What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?

That's kinda like asking what is the best movie you've ever seen - how do you narrow it down? I'll try..

I'd have to mention Parihaka Peace Festival, because of the awesome vibe of it!! We've done two so far, and the last one was so windy that the main stage shut down (it was being held together by giant cranes) and all the main stage bands - which included us - were pushed to the smaller 'Visionary' stage. It turned out really well as everybody checking out the music was concentrated on the one stage instead of spreading out, and we played as the sun set. Mean fun! Another goodie was the final Saturday night of the ASB Gardens Magic series at the Botanical Gardens' soundshell - we were lucky with the beautiful weather Wellington provided, and around 5000 people came out for it to picnic and chill out. That was fun as.

What is your favourite NZ venue?

I have been trying to run through in my mind different bars and clubs to try and figure this out, and came to the conclusion that this is really affected by the people that attend, so once I again I must mention a few. We just played a gig supporting Little Bushman at the Regent on Broadway for the closing of the Manawatu Jazz Festival. It's a beautiful theatre, and it was a lot of fun to play to an attentive seated audience. I should've mentioned this for the question before really but whatever! We really enjoy a grimey club gig for the raw energy from a good crowd - and 12 Below in Dunedin really provided that for us, they looked after us well also. Bodega also, they're a great venue for bands with a good PA. We'd like to thank all the venues that have had us and looked after us, we appreciate it!

What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?

This is the last one I'm answering because I'm finding it hard! There are a lot of NZ bands I've not seen and need to check out still! Bands and people I want to see more of include Lisa Tomlins, LA Mitchell, Tom Watson, Rio Hemopo, Mara TK, Jonathon Crayford trio with Julien Dyne and Chip Matthews, Olmecha Supreme, Iva Lamkum, Opensouls, the list goes on. These people all have great stage energy/presence, write great tunes, are astounding musicians, and have vibe! There's loads of great music in NZ and there is a lot I missed out, and a lot I don't know about and am yet to discover.

What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?

Seeing a flock of emotional bats brandishing various kitchen implements fly at me mid solo, I dodge them frantically and hurry to open a portal to banish them into the past - but instead of them going in - I switch places with my 7 year old self who can't play the piano. I blink, then realise that I'm the last one at the gig and everyone has left, it must have been a hallucination, and my only option is to beg a busker for money for a bus home. Terrible. That probably isn't true.

Oh wait - I remember a real one. Haha! We all went for a swim at a beach when we played up at the Leigh Sawmill Cafe (another good venue!) on our EP release tour. I went in my cotton boxer shorts as I forgot my togs. There was one of those rafts out in the sea that you can jump off, and I like doing those gorilla type bombs, so I set off toward it. There were a bunch of young girls jumping off it (around 8-11 years old I'd say) and I thought it might be a bit weird in my undies but I was keen to have a bomb and they seemed fine so I jumped off a few times. Shaun and Paddy had swum out to a rock way past me, and saw something a little odd upon looking back - haha! I'd say it was at that moment that one of the girls looked me in the eye and said straight-faced 'you've got a rip in your pants'. I thanked her profusely for telling me as it would've been a terrible look, checked, and the rip was right up my ass from elastic band to the seam where the two legs are joined at the bottom. The HUGEST rip I've ever encountered. Now my dilemma was getting back to shore without alarming parents of my exposure to their innocent offspring. Hmmm. Swimming back the boys were all on the beach having a laugh, and I hung in the water unsure of what to do as they were right next to a bunch of families! Dammit. I bit the bullet and walked out clutching my ass, the families overheard the boys' laughs and our conversation and looked over, amused. I figured they were alright so I showed them my ass to shut them up. One of them said that some of them had weak stomachs, to which I said 'what are you trying to say? I've got a nice ass!'... We didn't talk much after that but I felt I had disarmed them enough not to worry about me being a 23 year old pedophile on the raft with my ass hanging out amongst a bunch of 8 year old girls.

How did you come up with the name Harbour City Electric?

I didn't. Ariel White who started the band did. He originally wanted to do covers of old funk and disco tunes that were sampled in hip hop, so people recognised the beats, but were different. We tossed up a bunch of ideas and Harbour City Electric was the one that stuck in the end. No clever story or deep reasons behind the name sorry!

How do you describe your music?

My favourite mix of funk, hip hop, dance music in various forms, jazz, and soul. It's nice to be able to make music customised to your own tastes, and we have similar ones so it works out nicely!

What can we expect to see from Harbour City Electric over the next year?

Expect some sneaky remixes to be out before the end of the year, we have lots of very talented people on the case and are looking forward to the results! Also planning for the album has begun, and we hope to have that out early next year. Quite excited about that, it's going to be filth! The good kind of filth.

