14 August 2009 - 0 Comments

August News

International and Industry Action

Congratulations to the New Zealand acts selected to play showcases at Brisbane’s Big Sound conference in September: Josh Leys, Sola Rosa, These Four Walls, Ladi6 and Smashproof. Also well done to the APRA Silver Scroll nominees, which include from the IMNZ whanau Jess Chambers for Island, and James Milne and Luke Buda (Lawrence Arabia) for Apple Pie Bed. In fact, double congrats to Jess Chambers who won the 2009 Best Country Song award for Stringing Me Along which appears on the Woolshed Sessions’ album. Successful applicants for the first round of NZ On Air video grants of 2009/2010 have been announced and the IMNZ contingent includes Anna Coddington, Batucada Sound Machine, David Dallas featuring Aaradhna, Minuit, Misfits Of Science, Opensouls, P-Money featuring Vince Harder, PNC, Savage, Sweet & Irie, Tahuna Breaks, The Black Seeds, The Lookie Loos and The Naked and Famous.

The Parachute Band have just finished a six-week tour of North America and, for the first time, Europe. They ministered in Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Scotland and the UK - as well as Canada, Hawaii and the US. Highlights included playing to an entire village on the balcony of a Croatian castle. Their next tour kicks off in San Francisco this month. In April Rapture Ruckus frontman Rapture recorded new material with US producer Joe Baldridge (DC Talk, Family Force 5) in Nashville; and in May the group toured throughout Townsville, Queensland and Sydney, playing to packed out Youth Alive events and high schools. And the inaugural Parachute nationwide Roadshow is on this September and October, across 11 cities from Whangarei to Invercargill, featuring artists Parachute Band, Rapture Ruckus and Juliagrace plus Parachute Music founder/CEO Mark de Jong.

The Black Seeds will return to Europe in September/October for a 16-show tour, following their successful 2008 European Festival Tour and the release of their latest album ‘Solid Ground’ in Europe; and before Europe, they’ll perform 12 shows in the U.S supporting the North American release of ‘Solid Ground’ through Easy Star Records. Maiden Records’ label manager and artist Flip Grater is now working with Paris-based music manager Juliette Bouquerel and plans to spend several months in Europe with a focus on France in 2010 (Juliette also co-manages The Black Seeds for France).

Trillion’s new song Say No to the Vaccine, featuring Pataphysics and Project nRt, has been causing something of a controversy on YouTube. Trillion’s Jody Lloyd ascertained that having received over 40,000 combined plays in two weeks (and 100,000 plays as of now), the clip climbed to No. 8 in the YouTube NZ Music chart, and then the ranking was mysteriously cleared. However fans came to the rescue and re-uploaded it a number of times; with some even creating their own videos to accompany the track.

Soul songstress L.A. Mitchell is the inaugural Songwriter in Residence 2009 at The University of Auckland's School of Music. As the Songwriter in Residence, L.A. will work closely with students at the School’s Popular Music programme, mentoring around 40 young performers and songwriters this year - such mentoring will be vital for students to prepare for the inaugural Songwriter of the Year 2009 competition, to be held in September. Mitchell performs as a member of Dave Dobbyn’s band as well as The Dukes and she has just completed performances as part of the 2009 cast of Fly My Pretties; in late 2008 L.A. Mitchell and the Nativa Band opened for soul legend Stevie Wonder on his New Zealand tour.

P-Money ft Vince Harder’s track Everything has hit the daytime playlist of BBC’s radio 1, after being featured by BBC DJ Edith Bowman, who featured it as her Record of the Week (if the links on her show page are anything to go by, she’s also a Flight of the Conchords fan!). The Bats have just returned from a jaunt to Australia where they celebrated the release of their latest album ‘The Guilty Office’. You may have caught the recent Reb Fountain feature in the Sunday Star Times; she has been on the road supporting Dylan Storey’s 'Out of the Soup' album release tour.

