Newsletter Issue #465: 05 Oct 2014
Whistlejacket
Whistlejacket is a four-piece band from Auckland. Their sound draws influence from a wide range of songwriters and bands spanning decades and genres. The resulting music is a mixture of electro pop and contemporary indie dance, which they deem as 'modern day pop art.' Thanks to the band for answering the following questions:
Who are your role models in the NZ music industry?
Joel Little, Ashley Page, Scott Maclachlan, for taking NZ music to the world. Broods and Lorde are shedding light on a very promising path for the rest of NZ’s talented musicians.
Which one of your songs are you most proud of, and why?
We are proud of a song we wrote a couple of weeks ago – we cant stop listening to it in our Dropbox. It has this cool building intro and then drops this super laid back 80’s beat with a riff that kind of reminds you of The Beegees Stayin' Alive – but it's definitely not that. We wrote it on a writing weekend in Piha and it came together in about 30 minutes, its fucking choice. Its about a guy who got cheated on, broken the marriage and now has to build his life back up, with the skills he has.
Do you have any plans for future collaborations with other musicians? Who would they be?
We would love to collaborate with NZ musicians – we welcome the colab for sure, any musicians reading this please get in touch on Facebook. We played a gig with the Weird Together crew at MardiGras in Ohakune and that would be a fun collaboration – we loved their energy and the party they create when they’re all busting out the music together.
How would you describe Whistlejacket’s music in one sentence?
Its Indie Electro-Pop that has been inspired by the hits of the 60s, 70s 80s (not really much in the 90s) and the technology available today.
What has been your most memorable show to date?
MardiGras – Ohakune playing to a few thousand people in onesies on a freezing night in Ohakune. Everything went a bit mental thanks to Luke and PJ from ZM and the bad boy General Lee himself. Not to mention the pot-touting, 9-day-bender resembling duo of Peking Duk. What were they on..?
What local albums have you been enjoying recently?
SHIHAD!!!!
What is Whistlejacket’s long term goal?
To play local and International festivals – the best part is playing live and hanging out with other musicians, we’re a fucking great lot.
What inspired you to start Whistlejacket?
Whistlejacket formed out of a collective group of Musos that used to turn up on a Thursday at Float and then Pony Club in Auckland for a night called Sing Sing, organised by Brooke Howard Smith. Paul, Andy, Roy and I started playing covers at private functions and became great friends.
We started booking baches for weekend writing sessions and loved the writing we were doing and we all committed to the band from there. The writing part is the easiest part for our band, which is the best part about being in a band, apart from playing live gigs. We got pretty inspired after our first writing weekend, being able to then listen to about 8 tracks in the Dropbox that we had recorded over the weekend.
How did you come up with the name Whistlejacket?
The name Whistlejacket comes from a famous horse that was painted by George Stubbs in the 1700’s of the Marquess of Rockinghams horse – Whiustlejacket.
Adam had a replica of the painting in his hallway, and along with owning a couple of horses and drawing inspiration from the fine steeds, the band thought it fitting to take the name Whistlejacket.
Whistlejacket is Adam Stevenson (guitar, lead vocals), Paul Reid (drums), Andrew Cochrane (keyboards, vocals) and Roy Oliver (bass, vocals).
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Official Website
Amplifier Page
Facebook Page
Youtube Page
Whistlejacket Music
We Get This Feeling
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/we-get-this-feeling-single/id814853222
Bandcamp: http://whistlejacketnewzealand.bandcamp.com/
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2N_RX5WxKk
She Likes Pop Art
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/pop-art-single/id899018972
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LYi09yjm9g
JCK
I’m currently gearing up to release my third album. This one is going to be called Land Of The Wrong White Crowd.
I produce my own music as well as do my own recording in a small but powerful home studio.
In preparation to make a great album, I’ve been doing all I can to further my art and improve my abilities. I started by teaching myself to make my own music videos. I’ve finished three unreleased music videos for this new album so far and have managed to get some impressive results for one person. I’ve also started battle rapping with One Outs Street Battles to keep my verbal and performance abilities up to scratch.
