06 Nov 2006 // An interview by Shade
1) What was your greatest achievement during 2006?

Musically? Without doubt the writing and recording of 'Edin'; finally getting around to making an album the way my favourite albums were recorded and with songs I feel are the truest representation of my musical self. It's very easy to get swept up in the commercial industry of music, especially when you are trying to make a living at it. I've discovered the reality is that the truer you are to yourself, the truer you are to everyone around you.

2) Do you have any new recordings or tours planned for 2007?

I have lots of plans that involve touring and recording...

3) What do you think could be done to make NZ music even better?

I think the focus on radio as the primary means of achieving commercial success is not altogether a healthy one. Great songs don't necessarily fit the standard radio format. I hear more and more songs everyday that are indistinguishable - sort of mix'n'match soundalikes. I don't think it's advancing our own sense of cultural identity/uniqueness to encourage our upcoming songwriters to "fit the mould". It seems to me there are a great deal of extremely talented musicians who fall between the cracks of commercial and alternative/b-net stations. Filling up the cracks would be a good idea...

4) What is your favourite place to be in NZ?

Hawea. Mountains and lakes give a good sense of perspective... But anywhere my lady is works just as well.

5) Who do you admire the most in NZ music at the moment?

Very hard to single one out; SJD for his dedication to the craft of songwriting; Warren Maxwell for the fact that his music never speaks a lie; Shayne Carter for for his enduring spark; Jakob for reaching the essence of what it is they do that nobody else does; Sam Scott for quality control.

Growing up in the shadows of North-East England's sprawling petrochemical factories then transplanted worlds away to the idle wiles of Aotearoa's northern reaches; music was the only constant in the life of Paul McLaney, singer and guitar-player. Yet his music has only furthered his travels, and his stylistic leanings have been anything but constant. From folky pop and thunderous rock 'n' roll spanning the exploits of his band Gramsci to complete immersion in electronic music collaborations, McLaney's life has been one of movement.

McLaney’s earlier efforts illustrate the many threads that he weaves into his musical tapestry. Beginning with 1998’s The Prayer Engine, a solo effort of 2000 copies sold at McLaney’s first public outings as a performer, turning through the gentle electronically-tinged folk pop of Gramsci’s first two albums Permanence (2000) and Object (2001) with collaborator David Holmes, the soul-searching acoustic purity of 2003’s The Shadows of Birds Flying Fall Slowly Down the Tall Buildings before 2005’s critically-acclaimed return of Gramsci, complete with hard-charged grandiose guitar rock, on Like Stray Voltage, McLaney has traversed musical horizons like the traveller he is.

In 2006, McLaney went south, heading to Dunedin to record his first Loop released album, Edin – at the NZBC recording studio with recording engineer, Dale Cotton, drummer Nick Gaffeney and bass player Richie Pickard. The critically acclaimed and Tui nominated album, was a turning point for McLaney and saw him come close to finding paradise, and to finding himself as a musician.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Paul McLaney

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