Newsletter Issue #342: 31 Jul 2011
The Nomad
What can we expect to see from you over the next year?
Over the next year I plan to travel to the UK & Canada to play some shows and am orgaising a remix of my new album, Perilous Times - I’ve already got a few people lined up to remix some tracks. I am also keen to do a few music videos for tunes off the new album and some new tunes too.
On top of that, I run workshops on audio production & album release so I’ll be doing a few more of them…I’m also working with Michel Tuffery on the “First Contact” multimedia project, hopefully we get to travel international with it! Last of all I will hopefully get to start working on the next album and will continue mixing albums for other artists.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
Most of all - work as hard as you can. You also need to have a real good name/branding that stands out and you need to be pro-active at networking and using things like social media. Another word of advice is to tour lots and push your merchandise hard. Lastly but definitely not least - you need to have an amazing relationship with the other members in the band, it’s like any relationship really: if you don’t communicate and keep the relationship tight it will fall apart.
Who would you most like to support live?
I’d love to support DJ Shadow - he has always been a mentor of mine, I’d also like to support Damian Marley.
How do you believe The Nomad fits into the NZ music industry?
Well I have been part of it for a long time - I started producing music in 1996 in Christchurch and played at all the classic NZ festivals. I have also worked with a lot of NZ bands/producers and have played a big part in shaping the scene, something that I continue to do to this day.
How do you describe your music?
My music is very diverse, it has a reggae influence but crosses many styles & BPM’s (Beats per minute)
What is your favourite NZ venue?
I’d have to say The Garden Club in Wellington - it’s a great room with a good PA & you can see the stage well from the dance floor.
What is the best part of being a musician?
The freedom of doing what I love & working with positive talented artists, also finishing an album and getting to play it live.
What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?
Once I played a gig in Wellington at an outdoor space and the speaker fell off the sub and landed on my turntables. I was playing the Salmonella Dub remix “For The Love Of It” and the bass was so big it shifted the speaker right onto the decks. Thanks for mixing that tune so fat Tiki!!
What is your favourite place in NZ to be?
It’s got to be Wanaka, Kingston and the Catlins, it’s so amazing down there, and it makes me feel so relaxed when I spend time around those parts.
What inspired you to become a musician?
I had no idea I wanted to be one. I got an on the spot job offer for work as a DJ because the manger of a bar thought I was one, so I lied and said yes, I’ll do it…then I had to teach myself to mix & scratch! That was in the late 80’s, now look where I’m at.
How did you come up with the name The Nomad?
It’s Damon backwards, simple. I also have always been a big traveler ever since I was a little man.
What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?
The best one was the opening of the Sydney Festival 2011 with Michel Tuffery & Jason Naranfor the “First Contact” project. It combines visuals, art & music and really pushed the boundaries. We had the best time playing to 30,000 people.
What rumor would you like to start about yourself?
I’m buying a big mansion in Italy and a private jet with my own pilot.
The Nomad is Daimon Schwalger.
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Official Website
Amplifier Page
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Facebook Page
Hanna Grace
What can we expect to see from you over the next year?
The release of my debut album 'Concrete & Roses' and album release tour, with a few more singles to follow!
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
Surround your self with loving and supportive people. Most musicians are very sensitive and expressive, so that needs to be nurtured and not put down when you are starting out.
What will your next release be?
My next release is my debut album 'Concrete & Roses' which features my last 3 singles, 'Red Lips', 'Hush Now' & 'Silver Venus'.
How do you come up with your lyrics?
Usually when I am driving. Often the melody and lyrics come together at the same time, which is awesome great, but at other times I just get a chorus come to me and have to work on the verses later.
Who would you most like to support live?
Although I have several artists I would love to support, Joss Stone would have to be at the top of the list. She is original, sexy and soulful. I think my music would suit opening for her.
What can you never leave home without?
My eyebrow pencil. Seems weird but because I dye my hair if I don’t make my eyebrows slightly darker I look like a possum in the headlights!
How do you describe your music?
Raw pop with a jazzy rock and roll twist!
What is the best part of being a musician?
Having an outlet to express yourself through. With all the emotions and ups and down of life, having an outlet to express them through has to be the best part of being a musician. Maybe that is why I write more when I’m going through a ‘rough patch’!?
What is in your CD collection at home?
My CD collection is a bit of a mish mash! Alicia Keys, Kasabian, Nina Simone, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Beyonce, Jeff Buckley, Fiona Apple, Lauryn Hill, Dr Dre, Laura Marling, Shapeshifter, Ladi6 … A pretty eclectic mix!
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Official Website
Amplifier Page
MySpace Page
Facebook Page
Twitter Page
Youtube Page
Ash Graham
What can we expect to see from you over the next year?