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

Do it because you love it, and if you love it, push it! Try to meet lots of musicians and play a lot. Listen a lot, go to gigs, and expand your musical horizons genre-wise - keep an open mind. Be constructive in your criticism, and take it well. Don't get a big head, because it will limit the people who want to play with you, and stop you from getting better. Most of all, have fun!

Harbour City Electric is Simon Koziarski (guitar), Paddy Bleakley (bass), Ned Worboys (vocals), Shaun Elley (drums), Lex French (trumpet), Richard Shirley (trombone) and Ed Zuccollo (keys).

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What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?

My recent album release party which was held at Ra Bar, Dunedin. It was so good to play in front of a full house of friends and supporters, and to have an album to show for all my hard work was great. And my band were awesome.

What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?

Aaradhna, and Ardijah - who I havent heard much from lately, but are great. I love strong soulful female vocalists.

What inspires you when writing your lyrics?

Life and relationships... nothing too depressing. I am a firm believer in music making you feel good so majority of my songs are about love and relationships. Also anything I feel passionate about at the time.

How do you describe your music?

The music I love is soul music, so I kind of sing like that. When I write songs they tend to come out like soulful pop songs. But then when I take the songs to my band however - they turn them into funk songs, which is great. I have some very talented musicians playing with me - Joe Setefano, James Davey, Simon Barr and Scott Brown is amazing on the bass.

What can we expect to see from you over the next year?

Performing as much as we can. Now we have the album finished I want to get it out there. We are based in Dunedin, so plenty of gigs here. Probably venture to Invercargill and Queenstown this year also.

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

Stick at it no matter what, and make sure it always stays enjoyable. Practise heaps.

Website Links

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NZ musicians join forces to raise awareness of dyslexia

Some of New Zealand’s most respected music industry figures have come together to produce a single to celebrate Dyslexia Action Week, which runs 15-21 June.

Written by Don McGlashan, produced by Sean Donnelly and performed by dDub, the single ‘The Closer You Get, The Bigger I Look’ will be released with free downloads to the public from tomorrow, 11 June, at www.dyslexiafoundation.org.nz/biggerilook. A music video – also available at this link – has been created to support the song and further understanding of dyslexia.

Don McGlashan wrote ‘The Closer You Get, The Bigger I Look’ especially for the Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand (DFNZ), inspired by personal experience with the challenges of difference, as well as the creative gifts that dyslexia can bring.

“As a parent of two unconventional children, I know how it feels when the world is quick to judge someone you love. Rather than write something that asked for help or patience, I thought something defiant, a ‘don’t judge me before you know me-type song would be better,’” Don says.

“The Dyslexia Foundation is doing a great job and when they contacted me I was glad to help. I had the line ‘closer you get, the bigger I look’ kicking around for awhile and suddenly I had an excuse to turn it into a song.”

The Foundation enlisted the help of Sean Donnelly to produce the song and roots/rock band dDub to perform it, and it was recorded in just one day in Sean’s studio in Auckland.

dDub lead singer Derek Browne was intrigued by the ideas of using music to increase understanding of dyslexia and excited by the opportunity to work in collaboration with both Don and Sean.

Full Article

Outward Sound Recipients Round Two 2009

Outward Sound is pleased to announce the second round of grant recipients for 2009.

One Phase Three grant, providing the opportunity for in-market performances and related business development, was awarded to Cut Off Your Hands to assist the band in relocating and building a base in Los Angeles, California in support of their album release ‘You And I’ through label French Kiss.

Phase Two grants, providing the opportunity for in-market performances and related business development, were awarded to Die! Die! Die! to promote their current and forthcoming albums in the United Kingdom and The Brunettes to promote the release of the band’s new album ‘Paper Dolls’ in the US, Australia, Europe, UK and Japan.

Full Article

Presale Tickets for Rhythm and Vines sell out in record time

Pre-sale ‘Early Bird’ tickets have sold out in record time for New Zealand’s most popular 3-day music festival, Rhythm & Vines, taking place this year from 29 December 2009 to 1 January 2010. The allocated ‘Early Bird’ tickets sold in just one day to database fans, even with the festival still seven months out and the line-up yet to be announced.

A limited number of ‘Pruning’ tickets, which were destined for public sale, went on sale immediately after ‘Early Bird’ tickets and are similarly being snapped up at an unprecedented rate. The ‘Pruning’ tickets are also very close to selling out, leading to overall ticket sales for Rhythm & Vines being well ahead of previous year’s sales at the same time last year.

The festival’s official campsite BW Campgrounds has also experienced remarkable sales, selling more than half of its 13,000 camping capacity within the first month on sale.

Full Article

Brand new Rip It Up Instore Now

The brand new Rip It Up hits the streets today and it is a collector’s item not to be missed... To celebrate the glorious return of Fat Freddys to the airwaves and the top of the charts we talk to them in an in-depth exclusive; but that wasn’t enough for new editor Phil Bell – with designer Askew and artist Otis Frizzell on board the cover is an original Otis piece of art.

