What is the best gig you have ever performed and why?
Waikanae Hotel, it was the first time we played there and the atmosphere that night was electric… people on the Kapiti Coast really know how to have a good time and we always are made to feel at home whenever we play there.
What is your favorite venue?
Bodega, the vibe of that place is amazing.
What NZ Musicians or bands would you like to see more of and why?
There are so many, definitely local independent bands, they are out there week to week putting on shows and working hard keeping the Wellington live scene alive.
What is you most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?
It was at one of our very first gigs… can't remember which venue but we had just started the set when all of a sudden a cymbal stand fell on to our bass player and then the actual cymbal fell of the stand, rolled and managed to hit every single member our vocalist Joe tried to get out of the way of the possessed cymbal but tripped on the stand and went crashing into the drum kit.
How did you come up with the name Kabanaz?
Our vocalist Joe came up with that one nobody remembers how or why but it came from Joe’s mind, who by the way thought Kabanaz was a island in the Pacific.
How do you describe your music?
Rock, it is a mix of everything that we love played our way.
What can we expect to see from Kabanaz over the next year?
We will be out there promoting our new album, 'Something New, Something Old, Something Better'.
What Advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
The most important thing in our opinions is to be yourself.
Kabanaz is Joe (vocals), Rob (guitar), Carlos (bass) and Kenneth (drums).
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
MySpace Page
Amplifier Page
Kabanaz's debut album 'Something New, Something Old, Something Better' is out now, and you can read our review here.
Thanks to Rio for answering these questions:
What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?
Native Noise 2009, huge crowd, huge stage, beautiful stage with a beautiful vibe, people of all different cultures celebrating Waitangi Day together.
What is your favourite NZ venue?
Hard to say really, I'd have to say the all of the Far North venues have been awesome with packed out venues. We really love playing the small beach town venues rather then the big cities. Places like Raglan, Coroglen, Opononi, Tokomaru Bay etc.
What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?
I'd love to see more of New Zealand Music as a whole. Its really hard to compete with American pop artists etc in the music industry in terms of airplay and video play on music stations. So seeing and hearing any New Zealand music no matter what the genre is a step in the right direction and helps pave the way for other emerging New Zealand artists to have their Music exposed to the public.
What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?
As a band I don’t think we've really had an embarrassing tour/gig moment, but on a personal note, we were playing new years with Katchafire in Raglan to a sell out crowd. I decided to wear jandals as it was summer, but just as I stepped on stage the thong in my jandle snapped so I had to play the gig in bare feet. Not a good look for the lead singer hahaha.
How did you come up with the band name Sons of Zion?
Originally the band was made up of all males and the lead guitarist was a mate named Fasa which is where the "Sons" part came from, we were all brought up in Christian family's and attended church from a young age, we wanted something that was both relevant to our Christian roots (Mt Zion in the bible) and also relevant to our style of music (reggae) which is where we got "of Zion". Although we are not in church now we felt it was important to remain true to our roots and give thanks for the way we were raised and the opportunitys we had to develop our music through church.
How do you describe your music?
Infectious Roots Reggae laced with soul, funk and heavily distorted guitar riffs. Something in there for everyone and every musical taste.
What can we expect to see from Sons of Zion over the next year?
We're just gonna get on the road and promote our album hard over the next year with a full on summer of gigs/festivals etc then into our NZ tour February 2010. We're gonna venture off for a few shows in Australia and possibly the islands mid 2010 then probably another NZ tour towards the end of 2010 to re-endorse the album then get ready for the summer circuit. I think by then it will be time for another album.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
I don’t think we're quite in a position to be giving out advice on how to “make it” in the music industry. However if there’s something I've learnt along the way it's that the road to cracking the music scene is tough. Some people will like you and some won't, just stay true to what you do and really believe in your music and the message you want to get across. Nobody will believe in your music if you don’t. I don’t want to sound cliché but you really can do anything you put your mind to. GO HARD. Chur.
