Newsletter Issue #376: 08 Apr 2012
The Black Seeds
The Black Seeds sixth album 'Dust and Dirt' is out tomorrow!
Thanks to Nigel for answering these questions:
What can we expect to see from The Black Seeds over the next year?
A new album. A lot of touring! New songs, new haircuts and hopefully some new clothes.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
Always remember that the greatest asset you have as a musician is that you are an individual and that no-one is exactly like you so whatever you do. Doesn't matter if you're the best or worst just as long as you are being true to yourself that's all that matters.
What will The Black Seeds? next release be?
Not sure. I really want to do a Slim Jams album but realistically I think it will be a Dust and Dirt remix album.
Who would you most like to support live?
Black Uhuru.
What can you never leave home without?
Sunglasses and earplugs.
What is your favourite NZ venue?
The Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth.
What is the best part of being a musician?
Writing songs and then performing them to the public. Hanging out with fellow musicians. Touring - being able to see heaps of cool places all around that you wouldn't get to see.
What is in your CD collection at home?
Heaps of vinyl.
What is your favourite place in NZ to be?
The beach.
What rumour would you like to start about The Black Seeds?
That we have been chosen to play support for Black Uhuru on their next world tour.
The Black Seeds are Barnaby Weir (vocals, guitar), Daniel Weetman (vocals, percussion), Mike Fabulous (guitar, percussion), Nigel Patterson (keyboards), Jarney T Murphy (drums), Tim Jaray (bass), Jabin Ward (saxophone) and Andrew Christiansen (Trumpet).
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Official Website
Amplifier Page
MySpace Page
Facebook Page
Twitter Page
Youtube Page
Cool Me Down Video
So True Video
Take Your Chances Video
The Black Seeds ‘Dust And Dirt release tour Press Release
Knives At Noon
Thanks to Paul for answering these questions:
What can we expect to see from Knives At Noon over the next year?
We have just released the Second Skin EP (available at www.knivesatnoon.com). This is a 6-track EP compiling some of the music we made last year. After this you can expect a couple of new singles we've just recorded at York Street Studios and their accompanying videos. Should be pretty kick ass. Around that time keep an eye out 'cos Knives at Noon will be coming to a town near you. Beyond that, you'll have to wait and see. Big things are coming.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
A. Get a day job. B. Don't be shit. C. Practice, Practice, Practice.
Who are your favourite NZ musicians/bands, and why?
The Mint Chicks, NZ's greatest art band. Crowded House & Split Enz, closest we've ever come to having a Beatles. The Phoenix Foundation, again great songwriting and a cool band. And uh, Shihad. My fave' kiwi rockers. That's just a few.
How do you believe Knives At Noon fits into the NZ music industry?
Demographically speaking, we encompass a wide audience somewhere from hipsters to the lowest common denominator. Tune in, you'll like it!
What is your favourite NZ venue?
Tough question, but I'd have to say maybe Bodega in wellington. We always have an awesome time, the people who work there are great and we always seem to have a really good turnout.
What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?
Another tough call. Big Day Out was definitely one of my highlights, it's a high school kids dream ya know? Opening for the Smashing Pumpkins was cool. Pint Night in Dunedin last year was pretty outrageous, about 900 people showed up to a 350 capacity venue, huge line outside and everything. Always a good feeling when it's your band they've come to see.
How do you keep in contact with your fans?
Just the usual stuff; Facebook, email, MySpace, postcard, messenger pigeon.
What rumour would you like to start about Knives At Noon?
We are secretly training an army of messenger pigeons with USB sticks attached to their talons.
Knives At Noon are Oli Wilson (synthesizers), Tim Couch (drums), Tim McCartney (vocals) and Paul Gauvin (guitar).
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Official Website
Amplifier Page
MySpace Page
Facebook Page
Twitter Page
Dimestore Skanks
Thanks to Tim for answering these questions:
What can we expect to see from Dimestore Skanks over the next year?