With the Freddys keen to do something outside the square, collaborating with Otis Frizzell and our designer Askew was the perfect way to begin my era with Rip It Up - Editor Phil Bell As well as the Fat Freddys coup, this issue of Rip It Up is notable for being the first issue to include Back2Basics within it.

Full Article

Chris Knox in Hospital

Kiwi musician Chris Knox is responsive and not in pain following last week's stroke, friends and family say.

In a statement yesterday, friend Roy Martyn said the Ward-Knox family remained "very optimistic" about the performer's recovery. Knox is in Auckland Hospital.

"He enjoyed his vegetable frittata this morning but I suffered the classic Knox withering look when I mentioned beer," Martyn said.

He said the family wanted to thank those who had sent messages of support from around the world.

The statement said: "We have learned that it is too early to predict the ramifications of a stroke with any degree of accuracy. However, positive anecdotes have been flooding in which fill us all with hope."

A website to keep the public updated on Knox's progress is at chrisknox.blogtown.co.nz.

Muzic.net.nz wishes Chris a full and speedy recovery.

New Releases

Debut album for J Williams

J Williams is pleased to announce that his highly anticipated debut album ‘Young Love’ will be released in New Zealand on 13 July 2009

It’s been just under a year since the young lover J Williams burst onto the New Zealand music scene capturing the hearts of fans with his debut single ‘Blow Your Mind’. Now he’s ready to take New Zealand’s soundscape by storm unleashing his style and flavour with his debut album ‘ Young Love’ on 13 July.

Full Article

Stevie Starr Album Release

Lauded by the media as ‘one of the brightest new things on the New Zealand music scene’ (The Herald) and in the wake of his first single release ‘The Rising Tide of Conformity’ Stevie Starr releases his debut album ‘We Hope In All Things New’.

‘Blending classical compositions with sweeping pop movements, Wellington's Stevie Starr could well be one of the brightest new things on the New Zealand music scene. Influenced by Radiohead and Arvo Pärt, his inspired compositions are heartfelt, uplifting and really rather remarkable. Look out for his debut album, release June 15.’ The Herald

Full Article

Site of the moment: Dyslexia Foundation

Some of New Zealand’s most respected music industry figures have come together on a unique and exciting project to raise awareness and understanding of dyslexia, with a brand new single released to celebrate Dyslexia Action Week 2009 (15-21 June).

Written by Don McGlashan, produced by Sean Donnelly and performed by dDub, the single ‘The Closer You Get, The Bigger I Look’ is now available for free download from this site!

Official Website

The muzic.net.nz Links page has just been updated! Check it out here.

New Artists

The following musicians were added to the muzic.net.nz website recently. Check them out:

Artist of the moment: J Williams

There's no doubting Joshua Williams, aka J Williams, has the moves being a national champion and world class dancer. Now he's out to prove he has the voice too.

He's a member of the national champion Prestige hip hop street dancing crew which came fourth in this year's World Champs, and (under the name Dziah) came second two years ago.

Joshua has a unique and smooth vocal delivery that is well suited to the young urban New Zealand market.

Muzic.net.nz Profile

Competitions

Congratulations to the following winners:

- L. Davey (Dunedin) has won the self-titled debut album from Hikoikoi;
- and K. Scott (Palmerston North) & D. Jenkins (Auckland) have both won a copy of Set On End's new album 'Means To An End'.

Past competition winners can be viewed here.

Don't miss out on your chance to win the following prizes:
Please note - you must be logged in to enter competitions.

Reviews

Here are our latest reviews:

- Set On End - 'Means To An End' album review
- Fat Freddy's Drop - 'Dr Boondigga and The Big BW' album review
- The Checks - Alice By The Moon' album review
- Cybiont - 'A Trilogy Of Random Thoughts & Considerations' album review
- Hangman - 'Black Rock, White Funk' EP review

Tour Features

Every feature we have ever had on the site can be viewed here.

Information about muzic.net.nz newsletters

The next muzic.net.nz newsletter is going out on
5 July and will feature Psyrok, Falter and Tiki Taane.

We have space available in our newsletters from 19 July onwards. You can request a date in advance that suits you, or feature in the next available newsletter. There has been a lot of interest in newsletter features this year, so if you would to have a newsletter feature within the next 2 months you should contact Lisa as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. We can feature you/your band even if you have already been featured in a newsletter from a previous year.

With our newsletters being sent out to over 7300 members and this number growing every day, featuring in our newsletter provides awesome exposure for you or your band. And, as the people who receive our newsletters have subscribed to them, they are more likely to read what you have to say.

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.

We can also feature record labels, venues, music websites and anything else that has something to do with NZ music.

Our next gig mail out is going out on 28 June.

- The muzic.net.nz team

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