Newsletter Issue #223: 01 Mar 2009
Rhian Sheehan
“The idea for 'Standing in Silence' was born from the now album cover image I shot whilst in India. I found something captivating about the way this stranger was staring into the polluted landscape. I wondered if at this moment in time and space, was he at one with himself. Had he found some sense of inner harmony and silence I believe we all try to attain in our lives
“As a musical response I set out to write a series of instrumental movements that were minimalist but retained a sense of innocence, beauty, honesty, sadness and naivety.
“An experimental effort, I spent much time recording and manipulating found objects around the house like my daughters wind up musicbox and wine glasses. Most of the sonic textural soundscapes on the album are created from electric guitar washes played by either Jeff Boyle (Jakob) or myself.” – Rhian Sheehan
The result is fourteen parts of an exquisite expedition through soothing aural landscapes touched with organic sounds of human interaction. 'Standing In Silence' is out now.
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State Of Mind
What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?
The biggest gig we've played would be either the BDO Boiler Room or RNV main-stage at New Years 2am. Both of them were pretty massive.
Having said that we've also played some pretty huge outdoor festivals in Moscow.
What is your favourite NZ venue?
It's hard to say to be honest. Perhaps Bath St Nightclub down in Dunedin.
What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?
Pitch Black because the way they do their live show is the shit. They are pioneers.
What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?
Waking up in just tighty whities in the hotel elevator one morning after a show.
How did you come up with the name State of Mind?
Basically we took it from an insurance add on TV.
How do you describe your music?
It's DnB of course, but we have our own style. We try to keep the tunes with a broad appeal and not aim them exclusively at DnB headz.
What can we expect to see from State of Mind over the next year?
We are gonna do a live thing. Hopefully the Pitch Black guys will be happy to give us some pointers. I think we will kick that off mid-year all going to plan.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
Be patient. Just work on getting your tunes sounding good at home before you start sending them out. You really only get one chance to make a first impression with a label so make it count.
State of Mind is Patrick Hawkins and Stu Maxwell.
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State of Mind's second album 'Faster Than Light' is due for release during March 2009.
Roofdog
What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?
This is a tough question to answer but I’ll say supporting UK band Stiff Little Fingers at the Powerstation was a recent highlight for me personally. The place had sold out and there was a little bit of nostalgia for me having frequented the venue in the late 90’s to watch Local bands play.
What is your favourite NZ venue?
It’s either the Kings Arms Tavern in Auckland or the Arc Café in Dunedin, can’t quite decide. Both venues just have a really good vibe, laid back staff, good sound systems and engineers, but I enjoy plying anywhere where there is a healthy rider put on for the bands.
What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?
The Randoms, Cosmic Rays of Death and the Murder Chord are the 3 most original sounding bands that I’ve seen lately. I enjoy watching these types of bands because although all 3 sound completely different, you don’t know what they’re gonna do next when you watch them play.
What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?
There’s been a few but going to pay for the Motel bill in the morning is never good when you see the look of disgust on the owners face.
How did you come up with the name Roofdog?
At one of our first ever practices our mate’s dog ‘Whiskey’ would climb up on the Roof whenever we played a song to see what all the noise about. Someone said we should call ourselves Roofdog and we all agreed seeing as we had been playing under the name ‘Mildew’ until then. R.I.P. Whiskey!!
How do you describe your music?
It’s a bit of a mash up really but genre wise it’s predominately Ska/Dub and Rock. It’s quite upbeat so really good to dance to with occasional half time reggae bits to give everyone a chance to catch their breath.
What can we expect to see from Roofdog over the next year?
We are just about to release our first album which we have been working on for quite a while so this year will be spent promoting that. We are going on a national tour between March 14th and 29th and then making a music video and should be back on the road in August to play the ski towns. Would like to have as many DJ’s as possible playing our stuff so little bit of networking with radio stations will be on the cards.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
Work together with other bands you come across rather than compete against them.
Have a good time and don’t take yourselves too seriously, music should be about having a good time first and foremost. That’s all.
Roofdog is Jacob 'Jayco' Toms (vocals, guitar), Ross 'Rosco' Hutchinson (bass, backing vocals), Paul 'Afa' Robinson (drums, backing vocals) and Tim 'Timdog' Parsons (guitar).
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Roofdog is on tour now!