We are releasing our debut album 'Rough Housers and Rabble Rousers'. Hopefully a lot more gigs with some more Ska bands (we have something big in the pipework), some more touring around and maybe start a follow up album.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
Play what you love not what you're told is "cool". If its something you love and are passionate about you'll have more fun playing to 40 people than you ever would playing something you hate to 500.
Who are your favourite NZ musicians/bands, and why?
For myself I would have to say The Dead Scene (Welly punk) but that's biased, I love the old stuff, Brubeck, Kitsch, Blake, Sommerset, The Offbeats but also I love the bands that are around now (or still around) like Roofdog, the Managers, Battleska Galactica, Dead Fool's Fiesta and Black Lick.
What will Dimestore Skanks next release be?
Our debut album 'Rough Housers and Rabble Rousers' which is a 10 track album we recorded at STL in Wellington with Troy Kelly. The album pretty much consists of our current live set minus the covers.
How do you come up with your lyrics?
We just write about what ever we feel, some are stupid some are meaningful but it feels good to be able to sing whatever comes into my head and not have to be as serious as it is in punk.
Who would you most like to support live?
TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS!! But I would settle for Streetlight Manifesto
How do you believe Dimestore Skanks fit into the NZ music industry?
Personally I feel we kinda play the popular NZ rootsy sound except faster and angrier. I suppose we could appeal to fans of roots and punk/rock.
What can you never leave home without?
My keys otherwise I would be locked out.
How do you describe Dimestore Skanks’ music?
We started with the goal of playing "ska for punks". I think we pull it off.
What is the best part of being a musician?
Having people dance smile and sing to your songs. Hanging out with mates and making friends with some great people you wouldn't usually get to hang out with.
What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?
Just more local punk and ska, come on people!
What is in your CD collection at home?
To be honest I only really have punk and ska on cd, most of it from the late 90's early 2000's maybe some Bob Marley, I think Beastie Boys Ill Communication and thats about it.
What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?
I don't think there ever have been any? Most of the stuff ups are by me trying to distract the band during solos, we can laugh off a lot, we are only there to have fun.
What is your favourite place in NZ to be?
The mosh pit at an Outsiders gig.
What inspired you to start Dimestore Skanks?
Well Pete and I already had The Dead Scene and we wanted more punk bands to play with so we decided to start Dimestore as a little side project with some other musicians we've met along the way and came up with this.
How did you come up with the name Dimestore Skanks?
Basically we wanted to have the classic ska name that has SKA in it somewhere but more subtle. That and who doesn't wanna call their band cheap whores.
What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?
My favourite so far I would have to say would have been our mini tour with Roofdog and Masterhuna. Good guys, Great bands and some meaning skanking.
How do you keep in contact with your fans?
Just on our Facebook page.
What rumour would you like to start about Dimestore Skanks?
Their singer is really good in the sack.
Dimestore Skanks are Tim (vocals, melodica), Pete (guitar, vocals), Alex (bass, vocals), Grinter (drums), Rowan (trumpet, vocals) and Al (trombone, vocals).
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Facebook Page
Youtube Page
Cold Harvest Trust
Cold Harvest Trust is a four piece piano/keyboard based pop-rock band from the north shore of Auckland. What began as a solo recording project for vocalist Andrew Cowie, eventually evolved into a conglomerate where each member added their personal style and input to the songs.
What inspired you to start Cold Harvest Trust?
It has always been about people with similar tastes in music rallying around the process of creating and playing great songs. The seeds began in Heathcote Valley, Christchurch inside the HUT, a sleep-out turned creative space.
From the beginning, the HUT was earmarked as a place for music to take shape, whether it was through interpretations of material by artists we admired, or original songs that reflected our experiences at the time. CHT was a way to find flow, escape the distractions and treadmill of rigor and routine, and be inspired to create something exciting. The line-up and location of the band has changed over time, but the spirit remains the same.
