NewTracks New Artist: The Mentalist Collective
NewTracks New Artist: The Mentalist Collective
Mostly school teachers, hailing from a variety of southern hemisphere backgrounds, and aged around the 40 mark, The Mentalist Collective are a musically eclectic Ōtepoti songwriter five-piece, with roots going back almost two decades now. With a repertoire stretching from alternative rock across folk, blues and country, their recent single E Rere extends the band’s musical vocabulary into te reo Māori pop, in telling a very personal story. NZ On Air Music included the reo journey waiata on their April NewTracks compilation.
Who are the TMC members? Where are you each from, and what instruments do you play?
Current members are: Brendan Christie, from Dunedin, plays guitar, harmonica; Danie Urquhart, from Christchurch, plays ukelele; Ed Lobo, from Venezuela, plays drums; Rob Milne, from Dunedin, plays electric guitar; Scott Campbell, South Africa, plays bass.
Scott: On this release those are the instruments we play, but we are all multi-instrumentalists. Hence the name!
How fluid has the line up been over time?
Scott: The Mentalist Collective lineup originally started as a three-piece, The Mentalists, consisting of Brendan Christie, Scott Campbell, and Seamus McCarthy. The three had met through Dunedin College of Education and frequently performed at the same gigs in other bands.
After the release of their first EP in 2009, Seamus departed for Auckland, and Brendan for Europe. In 2012, when Brendan returned to Dunedin, the group restarted with Scott and Brendan. In 2014, Danie Erickson, Rob Milne and Simon Christie joined the band. Simon left in 2021 for family reasons and Ed Lobo joined the band in 2022. The lineup has been static since!
Where did the striking name come from?
Brendan: Way back in 2008 Scott and I put together a folky-acoustic trio with a mutual friend by the name of The Mentalists. Something about the name implied mystery and interpretation which we liked, plus it has a reference to “multi-instrumentalist” which fitted as we would each regularly pick up different instruments during gigs or recording. We released an EP (which I’m still really proud of) and then we all went our separate ways. I moved to London where I taught and performed music. Fast forward several years, Scott and I reunited and were determined to get back into writing music.
We didn’t want to be tied to traditional ‘band’ rules and genres as we wanted to try composing music with a variety of styles and influences. I was experimenting with developing online collaborative models where musicians can collaborate and compose music together, and this influenced how we wanted to share the role of composer. Rob, Danie and my brother Simon joined and we decided to call it The Mentalist Collective out of respect to this approach – we all share in the song writing and collaborate together. Simon left and Ed joined us and we’ve been comfortable in this group for the last five years.
How has the musical output changed over that band evolution?
Our sound has evolved significantly over the years. We started out quite acoustic-folk with elements of rock. Now we’re all over the place!
Brendan: What has been interesting is, despite us trying to ‘break the mould’ in terms of traditional band dynamics, the industry around us forces us to behave in the same way all musical artists do these days. Particularly with genre – there is significant demand for an artist to fit into a box; to stick to musical style, to sound like another artist and to stay in your lane so that marketing and delivering music to new audiences is made easier. This has always been a dilemma for us. Our music is, and continues to be, diverse.
From an artist’s perspective, this has been amazing. We’ve written music ranging from traditional folk love songs, to moody alternative rock, blues and country, and now pop ballads in te reo Māori. It’s really fun to experiment. From an audience’s perspective, it’s a pain in the ass. Simply put, finding people who are open to hearing and enjoying a wide range of styles is not easy.
What’s been the big highlight to date?
Rob: The release of the album and the release gig. A very proud moment for the band and the culmination/fruits of all our combined efforts over a number of years.
How often and where mostly do you get to perform live?
Ed: We play all around Dunedin, including various local festivals and city events. We go live online every time we can! My favourite song to perform for sure is Running Through Long Grass. It brings me to life. For a time we would put on concerts called Crossing Sounds, where our entire audience would be blindfolded before they entered the venue, and we’d perform acoustically around them while they were seated. Those shows suit our gentler music really well.
As a festival act The Mentalist Collective is best suited to festivals which provide a variety of music styles and atmospheres. Something like WOMAD or family-friendly folk festivals tend to fit with our style and following.
What made E Rere stand out for you as a single choice?
Danie: It wasn’t a conscious thought process and I didn’t give the band an option really. I had finished the foundation of the song and was scrolling Instagram when I saw Waiata Takitahi funding open. After checking we met the criteria, I started the paperwork and organised a time to record a demo with Brendan in our home studio. That night the rain hammered down on the tin roof but we got it recorded and sent. I guess with that process I declared E Rere was to be a single.
In all honesty I like the idea of releasing singles instead of larger bodies of work. Especially for us as a band as our genre and vibe can change so much song to song.
What is the story behind E Rere?
Danie: This was years in the making for me, but some songs are just like that. I wrote the song in English and translated it to the best of my ability. I was privileged to then sit down with Lorraine Johnston and discuss the meaning and intent of each line, sometimes each word to create the foundation of what has become E Rere.
