NewTracks New Artist

The drive and prolific output of Whakatū high school student Alyahna Sanson-Rejouis, featured with her band Jola Burns in NZM's December/January 2024 print issue, is rather remarkable. Aged 15 and now ...

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Fresh Talent

Philippine-born artist Marie Gaabucayan has released music under several different names in the past, but having settled into the performer guise of Ray Leslie the talented and dynamic Tāmaki Makaurau ...

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On Foreign Soil

China has always held a great fascination for me. My grandfather Yee Jeng Keng was born in Ghangzhou in 1915 and came to New Zealand as a young man, then again in the 1940s when he started a family. He ...

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Interviews

For the past decade Shana Graham has released music under the name Valere, consistently delivering innovative electro-pop that is at once catchy and vulnerable. In March 2024 the Aotearoa-Filipino artist ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Ain't So Bad is the latest single by Ōtautahi DnB producer duo Mish & Greeen, real names Alex Wilton and Nigel Greene. Featuring local singer Ciara Comber the song's self-reflective but positive vibe ...

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My Song

2023 Smokefreerockquest winning Tāmaki Makaurau band Parkdale are on a bit of a roll, with their third single, the energetic Hesitate out now. It's their first as a four-piece - made up of newcomer Liam ...

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Interviews

As if Te Matau-a-Maui wasn't already punching well above its weight in the music and arts scene, Flaxmere College and Tamatea High School have just produced Tangata Beats-winning band Te Whānau Puoro. ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Alexander Grant performs music as Xuzz. His new single Mississippi can provide the right alt-pop vibes for any happy moment that requires a quick boogie, and NZ On Air Music added the song to their NewTracks ...

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Interviews

AONZ-Indonesian singer Julia Corciulo has been making a name for herself as the smooth and sassy vocalist of Ōtautahi duo Shared Soul. Recently, Corciulo has branched out into a solo career under the ...

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NewTracks New Artist

South African-born RnB singer Keshia Paulse splashes elegantly into the local scene under her own name with a Mazbou Q-produced single Bitter, a song reminding people it's okay to be just that from time ...

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Fresh Talent

Ben and Barney Connolly, along with Tane Cotton hail "pretty much from Ōtepoti". Devolving from various prior bands with names like Blisspoint, Shrimp!, Carmina and The Rhododendrons ("it's complicated") ...

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Ex-Pat Files

The offspring of Kiwi pop royalty in musician/producer Ian Morris and singer Kim Willoughby,  Julia Morris and her twin sister Maude briefly had a pop act called Lexxa, dating back to 2018. Five years ...

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Interviews

Elena Laota put her second round of NZOA funding to great use with her new single Mood. Written by South Auckland soul singer-songwriter Jeremiah Fale, aka Hales, and produced by her manager Edy Liu ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Coming from a background of session music and cover gigs, husband-and-wife duo Rā Toia-Booth and Hayden Booth have turned towards performing their original material that come with a chilled-out reggae ...

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Te Whanganui-a-Tara-based for university studies, singer-songwriter Ruby Coley is finally dipping her toes into releasing her own music with debut single Devil On My Shoulder. NZ On Air Music featured ...

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Industry

What better way to release some of the anxiety in these crazy times than through music? And as an artist, why not scream your message from the rooftops through songs exploring your worries and hopes for ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Ōtautahi-based five-piece Castaway started out jamming in their dorm while studying at the University of Canterbury. Supernova is the first single from their second EP, due later in the year, and NZ ...

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Fresh Talent

Deriving their name from the guitarist/lead singer's nickname at school, S-B (for Alex Scott-Billing), charismatic and eccentric heptet Esbee has brought a new jazz-variant sound onto the Te Whanganui-a-Tara ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Catching the wave of up-and-coming surfy indie pop artists, Ōtepoti quartet Cruze Control work hard to keep the local jangle alive and bring the good vibes. Their latest single When I Land featured on ...

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Interviews

When two high school friends started jamming at Saint Kentigern College in Pakuranga, Tāmaki Makaurau, little did they suspect eight years later they would be working with one of Aotearoa's biggest music ...

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Interviews

When two fun-loving young artists join forces, the result is a breezy but undeniably funky burst of energy that sounds like summer. The artists in question, singer Mia Söhnge, alias Miakie, and producer ...

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Industry

The Stomach is 35 years old, and manager Abi Symes says enthusiastically that they're ready for "whatever!" Local legend musician Bing Turkby kindly handled the forensic investigation of this legendary, ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Hailing from a rural township in the Waikato, singer-songwriter Sophie Brown is now living in London. An NZ On Air Development grant meant she was able to receive help with production and mentorship from ...