What is the best part of being a musician?
It is the ability to connect with people who might be drawn to listen more closely by a melody, a line, a lyric, or a turn of phrase. In the ever-expanding digital landscape we now inhabit, vying for one’s attention is an even greater challenge. When one finds those rare moments, the most personal songs can have a universal resonance. This in turn motivates musicians to reach further within to send their message even further out.
How do you come up with the lyrics?
The lyrics sometime appear with a melody firmly affixed to them; other times it might be writing alone that is done on a scrap of paper, capturing an observation, or musing over a situation that has either been personally experienced or something that has resonated for someone else. Sometimes, the full body of the song will happen very quickly with the lyrics as a narrative. In that case, it’s about finding the right melody to reflect and represent the meaning of the lyrics.
What can we expect to see from Cold Harvest Trust over the next year?
The next year will see Cold Harvest Trust promote the release of our New Bones EP where we plan to tour a variety of venues in both the north and south islands of New Zealand. We will take every opportunity we can to play live and interact with listeners; win over new fans; and be active members in and contributors to the New Zealand music community. We also plan to release a video of our forthcoming single Flagships on April 30th.
What is in your CD collection at home?
The Band (Music from Big Pink), Leonard Cohen (Songs from a Room), Elton John (Honky Chateau), Leon Russell (Self-Titled), Willie Dixon (The Chess Box), The Phoenix Foundation (Pegasus), Spoon (Gimme Fiction), Wilco (Summerteeth), Okkervil River (I Am Very Far), The New Pornographers (Challengers), Blue Rodeo (Nowhere to Here), Gomez (Liquid Skin), The Velvet Underground (Loaded), Phil Spector Collection, The Shins (Chutes Too Narrow), Broken Bells, Cornershop (Handcream for a Generation), Elbow (Build A Rocket Boys), Family Cactus (Spirit Flags), Dictaphone Blues (On The Down & In), The Eastern (Hope & Wire).
Who would you most like to support live?
Any of the artists above (those who still exist). In particular, local acts Dictaphone Blues, Liam Finn, Family Cactus, and Crowded House.
Cold Harvest Trust is Andrew Cowie (vocals, piano, keyboards), Dave Gatman (guitar, vocals), Darren McShane (bass, vocals) and Tye Stott (drums, percussion, vocals).
Website Links
NZ Music News
Dirty Records Turns 10!
Local Hip-Hop label Dirty Records celebrates it’s first 10 years in the game by releasing a collection of the label’s best tracks of the last decade on Friday 4 May. In keeping with the celebrations, Dirty is also throwing a party the same night at Auckland’s Studio, featuring an exciting reunion of old label mates P Money, Scribe, David Dallas, PNC, Frontline and special guests.
For the last decade, Dirty Records has been one of New Zealand’s formative local Hip-Hop labels. With numerous achievements since it’s formation by producer P-Money (Peter Wadams) and Callum August in 2001, Dirty artists have helped set the benchmark for homegrown Hip Hop - representing the top of their game locally and at an international level.
From their first album release in 2001, P-Money’s critically acclaimed album Big Things, Dirty Records went on to launch the career of Scribe, releasing his double platinum #1 single ‘Stand Up’, the Hip-Hop/Rock anthem which was a catalyst for local Hip-Hop exploding into the NZ pop mainstream in 2003. Successive single ‘Not Many – The Remix’ (featuring label mates David Dallas and P-Money), and 4 x platinum album ‘The Crusader’ further cemented Scribe and his contemporaries as the shining stars of New Zealand's much celebrated young Hip-Hop scene.
Jazz Tui Trifecta for Rodger Fox
Rodger Fox’s new group Rodger Fox’s Wellington Jazz Orchestra, has taken out the New Zealand Music Awards Tui for Best Jazz Album of 2012.
The album Journey Home is the first CD from the jazz legend’s new band and was released in June 2011.