NZ Music News
Nominees for the Vodafone MTV Australia Awards 2009 announced
Local and international artists will go head-to-head at the Vodafone MTV Australia Awards 2009 with The Presets, Jessica Mauboy, Sneaky Sound System, Ladyhawke, Beyoncé , Kings of Leon, Chris Brown and Lady GaGa leading the nominations with two apiece.
Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum selling US rockers The Killers will take the stage for what is set to be an absolute show stopper. Performing a hit off their new album Day & Age, the Las Vegas quartet is also nominated for ‘Best Rock Video’ for their chart smashing hit single “Human”.
Appearing for the very first time in Australia, Audrina Patridge, star of the hit sensation, “The Hills,” will take control of the Red Carpet.
New Zealand viewers will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite acts in the ‘Best Kiwi’ category with P Money, Goodnight Nurse, Ladyhawke, Nesian Mystik and Cut Off Your Hands nominated for the coveted award.
Awards set to crown successful NZ Fringe Festival
The glitz, the glamour and the gloriously-talented folk of cutting-edge entertainment will be showcased next Sunday at the New Zealand Fringe Festival's Awards and closing night party.
The Fringe 09 Awards will be held at Wellington's Paramount Theatre Sunday, March 1. Doors open at 6pm, with the ceremony – and we use that term loosely in full Fringe fashion – kicking off at 6.45pm
Capping off a successful Fringe 09, which saw the largest line-up in many years with 108 participating productions, the celebration will award the best, brightest and most bizarre of Fringe 09 across 14 categories.
Additionally, three productions will be awarded the Pick of the Fringe. Following last year's successful initiative, Downstage Theatre will three gems amongst the delicious, different and downright deviant theatre shows for a return season at Downstage April 29 to May 7.
RIANZ & APRA Confident About Code Of Conduct
SECTION 92A COPYRIGHT ACT
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) represents the rights of 60 record labels, including 53 New Zealand independent labels, and more than 800 New Zealand recording artists.
The Australasian Performing Right Association represents songwriters and publishers, including more than 5,000 local music writers and composers.
RIANZ and APRA have been engaged in dialogue with the Telecommunication Carriers Forum (TCF) with regard to a draft Code of Conduct which the TCF could recommend its Internet Service Provider (ISP) members adopt in order to comply with their obligations pursuant to Section 92A of the Copyright Act.
Since the TCF issued the draft Code of Conduct on 4 February 2009 for public consultation, the dialogue between RIANZ, APRA and the TCF has continued.
RIANZ and APRA are confident the discussions with the TCF will lead to a Code of Conduct which will satisfy copyright holders and ISPs, which will satisfy the requirements of Section 92A and which, if adopted by ISPs, will provide certainty for all parties moving forward.
Hip Hop dance champs a first for Wellington
For the first time ever, the road to the Vegas hip hop dance glory begins in Wellington.
Hip Hop Aotearoa New Zealand announced today that the Wellington Regional Hip Hop Dance Championships will be held March 14, at Lower Hutt's Little Theatre. This is the first regional hip hop dance champs to be held in Wellington, providing a golden opportunity for young people to hit the big time under the glittering lights of Las Vegas, USA.
Registrations for the event close 5pm Friday, February 27, open to all people aged seven years and older, to compete in three divisions: Junior (7-12 years), Varsity (12-18) and Adult (18+). Registration fee is $20 per person. The event is officially sanctioned by Street Dance NZ.
Event organiser, Liston Peilua from Hip Hop Aotearoa NZ, said the first-ever staging of the hip hop dance championships in Wellington is a huge boost for the sport in the region.
"In the past there's been hardly any representation from Wellington crews on the national stage, despite us having some of the most talented hip hop dancers in New Zealand," said Peilua.
MediaWorks Acquires GeorgeFM
MediaWorks Radio has acquired the Auckland based radio station George FM, and also leased the Auckland frequency 96.8FM which the station broadcasts on.
The agreement is between MediaWorks Radio and the urban Maori authorities; the Manukau Urban Maori Authority (MUMA) and the Waipareira Trust.