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NewTracks New Artist

The first wave of performers who are Girl Rock Camp Aotearoa alumni are now emerging, and Mount Maunganui artist Frankie Venter is one of them. Her latest release, the plainly-spoken and catchy Leyla, ...

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Interviews

Emotive heartbreak ballad Not Done Loving showcased the strong, sweet-toned voice and vulnerability of her songwriting when Mozie first appeared on the scene in 2022. Her second single Sonshine continues ...

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Interviews

Establishing herself with a 2020 debut EP ‘Messy Mind,’ Lilly Carron ’s artistic voice is dreamy, atmospheric, and intimately introspective. Her first single of 2024, the boldly existential Wild ...

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Interviews

The Blunt Dog sound is unadorned. Almost naively simple but oddly-named singles from the indie folk four-piece's debut album 'How Is A Dog So Honest?', released in July 2023, did notably well on SRN radio ...

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Interviews

Shepherds Reign are a Kiwi heavy metal band from the Polynesian stronghold suburbs of Tāmaki Makaurau. The band have reached a pivotal point in their career with the 2023 release of their sophomore album ...

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Interviews

Aja Wairere Ropata has had a long and rewarding live career, both as part of the group Aio and, since they disbanded, as solo artist Aja. Recent years have seen the Te Whanganui-a-Tara artist make her ...

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Interviews

Alex Pierre Amosa isn’t afraid to reach for the stars. Performing professionally as Zanderr Pierre, the ambitious young NZ-Samoan’s latest single is You Don’t Feel, an emotive house-influenced ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Starting out as a bunch of mates planning to jam Kings Of Leon style material, Te Wanganui-a-Tara four-piece Wet Denim have turned into something of a live phenomenon, touring countrywide, earning support ...

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NewTracks New Artist

With the name ingeniously provided by a band name generator, Te Whanganui-A-Tara alt-rock four-piece Dave And The Dirty Humans don't actually have a band member called Dave, but instead an increasing number ...

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NewTracks New Artist

From small local shows around her Waiheke home, pop artist Sahara Adams has moved via studying pop music at  Auckland Uni into working with local producers Will Henderson and Joel Jones, slowly gathering ...

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My Song

Shaped by long walks through the English capital that's currently home, Kiwi singer-songwriter Kylie Price describes her latest single In The Crowd as the beginning of her "London catalogue". NZM asked ...

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Interviews

With a bunch of singles that have collectively gained millions of Spotify streams, the latest slice of energetic pop from now Aussie-based Bexy Shingleton is ear catchingly-named Screaming In Your Driveway. ...

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Interviews

Mohi Allen (and co-writers) won the 2023 APRA Maioha Award in October, the smooth-voiced neo soul artist pipping the Tuari Brothers and good friend Jordyn With A Why for the trophy. Later that month, Mohi ...

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Interviews

Moving from Australia 17 years ago, Tāmaki Makaurau producer and DJ Daniel Matthews, aka Dan Aux, is no stranger to working with name Kiwi acts. Artists who have sung to his beats include the likes of ...

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Interviews

Previously the frontman/essence of underground Tāmaki Makaurau punk act Roidz, Daniel Smith took a well-earned break from music over a few years since 2019 and has re-emerged, re-imagined as DC Maxwell, ...

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Interviews

When UCSA event, the Tea Party was cancelled due to Covid in 2021, four close mates decided to put on their own show at a party in Ōtautahi. Unexpectedly hundreds of people showed up, and it was the genesis ...

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Interviews

Tāmaki Makaurau alt-rock outfit Repairs is made up of Martin Phillips (guitar, vocals), Nicola Edwards (bass, vocals) and James Milne on drums. Since they formed in 2017, the has been committed to delivering ...

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On Foreign Soil

In June, when Mim Jensen found out she was going to be performing at the first ever SXSW Sydney, she was in Brisbane, visiting her dad. Mim describes the news as immediately exciting and daunting all at ...

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Interviews

All the Nadia Reids, Aldous Hardings and Tiny Ruins start somewhere in small venues across Aotearoa. Picked up by student radio, fellow musicians' whispers, and word-of-mouth would carry reviews of their ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Whakatāne singer-songwriter Eve Kelly has been working with producers Hales and Christian Tjandrawinata in Tāmaki Makaurau. Her latest pop single Boy has a breezy, summertime, falling-in-love vibe that NZ ...

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Fresh Talent

Te Whanganui-A-Tara artist Bailey Talamasina will be releasing her debut album in early 2024, bringing her growing audience more of the psychedelic electronica that's found a place on Spotify's New Music ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Determined and evidently well-connected, Hawkes Bay rock act Black Smoke Trigger have come a long way from their earliest days in Napier. Aiming for distant shores the band has great streaming numbers, ...

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Industry

Formerly known as the Broadcasting Commission, NZ On Air is an autonomous Crown entity responsible for funding support for broadcasting and creative works in Aotearoa, with annual revenue of around $180M ...

