Inspired to build a legacy, Whanganui whānau band Come On Up perform a heartwarming fusion of reggae, gospel, R&B and soul. Rowie Martin is one of the founding members, and says Come On Up has been impatiently knocking on doors in the Aotearoa music scene over the past four years. As well as an occasional vocalist she is the six-piece act’s ‘manager extraordinaire’, and really the band mum, figuratively as well as in-part literally.
“Along with my husband, Gus Martin (saxophone), and our two brothers, James Paki (guitar) and Joel Paki (lead vocalist), we have created this feel good, positively charged, reggae fusion vibe that we can’t wait to share with the world,” she kicks off. “Backing our core members are our backbone and beauty, which includes the rastas Mikey Takao (bass), Gerry Waiwiri on drums, and Mihingarangi Martin, our soulful, sweet female vocals.”
Mihingarangi is also the youngest daughter Gus and Rowie… so yes, it’s a true whānau affair. In fact the group formed to record a tribute to late saxophonist Johnny Paki, the father of Gus, Joel and James.
“Our story begins from a bittersweet time, the loss of our father and the inspiration for our love of music as a whānau. It was his last wish for his sons to come together and recreate one of his songs, and a promise was made…
“We shared our first waiata in 2021, written originally by our Pāpā, Johnny Paki, and first featured on the ‘Muster’ album of the early 1980s, collated by the late Carl Perkins of House of Shem.”
That waiata was itself called Come on Up, and their tribute has led to the journey that Come on Up is currently four years into. Adopting the song’s name as the band’s official title in short order they recorded a self-titled five-song EP. That release won Best Roots Reggae Album by a Māori Artist at the 2022 Waiata Māori Music Awards.
Rowie says they were overwhelmed by the response from whānau, friends, supporters and the wider national and international listeners.
“This inspired us to follow on with this music legacy and fulfil a vision for sharing our many waiata that we had written ourselves.”
A second EP boldly titled ‘Fearless’ followed in mid-2023, with EP number three ‘Fyah-bration’ just a year later. Among that EP’s five tracks Come On Up attracted Te Māngai Pāho funding for their waiata Hine Ātaahua, as well as NZ On Air New Music Single funding for Fyah.
“We’ve worked consistently to secure funding in order to be productive without needing to gig too often, and having to sacrifice our personal finances to realise our dreams,” she says.
“As if we have not been blessed enough on this short but crazy good journey, we have been successful in securing more recognition from the Waiata Māori Music Awards, and brought home the Best Māori Urban Roots Reggae album award again for 2024. This has completely humbled us and we are truly grateful to our cohorts in the Aotearoa music industry for acknowledging our contribution and commitment to the quality of music in our country. ”
While spots at the major Kiwi summer festivals haven’t yet opened up, 2025 got off to a busy start with a range of events including the New Plymouth Festival of the Lights, NZ Masters Games celebrations and Te Matatini concert. In April another Come On Up single, Life, received $15,000 from the jointly-funded Waiata Takitahi funding pool, which requires a minimum of 25% te reo Māori in the song lyrics.
Life was written by the dad and daughter duo of Gus and Mihi, who wanted to showcase the celebration of life and living life to its fullest with the ones you love, and who support and protect you. The sentiment is richly evident, even more so in the song’s music video.
“They wanted to acknowledge that there are many challenges that families face in these times, but doing life together is a blessing and builds happiness and prosperity,” explains Rowie.
“And with the help of our brother Joel, who shaped the melody and sung the pre-chorus, we were also able to introduce reo Māori into the waiata. We were honoured to have the opportunity to collaborate with Canaan Ene, who co-produced our single and added a new dimension to the music.”
Videographer Whenu McKinnon produced the stunning music video set in some the beautiful locations around Rotorua. Rowie says he managed to catch them while they were having fun enjoying favourite places, with tourists included. Apparently Life almost didn’t make it in time for NZ On Air funding, as they realised, with an hour to go, that the demo vocals needed to be finished quick smart.
“Luckily Mihi was able to get them done in our very own home studio, ‘Boogieboom Studios’, and the application was sent in with only minutes to spare! Life has since become one of our most successful tracks to date, the YouTube views keep growing every day.”
Rowie is keen to acknowledge all the support that Come On Up have received on their journey so far.
“We have been fortunate enough to stand on stages alongside our inspirations and mentors, the likes of L.A.B, Tomorrow People, NLC and 1 Drop Nation, and it has been truly humbling. It’s only been four years, and we have managed to achieve so much because of those who believe in us and continue to help us. We are extremely thankful.”
