Newsletter Issue #544: 03 Oct 2021
Hear Me Out...
August saw the wonderful Martina ‘kiwibrocrew’ Brito as guest editor – who discussed with us her story of becoming so intertwined with New Zealand music.
In September we had the privilege of hearing a deeply personal and heartfelt story from Michael Murphy of Written by Wolves.
Definitely drop what you’re doing right now and check these out here if you missed them!!
And now...October!
Here’s an interesting thought to ponder while you read the rest of the newsletter, or whatever you happen to have planned for the rest of the day. Hear me out...
What if books had soundtracks?
This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while and I genuinely think I might be onto something here. I suppose it would depend quite heavily on the type of book we’re talking about. It’s hard to imagine biology textbooks or car manuals
having a soundtrack. Although I can imagine OnTheOrigin of Species by Charles Darwin having a pretty epic orchestral soundtrack. The soundtrack to Sapiens could be like The Rock 2000 except it would be Humanity’s top 2000.
Anyway, in all seriousness, novels are often so encompassing and representative of the time – and reading is such an encompassing experience, I feel like music could only add to that. When you read a book and it’s so good it’s all you can think about when you’re not reading it? Soundtrack! When a book just represents a certain mood or vibe that you want to LISTEN to? Soundtrack!
I have often found myself craving a soundtrack for On the Road by Jack Kerouac. The essence of youth seemed so contemporary and familiar, yet rock n’ roll wasn’t even invented yet?! What were they listening to?! I need a soundtrack!
Okay, enough rambling. This month we have interviews with Pretty Stooked, OdESSA and some crucial links to interviews from the wonderful The Distorted Transmission series.
Beth xXx
Pretty Stooked is an exciting new indie pop rock project out of Christchurch. Eddie Kiesanowski - the creative behind Pretty Stooked - has molded a sonic tone echoing The Vanns, Spacey Jane and Band of Horses putting Pretty Stooked at the cutting edge of the indie pop rock wave. Muzic.net.nz spoke to Eddie about his music, plans for next year and his most memorable show to date:
How did you become involved in music?
I started learning the guitar after watching the movie School of Rock and would sing along to the songs I was learning. My younger brother Cullen started playing too and when we were 12 and 10 we entered a local talent contest for our first performance and ended up winning. I think after that we were both pretty hooked!
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it before?
Poppy hooks over lush guitars.
What can we expect to see from you in the next year?
My Line (released 29 September) is the first single of an EP which will be released over the next 6 months and followed by a national tour, provided Covid doesn’t bully us too much.
Who are your favourite NZ bands and musicians?
There are so many goodies but here’s a few I’ve been listening to recently - The Beths, Jed Parsons, There’s A Tuesday, The Knews, Thomas Isbister, and Molly Payton.
Where do you get your inspiration to create music from?
Mostly
from personal experiences or the experiences of people around me. I also get inspiration from seeing a great live band or watching concerts on YouTube. It makes me want to go out and do it myself.
What has been your most memorable show to date?
Probably our show at Grater Goods earlier this year. It was our first sold out headline show and it was on my mum's birthday so it was a special night.
How did you come up with the name Pretty Stooked?
I lived in Melbourne for a couple of years in a flat on Stooke Street. That’s where I started writing songs for this project so when I was thinking of a name I thought I’d incorporate the street name. Initially it was just going to be ‘Stooke’, but I made my Instagram handle ‘prettystooked’ as a play on words and then decided I liked that better.
Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?
Surround yourself with as much music as possible. Go to gigs, get to know the scene, jam with lots of people, and then just go for it. Decide what you want to do and give it everything.
Your favourite garage funksters are back with a new look, a refined sound and a new track - the first in over 13 years!
2021 has been electrifying for the high energy funk band OdESSA after their show-stealing performances at Garden City Magic, CubaDupa and Newtown Festival. OdESSA have then gone on to release their first new single since 2009, It’s Gonna Get Better - now available on Bandcamp, Spotify and Soundcloud. Muzic.net.nz spoke to Paul from OdESSA about who they would like to tour with, what the next year holds for them and much, much more:
How did you become involved in music?