New Release Fanfare

Falter release their debut album ‘As Far as I Can Get from Here’, produced by Hook of 48May fame. New Zealand caught its first glimpse of Falter in 2003 as the three lovable teens hurtled down a hydroslide singing Falling to Pieces and managed to win that year’s Rockquest competition. In 2006 they were chosen for the 2006 Boost Mobile School's tour, which saw them play over 100 shows all over New Zealand, from Invercargill to Whangarei. And as well as being selected to play Big Sound in Brisbane, the songs on These Four Walls’ nicely-named album ‘We Were Promised Jetpacks’ marry tough riffs to tender glockenspiels and find a balance between muscular, masculine drumming and singer Adam Thompson’s vulnerable, striving warble.

Superturtle are releasing a 3 track single and two videos on Friday August 14th with a show at The Wine Cellar and Whammy Bar; they’re joined on the bill by Otis Mace, Salonkingsadore, Jeremy Eade’s (Garageleand) new band Eade Taylor Vaughan and Lost Universe, which is something of a punk-era supergroup, featuring ex-members of Spelling Mistakes, Dead Can Dance, Rebel Truce and Suburban Reptiles. Aside from compositions by Sam Scott and Luke Buda, the ‘Separation City’ soundtrack features tracks by The Phoenix Foundation, SJD, The Black Seeds, Cassette, The NZSO, Wild Bill Ricketts and Mike Fabulous. Written and produced by Sam’s Dad Tom Scott, the film is a bittersweet comedy drama about falling out of love for the very first time – it’s a painful lesson about how unrequited love lasts forever, while requited love comes with a use-by date; and a story about courtship, mateship and jumping ship.

‘Every Day Dubs’ is New Zealand’s debut dubstep compilation, showcasing 7 of Aotearoa’s foremost dubstep producers and DJs. Artists featured here include Truth (signed to UK dubstep label Deep Medi Muzik), Optimus Gryme (who recently released NZ’s first full-length dubstep album), P-Vans (signed to Australia’s first dubstep label), Dutty Ranks (signed to Nick Argon’s War Series) & Future One, behind the lead single, Test Mi Nuh.

With his firebrand torch, Rebel Peasant lights up ‘The Walls of the Well’ - the first solo - and instrumental - album by Phoenix Foundation drummer Richie Singleton. The album features a plethora of instruments (trumpets blend with Rhodes and piano whilst melodica, accordion and guitar are given a work-out over double bass, percussion and drums) as well as musicians (hailing from The Phoenix Foundation, Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Black Seeds, Little Bushman, Cassette and Hikoikoi.) The Rebel Peasant is “a well-meaning chap who has always relied on the land to provide both his basic sustenance and the means to create an income,’ says Singleton. “His comrades went a little overboard whilst decking out the village and now they face a time of scarcity together - looking into the well, they see mostly wall.”

Auckland-based reggae band Box Juice uses the power of music to spread their message of positivity and support: their debut album ‘One Heart, Many Lives’ address subjects important to frontman Ray Bishop’s motivational company Dream Academy, which umbrellas the band. Bishop’s taken an innovative approach, offering specific songs from ‘One Heart, Many Lives’ under license to agencies charged with improving the health and knowledge of our communities: the track One Heart Many Lives was written to support Pharmac and its ‘One Heart Many Lives’ campaign; Shine The Family Light was written to the support the ‘It’s Not OK’ anti-violence campaign; Taihoa Mo Te Whanau was written to support the work of ALAC and their ongoing campaigns. Box Juice also features the musical talents of Tere Ngaeruaiti, Tala Lyndon Ofamooni (Ruia, dDub), John Ellis (Mamaku Project), Keith Millbank and Earle Holtz.

James Duncan’s much anticipated album ‘Hello-Fi’ is out now to the delight of many; and the CD contains five exclusive mp3 tracks that will not be available digitally – this may seem against the flow and cocking a snoot at current conventional wisdom, but label Round Trip Mars is very keen to show its love for the peeps that still go into shops. From infectious warped pop, led by the singles, Cupboard’s Bare and My New Flumes (featuring Bachelorette), to spacebound shoegaze on the hypnotic Everyone Around You and the Radioscope Alt Chart #1 Don't Close Your Eyes, ‘Hello-Fi’ heralds the arrival of a songwriting talent whose individual style is complemented by years of collaboration with two of New Zealand's best ever in Donnelly and Carter. Also ramping up the RTM release schedule, Unitone HiFi and Jefferson Belt put the lit into split 7” with their Sneeze Off/Creeping Tings Of The Earth which is released in tandem with James’s 45 The Cupboard’s Bare/…Of Everyone Around You.