Sons of Zion is Samuel Eriwata (percussion, vocals), Rio Panapa (lead vocals, guitar), Joel Latimer (keyboards), Marika Hodgson (lead guitar), Dylan Stewart (bass) and Tawhiri Littlejohn (drums).
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Official Website
MySpace Page
Amplifier Page
Sons of Zion's debut self-titled album is available now and you can read our review here.
Splore announces first performer lineup for 2010 festival
There’s great music and a whole lot more at Splore 2010. An exciting mix of strong local talent and international performers will take to the stages next February against the backdrop of the idyllic Tapapakanga Regional Park, just 70km south-east of Auckland.
Splore is unmatched in its unique natural settings and the variety of new arts it brings to festival goers every second summer. Over the past 11 years, Splore has been a springboard for upcoming New Zealand talent who have gone on to become immensely successful, presenting the likes of Fat Freddy’s Drop, Tiki Taane Live and Hollie Smith in their debut festival performances. The 2010 lineup continues this history, boosting new talent who are on the cusp of breaking through.
Music is just one part of the multifaceted Splore experience which combines visual arts projects, live performance, community interaction and environmental consciousness. This unique combination pulls an audience from all over New Zealand and across the globe.
Here is the first music and Living Lounge lineup for Splore 2010 – there’s more to come, so watch this space:
Jamie Lidell (UK), Kid Carpet (UK), Mystro (UK), The Gaslamp Killer (USA), Daniel Haaksman (GER), 10 Sui (UK), Sola Rosa, Minuit, Electric Wire Hustle, Pitch Black, King Kapisi, Nathan Haines, Clap Clap Riot, Olmecha Supreme, Spikey Tee, Mikki Dee, Six60, Kidz in Space, North Shore Pony Club, Easy and The Nukes.
Full Article
Official Website
Splore Listing
Raggamuffin 2010 Announcement
Andrew McManus Presents
Wyclef Jean (The Fugees) / Shaggy / Steel Pulse / Julian Marley / Sly & Robbie / Sean Kingson
PLUS NZ bands to be announced
Raggamuffin 2010 - Saturday January 23 @ Rotorua International Stadium
Yes it’s happening again! For the third consecutive year, Raggamuffin is set to take summer stages by storm, so free your dreadlocks and release your Rasta spirit because New Zealand’s biggest reggae music festival is about to blaze its way to Rotorua this January 23rd.
Featuring an all-star line-up of ex-Fugees front man WYCLEF JEAN, son of Bob Marley JULIAN MARLEY, SHAGGY, SEAN KINGSTON plus legends STEEL PULSE and SLY & ROBBIE, fans will be feeling more than alright as they soak up over ten hours funk, dub, hip-hop, soul and of course reggae riddims!
Full Article
NZ bands announced - Raggamuffin 2010
Official Website
Raggamuffin Listing
Rhythm and Vines announce third programme update
Rhythm & Vines are pleased to announce the exciting third instalment of artists set to complement a high calibre international and local programme for 2009. The following acts will be joining over 50 stellar acts already announced who are set to ignite the three-day festival from 28 December – 31 December:
John Butler Trio (AUS), Roots Manuva (UK), Biffy Clyro (UK), Fake Blood (UK), Family Cactus, Six60, Joel Armstrong (CAN), Bondi House DJ’s (AUS), Mikey Havoc, Aroha, Brazilbeat Soundsystem, Vital Soundsystem, Blackbird, Logan Baker, R.I.A., Snowy, DJ Robba And MC Dreadeye, Flex, Thirtyeightfourty, Elm, Shirtpants, +1, Jonas
Joining...
Moby (USA), Editors (UK), 2manydjs (BEL), Empire Of The Sun (AUS), Major Lazer (USA), LCD Soundsystem DJ Set (USA), The Juan MaClean (USA), Future Of The Left (UK), Midnight Youth, Kora, State Of Mind Feat. PNC, Krafty Kuts (UK), The Proxy (RUS), White Rabbits (USA), Lisa Mitchell (AUS), Ajax (AUS), Bag Raiders (AUS), Bang Gang (AUS), P-Money, Opensouls, Sola Rosa, Dane Rumble, The Checks, Dictaphone Blues, An Emerald City, Aural Trash, Dick Johnson, Emerson Todd, Antiform, Computers Want Me Dead, Optimus Gryme, Iva Lamkum, Tim Richards, Brand New Math, Bionic Pixie, Dan Aux, Dan Farley, Jason Howson, P-Vans, Nick D, Cool Kids Club, Maya & Vanya, Cam Robertson, Alex Bull, Beat Mafia, Ange, Dean Campbell, DJ Hat, Lotion, Quay Street Social Club DJs.
