal in February. Neil and I recently sold nearly everything we owned – except for our musical instruments (I think we have 13 guitars...) and our books. But in our collection on our hard drive... a bit of everything!
What is your favourite place in NZ to be?
Auckland. Definitely Auckland. I love most parts of NZ, but the culture in Auckland is very comfortable to me. And there's nowhere else in NZ (that I know of) that has such cheap, good food.
What inspired you to start George and Queen?
It just seemed the natural thing to do. Neil and I moved to Auckland in 2004 with a bunch of songs we'd been playing with a band we had in Dunedin. We moved up with the naïve idea that if people have good songs, then surely someone would take notice of them. Since it didn't seem to work that way, we realised the only thing to do was to record our songs ourselves and put them out on our own album. So George and Queen began as a recording project, more than anything else. And when our first album 'City' came out, we needed a band to tour with. And so our band has grown. It's now a four piece, with Rich as our drummer, and Pandu as our bassist.
George and Queen are Immi Paterson (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Neil Newton (vocals, guitar), Panduka Samarasinhe (bass) and Richard Pharaoh (drums, percussion).
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Official Website
MySpace Page
Amplifier Page
George and Queen's third album 'Teenagers and Grownups' will be released in April and you can download the tracks 'Hut 234' and 'Not Dying Man' from their muzic.net.nz page!
Wires & Wood
What can we expect to see from Wires & Wood over the next year?
We'll be doing more of the stuff we have done for the last few years. Playing at Folk Festivals, Folk Clubs, private functions and doing whatever comes our way. Now that we have released 'Over The Moon', we are pretty keen to get out there and promote it.
What will your next release be?
Its a bit early to think about the next release. Our current release 'Over The Moon' is just fresh from the printers and we have a launch concert for it in Devonport, Auckland at The Bunker on March 10
How do you believe your band fits into the NZ music industry?
Bluegrass and acoustic country music are pretty under represented in New Zealand yet there are many people who love the sounds, even though it is not mainstream music. We like to do our bit to keep those sounds alive.
How do you describe your music?
Our music ranges from the traditional bluegrass sounds of Bill Monroe thru to the present day alt-country. We do "high and lonesome", hard-driving and everything in between.
What is your favourite NZ venue?
It's always hard to answer this. Each venue has its own flavours and unique aspects. We love playing the Folk Festivals throughout NZ and have performed at a large number of them. This coming Easter we will be guest artists at the Canterbury Folk Festival in Waipara, just north of Christchurch. We'll also be playing at The Wellington Bluegrass Society in early May and that has to be one of our favourite concert venues.
How did you come up with the name Wires & Wood?
The name of the band is from the composition of our instruments and its a name that we think captures the acoustic flavour of our music.
What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?
Again its a difficult question. Playing a set in the final concert at any Folk Festival is always a real buzz but I think our favourite has been the concerts we have played at the Wellington Bluegrass Society. Its a wonderful room with great acoustics and always has an extremely appreciative audience.
Wires & Wood is Micheal Young (vocals, mandolin), Dave Warren (vocals, guitar), Bryan Christianson (vocals, banjo) and Garry Trotman (vocals, bass).
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Official Website
Wires and Wood's debut album 'Over The Moon' is out now!
Miscreant Recordings
Miscreant Recordings is a project recording studio run by engineer/producer David Edtmaier.
The studio is setup in a quiet relaxing country style home with serene views on a 12 acre lifestyle block, With plenty of natural light to assist our clients in keeping away from studio jitters and cabin fever!
The live room is a large room with high wooden ceilings making all instruments sound alive through A nice array of quality microphones and preamps into the industry standard DAW Pro Tools, containing a massive Wad of high end quality plugins.
Many of NZ's top up and coming artists have benefited from their time at Miscreant Recordings, with A good track record of commercial radio and TV airplay and a top 40 album (Diesel Phoenix) in the first year of operation, which is not an easy task for an unsigned artists! David takes a lot of pride in his work and will stop and nothing to achieve the desired results.
Because David operates his studio from home, he is able to charge less so you get more bang for your buck, And able to cater to your budget.
David also allows changes to the mix even after your time with him is up at no extra charge, because he believes every musician should be happy with his final product.
For any inquiries or for more information, check out their website at http://www.miscreantrecordings.com/ or email David at [email protected]
NZ Music News
It's been one helluva fest! Awards now named
The last New Zealand Fringe Festival ended with a question mark over its head about whether it would continue. It did, it rocked, and it will continue. Now Fringe 2010 has ended with a glorious bag with the naming of the best of all there is in 2010 and a new inductee for the Fringe Hall of Fame.
The New Zealand Fringe Festival held its Award and Closing Night Party on March 7 at the Paramount Theatre, blowing out the candles on its 20th Birthday festival celebrations.
Fourteen awards were announced to celebrate the best on show at Fringe 2010, and a new member of the Fringe Hall of Fame was honoured. In 2009, Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords were inducted.
Full article and list of winners
Smokefreerockquest fires up for 2010
In classrooms and garages around the country teen musicians are tuning up for this year's Smokefreerockquest.
New Zealand's only nationwide, youth, original music competition kicks off with regional heats from the beginning of May and the call is out now for the seven hundred bands and singer-songwriters expected to enter.