Kerretta’s new album ‘Vilayer’ is out now on CD and digital; and Midium Records will also be co-releasing a gatefold vinyl version of the album with fellow label The Kingsland Vinyl Appreciation Society. If you pre-order the vinyl version of ‘Vilayer’ you will get a free exclusive T-Shirt in the sizing of your choice! Saucy. Speaking of sauce, you are able to prop up the bar with your fave ice-cold brews, top shelf single malts or sin-free beverage while witnessing said band play throughout New Zealand during a series of winter centres and dates. In from Concord Dawn, The Heat is a new collaboration between Concord Dawn and Rido from the Czech Republic which came from a drunken backstage chat at a gig in Prague.

Pie Warmer is the new musical undertaking by Ed Cake formerly of the legendary Bressa Creeting Cake). The album features songs about love, not love songs as such, but songs that blend ideas about love with fear, insanity, talk-back radio, violence against children, death of a loved one, indecision, abandonment, fame, Michael King and plenty more besides. BCC fans will be very excited to hear the rumour that he is looking at teaming up again with former Bressa Creeting Cake bandmates (some of whom subsequently formed Goldenhorse) for a Pie Warmer/Bressa Creeting Cake roadshow.

Following in the tradition of ‘Potboiler’ (i.e. giving a record a title that it clearly isn't), The Verlaines proudly present their eighth album ‘Corporate Moronic’. Graeme Downes says, “By implication, I refuse to believe the album is dead…There is no music on this album suitable for interludes on Fox News or as a flyer for Squawk Box on CNBC, such music is corporate moronic. There is nothing on this album that could be used to advertise motor sport.” The Verlaines will be supporting former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus and his band The Jicks at Auckland’s Studio show on September 18.

Sweet & Irie's debut album 'Localize It' debuted in the NZ album chart at #16 last week and has now hit the Top 10. Sweet & Irie are a 9-piece Auckland reggae band, the creation of singer/ songwriter Edward Ru; and although it may appear that the band burst onto the local music scene with the top 10 hit Feels Like Magic (alongside Horsemen Family), the various members of the band have been refining their craft since late 2000 when Ed decided to pick up the ukulele. The Dawn Raid crew have been very busy of late; the label toured over 42 cities in America supporting Savage’s platinum success, and whilst there they rubbed shoulders with all the established and underground artists on the Polynesian music scene and decided they needed a way to expose this to the world, so they’ve created "Dawn Raid TV - Poly Profiles", a weekly showcase of the hottest Polynesian talent from around the globe, exclusively broadcast on the Dawn Raid website dawnraid.co.nz.

The Flight of the Conchords are about to release their second album ‘I Told You I Was Freaky’ demonstrating that they have yet to unearth a genre which can withstand their artistry and creating 13 best-selling ringtones, humbly masquerading as songs. The album will be out on Sub Pop via Rhythmethod. The Klezmer Rebs, an 8-piece Wellington band that plays klezmer music - an engaging style of world/folk music born out of the Yiddish/Jewish culture of Eastern Europe in the 1800s and 1900s - have just released their debut album ‘Just Add Schmaltz’. About half of the group members are Jewish, 3 are ex-USA, one’s British, and one is an anarchic Swiss clarinet player.

Mark Airlie and Keith Austin’s ‘Life in the Farce Lane’ springs from loneliness of the heart/impurities in the soul/suburban neurosis/empty wallets and lucid recollections of urban life with strong political undertones. Also out on Powertool Records, Vorn's ‘Modern Classics’ is a blind fury of creation that takes pop music as we know it, pulls its ironic vintage T-shirt over its head, batters it with a sock full of dollar coins, and leaves it stunned, bruised, and strangely grateful. Maiden Records introduces the first EP - ‘First Four Songs’ - from The Unfaithful Ways, Christchurch's latest alt-country offering. Since they attracted attention during Smokefreerockquest 2008, in the space of one year they have been invited to perform at the Lyttelton Summer Street Party and as part of the Christchurch City Council’s Music Month series in Cashel Mall, and they have performed with John Grenell, The Eastern, Ariana Tikau, Lindon Puffin and Flip Grater; and have played in a range of venues including Te Papa.