I’m itching to release my material but I’m also adamant that after all the work I’ve put in, Im going to make this album really count. So I’m taking my time to make sure that everything is in place before it is released.
I’ve always made music that fuses different styles together and this album will be no different. The dominant style on the album is Hip-Hop but there is a lot of rock, dance and pop influenced tracks as well, which I hope will appeal to a wider and more mainstream audience.
I’m having fun exploring imagery and music fashion in my new music videos and like my most recent release The Vampire Trilogy I’m continuing to experiment with incorporating elements of gothic imagery in with Hip-Hop. This is a bold step for me because the Hip-Hop scene don’t readily embrace anything overly different. But I want to make music that is not confined to Hip-Hop’s visual stereo types and If there was one thing I could change about Hip-Hop, it would be the visual imagery. So in this new album I’m continuing my search for unexplored visual territory.
The Land Of The Wrong White Crowd will be an independent release and as always getting attention will be a challenge. But I’ve learned over the years and from my most recent experience with being signed to a record company, that the only thing that matters for me as an artist is that I connect with enough people and build a fan base. Without this there's nothing anyone can do for me signed or otherwise. So I have done my utmost to make a product that I find interesting and with some planned marketing and touring over 2015 I think I have all the elements required to connect with an audience of like minded people and have a successful album.
Photo is from JCK's unreleased Steam Punk themed music video for his song Cogs and Wheels where JCK is playing all three characters.
JCK is James Castady-Kristament
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Official Website
Amplifier Page
Facebook Page
Twitter Page
Youtube Page
The Vampire Trilogy Singles Review
Moana and The Tribe
New Zealand band Moana & the Tribe defy easy definition as their music slips and slides across genre ‘creating dub-ambient-soul-funk from nowhere else but right here, right now.’
Moana & the Tribe stand out as one of the most significant voices in Maori music. Thanks to the band for answering the following questions:
Which one of your songs are you most proud of, and why?
Off Rima, I’m most proud of Water People because Paddy and I threw everything at it – moteatea, karakia, haka, bagpipes, marching drums – the works. I wrote this for the Boomerang Project, a big collaboration of musicians from Scotland, NZ and Australia – 21 of us onstage at the Sydney Opera House, WOMAD NZ and at Glasgow 2014. Songman Djakapurra performs vocals on V2. So when I hear it, I see the dancers in my head and the fiddle, bagpipes. It’s an emotional moment for me when the haka comes in because our father died while we were touring Scotland so I also feel all the aroha my band and the others gave to us. The lyrics are about indigenous peoples coming together – and we did.
What is the one thing you want NZ to know about Moana & The Tribe?
Our band can’t be categorized into a particular genre but we’ve slotted easily into big reggae, rock, jazz and world music festivals around the world and gone down really well. Looking forward to the day when NZ promoters finally click.
How would you describe Moana & The Tribe's music in one sentence?
Kaupapa-driven haka-dub-funk NZ roots music with soul.
What sets you apart from other bands?
We are an 8-piece band playing songs proudly and defiantly inspired by our cultural identity, with lyrics that reflect what my passions as an indigenous person, a mother, NZer. We mix up musical genre, haka, taonga puoro etc into a set that has taken us onto big stages at reggae, rock, jazz and world music festivals. That’s what makes us different from every other NZ band. That’s what makes us a band with a difference offshore.
What rumour would you like to start about Moana & The Tribe?
Did you hear the one about Pharrell approaching us to do a remix of Whole Worlds Watching?
Moana and The Tribe are Moana Maniapoto (vocals), Trina Maniapoto (vocals), Paddy Free (keyboards), Cadzow Cossar (guitar), Marika Hodgson (bass), Mickey Ututaonga (drums, vocals), Kemara Kennedy (haka), Laurence Kershaw (haka) and Tamihana Morunga (haka).
