Newly arrived in Wellington for university studies, teenage music producer Miromiro already has a history of travel that affords him a wide world view and a sense of history that clearly influences the ...
READ MORE >Clap Clap Riot have a proven knack with a catchy pop song. The trio’s skill with melody, rhythm, and sonic architecture is stamped all over their new third album ‘Dull Life’ is anything but. Dull ...
READ MORE >Over the weekend, ensembles from all across NZ came together at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre to compete in the Chamber Music Contest 2017. Out of the six ensembles that made it through to the Sunday final, it was Wellington Quartet Druz’ya which took first place. The adjudicators of the competition (NZ Symphony Orchestra cellist Brigid O’Meeghan, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra principal bassoon Ingrid Hagan and New Zealand Pianist Stephen De Pledge) noted that the standard of ...
READ MORE >NZ On Air Music has announced the results of its July 2017 New Music Single funding round. The songs were chosen out of 191 applications, surely not an easy task for the July panel, consisting of Radio One's Erin Broughton, retailer Hamish Jackson, Jeff Newton of NZOA, RNZ music reviewer Jeremy Taylor, publicist Leanda Borrett, Lydia Jenkin of APRA, and Wairere Iti of the Music Managers Forum. The next New Music Single funding round closes on September 8 and you can apply here. Please ...
READ MORE >The Waiata Māori Music Awards are kicking off Te Marama Pūoru Waiata Māori (Māori Music Month) this August with the announcement of the 2017 awards finalists. Now in its 10th year, the Waiata Māori Music Awards celebrate excellence in Māori music and also aim to acknowledge and honour the keepers, teachers, promoters, creators and performers of this cultural taonga. The awards were established by the late composer and teacher Tama Huata ONZM (Ngāti Kahungungu), a renowned leader in and ...
READ MORE >Last weekend, Christchurch punk band Nervous Jerk won the 2017 RDU RoundUp. RDU's Round Up is a band competition, started by independent radio station RDU98.5fm, where the biggest little bands from Christchurch battle it out for the top spot. DITCH LIFE by Nervous Jerk The three-piece band made up of guitarist and vocalist Tom Kerr, bassist Brad Wright and drummer Johnny Fast, took first place up against acts such as Contact Rock, Sunset Synth and EgoValve. The win came as a surprise ...
READ MORE >New Dunedin electro pop duo Jaggers X Lines have recently released their debut EP ‘Letters’. Eliana Gray (27) and Morgan Smillie (35) met in Dunedin and despite coming from very different musical backgrounds decided to make music together. “I was really involved in theatre and musical theatre as a child and lots of choirs and speech and drama,” Gray recalls, “[Morgan’s] background really comes from DJ-ing and he’s an incredible DJ.” Smillie has also recently completed a Bachelor ...
READ MORE >It wasn't hard for Christchurch synth pop act Wulfie aka Tim Heeringa to convince us that it's worth showing you his new music video. Heeringa and his team went for an authentic retro look for his track Overcome. Sophie Mashlan quizzed him about the visuals, sounds and himself! You’ve only just started up the project, Wulfie - your new single, Overcome, has a very creative video with an authentic old-school feel to it. Can you give some insight into the process of creating this video? The ...
READ MORE >Grayson Gilmour is getting older. I say that not to be disrespectful, but because there’s something about his new album, ‘Otherness’, that feels more mature. Not mature in a way that goes to bed before 9pm, rather mature in a way that feels more assured, perhaps wiser, or unafraid of commitment – the kind synonymous with... self-knowledge? You can see I’m having trouble describing this record. I have trouble describing the person, too – it’s hard to describe a face when it’s buried ...
READ MORE >In autumn 2017, Chris Dent, lead singer/songwriter of Auckland trio Albi & The Wolves, embarked on an ambitious month-long European tour alongside former bandmate/friend Zarek Silberschmidt. Chris (Albi) kindly provided NZM with a glimpse into their tour diary – prefaced by some very helpful insights and tips for musical tourists. Alrighty. Before I start my story of the journey I embarked on the ‘Zarek and Albi’ tour, in which we performed 15 shows across three countries in Europe, ...
READ MORE >From farm to fame – you can do it letter-by-letter in just two steps – but real life is typically much more ponderous. As Sam Holdom discovers, it has so far taken southern songsmith Ciaran McMeeken only a remarkably few short years, but that time has seen him taking numerous smart and propulsive steps. Ciaran McMeeken by Ciaran McMeeken A wise man once said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For the journey that is Ciaran McMeeken’s self-titled, first full-length ...
READ MORE >Danny Ebdale, the lead singer and guitarist in well-received Auckland indie band Hospital Sports, has also quietly been working on his solo project – April's Fool – for the last five years. Hospital Sports is known for their delicate combination of emo and indie rock, with Ebdale exploring this sound further with April's Fool. Jean Bell sat down with him to discuss his involvement in both projects. Hospital Sports was formed when Danny Ebdale, Morgan Allen and Nick Prussing met and started ...
READ MORE >Look Blue Go Purple need no introduction as one of the most beloved groups to come out of Dunedin’s alternative pop/rock scene in the early 1980s. Having disbanded 30 years ago, they have recently reissued their three EPs (plus some additional live tracks) as a double LP called ‘Still Bewitched.’ It’s been well-received, charting in the top 10 of the NZ music charts, and early copies (released on Record Store Day) were on blue and purple vinyl, a nice touch. Amanda Mills talked with Francisca ...
READ MORE >Music Spaces is a new series by photographer and journalist Joel Thomas in which he visually explores the creative environment of local musicians. For the first instalment, he met up with indie RnB artist Louise Burling aka Tei at her home in Central Auckland. OMW by tei."There's a difference between performing and rehearsing, between writing and showcasing your work. There is a level of comfort in the spaces where musicians work on their music as the layer of performance is stripped away," ...
READ MORE >"It was a fundraiser for young Harry Waine (bassist Tony Waine’s son) who is shortly due to head off to Italy for the Junior world track cycling championship," photographer Trevor Villers explains, when emailing us his latest bounty; photos taken last week at Belmont Primary School in Auckland. On stage that night were Cherie Mathieson, Rikki Morris, Tony Waine, Harry Lyon, Rick Ball and Mark Steven.
READ MORE >Ten of NZ’s finest rock acts are set to shake the Kings Arms (AKL) on August 19 at Auckland City Rock Fest 2017. Ekko Park, Setting Fire To Stacey, Silence The City, Written By Wolves, Armed In Advance, Skinny Hobos, Dead Favours, Quinn The Human, Dead Beat Boys, and Coridian have often shared the stage in local shows and festivals over the years, but for the first time this batch of outstanding rock acts collaborate in a night celebrating community and comradery in the Auckland and even New ...
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