‘Standing In The Rain’ is Opensouls' second full-length offering; it also works as a concept album, made with the intent to reflect the sound and feeling of a musical era - late-50s and early-60s British and American R&B. Inspiration was drawn from vintage songwriters such as Lennon and McCartney, Smokey Robinson, Holland/Dozier/Holland and Van Morrison. Opensouls' aim was to create an album that involved the entire band performing 100% of the time, so ‘Standing in the Rain’ was tracked entirely live by the band's rhythm section and recorded at Jeremy Toy’s home studio. Bruce Lynch, who has worked with Kate Bush, Cat Stevens, Dave Dobbyn, Herbs and Anika Moa, arranged strings for many of the songs and legendary LA producer Dave Cooley, who has worked with Queens of the Stone Age, Smash Mouth, J Dilla and much of the Stones Throw roster, mixed the album – and has mastered all Opensouls' material thus far released. In keeping with the band's vision for a blend of old and new sounds, the record was mixed using a combination of old analogue equipment and new digital equipment.

On the Live Front

Following the success of the Get It Together album release tour earlier this year, Sola Rosa is hitting the road again for four shows in August and September. ‘Get It Together’ - Sola Rosa’s first album in 4 years - was released on 2 March to critical acclaim and has previously topped the IMNZ chart, with Turn Around featuring Iva Lamkum picked as one of the Top 20 songs in line for an APRA Silver Scroll, and the single Del Ray being picked up by Nightmares on Wax to appear on an upcoming compilation. The band will also have a limited edition 8-track vinyl released through Bandcamp with artwork by well-known American designer Dan Stiles. August will also see the released of new single and video Humanised featuring vocals by German-based artist Bajka. Here’s a first-hand example of their live shows: “I end up slicing my finger open after smashing it against a cowbell. The adrenaline allows this to go unnoticed for a few songs - at which point there was blood all over my percussion and keyboard” - Andrew Spraggon, Sola Rosa.

Antagonist A.D and Los Muertos have been announced as the NZ support for English hardcore punks Gallows who will be playing New Zealand on September 30th. Antagonist A.D will then return to Australia in October to join local hardcore party heroes Deez Nuts on the 'Sike Your Mind' tour which this year will be heading out nationally across Australia. Cobra Khan have just announced a North Island tour in September; and the band has a limited edition 7 inch single for pre-order now, which is limited to 125 copies and includes the current single Liquid Separation plus Shutter; you can pre-order you copy now through undertheradar or via Cobra Khan's online store. In other news Kitsch are heading into the studio to record new material for an upcoming release, and they’ll be on the road touring n the coming months.

Sam Hunt and David Kilgour are teaming up with The Heavy 8s to celebrate the release of their album ‘Falling Debris’ in style with shows at Leigh Sawmill Café and a special seated event at Auckland’s Montecristo Room - this very special evening kicks off at 7.30pm sharp, and features an acoustic set from David and band, poetry with Sam Hunt, and an electric band set. And having spent most of the winter lying low and working on a new album, Little Bushman have felt the need to hone some of their new material live; they have an exciting new visual element to add to the live mix and will be airing your old faves as well as those new tunes.

Clap Clap Riot are on a four show tour throughout NZ in support of their latest single Thief from the debut EP ‘TV Knows Better’. As well as turning heads through recent support tours with The Checks and Motocade, the Auckland-based quartet were welcomed by a fanatical crowd when they played a show earlier this year on MTV’s The Lair in Sydney.

Tours

Charlie ASH: AUGUST: 21 MUM @ Cassette Number 9 Auckland (w/ 1995), 22 Bodega Wellington (w/ The Nerines and Movement Department)

Clap Clap Riot NZ Tour: AUGUST: 14 Al’s Bar, Christchurch w/ The Transistors and Knives At Noon, 15^th Refuel, Dunedin w/ Knives At Noon, 22nd August Mighty Mighty, Wellington w/ Fighting the Shakes and Rifles