Website Links
Muzic.net.nz Page
Official Website
Amplifier Page
Facebook Page
Twitter Page
Moana & The Tribe - Whole World's Watching (press release)
Malcolm Menzies
Who are your favourite NZ musicians/bands?
I go busking a lot of the time, so I like to listen to the other people that do this when I am not at it myself. There are some really good buskers in Wanganui.
What are your influences?
I think a lot of my music is accidentally based on life experiences.
What inspires you the most when writing your lyrics?
I love the dark, I love silence, I love sunlight and beaches too.
Who would you most like to support live?
Hendrix, Faith No More or the original line up of Guns n' Roses.
How would you describe your music?
Alone in Seaview is Guitar themed pop punk.
How did you come up with the name Alone in Seaview?
My first band used to practice in a room in a place called Seaview in Lower Hutt, Wellington. The room was shared between a few bands. When my band split I started playing there by myself. It was a really special time for me as a musician.
What can you never leave home without?
I always try to take my guitar and more recently my skateboard.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
There is this Castle in Scotland, I would like to play there someday.
What are your plans for the rest of this year?
I have to finish the other two albums from Alone in Seaview and also I have an original live acoustic album to release.
What advice would you like to give other budding musicians/bands?
I'd like to pass on the advice singer/songwriter Jim Ward offers and that is to just play, I forget what he says exactly but it meant a lot to me when I heard it.
What is in your CD collection at home?
I think the first CD I ever bought was The Sky's Gone Out by Bauhaus.
What music do you enjoy listening to?
I like listening to classic rock, I have one of those lame best of classic rock mixes I am always listening to when I need to relax. It sounds like a Rock radio station should I guess.
What do you think could be done to make the NZ music industry better?
I think us "industry professionals" need to learn that people will respond really well to you if you give them a chance instead of adding to the pile of people already burning their dreams. I try and always work with anyone that is keen regardless of their age or skill.
What is the best live gig you have ever been to?
Iron Maiden.
What inspired you to start a band?
I just wanted to be like those guys, I remember walking from a library when I was about 5 years old and saying to my best friend I'm going to be a singer like Axel... I guess we had been reading magazines or something.
What were you doing before you made a name for yourself?
I'm always trying to get somewhere, I have done so many different jobs. I've worked in a lot of bars and been both good and bad at that but I have also tried to do a lot of more modern trades.
What is your favourite NZ venue?
The Southern Cross Garden Bar and Restaurant or for big shows the Cake Tin.
What was the best event you performed at, and why?
My first ever real feeling gig was at the Te Puna Tavern. My Dad had talked the band playing that night into letting me play some guitar on stage to open the night up, I was about 12. There was probably like 80 people tops in the place but it looked like 200 to me and lights and massive amps and effects and all that. I played a guitar solo I had just learned that week and the place when nuts so i just kept on playing, I think they (the band) turned the amp off when they wanted to start playing. They were really cool about everything though.
Which band/musician would you most like to be compared to?
The Jimi Hendrix Experience... But I should probably say Blink 182.
How do you feel now that The Blindness of Strangers has been released?
Odd, It was a very strange time and I had no idea what I was doing so it just sat with me for months. The production too, I think that shows up on the album a lot but it was so much fun and I learned more than I can ever say.
What is your favourite track on Paying the Goat?
The Tree's I See.
If you had to be confined to one room for 6 months what CD would you take with you?
Appetite for Destruction, I got that album when I was 6 or so and the first time I pressed play I visualised everything I was hearing, It was the guitar outro soloing in Paradise City and I wasn’t even sure what I was hearing at the time. It sounded like a truck rodeo I had recently been to, like in a good way. Maybe they had just been playing that song too. It was really cool.
Who do you admire in NZ music at the moment?
The Black Trio, they are opening for the Herbs tour and I think that is really cool. They are really good dudes and sound great live.
Do you prefer to play large stadium gigs or quiet intimate gigs?
I always dreamed of playing a stadium gig but I have never really written for that sort of thing, I have played a lot of small shows and had some great times doing that.
