Initially attracting the post-punk tag, these days Ōtautahi four-piece Marsha better deserve an indie rock label, or maybe experimental rock given their previous single Carpet ran a full seven minutes. After independently releasing an album last year Pemmican is their second single of 2025. NZ On Air Music included it on the August NewTracks compilation.

Who’s in the band and what instruments do you each play?

Marsha consists of Sam Williams on lead vocals and guitar, Evan Oijordsbakken on bass and backing vocals, Milan Raxworthy on drums, and Felix Mendonça also on the guitar.

Any other projects that we might know members from?

All of the members of Marsha keep very active in the music scene. Milan plays in Cruelly in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara, Felix plays in Velveteen and Palo Alto, Evan plays in Velveteen and Abandoned Carparks, and Sam plays in Grift Horse.

What’s the background of how Marsha came to be? 

Marsha initially formed in the University of Canterbury scene way back in 2018. Sam, Felix, and Evan all played in bands at their high school back in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara, and coincidentally made the move to UC. We had a drummer called Jack Nolan for the first couple of years of Marsha, who Sam met at university halls. He had another band that also took up a lot of time, so he left and we eventually found Milan in 2020. It’s been us four since!

And how did you come to settle on the band name Marsha?

Picking a band name is hard! There were a couple of iterations, but we settled with the name Marsha after the Blam Blam Blam song Don’t Fight It Marsha, It’s Bigger Than Both of Us.

How has the band’s music evolved from the early days to now?

I like to think our music has evolved alongside how we have evolved personally. When Marsha started we we all 18 years old or so. Now that we are well into our mid twenties, I think our music reflects how we have matured and become more comfortable with our personal music tastes which comes through in our songwriting.

Aside from this release, what’s been the band’s highlight to date?

Playing at Twisted Frequency was a highlight for us. It was cool playing to a different crowd in the afternoon sun, then being able to have a night listening to a variety of musicians. We had always heard so many good things about the festival too, being able to experience as an artist for the first time was special.

What makes Pemmican stand out for you as a single?

It’s bright and poppy by our standards, but it also stays true to Marsha’s tendency to play with time signatures with the verse being in 7/4.

What is the story behind Pemmican?

That’s a secret.

What’s your favourite moment, musical or lyrical, of the song?

The noisy bridge bit where we all let loose for a few seconds.

Who did you record/produce the track with?

We wrote Pemmican collaboratively as a band and our good friend Ben Sinclair recorded and produced it for us. It was one of the first songs we wrote following the ‘In Circles’ stage of Marsha.

What would you like listeners to take away from the song?

It can be fun to blend pop hooks with some experimentation. There’s no reason they can’t coexist!

Who else is in your team? 

We are incredibly lucky to have met and worked with people who are equally if not more invested in making the Otautahi music scene as vibrant and accessible as possible. Eliza Williams and Zoe Hannay have done a lot of our artwork. Karyn Walley, Jack Lanham and Ben Sinclair have put heaps of time into recording and producing our songs. We manage ourselves which is a lot of work, but it’s a part of the grind as a local band.

Can you please name three other local tunes that would fit well on a playlist alongside your song. 

S.E.I.S.M.I.C – Interplanetary Colonization
Dale Kerrigan – Mornington Park
This Dog – Bug Eyed

Were there any key learnings from the release of your ‘In Circles’ album last year?

There was a lot about project management that we had to learn on the go whilst putting together and releasing ‘In Circles’. As we released it ourselves we had to ensure the all the moving pieces could fit into place. Keeping on top of communications and being proactive are things we will take into future releases.

Have any of your previous single releases been included on NewTracks? 

Nope, this is our first which is super exciting for us!

Have you previously received any NZOA funding? 

We haven’t received any NZOA funding but we recently applied for some. The hardest part is finding the time to work through the application ourselves and navigating the criterion. Being self-managed it can be difficult balancing managing the band, keeping track of all of the deadlines, and spending enough time at working making sure we can pay the bills.

Have you got any advice around seeking funding for others starting out?

Start early and record everything that you achieve. It can be a challenge finding detail from previous gigs/releases especially when they aren’t recent.

Are there any musical blogs, Youtube channels or podcasts you’re super into?

Mt Noise is a local podcast that is doing cool things. They’ve interviewed several key characters in the local scene and gives some great perspectives that aren’t often voiced out loud.

Where have your best gigs been?

Darkroom has always been a favourite of ours. They always look after us and we always have a good time. We also played an Eyegum night late last year up in Wellington at San Fran on a Wednesday. That will always be memorable given the unexpectedly energetic and eager crowd.

How can we find you on social media? 

Facebook
Instagram 
Bandcamp 

Any last words?

Thank you for letting us chat NZM, and thank you to everyone who has listened to us and supported us! Go and watch local music!