Hannah Curwood Blind Love EP Release Tour: AUGUST: 15 The Wine Cellar with Simon Comber Auckland, 21 Bar Bodega with The Friendly Barnacle Wellington, 27 Wunderbar with Simon Comber Lyttelton, 28 Cinema Paradiso with Simon Comber Wanaka, 19 Chicks Hotel with Simon Comber Dunedin

dDub: AUGUST: 21st Tillermans Invercargill, 22nd Captain Cook, Dunedin. SEPTEMBER: 3rd Mint Bar Wanaka, 4th Coronet Peak Queenstown, 5th Revolver Queenstown

Kerretta: AUGUST: 14 San Francisco Bathhouse Wellington with Mountaineater and Captain Sergeant Major, 15 Cabana Napier with Mountaineater and Despot

David Kilgour & the Heavy 8s with Sam Hunt: AUGUST: 21 Leigh Sawmill Café, 22 Montecristo Room, Auckland

King Kapisi: AUGUST: 15 Auckland, Khuja Lounge; SEPTEMBER: 9 Christchurch, Dux de Lux (wit full band), 10 Dunedin, Refuel, 11 Wanaka, The Mint Bar, 12 Queenstown, Revolver Bar

Little Bushman: AUGUST: 20^th Christchurch Al’s Bar, 21^st Queenstown Revolver, 22^nd Dunedin Refuel, 23^rd Oamaru Penguin Club, 27^th New Plymouth Basement Bar, 28^th Ohakune Rangataua Hall, 29^th Havelock North Black Barn Underground Cellar

Minuit: AUGUST: 14 Montecristo Room, Auckland w/Alex the Kid and Funknslocuts, 21 Flow, Hamilton w/ Funknslocuts

The Septembers Tour: AUGUST: 15 Hamilton @ Flow Bar w. The Dusk / Milk Train, 20 Wanaka @ Mint Bar w. Kelly Horgan, 21 Queenstown @ Dux De Lux w. Kelly Horgan, 22 Christchurch @ Dux De Lux w. The Unfaithful Ways / Kelly Horgan

Sola Rosa ‘Still Getting It Together’ Tour: AUGUST: 28 August Bar 10, Dunedin, 29 August Al’s Bar, Christchurch, SEPTEMBER: 4 SFBH, Wellington, 5 Sale Street, Auckland

Tahuna Breaks ‘Black, Brown and White’ album release tour: AUGUST: 22 Opononi Hotel, Opononi, 28 Colosseum, Tauranga; SEPTEMBER: 4 Blacksmith Bar, Whitianga, 5 The Yot Club, Raglan, 12 Te Puka Tavern, Tokomaru Bay, 18 San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington, 19 Phat Club, Nelson, 25 Cabana, Napier; OCTOBER: 2 The Bedford, Christchurch, 3 Sammy’s, Dunedin, 10 Powerstation, Auckland, 16 Wanaka Festival, Wanaka, 17 Revolver, Queenstown

Tiki: AUGUST: 14 Dunedin, Otago University (Tiki with full band), 15 Wanaka, Burton Air Open (with full band), 20 Queenstown, Subculture, 21 Queenstown, Subculture, 22 Timaru, No. 8 Wired Bar, 28 Westport, Denniston Dog, 29 Nelson, Phat Club; SEPTEMBER 3 Napier, Venue TBC, 4 Gisborne, Wharf 3 Shed, 5 Whakatane, Commercial Hotel

The Verlaines: SEPTEMBER: 18 Studio, Auckland with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks

Yulia: AUGUST: 30 Yulia & Kevin Friedrich Dargaville; OCTOBER: 2 All Day - The Global March for Peace and Nonviolence Wellington Railway Station through to the Botanical Gardens, New Zealand

Festivals

Coromandel Gold - DECEMBER 31 – with Shapeshifter, Kora, Tiki Live, Katchafire, DJ Downtown Brown, Sunshine Soundsystem, Recloose, Jstar (UK), Electric Wire Hustle.

Highlife New Year’s Eve Matakana: DECEMBER 31 with The Opensouls, Sola Rosa, Tahuna Breaks, Charlie Ash, Lewis McCallum plus many more local and international acts

Rhythm and Vines Gisborne: DECEMBER 29 – JANUARY 1: with Sola Rosa, Antiform, The Checks, Dick Johnson, Optimus Gryme, PNC, Iva Lamkum, Brand New Math, Jason Howson plus many more local and international acts

Thanks to www.indies.co.nz for this story.

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