Announcing the arrangement, MUMA Chief Executive Officer Willie Jackson said: "There is a strong, ongoing relationship between the urban Maori authorities and MediaWorks. John Tamihere, CEO for Waipareira, and myself have worked for MediaWorks as talkback hosts for three years now they are aware of the many commitments that John and I have outside of RadioLIVE and they have been tremendously supportive of our work. We will all be working together to ensure Maori language and cultural objectives on George FM continue to be met," Mr Jackson said.
People In Your Neighbourhood releases limited edition album
People in your Neighbourhood is an exciting new music collaboration which highlights the increasing creative diversity and multi-ethnicity of New Zealand. The album brings together 17 local musicians and the internationally renowned UK based Urban Soul Orchestra in an eclectic mix of soulful beats and rhythms.
Demonstrating the cultural diversity of Auckland City, the album includes performances from New Zealand-born Chinese writer Renee Liang, Korean rapper Joshua Jang, Brother J singing in Maori and English, GuZheng player Xiyao Chen, Spanish Flamenco singer Maite Elguetta Clavelle, and Brazilian singer songwriter Mani Fegundes.
Collaborating with the local crew for both the album and live shows is the UK based Urban Soul Orchestra. Founder and arranger Stephen Hussey, along with members of USO will be in New Zealand for the People In Your Neighbourhood shows at the Transmission Room on Thursday 12th March and WOMAD on Saturday 14th March.
The live shows will be a choreographed multimedia event that will incorporate motifs of movement and ethnicity from traditional Chinese strings, Pacific drumming, Asian street breaking, and African dancing.
People in Your Neighbourhood is a limited edition album available at the live shows, from selected cafes nationwide, and at local festivals Polyfest, Auckland International Cultural Festival and Pasifika.
Latest Releases
The hotly-anticipated third studio album from The Mint Chicks, ‘Screens’ to be released in New Zealand on 16 March 2009
When The Mint Chicks’ second album Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! became a runaway success and netted the band five Tuis at the 2007 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards alongside another seven b-Net Awards, it was clear the odds were finally stacked in The Mint Chicks’ favour after seven years of underground acclaim.
Naturally, they did what no other band in their position would do: Kody Nielson, Ruban Nielson and Paul Roper decamped to Portland, Oregon where they were entirely unknown, to be left alone and make a follow-up record far away from the weight of expectations back in New Zealand.
The result is Screens: a glorious record showing the conceptual songwriting genius of the Nielson brothers translating perfectly into one of the most exciting, non-formulaic pop albums so far this decade.
Recorded at The Mint Chicks’ home base in Portland, Screens was produced by the Nielson Brothers with Jacob Portrait and mixed in four separate studios, each with proven histories: the Dandy Warhols’ Odditorium, Supernatural (Modest Mouse), Audible Alchemy (The Shins) and award-winning producer Chris Nielson’s studio in Orewa.
Auckland-based punk rock trio The Rabble will re-release their latest album 'The Battle's Almost Over' on February 28th through Crusade Records.
On the 16 track album - which was mixed in the US by Jim Siegel (Dropkick Murphys) - The Rabble meld the sounds of '77 legends The Clash with more recent American hereos Rancid, while adding inspired flavours of hardcore ('This World Is Dead'), rock n' roll ('Seeking'), rockabilly ('Devil's Highway'), Celtic sounds ('The Battle') and an irrepressible spirit all of their own. The ambitious rabble-rousers even secured guest vocals by their new friend Mark Unseen, frontman of US hardcore-infused punks The Unseen (who they have shared stages with), on the raging 'This World Is Dead'.
The Septembers are thrilled and a bit proud to announce the title and release date of their debut album alongside the nationwide album release tour dates.
In late 2008 The Septembers and Rico Petrillo (UK producer/engineer) packed up their gear, (including a vintage mixing desk from BFM studios) and headed out to the West Coast for a week of play-it-live recording sessions for their debut album. At Piha they captured inspired performances from a band in full flight, infused with the elements and the magic of some memorable midnight takes, (some illuminated only by the full moon).
The Septembers released their debut EP in 2007 to a sell-out audience, followed by a tour of major New Zealand centres. This EP received steady airplay for the single ‘The Exorcist’ and brought them to the attention of UK producer, Rico Petrillo, who has worked with the likes of The Verve, Blur, Kasabian and Supergrass.
Forming in late 2005, the New Zealand six-piece An Emerald City has created a sound that combines Eastern traditional instruments and psychedelic leanings with experimentation and musical liberation. Instrumental, thoughtful songs created by guitars, drums, sitars, violins, a Persian long -necked lute, tablas, daabuka, piano and percussion found from various reaches of the universe.