What rumour would you like to start about yourselves?
I was responsible for breaking up Avril Lavigne and Nickeleback, I have nothing against that guy or anything I just really want Avril to come and sing in my band, I am a guitarist at heart, like her. I don't know her but Canada is so cool so I'm sure they are both great.
What has got you to where you are today?
A lot of hard work and a lot of mistakes, knowing when to take time to relax and when to have to take a fall.
If you were to retire, what would you do?
My brother and I made a plan a long time ago, we picked out some land and have been working toward freeing it. I guess we will make a house there and our friends and family will have a really nice place to stay. I want to open it to the public.
How do you feel about people copying your style?
Great, It's certainly not mine, it's just come about from other music I like or loath.
What will your next single release be?
I have two albums to release, I haven’t picked the singles yet... I need to listen to it a few times with my friends and then just go about filming some music videos for those songs.
What do you love the most about being in the NZ music industry?
I like a challenge. Most of the people I meet are honest, intelligent and yet still really hardworking and that can be a lot of fun when you put these things together.
What is your secret to staying together?
I have to try to be good and stay clean and sleep at the right times or the band gets new members, heh and I have to try and find instruments they can play without getting upset with the other guys.
Website Links
NZ Music News
LATE: The Pacific Sound
How deep are the roots of Pacific Island culture in New Zealand music? Across the course of an evening hear from some of the key influencers behind this musical journey, accompanied by a special performance from two of the Pacific’s top acts.
Chaired by Oscar Kightley your expert panel for the evening features godfather of New Zealand Hip Hop Danny Brotha D Leaosavai'i from Dawn Raid Entertainment, acclaimed top-selling songstress Annie Crummer, and legendary activist and reggae artist Tigilau Ness. Over the course of an hour the panel will delve into some of the stories that have shaped New Zealand’s music scene and look at the impact Pacific Island culture has played in creating our unique musical sound.
Following the smart talk, Annie Crummer will be joined on stage by her father Will Crummer, a master singer and encyclopaedia of Polynesian song, for a beautiful and soulful performance that captures the best of both their songbooks.
Vodafone NZ Music Awards - Tech Finalists
The Technical Award finalists for the 49th annual Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards have been announced by Recorded Music NZ with multi-talented musicians among those selected.
Joel Little is up for both Best Producer and Best Engineer for Lorde’s debut album Pure Heroine. Before collaborating with Lorde, Little rose to fame as a member of Goodnight Nurse.
The Best Producer category also features Thom Powers from The Naked and Famous who earns a nod for self-producing his band’s latest album In Rolling Waves.
Paquin lead singer Thomas Healy rounds out the Best Producer finalists for his efforts on Tiny Ruins’ album Brightly Painted One.
Hayden Taylor is fast becoming one of New Zealand’s most talented engineers - he is a finalist in the Best Engineer category for his work on Blacklistt’s self-titled album.
Veteren Doug Jane is also up for Best Engineer for Kiri Te Kanawa’s album Waiata.
Full Article
Vodafone NZ Music Awards - Key Dates
NZ Performers Competition Opens for WOMAD 2015
WOMAD is on the lookout for talent to perform at the 2015 festival and the successful WOMAD Band Competition has been expanded to include not just musical performances but acts that could perform at other spaces and places on-site at the festival. This could include roving site performers, children’s programme performers, dance groups and cultural performances.
20,000 plus votes were cast each year for the competition and there have been nail biting finishes for previous year’s winners. The Balkanistas from Wellington and Beyondsemble from Auckland both battled fervently for the coveted slot by busking on the streets, getting themselves on their local radio, newspapers and talking to every fan new and old that they could to get their votes.
The winner will perform at WOMAD NZ, in New Plymouth, Taranaki sometime between Friday 13 and Sunday 15 March 2015 alongside some of the world’s greatest musicians and performers.