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NewTracks New Artist

While 'new' isn't quite the right word to describe Tāmaki Makaurau emcee Shirl'e Fruean, aka Queen Shirl'e, she is likely new to many people outside of her south Auckland community, where she is indeed ...

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Interviews

Although Katchafire’s classic Working is now over a decade old, its infectious hook and timeless themes of toil and oppression make it still relevant today and tomorrow. Tāmaki Makaurau rappers Ranuimarz ...

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Interviews

Prolific alternative pop duo/couple The Response blend electronic minimalism with cultivated pop sensibilities. Widely respected for their honest, often introspective songwriting, their more recent sound ...

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My Song

Tokoroa neo-soul RnB artist Uncle Is, aka Israel Vano-Storer, released heartfelt feel-good single Walk Through, dedicated to his partner, just in time for the summer holidays. The song's intimate narrative ...

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On Foreign Soil

In October 2023 Australian children's music artists Benny Time, Angie Who and Tina and Mark Harris (Lah Lah) invited Chris Lam Sam, Lucy Hiku, and Claudia Robin Gunn over for Major Minor Music Australia’s ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Formerly combining as The O'Neill Twins, Brooke and Starcia O'Neill recently rebranded to using their first names in order to publish their sleek RnB tunes featuring fine-tuned vocals that weave through ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Well known as a tāmoko artist, former Te Tai Rāwhiti boy Reece Campbell also has considerable talent in music production, along with fronting reggae act Bradamon Band. Following a debut single recorded ...

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Interviews

Eleven years and four albums into his career, NZ-Tongan singer-songwriter/producer Swiss (real name Sioeli Manu) continues to reach for new sounds. October 2023 saw the release of Last Song, a lushly produced ...

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NewTracks New Artist

You might well have heard Nyree Huyser singing before, for instance as one of the backing singers on Tami Neilson's 2020 modern classic 'Chickaboom!', without knowing whose that beautiful voice is. Following ...

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Interviews

Jordyn Rapana, who performs under the snappy moniker Jordyn with a Why, last spoke to NZM in 2022 about her second single, Brown Melodies. One year and several singles on, the singer-songwriter’s latest ...

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My Song

You may remember Ōtautahi singer-songwriter Amber Carly Williams from TVNZ's last season of Popstars, which included other strong talent like Jason Parker, Christabel Williams and Avya Trotter. In October ...

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Interviews

In addition to work with acts such as @Peace, Avantdale Bowling Club and Julien Dyne, Christoph James has an extensive solo catalogue under his belt. The Auckland producer, who goes by the name Christoph ...

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Interviews

Recording and performing over the previous few years as Jeivenchy, Filipino Kiwi singer-songwriter Jeiel Ian Veloria told NZM in mid-2022 he hoped that through his music people will find themselves empowered ...

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Features

Recording and performing under her first name, Avya Trotter-Hlavac writes carefully refined songs that are vulnerable, personal and emotionally moving. Avya’s latest single, Teach Me To Dance, sees her ...

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Interviews

Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Actually Heidi Simpson featured as a NZ Musician NewTracks' artist three years back, but then it was as half of Tāmaki Makaurau teen pop duo Laiika, alongside Grace Moller. Recording under her own name ...

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NewTracks New Artist

With three from three of his singles finding their way onto a NewTracks playlist Tāmaki Makaurau DnB producer Isdale quite reasonably presumes he's doing it right. Inspired by music of The Upbeats his ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Singing her latest single entirely in Te Reo Māori is a highlight in itself for Kāwhia artist Manuka, and any lack of understanding of the lyrics to E Te Tau is no impediment to listeners' enjoyment ...

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Event Guide

Prolific Tāmaki Makaurau saxophonist Thabani Gapara is about to embark on his Mwana Wevhu tour, a celebration of Southern African jazz infused with the rhythms of central and southern Africa, intertwined ...

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Interviews

Denelle Bhagwandhin traces his aspirations to be a recording artist back to when he started writing and producing music in high school. Performing as Denel his June 2022 single Make It Right introduced ...

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NewTracks New Artist

If a band pooling their creative resources to create a 'Beatles/Wiggles format indie quartet' sounds like you, meet Te Whanganui-a-Tara four-piece Macho Macho who have done just that, tearing themselves ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Hard to believe that her new EP 'Love Never Adds Up' is Tāmaki Makaurau singer-songwriter Tsenate Akebergne's first release, with confident single Girl 132 picked for NZ On Air Music's NewTracks compilation ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Tāmaki Makaurau singer-songwriter Edward Etuale aka Ed.e has been involved with music for much of his life, but lately has moved from classical singing and choirs to create contemporary RnB. The title ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Ōtautahi singer-songwriter Hannah Everingham released Mercury, the first single of her upcoming second album, in August this year. With a sound reminiscent of Tiny Ruins and Nadia Reid it's little surprise ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Formerly Fire For Glory, Tāmaki Makaurau pop punk band Stray Dogs have reinvented themselves for the release of their 2023 album 'Stay Loyal' with a rebooting of their sound from way back when. The four-piece ...

