HISTORY MADE AS TE REO METAL BAND ALIEN WEAPONRY CLEAN UP AT SMOKEFREE ROCKQUEST AND PACIFICA BEATS

Northland thrash metal band Alien Weaponry (Hammerhead de Jong) are still recovering from the shock of winning both the 2016 Smokefree Rockquest and Smokefree Pacifica Beats.

Comprising 14-year-old Lewis de Jong (guitar/vocals), brother Henry, 16 (drums), and Ethan Trembath, 14 (bass) - Alien Weaponry have made NZ music history as the first band to win both competitions, the youngest band to win either final, and the only metal band to win Pacifica Beats.

“We are speechless,” the band posted on its Facebook page shortly after the Smokefree Rockquest winners were announced at the conclusion of the National Final on Saturday 24 September.

“We were already surprised to win Smoke free Pacifica Beats [the previous night],” says Henry de Jong. “There are such great musicians in both competitions, and we don’t really fit the mould. We play thrash metal, we’re political and we sing in te reo Maori.”

However, it was these very differences that impressed the judges and earned the band the top prizes. 

“They believed in their identity as a metal band, their use of Te Reo was impressive, there’s really nothing else like this in the world at the moment,” said one of the judges, Jeff Newton from NZ On Air.

The band is humbled by the recognition. “We feel very privileged to get these awards,” says guitarist and lead singer Lewis de Jong. “The NZ On Air funding and gear from the Rockshop will really help us to achieve our goals, and we plan to make the most of the opportunity.”

These plans include recording with Shihad drummer and producer Tom Larkin.

“One of the things I am really excited to see is how they develop in the next three to five years,” says Larkin “They already have such strong identity and combined with their level of skill we are going to see some really interesting musical changes as they mature.”

RANEA WINS AT THE WAIATA MAORI MUSIC AWARDS

Singer-songwriter RANEA Aperahama (Teresa McGregor) has taken out the prestigious “Radio Airplay Song Of The Year award by a Māori Artist in Te Reo Māori” for his song “Tihei Mauri Ora” at the 2016 Waiata Māori Music Awards held in Hastings last Friday night.

Presented by Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori Chairperson, Willie Jackson, the award is especially significant to RANEA as it was awarded for the Māori language song which achieved the most airplay on Māori Radio Stations throughout the country for 2016. 

An impromptu performance at the end of the evening by RANEA with Hamilton band Rootz Konekt, who played the song “What’s The Time Mr Wolf” (by Ranea’s old band Southside of Bombay), was a highlight of the awards event and received a standing ovation from the audience.

“Tihei Mauri Ora” is the title track from RANEA’s debut solo album which won “Best Māori Album” at the 2015 Vodafone NZ Music Awards. RANEA was also a finalist in the 2015 APRA Maioha award, and won four awards at the 2015 Waiata Māori Music Awards for “Best Māori Solo Artist”, “Best Māori Songwriter”, “Best Traditional Māori Album”, and “Best Māori Urban Roots/Reggae Album”.

RANEA’s album was produced by Māori Language Music Producer Maaka Phat McGregor, and funded by Te Māngai Pāho. The video for “Tihei Mauri Ora” was produced by Te Amokura Productions and funded by NZ On Air and Porirua City Council.

TOP FIVE FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2016 APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARD

Five top New Zealand artists and acts have made the shortlist for the 2016 APRA Silver Scroll Award, recognising excellence in songwriting.

The finalists and their songs represent an eclectic mix of genres and range from iconic names in Kiwi music, to up-and-comers making their mark in the industry.

After winning the prized award in 2014, the internationally renowned Tami Neilson is back in this year’s list of finalists with ‘The First Man’ co-written with her brother Jay Neilson. It’s a heartbreaking song that reflects on the death of her father, written at a time of deep pain and grief, and yet also written out of deep love and celebration that narrates the time between a child’s life beginning to a parent’s life ending.

Stalwarts of indie pop ‘n’ rock The Phoenix Foundation (Samuel Scott, Lukasz Buda, Conrad Wedde, William Ricketts, Thomas Callwood, Christopher O'Connor) also make this year’s cut. It brings their total number of nominations over the years to six times in the Top 20 and an impressive four times in the Top 5. The band’s entry this year, ‘Give Up Your Dreams’, is an uplifting nod to the fine line between chucking it all in and soldiering on with a great big smile on your face.

Auckland singer-songwriter Lydia Cole is also up for the award with her song ‘Dream’. It’s a bittersweet two-part tale all about falling in love when you least expect it. It is the second song to have earned Lydia a spot in the Top 5.

Thomas Oliver is a first-time nominee with his love song ‘If I Move To Mars’, which explores the Wellington singer-songwriter’s fascination with the idea of living on the red planet with your lover – lying in the dirt, drinking Cognac and listening to records.

Also newcomers to the Top 5 are Street Chant (Emily Littler, Billie Rogers, Alex Brown, Christopher Farnham) with their song ‘Pedestrian Support League’. The indie-rockers’ song is loosely about life in their hometown of Auckland and that feeling you get when you return from life on the road, to a crummy flat in Grey Lynn.

“Great songs tell great stories and each of these songs give us beautiful, heartfelt tales of dreams, love and loss. It’s a diverse and eclectic group of songwriters, each at the very top of their craft and each very much deserving of our celebration,” says Anthony Healey, Head of NZ Operations for APRA AMCOS.

The APRA Silver Scroll Awards celebrated its 50th anniversary last year marking a significant milestone and a track record in recognising New Zealand’s brightest songwriting talent. It’s considered one of the most coveted awards in New Zealand music and has previously been awarded to Ray Columbus, Hammond Gamble, Shona Laing, Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga, Don McGlashan, Neil Finn, Chris Knox, Brooke Fraser, James Milne & Lukasz Buda, Alisa Xayalith & Thom Powers (The Naked And Famous) and Ella Yelich-O’Connor (Lorde) & Joel Little.

The other awards presented on the night are:

●     APRA Maioha Award, celebrating exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori

●     SOUNZ Contemporary Award, celebrating excellence in contemporary composition

●     APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award

●     APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award

As a part of the celebrations APRA will also be inducting a songwriter/s into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

All awards will be presented at Vector Arena in Auckland on Thursday 29th September. Radio New Zealand will broadcast and live video stream the APRA Silver Scroll Awards ceremony on RNZ National, Freeview Ch 50 and online at www.rnz.co.nz/music. The awards are proudly supported by Panhead Custom Ales.

APRA Silver Scroll Awards – top 5 finalists 2016:

* Lydia Cole – ‘Dream’ – Lydia Cole

* The Phoenix Foundation – ‘Give Up Your Dreams’ - Samuel Scott, Lukasz Buda, Conrad Wedde, William Ricketts, Thomas Callwood, Christopher O’Connor. Published by Native Tongue Music Publishing.

* Thomas Oliver – ‘If I Move To Mars’ – Thomas Oliver. Published by Mushroom Music Pty Ltd.

* Street Chant – ‘Pedestrian Support League’ - Emily Littler, Billie Rogers, Alex Brown, Christopher Farnham. Published by Arch Hill Music Publishing / Native Tongue Music Publishing.

* Tami Neilson – ‘The First Man’ – Tami Neilson, Jay Neilson.

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