The award was presented at the National Jazz Festival, hosted in the city of Tauranga during Easter weekend, following showcase performances by all three finalists.
Other finalists were Wellingtonian Tim Hopkins for Seven and Aucklander Phil Broadhurst for Delayed Reaction.
SFRQ 2012 launches in NZ Music Month
The future of Kiwi music is tuning up in the wings, fittingly ready to emerge right during New Zealand Music Month.
Smokefreerockquest, New Zealand’s only nationwide, live, original music competition gets underway with Nelson heats on May 11, the first of 45 regional heats and finals, leading towards the national final at Claudelands Arena in Hamilton on September 22.
This year organisers expect close to 800 bands to enter – adding up to a total of around 3,000 aspiring musicians. The link between Smokefreerockquest and New Zealand Music Month is significant, according to founder and director Pete Rainey.
“We’re into our 24th year and it’s the enduring nature of the event that makes its role in Kiwi music so significant – for some people it’s a springboard to huge success, while for others Smokefreerockquest is a tool in their roles as music’s unsung heroes,” he says. “I’m talking about the likes of Ladyhawke acknowledging us as her first real gig, right through to the music teacher in Gisborne who uses this event as a prime motivator for at-risk students.”
Christchurch pop-punk band Stay Awake signs with Black & Red Records
Black & Red Records are very pleased to announce their latest signing, pop-punk band Stay Awake – one of the most exciting bands to come out of Christchurch in recent years.
Fueled by their love of music and armed with a mission to revive the glory days of the New Zealand pop-punk scene where local bands ruled the airwaves, this young four piece - lead vocalist/guitarist Matt Clark, guitarist Jesse Bennett, bass player Liam Carroll and drummer Tilaye Tarren-Sweeny – are well on their way to becoming New Zealand’s answer to international icons such as Blink-182 and Yellowcard.
Having won over audiences at the 2012 Parachute Music Festival, the band are looking forward to getting into the studio to work on their yet to be named debut album, expected to drop later this year. The first single from the album is ‘Sirens’ – a huge pop anthem with catchy hooks and a polished energy unlike anything currently on the New Zealand music charts, and will be released in the next couple of months.
With the pop-punk genre enjoying an international resurgence in recent times, the perseverance and determined work ethic of Stay Awake will undoubtedly see their music transcend the boundaries of the local scene and launch the band to all new heights.
Black & Red Records are thrilled to be working with such a talented and inspired group of musicians, and are excited to watch the four-piece go from hometown heroes to the leaders of the next generation in New Zealand pop-punk.
New Releases
Legendary Wellington band Skank Attack to release album ‘Here on Out’ for NZ music month 2012
Snakes Of Iron to release digital EP Scavengers April 9, 2012
Head Like A Hole release new video
Concord Dawn Releases New Album For Free
Sir T Announces The Release Of His Debut Album 'Walk With Me' On April 16
Cornerstone Roots release new music video
Savage Releases 'The Orator' EP 16 April
DNK World Music Release The Academy Compilation on 16 April
Tour and Gig Announcements
Iva Lamkum Announces Auckland and Wellington dates
The Warratahs Release 25 Year Collection And Announce Nationwide Tour
Autozamm, November Zulu and Invader Cain Announce New Singles and National Tour
Sick Disco presents Ben UFO (Hessle Audio/UK) Saturday 21st April at Cassette 9
Other NZ Music News
Gig and Tour News
Artist News
Muzic.net.nz News
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The following musicians have been added to the muzic.net.nz website during the last fortnight:
| Sir T | Cold Harvest Trust | Gabrielle Gilbert |
| Stay Awake | Hula Hope | Fleur Jack |
| Koast | Octopus Empire | Septicide |
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Kieran Cooper - Yes, No, Acoustic
Kieran Cooper - Yes, No, Sincerely Album Review
Fly My Pretties IV Album Review
Sounds Aotearoa 2012: Part One - The Seminars
DJ CXL - Represent Album Review
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