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Interviews

Singer-songwriter Luca Georgalli is gifted with a distinctive, hauntingly expressive voice. Recording as Luca George the former Wanaka (now Tāmaki Makaurau) artist has been making waves with his debut ...

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Interviews

Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens ...

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Interviews

Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens ...

READ MORE >

My Song

Flying Man is the stage name of Irish-born guitarist and singer-songwriter Alan Ned Gray. Sitting firmly in an intelligent corner of the electro-acoustic realm playing programmed beats, live-looping and ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Tāmaki Makaurau singer-songwriter Rachel Hamilton is already fully embedded in our local music industry, both on stages and behind the scenes. With a debut EP under her artist name Bridges scheduled ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Along with fronting young Auckland indie band Ulterior Motive, 18-year-old singer-songwriter Phoenix Simpson recently started creating and releasing music under his own name, stylised to Phnx. His poppy, ...

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Interviews

Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens ...

READ MORE >

Interviews

Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens ...

READ MORE >

NewTracks New Artist

Hawke's Bay four-piece Tyley Burkin, Glen Pettitt, Zoe Bower and Liv Strawbridge have been intertwined through various musical projects for a while, eventually combining their skills in Lizard Prom which ...

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NewTracks New Artist

With some of the vocals recorded on the side of SH1 it's remarkable how Waikato indie rock six-piece Rat Café have been able to achieve such an overall clean sound on their latest single Kino Club, drawn ...

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Interviews

Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens ...

READ MORE >

Interviews

Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens ...

READ MORE >

Interviews

It may well be hard to find a more balanced and composed pop star-in-the-making, but heading off to Australia in the middle of last year Riiki Reid suffered of an uncharacteristic emotional meltdown. A ...

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Interviews

Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens ...

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Interviews

A self-proclaimed shapeshifter, singer-songwriter and producer Rose Windeler, aka Hybrid Rose, has refined and redefined her sound over the past seven years and five albums, taking a turn for the dark ...

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Interviews

The unlikely pairing of hip hop producer Haz Beats (real name Harry Huavi) and electropop singer-songwriter Miloux (Rebecca Melrose) has already found commercial success, with their 2019 debut EP ‘Blonde’ ...

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NewTracks New Artist

A sweet electro-pop tune that turns grimy with a dark edge - that's so on brand for Vana, the project of Yvonne Winckel. TheTāmaki Makaurau artist's new single Prettyboy! made it onto NZ On Air Music's ...

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Interviews

Tic Tac Toe kicked things off for No Comply. That was the name of their debut single back in March 2020, and it's fair to say the Blackwood brothers, Ethan and Fynn, bring a strong air of play when performing ...

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Interviews

Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens ...

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Fresh Talent

“These six songs are like an introduction to the inner workings of my brain; they lay bare how I think, love, dream and hope.” That’s emerging Bengali-NZ artist/singer-songwriter Sabreen Islam talking ...

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Interviews

Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens ...

READ MORE >

NewTracks New Artist

Hailing from South Africa, the now Te Whanganui-a-Tara-based singer extraordinaire Tuseka Njoko artistically goes by the name Tusekah. Her recently released third solo single, the soulful I Ain't Waiting ...

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Interviews

Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens ...

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Mixtapes

Celebrating the release of her spicy second EP, 'Cinnamon', NZM asked Annemarie Duff, who performs under the name T.G. Shand, to compile a mixtape with favourites of old and new to get us in the mood ...

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Interviews

Hone Hurunui-Pirini is off to a promising start in his career, with over one million streams on his first song Don't You Remember and a supportive following on social media. The Ōtautahi singer's latest ...

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NewTracks New Artist

Producer and multi-instrumentalist Callum Mower, aka Serebii, has been collecting credits for his work alongside other artists, including young jazzer Arjuna Oakes, but new single Really You is just him. ...

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Interviews

Taking a break from work at Parachute Studios in Tāmaki Makaurau suburb Kingsland, Ōtautahi songwriter Sam Heselwood chatted with NZM's Silke Hartung about his latest single, Home. Made with support ...

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Interviews

Probably so far best known for singing on tracks by local legends Savage and Adeaze, Tāmaki Makaurau six-piece Tone6 are working on standing on their own 12 musical feet. By now ranging in age from 18 ...

