Brendan Pyper: Up The Anti EP
Sure, New Zealand has enjoyed its share of pop boy bands over the past decades, but if there’s been a homegrown Justin Timberlake that has popped out of the pack before now, then sorry, I missed him. ...
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Sam Cullen: Chat Up Lines
Sam Cullen is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and Rockquest alumni, currently studying music at university in Wellington. Last year he was funking up the lounge dancefloor with Shut The Door, ...
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News
2020 Pacific Music Awards To Go Ahead In September
The Pacific Music Awards Trust are very happy to announce that the 2020 Pacific Music Awards will go ahead as a (scaled back) live event on Wednesday, September 30, at the BNZ Theatre, Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau. The ceremony will be streamed live on the night and also will be filmed for broadcast as a television special on Tagata Pasifika on October 10. Acknowledging the 2020 finalists for their patience and understanding while options for this year's awards were worked through, the Trust ...
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2020 Waiata Māori Music Awards Nominations Open With Māori Music Month
August 1 marked the start of the fifth annual Te Marama Pūoro Waiata Māori - Māori Music Month, designed to nurture, grow and inspire up and coming performers and established artists alike. The start of the month also marked the opening of nominations for the 2020 Waiata Māori Music Awards. The awards celebrate music released in the year to June 2020 and artists can submit their work via the Waiata Maori Music website – nominations close on August 31. A panel of independent judges will ...
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New Music Single July 2020 Funding Results
Results are in for the New Music Single July 2020 funding round – the first singles round since NZ On Air were allocated additional budget to invest in New Music, via the Arts Recovery Package announced by the Government in late-May. Recipients now receive a $10,000 grant towards the costs of recording, video content and promotion for their single release, including a new 10% artist creation fee. In another new initiative Single funding recipients are also now offered a $500 additional allowance ...
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Music Venue Infrastructure Fund Open
Local music venues can now apply to the NZ Music Commission for the NZ Music Venue Infrastructure Fund. The contribution supports the infrastructure costs for original NZ music performance venues across the country. Applications will be open until 12 August 2020, or until the Fund is fully distributed (which may be before that date). Applications are encouraged from venues outside of the main centres to support ongoing domestic live touring, both nationally and in the regions. Criteria include ...
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Observation Posts
Vanessa McGowan: Without Live Music, Who Am I?
Well folks, it’s been quite a year… and we’re only halfway through! I’ve already written about the Corona-crisis and how much life has changed in the last few months. I’ve also written about my first efforts to keep myself musically engaged and productive through this period; setting up a pretty decent home studio and working remotely with friends and colleagues for fun and (sometimes) money. So many of us right now are doing whatever we can to survive, unable to perform music because ...
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NewTracks New Artist: Hina
Aucklander Amy Boroevich performs as Hina. She was was lucky enough to be part of Pao Pao Pao music mentoring programme last year under the tutelage of (naming but a few) Ria Hall, Seth Haapu and Francis Kora. NZ On Air Music picked the resulting single Scratch for their New Tracks compilation this August. Officially the song will be out this Friday, but we're pleased to premiere it here today! What's your given name, where are you from and what instruments do you play? My name is Amy Boroevich. ...
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Madeleine Howard’s Mixtape
On July 31, Christchurch songwriter Madeleine Howard released Reaching Out, the third single from her upcoming September-release EP. Produced by Nomad's Will McGillivray, the song is special to her. "It's about two people who I was once really close with, and for various reasons have since drifted from. The song is my way of essentially reaching out to them." As lovers of a good playlist, we asked her to weave one around the new song, and give some of her picks a bit of personal context for us. ...
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Aotearoa’s musical hotbed is benefitting from a wave of songwriters, artists and producers who are now releasing music here, with the creative plus of having lived a part of their lives in environments quite outside of the norm for locally-born-and-raised Kiwis. Auckland student Aidan Fine is one such – indeed as a musician, he slips into all three categories – and has just released mellow hip hop track, Deadroses, that he sees as a milestone of his fledgeling career. NZ On Air Music liked ...
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InDuna: The Underdog Steps Out
Previously performing under his first name, Tyson Nemukula has recently changed his stage persona to InDuna. Prolific in writing and recording, this June he is following up his under-the-radar-gem debut EP, 'Dreams Of An Underdog', with a new single. Black Man Running is a hard-hitting track born out of real-life childhood experiences on the streets of South Africa. Since we've last talked you've changed your stage name from Tyson to InDuna - what does that stand for? The word 'induna' ...
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Frills: Coming Back Down Under
Kiwi indie-pop duo Frills introduced themselves to the Brooklyn (NYC) scene with a run of catchy-as-hell singles starting in 2017 with debut track, My Love, which quickly drew media praise and millions of Spotify streams. More smartly-named songs including Drunk Girls, Drunk Boys and She's Got Love followed two years ago now, but there's been little news since. Former Midnight Youth guitarist Simon Oscroft, and Dan Gibson (Kingston, Streets of Laredo) wisely chose to remain down under post-summer, ...
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Kora: Polishing The Brass
Let's admit that this one didn't exactly sneak up on us. Following nationwide shows last summer, the legend that is Kora are back with their first studio material since 2012, ready to be released in the shape of a new EP in the coming months. Lead single Secret Lover is out now, alongside an outrageously wicked video alluding to an office-based military regime, in the sweetest possible way. We caught up with frontman Francis Kora to find out more. Where are you at personally and professionally, ...
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Event Guide
Event Guide: Live Vibes w/ The Vibes, Strangely Arousing & Otium
How about recreating that cushy, cruisey, comfy lockdown feeling one more time, but this time with live sets by full bands you can stream from the convenience of your home sofa! Bringing you the full groove online at Live Vibes will be a line up consisting of Auckland X-factor funksters The Vibes, Strangely Arousing (Rotorua) and Otium (Whangarei), whose combined you-gotta-see-this live shows will be broadcast on Freeview Channel 200, as well as various social media channels, including NZM's own ...
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Gig Guide: Park Rd, Arlo Mac & There’s A Tuesday
Teenage Auckland band Park Rd have a very real mission: they believe that music can form a lifeline to those who feel lost or alone, especially young people like themselves. Their own special all-ages Level 1 celebratory gig is on Saturday June 27th at the Tuning Fork in Auckland, along with fellow Smokefree Rockquest finalists Arlo Mac and There’s a Tuesday. Tickets are on sale from Moshtix for just $15 – and they can’t wait to see you there. Released just ahead of NZ's Covid-19 lockdown, ...
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Gig Guide: Kerryn Fields, Auckland June 19
Award-winning alt-country singer/songwriter Kerryn Fields is back in the country from Melbourne to play a one-off solo show at Auckland's Wine Cellar on June 19. Rascal by Kerryn Fields Drawing comparisons with the likes of timeless creators, Cat Stevens, Townes Van Zandt, Joan Baez, and Neil Young, Fields’ trademark warmth of character - evident in both life and music - fuels a creative offering that’s equal parts captivating, refined and heartrendingly insightful. Tickets are available ...
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