I’m currently busy in the studio recording my debut album, when not there I’m performing anywhere and everywhere I can. I have a trip to Steamboat Springs in the US to play during their ski season.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
Just go hard.
What will your next release be?
My single Boy in the Box is being released on the 25th July 2011, it is a single from my debut album due out this the end of this year. The EP and Single will be available on iTunes, Amplifier, Digirama, Marbecks Digital.
Who would you most like to support live?
These is super easy, Coldplay. They are one of my main inspirations.
What can you never leave home without?
Cellphone, if it’s a long trip I always take my guitar.
What is your favourite NZ venue?
Riley Centre.
What is the best part of being a musician?
Playing my music to heaps of people.
What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?
I Am Giant, Shihad and OpShop. In part because I’ve meet two of them, Shihad and OpShop and would really like to meet I Am Giant.
What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?
Singing into a microphone that isn’t on.
What is your favourite place in NZ to be?
Wellington because of its diversity, Auckland for the music scene.
What inspired you to become a musician?
Chris Martin and one of my uncles when he played guitar.
What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?
Opening for Shihad because it was such and honour and so much fun.
How do you keep in contact with your fans?
Primarily through Facebook. It seems to provide the easiest option for people to stay in touch. I also have twitter, youtube, myspace and reverbnation etc too.
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Official Website
Amplifier Page
MySpace Page
Facebook Page
Twitter Page
Youtube Page
ReverbNation Page
Soundcloud Page
NZ Music News
Milkshakes Debut EP + Release Shows
To download ‘_____’, go to http://www.mediafire.com/?dvr7w7p417as12l
Which might usually call upon a string of faceless multi-syllable descriptors in the name of justifying oneself to the world. But this EP is the opposite of that. I will not fit the form, I will not meet the mold. I will write bluntly and directly in first person – the only kind of person that matters - with disregard for all conventions in the same meaningless pursuit of individuality that our music tries to grasp.
Without this introspective bullshit going on in my head, Milkshakes wouldn't be able to bring you the award-winning day-to-day deflection of meaning and true emotion that we all inherit. Rollins wrote about it in My War, and Morrissey dejected it in 'Panic'. Friedrich Nietzsche comforted millions of troubled teens and arts students with the wisdom of the phrase “If you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” This sense of vertigo is not what ‘Milkshakes’ evokes, but what it provokes: through grief, denial, and youthful rage; while Kübler-Ross does a backflip in her grave.
Full Article
Debut Single for Hand Me Downs
'Void' is the exciting debut single by Raglan band Hand Me
Pioneering a mix of musical styles, it will take you on a journey. It has shades of a haunting youthful poignancy and builds into a frenzy of understated new wave angst. The combination of Lucy Cioffi’s timeless breathy voice and sincere, heart felt lyrics show signs of injecting new life into the world of NZ Music. A rare musical chemistry exists between Lucy and Irish guitarist Dougal Greer, who provides the inspiration and acoustic guitar on the track.
Void was recorded at The Lab’s production suite and produced by Ben King who has worked with artists such as Brooke Fraser, Bic Runga and Dave Dobbyn. With Ben playing lead guitar and bass on the track, the song has a melodic and retro flavour and fuelled by Simon Buxton’s rhythm/synths, Void is an explosion of musical talent.
Beastwars Announce Winter Tour
On May 9th 2011, from a practice room in the depths of the Security Intelligent Service's former vault, Wellington's best kept secret was disclosed. Beastwars arrived fully formed and delivered an album of equal parts heaviness and heart. There was plenty of online hype and 5 star reviews which led to the public embracing of the album and landing it at #15 in the top 40 charts - pretty good for a band that had to be seriously persuaded to even release on a format other than their preferred gatefold vinyl.
Beastwars will be hitting the road again for 5 dates, with shows booked in Wellington, Whangarei, Dunedin and Christchurch and appearing as part of bFM's bstreet festival in Auckland; headlining the Galatos stage. The band's last New Zealand national jaunt saw every venue packed to capacity and hordes of tardy, disappointed and freezing fans had to settle for sneaking glimpses through bar window cracks. Don't be one of these cold, miserable types. Head to www.undertheradar.co.nz and secure your entry to these momentous events now.
EarthTonz NYE Festival Queenstown - LINE UP announcement
Are you ready to spend New Year’s Eve in one of the most picturesque places on the planet with some of the world’s hottest electronica, techno, dubstep, progressive house, hip-hop, beatbox and drum n bass acts?
New Zealand’s newest annual music festival EarthTonz NYE Music Festival is set to roar across Southern Alps this summer with over 15 hours of live music featuring TOMMY LEE (MOTLEY CRUE)&DJ AERO, the legendary CRYSTAL METHOD, THE FREESTYLERS, DJ MUGGS (CYPRESS HILL), KRAAK & SMAAK, AK 1200/DJ DARA/MC MESSINIAN (PLANET OF THE DRUMS), BOOMBOX, ANA SIA, HEATBOX and NZ’s own MINUIT.
