Along the lines of the A Low Hum zine, Exposure Lifestyles is a free annual chocka with interviews with musicians and other creative types. The current issue includes an overview of 2007's Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival and queries the likes of Don McGlashan, and Taika Waititi. A small pile of hard copies are available at Photospace or you can download it and previous issues from EL's website. Check it!
World famous in New Zealand for their debut album Traction released in 1994. The Band toured the world in support of Traction in 1995 spending most of the year in Australia, Asia & Europe. Two band members, Tim Stewart and Che Fu were fired in 1996 upon the band's return to New Zealand and the band then released their second album Backspacer. Supergroove completely disbanded in 1997 soon after appearing on Holmes. <!--break-->
Supergroove released a best of compilation called 'Postage' in 2003 and reformed to support Crowded House on the New Zealand leg of their tour in 2007.
Notable former members include Che Ness, aka Che Fu, now with a successful solo career, Joe Lonie, a music video producer, and Paul Russell, who moved on to start the New Zealand band Eight (who recently split), and who still studio drums with Che Fu and Brooke Fraser. Two other ex-members, Tim Stewart (trumpet) and Ben Sciascia (guitar) formed a new band in late 2005 called Svelte. Ian Jones recently joined upcoming Sydney band, Lost Valentinos on drums. Nick Atkinson (sax) recently reformed his Jazz Quartet, Foghorn. Karl Steven (vocals) has completed a PhD in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy at Cambridge University and recently started a new group called The Drab Doo-Riffs.
1994: Traction
1995: Tractor (EP)
1995: Great Mixes (Remix Album)
1996: Backspacer
2003: Postage (Best Of)
Here Comes The Supergroove
You Gotta Know
Scorpio Girls
Can't Get Enough
Sitting Inside My Head
U Freak Me
Next Time
If I Had My Way
5th Wheel
For Whatever Reason Remix
Is anyone else excited about hearing Bongmaster live?
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Congratulations to the bands going to SXSW this year!
Carly Binding
Bic Runga
Blindspott
Die! Die! Die!
Dimmer
Elemeno P
Evermore
Gasoline Cowboy
The Mint Chicks
And representing Wellington:
So So Modern
"Mr Blackman says the station is now seeking organisations and individuals in the [Wellington] region who want to produce their own local programmes to screen as part of the schedule.
Interested people can call the station on 0800 874 8888 for further information."
As there seem to be a lot of music video directors around, I wonder if they would be interested in making a music show. Then maybe they could exchange shows with other cities...
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Culture forms in the mind and exists with action.
Experimentation in New Zealand was initally from pragmatic reasons; making the most of the imstruments at hand, in towns where you had to make your own fun. The belief in New Zealand being a young country with no boundries and fresh possiblities further adds to the potential of its citizens pursuing their ideas.
The culture which fosters experimentation is not exclusive to a country.
Groups can also encourage the ability to experiment. Sigur Ros bassist, Georg Holm, mentioned in an interview on National Radio's Music Mix that the band members play whichever instrument is closest at hand when practising. They also support and pursue any musical ideas a member has when creating a song.
Random haphazard events are a part of experimenting but require the nous to follow and incorporate the event. The Who's 'Who's Next' album is a culmination of events. Initially the music was a soundtrack for a movie. The movie was never made but songs on the album still contain parts of the plot. On the album a simple oscillating synthesiser is used. Singular notes from the synthesiser are plain, but experimentation led to the use of basic chords to create dynamic harmonies and tones.
It's from the noise rock being a descendent of the Flying Nun aesthetic. Bailterspace's Splat displays the transition from jangley to breaking guitars. Early HDU is lo-fi and raw, like Chris Knox's recordings. Jakob use a spatial delay found in later HDU songs, like Lull, to create soaring soundscapes.
HDU evoke the isolation of living in a stoic society and the catharsis of angst. Jakob fills the void of open blue sky with the ego of man, imposing his whim onto the land, shaping bush clad hills into desolate fields and neatly ordered forests.
The myth of noise rock being unstructured plays to the audience belief of the music being etheral. Improvisation is more due to extensive knowledge, technique, and the ability to go with the idea. Also, the belief that isolation frees ideas from the restiction of comformity to trends and society's normalities ignores the role of a culture which fosters experimentation.
I'm suprised the disbanding of Goodshirt hasn't been more widely reported.
From Dub dot dash, via Radioscope; "With goodshirt 'no longer functioning as a band', former members Murray Fisher and Mike Beehre have instead joined forces with a fellow Aucklander of similarly considerable quirky pop persuasion, Voom's Buzz Moller."
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Noizymusic, NZland?
It's as if 2006 is a year for change, or something.
Does this mean Kiwi FM will be hosted from Auckland, but broadcast to Christchurch and Wellington?
Considering there's no radio spectrum left to allocate in Auckland, it becomes apparent why Canwest would rather have another commercial 'community' station than Kiwi FM broadcasting.
Maybe because local content lacks the exotic appeal that American and British music holds here (as does NZ music have to those overseas), which is why few have tuned in and an 'alternative' station would have a market.
After a week of listening the playlist shows the lack of musicians as the short rotate of new three minute songs becomes tedious. Hopefully they'll get the chance to build their library and start playing more obscure, old, and b-side songs . I like that as Kiwi FM gets more desperate for ratings it becomes less structured. I believe the concept of hearing local music is culturally important.
Has anyone else noticed the growing disgruntlement from the intelligentsia at the lack of quality music on the radio and free to air television programming available?
Fat Freddy's Drop are giving back to the people with a free show at Hula Laguna down by Frank Kitts Lagoon today (12 February 2006). Festivities from 11am till 11pm, Freddy's from 8pm. Recloose is also playing.
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Let's rock to the Drop on Saturday (28 January 2006)! Fiesta starts at 18.00, Fat Freddy's Drop from 20.45, and afterwards we could hold hands, if you want.
I too, missed this place.
//They'll be part blue curaco, part coconut cream, ...
And crushed ice infused with Earl Grey tea.
Happy Mirth Day.
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Luke Buda's tunes I heard on the 3D radio show were delightfully playful.
To comprehend where the Sneaks and the Mint Chicks are coming from, you need to flick through a copy of Vice while feeling listless on a hot summer day.
Fat Freddy's Drop are on Triple J's nominee list for the Hottest 100 2006. Betchadupa, the Black Seeds, the D4, Die! Die! Die!, Mint Chicks, P Money and Scribe, Salmonella Dub, and Shihad are on also on the list. Voting closes on 20 January 2006.
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I've heard there might be limited door sales, but the Valve answerphone says otherwise. What's the deal?
New Zealand bands grow like weeds. More often than not they bolt or we rip them out before they grow into choice plants. I think this year should be less about snobbery and more for education of the masses to new ideas. And weaning the music industry from handouts so it can become self sustaining.
I voted, have you?