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Finding Your Voice

‘Finding your voice' is just as much about what you're saying or singing, as what you sound like. I'd like to unpack the figurative notion of finding and having a voice. Intricately understanding the ...

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Guitar Cool

Simple ways to harmonise guitar parts: The concept of instrumental harmonising is certainly not new, it has been a compositional technique in classical music for centuries. Harmonising of guitar parts ...

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Lessons

How to slay destination fixation and tame the fear-feeding beast of rejection: We've all learned that you need to have a tough hide to survive in this music business, but is skin thickening really the ...

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Deep Thinking

An exercise for both hands with some sight reading thrown in! Over the last few NZM issues, we’ve been looking at building bass lines from modal scales and arpeggios (broken chords). This exercise is ...

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X-Factory

Hans Pucket 's No Drama - an intelligent song. Intelligence comes in many forms, and with regards to music in particular, sources of musical intelligence are often hard to pin down. No Drama by Hans ...

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Finding Your Voice

Something profoundly shifted when I underwent tongue surgery – in the aftermath, I found my voice. The surgeon had told me on the table that the procedure (to remove a benign saliva gland stone) was ...

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Road Rules

Social Media Sucks. It sucks your time, it sucks your energy, and it can suck all the fun out of being an independent musician if you're not careful. But social media also gives. It gives new friends, ...

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Finding Your Voice

Do what moves you. Tension is a singer's greatest enemy. It disables the very areas of the body we need open to resonate sound in. Tension is generated mentally; anticipating threat or danger, or unconsciously, ...

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X-Factory

I'm not quite sure why but Kimbra hasn't really been on my radar before. We primarily listen to music to be moved emotionally, and our taste and intrigue is ultimately guided by personal aesthetics. Of ...

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Guitar Cool

Popular learning mistakes - there are a few that guitar players commonly make that can quickly become habits, but are easily fixed if you are aware of them. Entrenched bad habits can take time to get rid ...

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Deep Thinking

Following on from the last two Deep Thinking online columns here we continue the quest to build a unique bassline, whether from a chord chart or from a songwriter playing a chord sequence to you. We have ...

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Lessons

Ahhh, sweet sweet summertime! The cities are empty while people flock to beaches, rivers and tracks, as well as festivals big and small across the land over Xmas! If only they would listen to your brand-new ...

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Lessons

Hi songwriters. The title might sound a bit complex but this a relatively simple and cool idea to have in your songwriting tool belt - relative major & minor diatonic chord substitution. It’s a ...

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X-Factory

I take it back. Last year I did successfully predict the winner of the Silver Scrolls 2021, which went to Troy Kingi. Good for me. Are the batteries in my crystal ball charged for this year? Well, I don’t ...

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Guitar Cool

Here’s a question guitar students often ask; “How do I play a solo, or rhythm part, when tempos are going too fast for me to physically play what’s needed?” That’s a great question, and can ...

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Deep Thinking

In this instalment of Deep Thinking we are looking at a way you can use different scales when confronted (or even challenged!) with some previously unheard music or a new song. As bass players, what's ...

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Finding Your Voice

Singing Through ’The Change’: The Effect Menopause Has On The Voice - After the 21st gig of a 22-date tour, I stayed with friends for a much-needed breather. As documented in a previous Finding Your ...

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Road Rules

The Secret Sauce For Amplifying Your Audience: When I was 16 all I wanted in the world was to be Jaco Pastorius. I bought the fretless bass, wore the headband, and learned how to play Portrait Of Tracy, ...

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Deep Thinking

The last couple of Deep Thinking columns that featured one of Jaco Pastorius’ best pieces (IMHO) have maybe made the learning too difficult for bassists, so in this column, I am going right back to some ...

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X-Factory

Yes I know, I never seem to get it right. Even though every year I usually write an article for the X-Factory trying to predict the winner of the Silver Scrolls I haven’t quite managed it yet. Maybe ...

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Road Rules

Lately it seems, the whole world is abuzz talking about NFTs and how they are going to change the world for artists across all mediums. From ‘VIP golden tickets’ sold with albums through to interactive ...

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Guitar Cool

Many guitar players tend to overlook simple licks or riffs that come their way, not knowing that there is a lot of musical information that can be used to build technique, repertoire, solo ideas, and rhythm ...

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Finding Your Voice

The case for creative high-performance psychology. In the merry Music Month of May 2021, Brave Caitlin Smith’s Imaginary Band toured Aotearoa to promote my new album 'You Have Reached Your Destination'. ...

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Deep Thinking

Admittedly it's been a while now, but in the last NZM issue we tackled one of Jaco Pastorius’ compositions for Weather Report, Teen Town. Having got to bar 20, there was a repeat to bar 5 but, when you ...