Full Article
Official Website
R&V Listing
Big night on the big screen for kiwi music videos
Emerging kiwi talent making small-screen videos on small budgets have their time to shine next Thursday night, with the finals of the 2009 Handle the Jandal music video competition.
Fifteen finalists will be screened at Wellington's historic Embassy Theatre this Thursday October 29, the only time homegrown music videos are shown in full cinematic scale.
This is the 11th Radio Active 89FM Handle the Jandal music video competition, which was initiated to promote emerging kiwi filmmakers to make videos for New Zealand music. This year 133 entries were received, which was a good measure of success for the original intention of Handle the Jandal.
The fifteen finalists will compete for six technical categories and the overall winner, the Golden Jandal, awarded from the audience vote.
Full Article
Official Website
Handle The Jandal Feature
Battle of the Bands Kicks Off
More than 100 bands from across the country have now signed up to New Zealand's leading R18 National Band Championship, the Battle of the Bands.
The first round kicks off in the capital at the famous Bodega on the 13th October, where The Novelist, Ruski, Circ OD and Matt Mulholland & The Tail Whips will be fighting it out for a spot in the next round. Al's Bar in Christchurch starts their rounds on Wednesday along with the Kings Arms in Auckland, followed by the Kingslander and Stampede. The Waikato region venues of Brewers Bar, Mt. Manganui and Axces in Hamilton kick in towards the end of the month.
Despite the recession and the inevitable impact on sponsorship budgets, the Battle still managed to gain some great support from the likes of Hell Pizza, Jansen, Juice TV and the Rock FM, all helping to ensure a great event.
This year will be the first time that winning bands will be decided by a shared vote between the in-house judging team and the audience, reflecting the need for bands to not only play well but engage the crowds and demonstrate their professionalism. Given the caliber of the majority of entered bands this will not be a problem!
Diesel Phoenix Release New Album
Auckland based rock band Diesel Phoenix are set to release their new album 'Here’s Something We Prepared Earlier' on 27 October. The album features the single 'First Kiss' which is out at commercial radio now.
Diesel Phoenix definitely have a unique sound, aptly described by some in the industry as “anthem rock with pop vocal melodies”. Diesel Phoenix have the energy both on and off the stage and evidently, they need it - 2009 has been a busy year for the band and will be topped off by a nationwide New Zealand tour to spread the message that bullying is not OK, in support of stoptheviolence.org.nz. Described by the Taranaki Daily News as “A rock band that cares”, Diesel Phoenix began recording this more recent album directly off the back of their March 2009 nationwide charity tour in support of CanTeen. Following the first-hand experience of bullying through one of their loyal fans, the band have created a purpose-written song titled 'Just a Kid' for their new cause and aligned themselves with the right organisations to make a difference.
New Single for Hangman
'Do It!' has been a Hangman live favourite since late 2007, now captured after many a sweaty and frenetic live performance.
Miscreant Call It A Day
To all our fans,
It is with great regret to announce that we have decided to go on indefinite hiatus. In the five or so years that we have been performing, we have met some truly amazing people, played at some stunning venues & amassed the most loyal & rocking fans a band could ever hope to have.
All of us still remain on very good terms with each other and we will no doubt continue to have a hand in each others musical endeavours in the future.
All of us have the intention of continuing to create music although this will no longer be as a collective.
We wanted to thank all of our friends, family, partners & most importantly our fans for continuing to support us over the years. We were the luckiest band in the world to have such a loyal fan base. Your love and support for our music was truly an inspiration & we owe you a great debt of gratitude.