Founder and Director Glenn Common says getting an entry in is the first step in a process that requires a lot of commitment from entrants.
"When a band enters they have to decide on their line up, choose a name, find a practice venue, organise instruments and amplifiers, decide the kind of music they're going to play and write and rehearse two songs," he says. "Young people learn a lot of communication and negotiation skills as they go through this process."
The motivation is the opportunity to perform before their peers at one of the 24 regional finals. Common says these are set up to give the kids a real life rock star experience.
Satellite Media Launches BalconyTV Auckland
Satellite Media is proud to announce the launch of BalconyTV Auckland today. The launch comes just a week after BalconyTV announced its 10 Millionth video view.
BalconyTV – Music with a view; is an online music show featuring live music performances from artists in Dublin, Hamburg, London, Poznan, Nashville and now Auckland, New Zealand. By performing on a Balcony on Auckland’s Ponsonby Road – local performances can now be viewed all over the world.
Taupo Erupts
From matching wine with music to triggering the forces that rumble beneath the volcanic region, a diverse programme for ERUPT Lake Taupo Festival 2010 was announced this evening in Taupo.
The programme launch at ERUPT epicenter, The Great Lake Centre, featured a welcome from Ngati Tuwharetoa and performances from two of this years festival artists, soul diva Whirimako Black and Adagio circus.
The 8th biennial ERUPT Lake Taupo Festival is the largest cultural event staged in the Taupo region. ERUPT 2010 will rumble for 11 action packed days, encompassing 60 performances in music, theatre, circus and dance, visual arts exhibitions and installations, writers and school performances and workshops.
Single Number Six for Ammp
Ammp's sixth single 'Let The Sunlight In' has found its way onto The Rock Off The Record this Month. To celebrate the new single and coming debut album in November Ammp are setting 'Let The Sunlight In' free. Download it free today from Ammp's muzic.net.nz page.
Check out also Ammp's latest videos. Last Years NZ Airplay Top40 hit 'Dirty Rock and Roll' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQO4hrFtThA and the next single 'Don't Leave Me Here' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvMADbPzVDg!
Just One Fix release new album 'Blood Horizon'
Auckland based metal band Just One Fix are proud to announce the release of their new album Blood Horizon on Monday 8th March. The album features the first single When The Knife Comes Down.
Just One Fix are stalwarts of the New Zealand metal scene, with the band first raising its collectively ugly head in 1999.
Their acclaimed debut album The Price of $ellvation, plus nationwide tours and support slots for Megadeth and Hellyeah, cemented the band in the frontline of the local scene and saw Just One Fix prove their worth alongside International heavyweights.
Full Article
Muzic.net.nz Review
New album coming for The Phoenix Foundation
The Phoenix Foundation are very, very pleased to announce that their brand new album 'Buffalo' is now finished, and will be released in NZ on MONDAY 26 APRIL 2010!
'Buffalo' will be released and available in physical and digital formats, AND as a limited edition 12’’ vinyl release.
A limited number of Collectors Edition Packages will be available from our website, with pre-sales starting from March 29.
'Buffalo', the brand new single & title track from their forthcoming new album is also now available as a free download for a very limited time from http://www.thephoenixfoundation.co.nz/.
Full Article
More Info
And one last thing...
Crash Test For Favourite Things are currently looking for a new bassist. If you think you can help, check them out on MySpace.
Muzic.net.nz News
New Artists
The following musicians were added to the muzic.net.nz website recently. Check them out:
| Her Make Believe Band | Kieran Cooper | Anonymouz |
| Edwin Derricutt | FIIN |
Want to add yourself or your band to muzic.net.nz?
Add Artist Form
Info about filling out the add artist form
Competitions
Congratulations to our latest winners, who will be receiving a copy of the new single from Devils Elbow this week:
- A. Bateman, Wellington
- L. Thomas, Auckland
- B. Davie, Whakatane; and
- S. Paull, Taupo
Enter today for your chance to win the following competitions:
Please note - you must be logged in to enter competitions.
 |
The Twitch were the NZ winners of 2005 World Battle of the Bands. Time For Change is their brand new album, enter now to go into the draw for a copy! |
 |
Salon Kingsadore's third and latest full-length release, Mountain Rescue. Salon Kingsadore is an upbeat instrumental combo with points of reference as diverse as surf guitar, jazz, European film soundtracks and psychedelic rock. |
Past competition winners can be viewed here.
Reviews
Check out our latest reviews:
- Homegrown 2010 Review and Photos
- Jackie Bristow - 'Freedom' album review
- Devils Elbow - 'KO' EP review
- Isis/Meshuggah Gig Review @ San Francisco Bathhouse - 3 March 2010
- Just One Fix - 'Blood Horizon' review
Check out every single interview and review in our new Articles Page.
Tour Features
Every feature we have ever had on the site can be viewed here.
The next muzic.net.nz newsletter is going out on 28 March
and will feature Her Make Believe Band!
There is space available for features from this issue onwards.
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If you would like to advertise anything to do with NZ music in our newsletter and/or gig mail out, email Lisa. It is 100% FREE to feature or advertise in our newsletter and gig mail outs!
Our next gig mail out is going out on 21 March.
- The muzic.net.nz team
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