LI'L CHUCK THE ONE MAN SKIFFLE MACHINE 'UTILITY BLUES'

Utility Blues is Li'l Chuck's follow up to the highly acclaimed 2013 release Blues In Full Swing. 

Having spent a lifetime rummaging through the drawers of 1930's - 50's music, Chuck’s mostly original songs are inspired by the sounds of the era - Blues, Early Jazz, Western Swing, Ragtime etc. and are uniquely presented in the style of street performers from those glory days.

Sticking to the traditional one man band format, Chuck plays and records all the instruments simultaneously, no overdubs or edits. Just, Chuck, his skiffle machine and a bunch of mics. 

"I have nothing to hide behind other than my drum and my guitar,” says Chuck. "I recorded all songs live in the studio and aimed to capture the best performance I could.”

Captivating story telling intertwines effortlessly with heart stopping harmonica and multiple guitar styles - all underpinned by his left and right feet frantically pounding the kick and hi hat. The listener is left simply wondering, "How the hell does he do that?”

In addition to writing 11 of the 12 songs, Chuck was also Utility Blues’ chief engineer. 

He handed the raw files over to Lyttelton audio wizard Ben Edwards (The Eastern, Marlon Williams, Delaney Davidson, Tami Neilson). With his rich understanding of musical ambience, Ben artfully mixed the album, creating the perfect vibe for a collection recorded with such a pared back approach. 

In an age where we are rushing around at breakneck speed, where everything is instant, sugar coated, airbrushed and overly polished, Li’l Chuck brings us down to earth with some organic, all natural, whole grain, naked goodness.

Utility Blues is available for purchase digitally from iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp and all good digital providers. CDs are purchasable via Bandcamp and at live shows.

Li'l Chuck the One Man Skiffle Machine upcoming shows:
Sat 8th April- Wine Cellar, Auckland  - album release show

TONI HUATA RELEASES NEW VIDEO & CD CELEBRATING TE MATATINI 2017

Toni Huata takes you back to her roots and her core love for her family and Iwi

'MOHAKA' - a stunning new music video from Māori songstress Toni Huata, explores reconnection and family ties. Set against the spectacular landscape of Mohaka, Ngāti Kahungunu – Hawkes Bay, the NZ on Air funded video follows a developing friendship of two pre-teens.

Hot on the heels of Toni’s award winning music video Hopukia te tao (best Māori music video 2016) 'MOHAKA' has a country feel, stirring fond memories of a childhood free from the urban pressures. Toni Huata and Penn Productions are proud to premier 'MOHAKA' the music video at Waipapa a Iwi Mohaka Marae with a concert at 5pm on Saturday 4th March 2017.

“Toni Huata has nailed what is good in music. Sing what you know, blend it in with the right instruments and harmonies, but most importantly, when you sing from your roots your message transcends beyond what you could ever imagine”.

Toni Huata’s beautiful harmonies and arrangements of these songs written by her forefathers, are an ode to tīpuna, whānau and Iwi within the spirit of love and their legacy, all penned by Toni's grandfather Te Okanga Kahutapere (Aussie) Huata.

Uplifting and full of heart, the new recordings 'Mohaka', 'Ō Tākitimu' and 'Ngā Rori', tell stories of this poignant area and of sweet loving memories for land, family, Mohaka, Ngāti Kahungunu and to all those that connect to Tākitimu canoe.

Well known favourites from Toni's previous albums add to this delightful package.

K'o Wai Ka Hua' - a love jazz ballad written for Toni's grandmother Ngaro Rangi and the 28th Māori Battalion, 'Te Māori e' - commemorating the Te Māori exhibition journey to the USA in the 1980's, 'Whakarongo a tai' - celebrating connections to Pacific origins, 'Ngā Tukemata' - inspiring unity and strength, performed by Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga and 'Te Hokinga Mai' with Toni's heartfelt version with Karl Teariki, by Max Mariu, Tom Higgins and Te Taite Cooper.

‘Kahungunu Maranga’ is available in store and online from Feb 23rd 2017, distributed by DRM and ODE Records.  Also available for sale from Huia Publishers in the Whānau Village, Shop 38 at Te Matatini, Feb 23 - 26 2017.

Toni will also MC at this prestigious event and during the Kahungunu Festival. Toni also performs live in various venues in Napier during the Kahungunu Festival and Te Matatini. 