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Tutors' Tutorial

Keyboard specialist (now iPad music production enthusiast) Alan Brown has contributed a variety of informed and informative instrument features/lessons to NZM over the years. This seriously tip-filled ...

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Finding Your Voice

As a singer our body is our instrument. We must be entirely sovereign over how we take care of our inner landscape. If the cathedral that we are is filled with concrete, we cannot sing. Tension is that ...

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Deep Thinking

This issue’s piece is a bit of a tough hombre. (See that, I used Spanish, not bad for a bassist!) I have transcribed one of Jaco Pastorius’ signature compositions, Teen Town from the Weather Report’s ...

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X-Factory

Rosé, hyperreality, harmony and the pop-drop. The term hyperreality was coined by French theorist Jean Baudrillard to describe the postmodern, semiotic condition of society in which we are unable to distinguish ...

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Tutors' Tutorial

Ableton Live has long established its credibility as a powerhouse of a digital audio workstation (DAW), especially in the fields of electronic music production and particularly live performance. For those ...

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Lessons

There are a number of reasons why you might want to make some of your new music discretely available online – peer feedback, pre-release interviews, reviews and so on. If you’re wanting to get your ...

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Guitar Cool

Whether your guitar performances stretch to playing solos or not, this article should be good reading and learning for you as sooner or later you will have to play one. The lists of what songs include ...

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Road Rules

Growing your audience as a musician is all about attracting the right people to you, sharing your story to engage them, and then getting them to stick around with consistent content that inspires, informs, ...

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Building Blocks

Over the years my Building Blocks contributions to New Zealand Musician have focused mainly on sharing band management tips and working musician life skills. But there’s a whole other side to my online ...

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X-Factory

Acclaimed musicologist Daniel Levitin has argued that songs can be split into six categories according to their evolutional, biological, and cultural purposes (Levitin, 2008). The categories are: Friendship ...

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Finding Your Voice

Dog whimpers and raspberry sirens: Ways to rebuild the voice from nodules. Late in 2019, Cailtin Smith was diagnosed with nodules on her vocal cords. ‘Singer’s nodules’ are calluses in the same ...

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Deep Thinking

As we’ve spent the last few issues doing some tricky stuff more suited to solo bass performances, I thought that this issue’s tune should feature some straight–ahead rock. I’ve chosen one of my ...

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Guitar Cool

Soloing With 4ths - Among the questions I get asked a lot is how do I make my solos, fills, or improvisations sound more modern or different? This is a very wide-ranging question that could easily have ...

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Lessons

In the interest of better promoting your music, let's learn how to trick the mighty algorithm together today! The screenshot below is taken straight from NZMusician.co.nz's backend on the day of writing ...

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Road Rules

For some of us, self-promotion can feel silly and vain but, when used strategically, social media can be a powerful way to grow your community and boost your career. Follow this guide to build your Instagram ...

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Lessons

2020 hasn't been kind to many of us, but being locked down together as a nation has given some the rare luxury of time to reflect on what's working and what's not. Here at NZM we get an almost constant ...

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Road Rules

You could look at 2020 as a terrible time to think about your music career. Tours are cancelled and venues either shut down completely or operating precariously between open and closed depending on local ...

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Lessons

Have you heard about a Wellington folk band called Boatshed Daydreams before? Neither had we until very recently. Late last month the duo of friends Abbie McKoy and Temuera Forbes released their debut ...

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Deep Thinking

Hi everyone, for this lesson, I have taken the liberty of using a piece that I wrote as a study for my UK students before I came to New Zealand. It is a cross-hand tapping piece that I wrote after the ...

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X-Factory

Occasionally, like once in a blue moon, when the conditions are just right, and the stars align for a nanosecond, maybe the impossible can become possible, and truly remarkable things can indeed happen. ...

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Deep Thinking

Hi everyone! Many movies have a prequel delivered after the main feature has been released, but this article is the other (right) way around, a warmer up that will hopefully prepare you for the next Deep ...

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Road Rules

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X-Factory

It almost seems ritualistic now. I see the email announcing the five finalists for this year’s APRA Silver Scroll Award at 6am when I usually get up. I immediately check them all out, intuitively and ...

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Road Rules

A complete guide for improving your ear, memory, technique, and music reading at home, right now. Use your practice time more effectively and become a better musician by trying these 10 things. 1. Practice ...

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Guitar Cool

As of this writing, we are in the middle of the Covid-19 virus situation and everything is locked down, so why would I write something like "get out and jam"? Well, this lockdown is not going to last forever ...

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Lessons

Easy hacks for singer-songwriter guitarists - simple ways of making scales musical and creating hooklines: Hi there singer-songwriter types, I thought I’d like to show you some simple compositional ideas ...

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X-Factory

Damn! Someone has beaten me to it! When listening to Digebasse by Chaii, arguably one of the most prominent features of the track is its use of rhythm, in particular the regular use of triplets, quavers/semiquavers, ...