An Emerald City have gathered an excellent following in their home country and have spent much of late 2007 and 2008 playing shows, festivals and tours supporting the release of their debut self titled EP, which has received excellent reviews. Late 2008 and early 2009 has seen the band back on the festival circuit with legendary live shows throughout the South Island of New Zealand and a Big Day Out performance to over 5000 people.
The yet-to-be-titled debut album was recorded in early January 2009 in the isolated cave of Whatipu on the rugged West Coast of Auckland.
After moving to Christchurch from Tokyo in 2001, Hideto Kobayashi caught the New Zealand dance music bug and started DJing and producing tunes under the name Rare Shot Blue. With a reputation for collaborating with interesting artists and exploring elements of electronica, both upbeat and down, Rare Shot Blue became a must-see live artist and a staple fixture at festivals including Southern Amp, PHAT and Canaan Downs Festival.
‘Where I Was Born’, the debut album from Rare Shot Blue, is the culmination of Hideto’s last 7 years of work producing. The album takes a journey through downbeat and trip hop beats, with soulful vocals (courtesy of LA Mitchell, Lucy Boanas and Sacha Van Beek) giving an Aotearoa-styled nod to the sounds of Massive Attack and Portishead.
Site of the moment: NZRock
The official website for NZRock where you can read all about the latest album release from Horror Story and updates on Tainted and Set On End.
As said in a recent forum post: "this site is awesome, support it".
Muzic.net.nz News
New Artists
The following musicians were added to the muzic.net.nz website recently. Check them out:
Competitions
Congratulations to the following winners:
- G. Lauchlan (Swanson) and K. Gallagher (Dannevirke) for winning prizes from Gianmarco Liguori.
- G. Bates (Timaru) has won a copy of the latest release from Sora Shima.
- Spartacus R CDs are going out to S. Singh (Waitakere), L. Johns (Otaki) and A. Mains (Dunedin); and
- J. Britt and M. Barron (both from Christchurch) will be going to see Bad Company on 7 March.
Don't miss out on your chance to win the following prizes:
Please note - you must be logged in to enter competitions.
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Every Man For Himself has been around since 2003 and this the third EP release from the Auckland-based Metal/Hardcore 5-piece. This is disc 1 in a two disc series, the second set to be released mid-2009. |
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Auckland-based three piece who have just released thier 7 track debut EP, 'A Quilt Of Conversation', and you can win it here! |
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Winning Hearts & Minds is the first release in almost five years from Auckland metallers Subtract. If you like kiwi Metal... you simply need to have this! |
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Clap Clap Riot are a ferocious mix of dueling guitars, solid thumping drums and wild vocals who can be compared to bands like The Small Faces and Cut Off Your Hands. TV Knows Better is their debut EP release. |
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People in your Neighbourhood is an exiting new music collaboration which highlights the increasing creative diversity and multi-ethnicity of New Zealand. The album brings together 17 local musicians and the internationally renowned UK based Urban Soul Orchestra in an eclectic mix of soulful beats and rhythms. |
Needles and Bees Review
The words “hidden gem” do not even come close to describing A Quilt of Conversation, the debut EP from Needles & Bees. How this band seems to have slipped under the radar of so many kiwi music fans, myself included, is rather astounding, as the music they are producing is a pleasure to listen to.
Eqwanox Photos
Thanks to Amanda, who took these photos of Eqwanox at the Flow Bar, Hamilton on 19 February 09:
(click on picture to view gallery)
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
15 March 09 and will feature Sola Rosa and Diesel Phoenix.
We have space available in our newsletters from 12 April onwards. You can request a date in advance that suits you, or feature in the next available newsletter. There has already been a lot of interest in our newsletters for this year, so if you would to have a newsletter feature within the next 2 months you should contact Lisa now to avoid disappointment.
With our newsletters being sent out to over 7460 members and this number growing every day, featuring in our newsletter provides great exposure for you or your band.
We can feature you/your band regardless of whether you have already been featured in the newsletter before or not.
If you would like to advertise your next album release or tour 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! We also offer advertising on the muzic.net.nz website for very competitive rates.
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Our next gig mail out is going out on 8 March.
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