17 December 2021 - 0 Comments

While some bands will never be anything more than a studio project, for most fans the place the music comes alive is when it is allowed to breathe and connect directly with listeners. That may be at a festival, an arena event, a purpose-built venue, a dive, or just sat quietly in a room listening to one person with a guitar. There is a magic, a connectivity and interchange of energy that can never be achieved elsewhere, and when the moment is right it is simply like nothing else on earth. Since the arrival of COVID to these shores we have had periods of time when the venues have been closed, having a huge impact on musicians and fans alike, but what can be done? If the government decides we need to shut down again in some manner due to the pandemic, how do musicians and fans alike get their musical fix?

This is something which has been bothering Aidan Courtnell, so he decided he ought to do something about it. Having returned to Auckland from Melbourne just over a year ago, he set up Scallywag Records and specialising in producing, recording and mixing he has worked with bands like Close To The Bone, Edge Of The Woods, Eurenza, Venom Dolls, and more. He knew it was time to give back to the scene, but how? There is nothing he loves more than seeing his favourite local band perform live, something he missed terribly during the pandemic, and this became the catalyst for The Live Rooms.

This is a new channel, dedicated to ensuring everyone can see their favourite local artist, or even discover a new band they had not seen before, live, raw, and in the best quality available. Aidan has spent the last few months assembling the highest quality of equipment he can find, whilst making sure that it all fits in the back of his Commodore, adequately named, the Scallywagon. Scallywag Records is armed to the teeth with a comprehensive modern portable recording + video production studio. Lights camera action!! Musicians will be able to have a free of charge, live video and recording, in their room of choice. The video will then be shared online to be enjoyed at any time. The intended deliverable cycle is one every month.

Having an amazing idea is one thing, but being able to assemble the correct team is crucial, and Aidan has involved three of his most experienced and professional associates to ensure this is a success.

The person responsible for the photography, cinematography and lighting is Aaron from AJM NZ Photography. From high-speed race car events to the biggest and loudest of music festivals, Aaron has photographed around New Zealand for years. He and Aidan recently teamed up on the Eurenza music video, which has already been viewed more than 20,000 times.

Next up is Luke from Primal Mastering. Aside from being one of New Zealand’s top mastering engineers for countless NZ artists of all genres, Luke has a long-standing background in live sound and is unquestionably a great fit for the team. Luke will be handling all the mastering for the audio and will be seen on set offering his expertise where available.

Then there is Alex, one of the best audio engineers Aidan has worked with. She too has a background in live sound, although she now has a career in radio, working daily engineering at RNZ. From broadcasting the election to setting up Broadcast sessions at NZ’s biggest live events, Alex is quick thinking and works exceptionally under pressure and will be with Aidan the entire time.

Aidan will be handling all the recording and postproduction as well as the video editing and was working in the Melbourne music scene for four years before moving to Auckland. It was a lot of fun but he’s glad to be home. Having worked for Jim Beam Homegrown Crew for coming up nine years, organising and running events is one of his absolute passions.

If that weren’t enough, Aidan has also linked in with New Zealand’s most important music website, Muzic.net.nz, who have been at the foreground of promoting music in Aotearoa for more than 20 years. It is the essential source for music news, reviews, and photographs, and their team will be working closely with Aidan to ensure this project gets the publicity and support it deserves.

The first live music video has already been recorded and is ready to release in January, two bookings have already been made for February, and The Live Rooms are now looking for artists to join in on this project from March onwards. We would love to tell you all about what we have lined up but that would ruin the surprise wouldn’t it? Just watch the space, keep your eyes open, and be ready to be see your favourite local artist in the Scallywag Records live rooms!

If you want to be considered for this project, then please get in touch ASAP. More information and contact details can be found below.

SWR EMAIL [email protected]

SWR FACEBOOK

YouTube Channel
Instagram

Comments

Return to News Archive