As we worked together the song became a story of my reo journey. The people who have told me to give up, and the confusion that comes with growing up outside of te ao Māori. Where do I begin? Do I belong?
What’s your favourite moment, musical or lyrical, of the single?
Danie: Jennifer Cattermole came in to play taonga puoro, and hearing the different instruments while she was recording was very moving. Sometimes in life you feel like you are right where you are meant to be, and that was one of those moments for me.
Who did you record the single with?
Danie: We recorded at Te Korokoro o te Tūī at the University of Otago, with Hugh Harlow. It was a three day recording session, starting early and ending late.We did make it a lot of fun, and by the end of it we were so exhausted everything was funny. Brendan did a review for the coffee machine in the green room and we all celebrated when I finally sang “kāore” instead of “kiore” in the bridge!
What would you like listeners to take away from this song?
Danie: That whatever you are struggling with it’s okay to feel that way. It’s okay to ask “me pēhea au e mau ai ki te hauora hinengaro?” / “how do I stay sane?” in a world that seems to overwhelm and overstimulate us constantly. Find the connection and belonging that suits you, as the music video shows for this part in my journey it was whānau, both given and chosen.
Is there anyone else in your team?
We had language consultants Lorraine Johnston and Hana Mereraiha. Stephen Hillman who was in charge of the music video and also took some documentary style shots of us recording which will be released at some point. Jennifer Cattermole came into the studio to record taonga puoro. Māori Mermaid created the single artwork with creative freedom by listening to the song and pondering its meaning.
Your ‘Signal Hill’ album was released in 2023. What was the goal in going through that process?
Brendan: By the time ‘Signal Hill’ came out, we were long overdue to release some music. We all really wanted to share a fraction of the compositions we had completed, and the album marked a milestone for the journey we had all been through together.
Budget, time and Covid complications, along with a fast-changing music world, forced us to complete the project almost entirely ourselves. Access to industry opportunities can be quite limiting outside of Auckland, and Dunedin is no exception. We were always really appreciative during NZ Music Month when specialists would tour the country providing much needed expertise and advice. Releasing the album, and celebrating the enormous amount of work that goes into these things, was hugely rewarding and we’re really proud of it.
Touring has always been a challenge for us, especially making it to the North Island. We have a large group with complicated arrangements, we all work inflexible day jobs which carry high responsibility, and are in varying stages of family commitment. Despite this, we are all incredibly passionate about music and do our best to bring ours to new audiences.
Can you please name three other local tunes that would fit well on a playlist alongside your song.
Julian Temple Band – Satellite
Ha the Unclear – Growing Mould
IVY – Heartless
E Rere received Waiata Takitahi funding of $15k. What added extras did that allow for?
Rob: Getting to work with a producer in a world class studio was such a privilege. Being able to have someone unbiased outside of the tight circle of the band that could use fresh ears and good judgement to get the best of the song and the performers made a huge difference to the outcome. And for making the video of course.
Have you previously been on New Tracks or received NZ On Air funding?
Danie: No, I’m always keeping an eye on criteria and making band goals to meet them, but it took a while to get to that point. This was our first application so it felt like sending it off into space never to hear about it again.
The first time I checked the release of Waiata Takitahi funding I scanned the list and thought, ‘Oh that’s okay’ a little disappointed but also it’s what I expected. For some reason I thought ‘just look again’ and right at the bottom of the list was ‘The Mentalist Collective – E Rere’ and I was so excited I was beside myself! I rang Brendan and he didn’t answer so I just started ringing people until I could reach someone to share my overwhelming excitement with. I spent days thinking we would get another email saying it was a mistake, I’m so thankful it wasn’t.
With so many school teachers in the band are there any issues getting past academic discussions and into the songwriting/rehearsal phases?
Brendan: When it comes to songwriting, we love an academic discussion. Making our songs ‘human’ is something we love to aim for – re-finding what mood or concepts we’re exploring. We’ve developed a really good relationship where we are able to freely discuss a song and challenge each other.
Rob: We’re so into just making the next step (songwriting, recording, rehearsing), that education is only a topic that comes up when there are big things happening, such reports or curriculum changes, union negotiations etc. However it is something that helps bond us and makes us like-minded. In some ways music is an escape from everyday stresses, including work.
Who did you make the video with?
Danie: Stephen Hillman created our music video. Because of the intense hopelessness of the song I wanted the music video to juxtapose it with connection, hope and whānau. I had this concept of a fly on the wall of my family, and he did so well being thrown into it.
I wanted it to symbolise my children seeing the generations before them reconnect with our whenua, awa, and walk towards and through the discomfort of what we have lost. However, I don’t show my sons face online, so how do we create a video where the main character is the one who can’t be shown? It brought some hilarious moments as Archer became friends with Stephen, he would look at him (and the camera) all the time creating the cutest cuts.
Literally all the shots with my family were fun because we spent days together filming and actually spending quality time together. While most see actors on a screen, I see my family being vulnerable, laughing and enjoying each other.
One fun moment for the band scene was when we were recording we decided to try 2 x speed, and I imagine most of the people at Chingford Park heard the weirdest version of E Rere through the trees, having no concept of what was going on!