BACK TO BASICS - AUCKLAND

The NZ Music Managers Forum with support from Recorded Music New Zealand are proud to present the annual Back to Basics seminar in Auckland.

Aimed at all who are new to artist management including self managed artists, the seminar focuses on the fundamentals of the music industry and will explore the inner workings of an industry that can be very complicated for first timers. 

In the two hour seminar, topics discussed will cover; management and band contracts, setting up a management business and the business of a band, information on APRA AMCOS, Recorded Music New Zealand’s Direct to Artist Scheme, OneMusic, the differences between marketing and promotion, essential agencies, income and royalties, and artist management in general.

Two experienced music managers will be presenting and sharing their indispensable knowledge and answering questions from attendees.  

Teresa Patterson, CRS Management (MMF Chairperson and Manager – I Am Giant, Iva Lamkum, Kinetic)

Cushla Aston, Aston Road (Manager - Thomas Oliver, Louis Baker)

Back to Basics - Auckland

When: Wednesday 7 June 2017

Time: 6 - 8pm

MMF members free. Non members $10.00

To RSVP for your place and venue details or for more information on joining the NZ MMF contact lorraine@mmf.co.nz or visit www.mmf.co.nz

THOMAS OLIVER 'TENDERLY'

“'Tenderly' is a song whose message is that we need love just as we need air and water. I play Weissenborn on this track, and it has a deep, earthy groove, and a reggae-style bassline.” – Thomas Oliver

Thomas Oliver (Cushla Aston) is the guitar-laden, New Zealand singer songwriter that has been wooing crowds over since he smashed onto the music scene with his critically acclaimed and history-making album Beneath The Weissenborn back in 2013. With a massive fan base following in its wake, Thomas Oliver released his first vocalised album Floating In The Darkness in April, with hit singles ‘If I Move To Mars’, ‘Losin’ and now ‘Tenderly’ with an incredibly stunning video accompaniment to boot.

Having filmed the video in the stunning Australian Outback, ‘Tenderly’ boasts sweeping panoramic shots of a lone Oliver and guitar, dwarfed amongst the unrelenting dessert of South Australia’s Flinders Ranges. The vast undulating terrain of the scorching Australian Outback makes for the perfect backdrop to his cooing pleas of the relentless necessity of tender love, that builds to an increasingly intense guitar and bass jam. Complete with smooth vocal harmonies, soft, layered percussion and of course a Weissenborn and lap steel showcase like no other, ‘Tenderly’ is a stand out track on an already impressive album.

Of filming the video, Thomas says: “Because the arrangement has such an earthy feel, I just knew we had to shoot the music video in the Outback of Australia. The redness, the dryness, and the heat - it's perfect. We did most of the shooting at a place called Wilpena Pound, which is about six hours' drive from Adelaide. It was an amazing experience. It's archetypal Australia at its most beautiful, and it marries the music absolutely perfectly.”

After a successful first run of NZ tour dates, including two sold out Auckland and Wellington shows, Thomas is taking to the road on a solo trek around the South Island for a set of intimate shows in Takaka, Queenstown, Invercargill and Dunedin. Make sure to catch him in your town before he heads off for his Australian and European tours!

Since it’s release on April 28, Floating In The Darkness has taken the #1 spot on the New Zealand iTunes singer-songwriter chart, and the #5 spot on the Australian iTunes singer-songwriter chart, as well as debuting at #3 on the NZ Album Charts overall. ‘Tenderly’ also made Spotify’s New Music Friday and Viral Hits Australia and New Zealand playlists.

Thomas Oliver - Floating In The Darkness NZ Tour:
Tickets from thomasoliver.co.nz
 
Remaining solo shows:
Weds 24 May - Mussell Inn, Takaka
Fri 26 May - The Sherwood, Queenstown
Sat 27 May - Repertory House, Invercargill
Sun 28 May - Pequeno Lounge Bar, Dunedin

Show you're attending on Facebook HERE

THOMAS OLIVER 'FLOATING IN THE DARKNESS'

After a long wait, Thomas Oliver (Cushla Aston) has released his highly anticipated new album Floating In The Darkness, before embarking on his full New Zealand album tour (dates below)! To celebrate the album's release, Thomas also shares the brand new single and album opening track "Tenderly". Listen to the new track here.

Weighing in with 10 new songs that touch upon love, loss and the autobiographical, Floating In The Darkness features the Silver Scroll award-winning song "If I Move To Mars", the upbeat heart-warmer "Shine Like The Sun" and his recent single "Losin" (in case you missed it, watch the captivating Aston Rd Session here).

Recorded with the help of a few musical friends, the album is a raw, reflective body of work. Largely self-produced, written and mixed by Thomas himself, the album features an additional soul-stirring collaboration with renowned producer and composer, Rhian Sheehan ("Let It Be This One"), input from Grammy Award-winning mix engineer, Trina Shoemaker, and mastering by Vlado Meller.
 

Listen to Floating In The Darkness:
Listen / Purchase on Apple Music / iTunes HERE
Listen on Spotify HERE
Listen / Puchase on Google Play HERE
or pick up from a good record store near you!

As New Zealand Music Month kicks off next week, Thomas will begin his album tour of Aotearoa between May 5 - May 28. He will be accompanied by his full band (Sam Notman, Ed Zuccollo, Johnny Lawrence, Bella Florence) for the first four legs (Auckland, Leigh, Wellington & Christchurch) before hitting the road solo to round off his Floating In The Darkness NZ Tour. Make sure to see him in a town near you, before he crosses the ditch for a full Australian tour in June!