With the majestic background of Queenstown’s Crown Ranges and the Kawarau River, the Gibbston Valley Station has it all, including on-site camping from 30 December (only $15 for two nights!), free on-site parking, showers and bathrooms, 24-hour security, medical facilities, mobile/e-charging device stations, merchandise and plenty of food and drink options including award winning Gibbston Valley wines.
Kiwi Cream with Shihad in Hamilton
Kiwi Cream is a showcase of contemporary New Zealand music - bands with impact and stature that will demonstrate, in one four hour concert, exactly what contemporary kiwi music is all about.
Shihad and Supergroove have made their mark on the New Zealand music scene and have enhanced our reputation for creativity overseas; Opshop is one of New Zealand’s best loved bands, who’ve produced a constant stream of massive hits and two multi-platinum albums, while Kids of 88 are on a rising a wave of popularity that’s fast spreading to Europe and the USA.
Full Article
Annie Crummer North Island Tour
Perennial New Zealand pop artist Annie Crummer will head out on the road for a winter tour throughout the North Island in August.
The tour sees Crummer re-igniting her recording career after working overseas on other musical projects for the last decade.
Crummer achieved nationwide recognition and chart success throughout the 1980s and 1990s with her solo career, and as part of the Netherworld Dancing Toys and When The Cats Away.
From 2000 Annie performed overseas as part of the cast of the touring stage musical Rent, followed by extensive international touring in a lead role with the theatre rock production We Will Rock You, written and directed by Ben Elton and based around the music of Queen.
Family Cactus Spirit Lights Tour
Family Cactus released their excellent sophomore album Spirit Lights last month and are taking it on the road for an extensive tour across the country during August and September. To mark the occasion the band have release a three track tour EP for free download which includes a previously unreleased track and live recordings of two songs from Spirit Lights.
Free EP - www.archhill.co.nz/2011/Artists/Family-Cactus/Family-Cactus-Tour-Download-2011.html
Don't miss the opportunity to grab a copy of Spirit Lights on awesome clear vinyl with your tickets for a special tour price - pick the vinyl up at the show upon entry.
Also with the tour news comes the release of their first official video from Spirit Lights for "Fields and Fields", check it out www.youtube.com/watch?v=T50bHuKq6dI
Fresh F-rom The Oven - Big Nudge Pie Tour
On a quest to devour the best pies in the land, Wellington band The Nudge embark on the Big Nudge Pie tour this August and September.
Whispers have been swirling like a mad nor’wester that the trio, first baked in early 2010, are themselves the next big pie. The tour is a chance for punters to judge The Nudge live, kicking off in Wellington and playing Christchurch, Dunedin, Oamaru, Invercargill, Queenstown, Wanaka and Auckland. For the band it’s a time to sample and compare pies.
Describing their sound as many fingers in many pies, The Nudge pie is a concoction of a blues and rock base, with a deep swamp filling, and a raucous party crust. Singer, and principal songwriter Ryan Prebble is the swampy bluesman. His gritty tone and brutal blues vocals are laced with messages of social values, personal freedom and the ways of love. James Coyle produces savage tones on a vintage organ, that effortlessly swirl around like a Leslie Cabinet, with warm low frequency modulations of keyboard bass that will crisp any crust. Add to the mix the solid base of thunderous, tribal, uniquely funky jackhammer beats of Iraia Whakamoe, and you have The Nudge.
Other NZ Music News
Gig and Tour News
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Muzic.net.nz News
New Artists
The following musicians were added to the muzic.net.nz website during the last fortnight:
| Chess Countess | Celebrity Dollhouse |
| Funkacybin | xsparadigm |
| The Red Eyes | The Nudge |
| Young Lyre |
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Reviews
These reviews were added to the site in the last two weeks, check them out at the links below:
- The 3Ds - We Bury The Living album review
- The Nomad - Perilous Times album review
- Knives at Noon and The Frisk (Young Lyre) @ Bodega, 22 July 2011
- Darklight Corporation - Pitchblack Album Review
- The Adventures Of Mikejoffa - Eventures EP review
- El Schlong - Time/Place Album Review
- Hand Me Downs - Void Single Review
- Concord Dawn - The Race to Zero EP Review
- Agent - Vondelpark Single Review
You can check out every single interview and review in our Articles Page.
Photos
Thanks to Alistar for adding these photos:
Tour Features
Every feature we have ever had on the site can be viewed here.
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The next muzic.net.nz newsletter is going out on Sunday 14 August
and it will feature Ishtar and Hand Me Downs!
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