Signing off,
The Miscreant Lads
Chris, Dave, Lazz, Damo & Nate
The Septembers are looking for a replacement drummer
With national tours, album and singles under our belt, plus a new video out, the new drummer would hit the ground/drums running.
The Septembers have management, distribution, good airplay and their own rehearsal space, so it's all there for someone to come in and make the band their own!
The new drummer should be able to commit to regular practices, gigs, recording and touring. They should also reside in Auckland, have a good ear, ideas, and be able to talk the same musical language.
Contact Anthony on 021 048 7907 or email [email protected] if you are interested.
Other NZ Music News
JazzFest packages get Queenstown venue swinging
Queenstown jazzes it up this Labour Weekend
1951 Waterfront Dispute revisited in song
Solstate Hit India For The Great Indian Rock Tour and Festival Dates
Warner Music Announce Label Association with Nesian Mystik
NZ Fringe Fest gets 75 candles for its 20th birthday cake
Kiwi Badges
Kiwi Badges make top-quality 1-inch badges. Badges are great for fundraising or awareness and designs are only limited to your imagination.
Kiwi Badges don't have a complicated template you have to conform to, just email your image and we will do the rest. We aim to be cost-effective, with an eye on quality control.
Our badges are made with quality metal parts, high-quality glossy prints and topped off with a clear mylar plastic covering to seal it in and give your logo the high-impact it deserves.
Kiwi Badges - call or email for a free quote:
[email protected]
06 769 6633
Craig: 021 344 578
Kate: 021 242 3584
Site of the Moment: Frontier Touring
The Frontier Touring Company is thrilled to unveil their newly revamped website. Convincingly Australia’s #1 music promoter website according to Hitwise (one of the world’s leading internet traffic monitors), the launch of frontiertouring.com sees a twelve month work-in-progress come to life, with a renewed focus placed on enhancing the user experience, offering a simple and effective way for music fans to immerse themselves in the world of The Frontier Touring Company.
Independent Music New Zealand (IMNZ) has also launched a new website in recent weeks. Check it out here.
New Artists
The following musicians were added to the muzic.net.nz website recently. Check them out:
Want to add yourself or your band to muzic.net.nz?
Add Artist Form
Info about filling out the add artist form
Competitions
More competitions are going to be added to the site over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, past competition winners can be viewed here.
Enter today for your chance to win the following competitions:
Please note - you must be logged in to enter competitions.
Win a ticket to PHAT 10! 3 nights of the very best drum n bass, dubstep, reggae, breaks, tech & dub from around Aotearoa & the world, presented over 2 arenas this New Years Eve in a magical remote rain forest valley complete with river with swimming holes on the wild West Coast of the South Island... |
Reviews
Check out our latest reviews:
All members of muzic.net.nz can add reviews
Photos
Legal Tender @ Waikato Events Centre - 9 October 09
Tour Features
Every feature we have ever had on the site can be viewed here.
We want to hear from you!
We are currently looking at ways to make this newsletter even better for 2010 and we would like to hear from you if you have any suggestions as to how we can achieve this.
The interview questions that bands and musicians answer in each issue will be changed to include more variety and make it more interesting. Any questions you would like to see answered in our newsletters can be emailed to Lisa.
We're constantly working on ways to improve our newsletter and gig guide mail outs, and input from muzic.net.nz members is important to us.
Information about muzic.net.nz newsletters
The next muzic.net.nz newsletter is going out on
8 November and will feature The Black Seeds.
There is space available in our newsletters from 22 November onwards.
The last issue for 2009 will be going out on 6 December. This means there are only 2 issues remaining for the year with space available for features. If you would like to have a newsletter feature before the end of the year, you should contact Lisa now to avoid disappointment.
You can request a date in advance that suits you, or feature in the next available newsletter. We can feature you even if you have already featured in a newsletter from a previous year. Newsletter dates can be viewed at the bottom of this forum.
With our newsletters being sent out to over 7820 members and this number growing every day, featuring in our newsletter provides excellent 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 1 November.
- The muzic.net.nz team