ReZist has the September Wildcard Chart on Lockdown
It was the battle of Palmerston North at the top of the http://www.audience.co.nz's/ Wildcard Funding Chart for September, with two young local groups vying for the top spot. Despite an incredibly close contest, it was the genre bending reggae-inspired ReZist who managed to claim top spot with their song Lockdown. They gained an unprecedented amount of support, pulling in massive numbers of votes to win the $10,000 Wildcard Making Tracks grant from NZ On Air Music. They only just managed to top fellow Palmy locals Venus In Transit, who also ran a huge campaign with their song Rescue Me, but couldn’t quite catch up with the ReZist boys.
2014 APRA Silver Scroll Awards – The Finalists announced
APRA AMCOS announced today the finalists for the 2014 APRA Silver Scroll Awards, including finalists for Māori music, contemporary composition, screen music, as well as the coveted APRA Silver Scroll Award.
The top five songs in line for the 2014 APRA Silver Scroll Award are: The top five songs in line for the 2014 APRA Silver Scroll Award are:
The top five songs in line for the 2014 APRA Silver Scroll Award are:
Back on My Feet, written and performed by Louis Baker.
Bob Lennon John Dylan, written by Samuel Scott, Luke Buda, Conrad Wedde, William Ricketts, Thomas Callwood and Christopher O'Connor, performed by The Phoenix Foundation (Native Tongue Music Publishing).
Bridges, written by Georgia Nott*, Joel Little^ and Caleb Nott*, performed by Broods (*Sony/ATV Music Publishing AustraliaP/L obo Sony/ATV Allegro, ^EMI Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd).
Me At The Museum, You In The Wintergardens, written by Hollie Fullbrook, Alexander Freer and Cass Mitchell, performed by Tiny Ruins.
Walk (Back To Your Arms), written by Tami Neilson and Joshua Neilson, performed by Tami Neilson.
NZ Musicians - Tours and Releases
Jakob Reveal Music Video For Blind Them With Science
Be Mine Tonight - Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra - Debut album
Fat Freddy's Drop New Song Slings and Arrows
Fallen Order NZ Tour
Be Like Water - New single from Kong Fooey Feat. Maitreya
Ezra Vine To Release Celeste EP On October 10
Julie Lamb Album Launch
Aston Rd Sessions #6: Louis Baker covers Princes Purple Rain
Bunnies on Ponies, Vinyl Pre-Orders Now Available
Brooke Fraser - Brutal Romantic New Zealand Tour
Massive summer tour announce - Shihad, Airbourne, I Am Giant & Cairo Knife Fight
Angelo King & Jono Das release new track Indigenius
Chelsea Jade Emerges with the Announcement of EP Release
Die! Die! Die! announce new album details share first single and video
Sol3 Mio announce Christmas In The Vines and nationwide tour
Lorde Announces Yumi Zouma As NZ Support Act
Clap Clap Riot and Buzz Moller announce tour
Black River Drive launch new single Grenade
Auckland's Trust Punks Sign To SPUNK Records, Announce Album Release
Silver Scrolls finalist Louis Baker releases 7" record
Rachel Dawick releases The Boundary Riders
Electric Wire Hustle Love Can Prevail Album Release Shows
New album for Mahoney Harris We Didn't Feel Alone
The Datsuns bring it home in December in support of the new album Deep Sleep
Brooke Fraser To Release First Official Single Kings and Queens September 26th
Benny Tipene to Release Debut Album Bricks On Oct 17th
PNC releases new single 100 Cups, Pt. 2
Minuit - The final fling
Watch The New Video From Local Band Ophelia
International Musicians - Tours
Ed Sheeran NZ Tour Sells Out In Minutes. Second Auckland Show Added!
