I open my eyes, is it 2006 already?

As one gets older, I struggle to come to grips with how fast things go. It seems like it was only yesterday that we were having our 5^th birthday gig! If you’re anything like me, you would have made (and broken) all these grand resolutions for 2006, already looked back on the successes and failures of 2005, and look forward to what is in store.

Musically speaking NZ Music stood up to great new heights, and make me ponder for a second when this bubble will burst… The answer follows very quickly however, and to ‘borrow’ a line from Scribe – we got it locked down! Fat Freddy’s Drop has to have a mention here, with the seven piece becoming the most successful New Zealand act on the album charts in 2005 cementing #2 for the year and having the #1 album for 6 weeks. And following on through the charts, Savage was the only kiwi to hit the top 10 in singles, making #3 with Moonshine featuring the illustrious Akon.

It seems like everyone is either touring or releasing this year, with the much anticipated follow up to Blindspott’s self title debut album coming, with other big success’ Scribe and Nesian Mystic keeping pretty “hush-hush” about their offerings, but I’m sure they can’t be too far off.  Theres also a myriad of summer events, some having already been, like Summerdaze and BDO, as well as events like Soundsplash, Edgefest and Parachute Music festival coming shortly, we have a glut of live music for any taste.

I can’t wait for NZ Music month, I’m sure there will be a few surprises in store for us all, whatever genre of music tickles your fancy. We are lucky enough this year to have the Pacific Music Awards in May as well, so it will make for an incredible month of diverse music. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES!

Internationally kiwis are hitting it off big in ‘06 and with a strong line up hitting the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas later in the year, I’m sure everyone performing and attending will be blown away by the depth of talent from our ‘lil old country. It is the biggest contingent from Oz and NZ ever so we should blow them all away.

I think we’re pretty spoilt for choice in ’06, not just on the local scene but internationally, with U2 and Kayne West gracing our shores soon, UB40, Fort Minor, 50 Cent, but to name a few.

muzic.net.nz should be featuring most major events, so let us know if you want us to go in depth for anything, or if you’re planning something drop us a line

Welcome 2006 and may it rock more than Deja Voodoo.

-- Nathan

Know as "the band from the sticks", these four boys have been scribing original music in the bush ranges of Matamata since early 2002. Their first single "Silver Service" with the significant B-side "Cold" has been released as a worthy introduction to the sound of Fideleo.

Creative, innovative and diverse, their music is portrayed through two tracks on this promotional single that was recorded and mixed in Auckland and mastered in Sydney, Australia. The single has two tracks with two different directions and two different sounds, but have both inherited the distinctive flavour of Fideleo. "We enjoy the direction we are heading with our music," says bass player Adam Barton " we don't expect it to be everybody's cup of tea, but its great to have the support from people". The single is already getting a considerable amount of airplay on radio, and the band will be performing a live to air gig for student orientation week 2006.

Their constructed sound can be described as a melodic groove with a slightly funky uplifting feel, a sound that can build to an intense rhythmic climax or that can break down to a spatial trance, or a more experimental tangent with dark undertones.

For more information check out on Fideleo, check them out on muzic.net.nz: Fideleo

Phony Bone are from Auckland, each and every one of them unable to make claim to anywhere better or worse (make your own distinctions). Made from three people who met at school and begun writing acoustic ballads about girls (who they didn't actually talk to) and Jesus (who they also didn't actually talk to) they were this year joined by Jony Valentine, the man who breaks hearts and drum skins.

Now to cease the third person: we've played maybe a dozen shows, and have probably 25 or more original songs up our sleeves, meaning our sets are always different. If we played weddings (hey, we'd be game), hypothetically, we could offer 'punk', 'post-punk', 'noise rock' and 'pop' programmes for your guests. We look up to many, although it's hard to name them… I've always liked Dimmer and The Clean.

-- Tim - Phony Bone

For more information on these guys, check them out on muzic.net.nz: Phony Bone

With our hiatus from preparing this newsletter over the Xmas break, we have of course got loads to report back on in this issue.

In the background, the muzic.net.nz team is currently working on ways to make the website better and run faster! We're ironing out a few long-term nagging issues with the website, and will be rolling out fixes for these over the next few weeks. We're also looking at expanding a number of sections on the website, to make them even more comprehensive. The most major of these will be some of the changes we have planned for the gig guide area - but you'll have to wait and see to find out what they are!

All of this is leading up to something big that we'll be launching in 2006... but for now we're keeping all of those details to ourselves!

New Artists

Heaps of these this issue, so I'm just going to list them all:

Gypsy Pickers, Killt, The Madison Press, The Nervous Surgeons, The Real, Tegan, Astral, Coolade, Razzle Dazzle Duo, Pink Champagne, Geneva, Simon Kerr, Decortica, Dr Green and The Greasy Saucepan, Jamie Gray, Cinnamon Girls, Ladi 6, Charlotte Johansen, Wasting Away, The Retrophonic Funk Machine, Henderwood, Memorial, Ben Kemp, Omega, Stanza, Handsome Giants, Crash Test For Favourite Things

The list above is of all bands and musicians added to muzic.net.nz since our last issue, which was Dec 11 2005.

Competitions

You can now see who won all of those cool prizes you were hanging out for, by clicking on the "Display Past Competitions" link on the muzic.net.nz Competitions page. To those of you that have won something from us before, congratulations - you're famous!

Our current offerings include tickets to The Rabble's NZ Tour, a copy of The Rabble's debut album and a chance to get hold of the exclusive you-won't-find-this-in-shops copy of the official Rippon '06 compilation!

Next Issue

Our next issue, due out Feb 12, is a special $lave Recordings issue, profiling this burgeoning Manawatu based record company and the bands they represent. Nice!

• 1
  Head Like A Hole
• 2
  Fraser Ross
• 3
  Horror Story
• 4
  Fur Patrol
• 5
  Michelle Rounds
• 6
  L.A.B.
• 7
  Devilskin
• 8
  Coridian
• 9
  The Boondocks
• 10
  Late to Chelsea

• 
  Goodshirt @ Festival of Lights - Pukekura Park, New Plymouth - 21/12/2024
• 
  The Slacks @ Festival of Lights - Pukekura Park, New Plymouth - 21/12/2024
• 
  LOST BiRD @ Space Academy, Christchurch - 15/12/2024
• 
  Just Janie @ Space Academy, Christchurch - 15/12/2024

• 1
  APT.
  ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
• 2
  DIE WITH A SMILE
  Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
• 3
  BIRDS OF A FEATHER
  Billie Eilish
• 4
  TASTE
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 5
  I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
  Gracie Abrams
• 6
  ESPRESSO
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 7
  SAILOR SONG
  Gigi Perez
• 8
  LOSE CONTROL
  Teddy Swims
• 9
  A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
  Shaboozey
• 10
  GOOD LUCK, BABE!
  Chappell Roan

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