• 24 February, 8:30pm, A Night of Drag, Bar 2013 Karamu Rd, Hastings. Tickets $25.00
• 24 - 26 February, 8am - 8pm, Te Matatini 2017, HB Sports Park, Hastings, Toni MC
• 25 February, 6 - 9pm, (Toni 8pm) FREE Kahungunu Beach Party, Marine Parade, Napier 
• 24 - 26 February, 10am - 2pm, Kahungunu Pavillion, HB Sports Park, Hastings, Toni MC 
• 4 March, 5 - 7pm, Concert & Mohaka music video launch, Waipapa a Iwi Marae in Mohaka, with Toni Huata, Brannigan Kaa, AdrianTangaroa Wagner, Peter & Noeline Hawkins and many more.

MODERN MAORI QUARTET ANNOUNCE DEBUT STUDIO ALBUM 'THATS US!'

New Zealand’s favourite modern Māori showband, Modern Mãori Quartet (Yee Yang Lee & Sums Selvarajan) are reaching out to fans around the world with their first crowdfunding campaign to help deliver their debut studio album That’s Us! as they kick off their 12 date tour around Aotearoa New Zealand with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

As band member Matariki Whatarau explains, “We’ve been singing covers for years and you know, we thought... why not?! The spirit of this album comes from the Māori garage party, reminiscent of the parties of years gone by when someone would pick up a guitar and the music would flow.”
 
“We strongly believe that real stories told with truth and conviction should be at the forefront of who we are – and that’s exactly what we set out to do with the creation of our first album.”
 
That’s Us! will feature all original waiata (songs) written by Modern Māori Quartet and accompanied by some of New Zealand’s most talented musiciansincluding Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper (Co-Producer/Strings), Dixon Nacey (Guitar), Chris O'Connor (Drums), Thabani Gapara (Saxophone), Andy Cochrane (Keyboard), Awhimai Fraser (Vocals) and Temuera Morrison (Vocals).
 
Fellow band mate Francis Kora promises, “We've been very blessed throughout the writing and recording process - receiving an amazing amount of support and aroha (love) from a host of amazingly, talented people. We have no doubt because of this tautoko (support) the 'That’s Us!' album will be a success.”
 
In return for fans’ generosity,  the fullas of Modern Māori Quartet have come up with some unique offerings as rewards; from tea towels to whisky tastings, song covers to private backyard gigs!  All āwhina (help) and aroha will make a difference and the band are offering an online album credit and their eternal gratefulness for all contributions, no matter how small.
 
Please spread the word, message your friends, tell your whānau (family), share the aroha!
 
Modern Māori Quartet will also be hosting Māori Television’s brand new series My Party Song. Thursday nights at 9.30pm, starting on March 23, the quartet will introduce each episode and with the help of some musical friends and pay homage to songs loved by Mãori the world over.

LI'L CHUCK THE ONE MAN SKIFFLE MACHINE 'UTILITY BLUES'

“Utility (Useful, especially through being able to perform several functions) Blues (The kinda stuff I play)”

"I was pretty chuffed when I came up this album title" says David, "Pretty fitting for a Blues playing ONE MAN BAND don't ya think!"

UTILITY BLUES is the cranking new album from genuine ONE MAN BAND - LI'L CHUCK THE ONE MAN SKIFFLE MACHINE aka Christchurch based musician David Thorpe.

Passionate about sticking to the traditional one man band (OMB) format, David recorded this album entirely alone in his studio with all instruments and vocals recorded simultaneously. No edits, no overdubs. "I was just trying to capture the best performance I could" says David.

In addition to playing all the music, in true OMB style, David played the part of roadie, recording engineer, and composer of 11 of the 12 tracks. 

As most are aware, it is a tough era for the self managed, self funded independent musician. Li'l Chuck has taken the opportunity to create a Pledgeme crowd funding campaign to assist the release process. He says the recording is the easy part.

David is looking to raise $8000 over 30 days on Pledgeme to cover the costs of mixing, mastering, art, design, pressing and marketing - all which will be done in NZ. 

"The album is recorded and mixed and will be ready for release once I raise the money by pre selling the album. In addition to the album, I am offering loads of other great rewards - Harmonica lessons, house concerts, even a recording session with tea and home baking at my studio" says David.

The campaign will be launched at his 'Utility Blues Pre-sale Party' at Blue Smoke, Christchurch (Woolston Tannery) on Sat 26th November 8pm. And it's free!

David will be playing his old favorites plus all the tracks from the new album - live and OMB style!  

"My OMB journey started over 20 odd years ago after I saw a one man band busking on the streets of Manchester, England in the late 1980's. From that moment I was spellbound and inspired and spent the next years honing my OMB craft" David enthuses.  "My first album was released in 2013. It was met with such enthusiasm, and great reviews it gave me a massive boost of confidence and I couldn't wait to get those hands and feet stamping out a new record"