UK's The Kooks Announce Auckland Show
Solid Announces > The War On Drugs
Frontier Touring announces Johnny Marr
Joey Bada$$ And Run The Jewels Announce Double Headliner
The Madden Brothers Announce NZ Show
Aloe Blacc To Change Venues And Estere As Support
Lil Jon Turn Down For What live in Auckland
Jimmy Barnes Announces Four NZ Shows
Netsky announces DJ Set at Hawea Hotel
Kevin Mark Trail To Release New Album The Knight On October 31
Milky Chance announce Auckland, NZ tour date January 2015
Rodriguez' Wellington Opera House Date Moved To Wednesday 15 October
Show Announce: Torche - heavy loud rock n rollers from the USA
Slash - World On Fire Tour Announcement
The Black Keys Turn Blue NZ Tour With Band Of Skulls 2015!
Summer Festivals
Jim Beam Homegrown… 57 Kiwi bands across 7 Stages!
Stan Walker & The Original Wailers to headline Gisborne Music Festival
St. Jerome's Laneway Festival - Line-up Announced!
Westfest 2015 Announcement
No place like Splore – a fresh take on music, art and performance
Marble Mountain Music Festival 2014 + Line Up
NZ Music News
Gig and Tour News
Artist News
Muzic.net.nz News
New Artists
The following musicians have been added to the muzic.net.nz website during September:
| Black 32 | Rob Thorne - Toi Puoro | Stone Blue |
| An Electric Heart | Dragonstone | Jamez III |
Add yourself or your band to muzic.net.nz!
Add Artist Form
Info about filling out the add artist form
New Reviews
Rachel Dawick - The Boundary Riders Album Review
Written by Kate
The Datsuns - Bad Taste Single Review
Written by Kerry
Oakley Grenell - The Deep Album Review
Written by Joel
Electric Wire Hustle - Love Can Prevail Album Review
Written by Joel
Rob Thorne - Toi Puoro - Whāia te Māramatanga Album Review
Written by Peter
Full Code - Telescapes Album Review
Written by Andrew
Paper Cranes @ Wine Cellar, Auckland - 13/08/14
Written by Rodrigo
Broods - Evergreen Album Review
Written by Ria
Whistlejacket - The Year of the Horse EP Review
Written by Joel
Mulholland - Stop & Start Again Album Review
Written by Peter
Mahoney Harris - We Didn't Feel Alone Album Review
Written by Jason
Moana And The Tribe - Rima Album Review
Written by Joel
Tali - Faster Than Sound Single Review
Written by Joel
SSXUB EP Review - Shapeshifter vs The Upbeats
Written by Joel
All of our reviews can be read here.
New Interviews
Interviews by James:
Under The Land Flat FM Interview
House of Gold Interview
Interview with Emerald
Interview by Ryan:
Electric Wire Hustle - EWH Are Back With 'Love Can Prevail'
All of our interviews can be read here.
Music Talks Interview #12
Ryan Kershaw interviewed Marcus Powell from Blacklistt and the Crescendo Trust of Aotearoa for his Music Talks interview series. You can listen to the interview here.
New Photos
Mi-Sex
Eddie Rayner Project
Neil Finn
Photos by Bradley
Tahuna Breaks
Midnight Gallery
Photos by Stella
Villainy
Photos by Calden
All of our photo galleries can all be viewed here.
Tour Features
All muzic.net.nz features can be viewed here
About Muzic.net.nz Newsletters
The next muzic.net.nz newsletter is going out on Sunday 2 November 2014.
Any NZ bands and musicians can feature in our newsletters
You can choose the date which suits you
We can also feature record labels, venues, music stores, music websites
and anything else that has something to do with NZ music
If you would like to feature in a muzic.net.nz newsletter, contact Lisa for further details
Muzic.net.nz newsletters are currently sent out to over 8430 members
With this number growing every day, featuring in our newsletter is an excellent promotional tool
Our newsletter archives are one of the most accessed areas on the site
- The muzic.net.nz team
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- APT.
ROSÉ And Bruno Mars - DIE WITH A SMILE
Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish - TASTE
Sabrina Carpenter - I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
Gracie Abrams - ESPRESSO
Sabrina Carpenter - SAILOR SONG
Gigi Perez - LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims - A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
Shaboozey - GOOD LUCK, BABE!
Chappell Roan
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
