Dateline: Dumb For Their Age?
Indie pop supergroup Dateline is the project of Hastings singer-songwriter Katie Everingham. She writes the songs, but brings in some of the local indie scene’s best musicians to put her ideas into practice. ...
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Les Baxters: Les Baxters
This self-titled album by Les Baxters is reminiscent of many things. First and foremost for me it’s a strange night out during a Christchurch winter, evoking the feeling of flashing lights and a head ...
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News
2021 APRA Professional Development Award Recipients
The 2021 APRA Professional Development Award recipients have been announced with Emi Pogoni, Jolyon Mulholland, Lisa Crawley, Maree Sheehan, Phodiso Dintwe and Valentine Nixon rewarded. Every two years the PDAs are presented to NZ songwriters and composers who have demonstrated a passionate work ethic in their field, alongside a commitment to their craft through discipline and motivation. Recipient get a prize of $5000 intended to help emerging artists engage in songwriting workshops, music ...
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2021 North Shore Schools Songwriting Competition Winners
The winners of the 2021 North Shore Schools Songwriting Competition have been announced, the first of a new annual event run by Depot Sound Recording Studio. Fifty-one songs were submitted from bands and solo artists across North Shore intermediate and secondary schools, with Takapuna Grammar's Freya taking out the Secondary award for her song Warm and Northcross Intermediate School's Cameron Beattie the Intermediate gong for his song Who Needs You. Both winners will receive two days of studio ...
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Play Live? Submit Your Performance Reports!
If you play live and are an APRA member you can now submit Performance Reports year-round, and get paid for those gigs in a quarterly cycle. Performance reports tell APRA when, where and what you’ve performed so they can accurately pay out live performance royalties. Previously done once a year, Performance Report earnings will now be paid quarterly, giving more flexibility to musicians and also making the admin process easier. There's no cut-off date for Performance Report submission, do ...
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Nominations Open For 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards. Nominations for musicians, producers, engineers and visual artists can be put forward. Awards are open to those New Zealand artists who have had recordings commercially released between August 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021. The nomination window will close on July 30, with the finalists to be announced in September, and the awards themselves to be presented in November at the Aotearoa Music Awards and the Artisan Awards. For more information ...
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Interviews
Adam Hattaway: Probably Quite Genuine
Woolston, Christchurch. The home base of musician and songwriter Adam Hattaway of Adam Hattaway And The Haunters, the city’s most exciting – and only – alternative rock’n’roll band. Since their first album back in 2018, ‘All Dat Love’, the quartet have steadily grown their fanbase and developed their sound. 2021 sees them releasing ‘Woolston, Texas’ which as Hattaway tells Amanda Mills, is an album that’s half about having dark thoughts, with the other half about nostalgia and ...
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Poetik: Keeping It Level
Ventry Parker, aka Poetik, respects the rap game, and if anything, it is this respect which he attempts to outline in his latest single Bosslane, a track he describes as being about levels. Sam Smith caught up with him for NZM about this entry track to his June 25-released album. Made with the support of NZ On Air Music. “There are levels of respect, there are levels of hustle, there are levels of work, and a lot of people who don’t know the game, or the rules to the game, fail to see ...
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Anna Hawkins: The Dreamer Within
With the April release of ‘Dreamer’ Anna Hawkins has delivered four richly-voiced LPs since 2013. ‘Be it pop, show musical theatre, classical opera, folk, Celtic, her voice enfolds and enhances all musical material that crosses her path,’ notes an earlier NZM review. Her first album was named ‘Journey On’, and with each subsequent release her progression on that journey has been evidenced in the changing musical focus, as well as by the growing confidence and inclusion of her own songwriting. ...
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NewTracks New Artist: And That
Born in Kawakawa and Northland-raised, indie singer-songwriter Scott Cleary made his start in music as a member of the super-successful 2010-ish power pop group Kingston. These days he calls LA home and musically is going it alone with a low-pressure project curiously called And That. His new single Sailing Again featured as part of NZ On Air Music's NewTracks compilation this June. What’s your full name, where are you from and what instruments do you play? Scott Cleary. I was born in Kawakawa ...
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Lips: Moving Uptempo
Your Deodorant Doesn’t Work. That’s the quirky title of indie-pop duo Lips’ new song as they enter album-release mode for the first time with an 11-track offering badged ‘I Don’t Know Why I Do Anything.’ Sam Smith spoke to Lips members Steph Brown and Fen Ikner about the duo’s change of deodorant, errr… direction it represents. Made with the support of NZ On Air. Written during Covid-enforced lockdown, Steph Brown explains they were both listening to a lot of standup comedy to ...
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Merk: Bedroom Universe Of Blurry Transitions
Had you asked a year ago, Mark Perkins was excited. His solo music project, Merk, had gained momentum, fast. So fast the musician had tickets booked for an overseas tour, Austin’s 2020 SXSW festival on his itinerary and discussions on releasing his sophomore album internationally looked promising. That was all before what came next. Fourteen months later he readily admits to Justin Hu that lockdown sucked, but he is catching up, reflecting and getting around to releasing his coming-of-age album ...
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NewTracks New Artist: Pull Down The Sun
Pull Down The Sun are a metal band from Whanganui who describe their sound as atmospheric and groove-heavy music, shaped and inspired by the curious history and scenic nature of Aotearoa. They released their debut album, ‘Of Valleys and Mountains’, in late 2020, and the title track features as part of NZ On Air Music's NewTracks compilation this June. Guitarist Koert Wegman talked about the song, band and album with NZM. Of Valleys and Mountains by Pull Down the Sun What's your full name, ...
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Event Guide
Valere Chroma Tour, Winter 2021
The last time NZM spoke to Shana Graham, aka Valere, she had just released her second EP, titled ‘Blue’. Having graduated from Auckland University's pop music degree the singer-songwriter found that the EP particularly resonated with listeners in the Phillippines, where she was born. These days Kirikiriroa/Hamilton-based, Valere’s in the middle of touring her first full album ‘Colours’, another vibrant alt-pop offering, nationwide. Time for a quick catch up! June 25, Auckland June ...
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The Chills, Auckland, Powerstation, May 14, 2021
On May 14, photographer Trevor Villers went out to capture The Chills at Auckland's Powerstation, supported by a stellar line-up consisting of fellow jangle legends The Bats, and the Coromandel Peninsula's ethereal duo Purple Pilgrims.
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Mansfield: In Her Own Words in June
Postponed last year due to Covid restrictions, the very special live concert performances of Mansfield – In Her Own Words have been confirmed for two new dates in June 2021. Curated by Charlotte Yates and released in February 2020, the compilation album ‘Mansfield’ finds a suitably fine collection of NZ musicians interpreting the words of author and poet Katherine Mansfield into contemporary music. Mansfield – In Her Own Words is a live concert version of the album, and will see ...
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