Thomas Oliver - Floating In The Darkness NZ Tour:
Tickets from thomasoliver.co.nz
 

Fri 5 May - The Tuning Fork, Auckland
Sat 6 May - Leigh Sawmill, Leigh
Fri 12 May - Blue Smoke, Christchurch
Sat 13 May - San Fran, Wellington
Weds 24 May - Mussell Inn, Takaka*
Fri 26 May - The Sherwood, Queenstown*
Sat 27 May - Repertory House, Invercargill*
Sun 28 May - Pequeno Lounge Bar, Dunedin*

LOUIS BAKER 'GAVE IT ALL AWAY', ANNOUNCES TWO NZ SHOWS

After revealing his hauntingly beautiful single 'Gave It All Away' to the world earlier this year, Wellingtonian singer-songwriter Louis Baker (Cushla Aston) gives us the official music video, and announces two New Zealand show dates this May.

As the video unfolds, we are taken right back to the song's origins - to the night the song came to life in a hotel room on the other side of the world. "I remember feeling the exhaustion starting to set in, after being on the road by myself in the UK for quite some time," Louis reminisces. “The video depicts what actually happened, although the room wasn’t as nice. I got back to my motel room after a show and wrote the song in 15 minutes, it came pouring out of me because I meant every word." 

"The song is about not giving up on your dreams. It's about never giving in. It's about the resolve and determination one must have in order to make these dreams become reality.” 

Louis is set to play two powerful shows next month - one at Auckland's slick downtown venue REC, and one at Wellington's legendary San Fran, backed by full band (Johnny Lawrence - bass / Cory Champion - drums / Dan Hayles - keys).
 

See Louis Baker live in New Zealand:
May 19 - REC, Auckland [Tickets via Dash ticketing here]
May 20 - San Fran, Wellington [Tickets via Dash ticketing here]

THOMAS OLIVER 'LOSIN', ANNOUNCES NZ TOUR

Thomas Oliver (Cushla Aston) has revealed a stunning live performance of his heart-tuggingly emotive new single 'Losin', filmed recently for Aston Rd Sessions. Performed in a small, intimate space, Thomas is backed by Wellington-based vocalists Bella Florence, Ariel Bamborough, and Katie McCarthy-Burke, and Barrett Hocking on Flugelhorn for a chillingly good rendition.

'Losin' is the third single off his upcoming album, Floating In The Darkness, following on from his hearty previous single 'Shine Like The Sun' and the Silver Scroll award-winning hit, 'If I Move To Mars.'

As New Zealand Music Month kicks off in May, Thomas will tour the length and breadth of Aotearoa between May 5 - May 28. He will be accompanied by his full band (Sam Notman, Ed Zuccollo, Johnny Lawrence, Bella Florence) for the first four legs (Auckland, Leigh, Wellington & Christchurch) before hitting the road solo to round off his Floating In The Darkness NZ Tour. Make sure to see him in a town near you, before he crosses the ditch for a full Australian tour in June!

Thomas Oliver - Floating In The Darkness NZ Tour:
Fri 5 May - The Tuning Fork, Auckland
Sat 6 May - Leigh Sawmill, Leigh
Fri 12 May - Blue Smoke, Christchurch
Sat 13 May - San Fran, Wellington
Weds 24 May - Mussell Inn, Takaka*
Fri 26 May - The Sherwood, Queenstown*
Sat 27 May - Repertory House, Invercargill*
Sun 28 May - Pequeno Lounge Bar, Dunedin*

*solo shows
Tickets from thomasoliver.co.nz
 

LOUIS BAKER 'GAVE IT ALL AWAY'

Today, Louis Baker (Cushla Aston) shares a third, new single "Gave It All Away" with the world, following two breathtaking singles ("Fade" and "Rainbow") and a year of co-writing and songwriting sessions abroad. The song has been released as two versions: a strikingly raw, acoustic version recorded by Baker, and as an electronic dance track produced by none other than Fat Freddy's Drop legend behind the MPC, Mu. 
 
Baker will be releasing a 7" split single vinyl, featuring the two versions of the song on February 10th 2017.

Written alone by the young Wellington songwriter, the song came to life late one night in a hotel room, far from the grounding lights of home. "I remember feeling the exhaustion starting to set in, after being on the road by myself in the UK for quite some time," Louis reminises. "The song is about not giving up on your dreams. It's about never giving in. It's about the resolve and determination one must have in order to make these dreams become reality.”

Originally written and recorded acoustically, Baker also wanted to explore the idea of trying an alternate version of "Gave It All Away." With his love and interest in Dance, Hip-Hop and House music, Louis reached out to Mu of Fat Freddy's Drop to produce and collaborate on the track. Leaving us with a deep, four-to-the-floor dance track that makes your body want to move. “To work with Mu on this project was so dope. I've always been a huge fan of Fat Freddy's, and in particular Mu's production," says Baker. 

The Mu-produced version was featured by Red Bull on their 20 before 17 feature, which ran across 2016 covering their biggest moments (and artists) of the year. This included the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Mike Will Made It, YG, Lil Wayne, and Erykah Badu, to name a few. You can catch up on the sessions HERE.

Last year, Louis spent a great deal of time overseas, creating new material and collaborating with a range of fellow songwriters from around the world. In late 2016, he attended ASCAP’s Songwriter Retreat – a prestigious songwriting camp held at the Château Marouatte castle in Southern France during the latter half of September. Previous attendees have included Ellie Goulding, James Bay, Mika, Mike Posner, Dougy Mandagi (The Temper Trap) and Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s) to name a few.

Around travelling and seeing the world, the 27 year-old Wellingtonian released two new singles, "Rainbow" and "Fade", which invited us into a new chapter in this soulful singer-songwriter's book, and a new era of his musical evolution...