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Guitar Cool

As a musician you will almost certainly have heard the line “play what you hear” – but many find that doing so is way more difficult than the apparently simple theory behind it. No doubt it would ...

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Road Rules

For years I’ve been saying I was too busy to get into home recording. True, there are times I’m on the road touring and I am actually too busy, but in the last few weeks of Corona-virus lockdown I’ve ...

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X-Factory

Question: What do Finding Nemo, Taylor Swift and Aldous Harding have in common? Answer: Perhaps more than you might think. In October, Harding’s song The Barrel claimed the 2019 APRA Silver Scroll ...

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Building Blocks

Managing your band, part 3: Paying yourself. Thus far in this series, I’ve discussed the need for a band to have a manager within its ranks, and the basic duties that job entails. Before I go any further ...

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Accounting Down

2020 IRD Revisions: The Inland Revenue Department promised to make the claiming of motor vehicle usage much easier and so they came up with a range of solutions, all worse than the next and making it more ...

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Deep Thinking

In this Deep Thinking session, we are going to look at a couple of tracks recorded by legendary US session bassist, Carol Kaye. Carol was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a team of recording musicians used ...

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Finding Your Voice

One of THE most debilitating mindsets, that destroys all enjoyment and ease, is perfectionism. Sure, it’s great to work hard, be diligent, discerning and conscientious, but when perfectionism takes hold, ...

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Guitar Cool

Actively listening to music is one part of practising that many guitar players miss – in fact almost all musicians miss this point. This skill is necessary if you want to be a good musician, but is neglected ...

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Lessons

Soundcheck can be a confusing experience when you first start playing in venues, clubs, or heading out on tour. Until you start travelling with your own front of house engineer, you’re going to be meeting ...

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X-Factory

2019 Silver Scroll Award finalists - Songs of the year gone by - Okay, I am biased. Straight up. No lies. Time to fess up. One of the five Silver Scroll Awards finalist songs has already been covered ...

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X-Factory

Somewhere deep within the NZ music scene lies a musical entity called Sorrento. In the Top 20 shortlist for the 2019 Silver Scroll Award, Sorrento made an appearance with a track called Look Up (feat. ...

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Guitar Cool

No one wants to make mistakes or look inept when up on stage in front of an audience, but I have seen it happen many times, and some of those have been with people you wouldn’t expect it to happen to. ...

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Deep Thinking

For this issue, I have transcribed the opening bass part on the seminal Weather Report track Birdland from the band’s 1977 album ‘Heavy Weather‘. The transcription features the band’s bassist, ...

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Road Rules

A few days ago I submitted a writing pitch to a women's business and lifestyle website and received a positive response, and their terms of publication. While reading the terms I discovered they not only ...

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Building Blocks

The Business End: In the first instalment of this Building Blocks mini-series of Managing Your Band, Pt 1 - Stepping Forward, I covered reasons why you might want to propose that you manage your band. ...

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Finding Your Voice

Just keep swimming: A hero's quest. ‘If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what good am I? If not now, when?’ – The Talmud One of our jobs as artists is to share ...

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Road Rules

Most of the time it’s awesome to say yes. Being positive and curious leads to great experiences and emotional growth. Recently I’ve been reading a book by Baron Baptiste, who developed Baptiste Power ...

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X-Factory

And the award goes to... Bene for the quickest earworm I have ever experienced – I think I may have even dreamt about this song last night! The number one New Zealand song (at time of press) is Soaked, ...

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Finding Your Voice

One of the most prevalent myths about singing is that singing high is difficult. As a consequence, we develop fears and dysfunctions around this that make singing high difficult. I'd like to debunk this ...

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Lessons

With over 25 years on the NZ music scene under his belt and a three-time NZ Music Awards finalist, Wellingtonian Rob Joass has experienced a thing or two. His music bio is very lengthy. He writes compulsively, ...

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Lessons

Wellington rockers Curlys Jewels have just come off the back of an eventful 2018, which saw them play four sold-out shows alongside The Feelers as well as a support slot for US band Living Colour. In celebration ...

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Deep Thinking

Hi Everyone, this issue’s challenge is to play some Jimi Hendrix. I have transcribed the introduction to Purple Haze as Hendrix played it on a Strat but added a bass trick that will probably annoy your ...

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Guitar Cool

Earlier this year I was in Los Angeles and caught up with the amazing guitarist Carl Verheyen (pronounced Ver-high-in) at Village Recorders in Santa Monica, where he was working on and producing an album ...

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Road Rules

A singer/songwriter usually begins his or her career performing solo, accompanying themselves on piano or guitar, and eventually adding one or two side (wo)men as their sound and budget grows. It’s often ...