I met most of the guys that became OdESSA way back in 1999 and we formed the band in 2002. I was pretty late to singing really, I was 25 when the band started, so I had to learn quick.
What NZ bands and musicians would you like to tour with, and why?
We were about to do shows with Revulva before the lockdown, so looking forward to that happening soon. Housewitches are amazing live. Going on tour with The Richter City Rebels (pictured) (who we collaborated with on our recent recording) would be a wild, funky time.
Which one of your songs are you most proud of, and why?
That’s a tough question. There’s a few ways to look at it. The song of ours that has been the most successful is Bring The Money Back and it’s very gratifying to me that people are still discovering that one after all these years. As far as songs I’m proud of from a writing point of view, there’s one called Is That You Calling that I feel we achieved something special on. Promises, Promises I can put on for new people and not cringe as well. Plus there’s one we recorded recently called Ancient Ruins that I’m particularly proud of.
What can we expect to see from you in the next year?
We’re releasing new music that we’re excited about. We’re planning to record a number of mini albums, put one out every 3-4 months, something like that. We’ll be touring a bit too, depending on how things go with lockdowns and the like.
Who are your favourite NZ bands and musicians?
When I came back from London and heard Troy Kingi's All Your Ships Have Sailed I immediately wanted to get back into music. A light just went on. I thought, this is it. I’ve been writing ever since.
What local albums have you been listening to recently?
Housewitches released a cool record this year called Animal Husbandress that more people need to know about. I gravitate toward great lyricists. Neverwoz The Elysian EP. Crossbones by Bill Hickman is a favourite, and Autopilot Life by Miles Calder is outstanding. Nest by Mystery Waitress, I love everything they do. I could go on and on!
What is your favourite NZ venue, and why?
It doesn't exist anymore but early in our career we basically lived at Bar Bodega in Wellington, we played there about 50 times in the space of a couple of years, so many great memories.
What has been your most memorable show to date?
There’s so many, but Big Day Out 2006 comes to mind. Just having been there years before as a fan, wishing I could one day do something up on a big stage like that, then being there, the same BDO The Stooges played at. It was very special to have that moment.
How did you come up with the name OdESSA?
We name ourselves after the coolest girl we knew. In actual fact, she gave us our first gig, playing at her go-away party, as she was moving overseas. She’d heard us jamming at her friend’s flat and asked us to play. So we named ourselves after her. By the time she came back a few years later, we’d sort of blown up locally. Fortunately she didn’t mind.
Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?
Inflatable neck-pillows are your friend. And don’t get drunk at music industry award shows, no good ever comes of it.
During September, The Distorted Transmission featured incredible interviews with even more of New Zealand's leading rock and metal acts. Delving into the depths of NZ heavier music, The Distorted Transmission is hosted by Will Stairmand (Primacy, Remote). Check out all his latest interviews at the below links:
Keep an eye on The Distorted Transmission's Facebook page here - this coming Wednesday (6 October), we'll have an interview with On The Contrary.
On episode #123 we talked to the legendary Caitlin Smith. Being a professional musician is challenging enough, but if you’re also a blind, female, jazz singer, with a big personality and an honest heart, it’s a rollercoaster. Caitlin talks candidly about her experiences in the business, her struggles with addiction and mental health and the psychology of singing and performance.
On episode #124 self-proclaimed "pop star for dorks" Geoff Ong stopped by for a fascinating conversation about funk guitar, racial profiling, his journey establishing his music career and the making of his brilliant music videos. Check out his videos on YouTube and enjoy the conversation!
Listen to our episodes on our website, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Player.FM, TuneIn
and all other good podcast apps!
DON’T GIVE UP YOUR DAY JOB - THE PODCAST
www.dontgiveupyourdayjob.co.nz
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Our next issue is going out on Sunday 7 November!
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