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Finding Your Voice

In the latest incarnation of A Star Is Born, we are presented with the tropes of self-destructive, addicted and tortured singer/songwriter (Jackson, played by Bradley Cooper) and up-and-coming, manipulated ...

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Building Blocks

The previous Building Blocks column was titled Self-Manage or Bust! In it, I pointed out that any professional musician’s life is comprised of a series of small challenges. When those challenges are ...

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X-Factory

Nostalgia, Semiotics, and Drax Project: Nostalgia’s not what it used to be – perhaps an overly theatrical beginning to this X-Factory piece, but tongue-in-cheek usually gets a smile, or at least a ...

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Lessons

Have you ever wondered how someone with a big singing voice and a performance schedue to match looks after and maintains their vocal health? When she thinks huge vocals, singer and vocal coach Cherie ...

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X-Factory

Combine a long-standing rock artist, some very current Kiwi vocalists, a rapper or two, a Sudanese culture and set it all in the sub-genre of electro dance, and what do you have? An awful lot of buzz about ...

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Lessons

The second published New Zealand Musician issue (with an orange-suited Dave Dobbyn gracing the cover in recognition of the release of his ‘Loyal’ album) was published back in October 1988 – 30 years ...

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Deep Thinking

This Deep Thinking piece is a solo bass tune with a nod in the direction of Charles Dickens (a ‘nod’ being the important word…). I would like to say it is a ‘far, far’ harder piece than the last ...

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Lessons

Originally hailing from Blenheim, Rose Muollo-Gray, aka Hybrid Rose, is a musician, artist and producer who is keen to progress and make change. Having released her debut album 'Cosmic' last year, she ...

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X-Factory

No matter what the accumulated critics’ choices or popular picks might leave us expecting on the night, the winner of the 2018 Silver Scrolls will be a surprise when announced on October 4. Last year ...

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X-Factory

On first hearing Carnivorous Plant Society ’s Don’t Go Outside I felt transfixed by the performance, recorded live for RNZ in March. A seven-piece band packed the studio with vibraphone, keyboards, ...

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Road Rules

Tattletale Saints’ bass player and singer Vanessa McGowan has previously provided NZM readers with insightful lessons and tips on working with session musicians and being a ‘badass’ backing vocalist. ...

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Building Blocks

Self-manage or bust: Ask the average working musician how they’re doing these days and they’ll likely shrug and tell you, “I’m managing.” In other words, they’re managing to make a career out ...

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Deep Thinking

This Deep Thinking piece is a solo bass tune with a nod in the direction of Charles Dickens (a ‘nod’ being the important word…). I would like to say it is a ‘far, far’ harder piece than the last ...

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Finding Your Voice

This column investigates and celebrates the connection between the physical body, spirit and sound. I combine vocal warm-ups with yoga. Or, you could say my yoga practice incorporates a vocal warm-up. Attending ...

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Legal Advice

Successful music artists will tell you that the management team you choose will make or break you in this business. Your manager is the strategic and business brains of your outfit. They work as an organiser, ...

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Guitar Cool

This is an introductory lesson into the classic acoustic guitar technique of Travis picking, which was made famous by the legendary country guitar picker Merle Travis. Chet Atkins took it and added to ...

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Road Rules

A great instrumentalist who also sings will frequently get work over a great instrumentalist who doesn't, especially in the harmony-rich world of country, folk and pop. As a bonus, singing is also incredibly ...

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X-Factory

Multi-award winning group Te Vaka are again amongst the finalist nominees for the 2018 Vodafone Pacific Music Awards, this time with a track entitled Lakalaka. They have previously won a number of major ...

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Deep Thinking

As mentioned in previous Deep Thinking columns, I have always admired the bass playing of the late Bernard Edwards (1952–1996), one of the co-founders founders of Chic, a seminal disco band of the late ...

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Guitar Cool

Although I am not a big fan of New Year's resolutions, I am a big fan of setting some new goals every now and then. Some people say they’re going to lose so much weight, run a marathon, swim Cook Strait, ...

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Finding Your Voice

“What the world needs now, is love sweet love. That’s the only thing that there’s just too little of” – thanks Hal David. It’s a universal truth, especially applied to our relationships with ...

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Deep Thinking

I’ve always been an admirer of Sting ’s songwriting and singing (especially while playing some very tricky bass lines). However, I often feel that his bass playing is overlooked because of his other ...

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Finding Your Voice

In a recent Guardian article, Bernhard Warner asked, “Why do stars like Adele keep losing their voice?” Expanding on that he observed: “More and more singers are cancelling big shows and turning ...

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Building Blocks

You’ve been playing music for a while, been in and out of a few bands at high school and then uni. Eventually, you meet some musicians who are worth sticking with for a long, long time, players who bring ...

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