WOMAD 2017 Line-Up announcement

With much excitement UK 2 Tone and Ska legends The Specials were the first announced to play WOMAD NZ 2017. 

Now, WOMAD NZ is over the moon to announce that joining them are: from Brazil, Grammy-nominee Bebel Gilberto, daughter of renowned singer João Gilberto performing her own laidback style of bossa nova; the French-Chilean musician, Ana Tijoux, whose sound captures where the street meets tradition; Vietnamese musicians Hanoi Masters who use half-forgotten traditional instruments to convey deep, personal connections to the upheavals of the Vietnam War; the New Orleans brass group Hot 8 Brass Band (USA), who will bring their signature blend of hip-hop, jazz and funk; "The Songbird of Wassoulou" Oumou Sangare (Mali) who is known for her seamless mix of old and new sounds that create a haunting backdrop for political lyrics, making her passion clear in any language and Sudha Ragunathan (India) who will take you to the heart of Carnatic music with her voice of gold.

Local artists include Wellington producer and multi instrumentalist Lord Echo (Craig Pearce) who blends boogie-laced Funk, disco-primed Reggae, futuristic Soul, and timeless African rhythms. Hailing from Auckland is Mt Eden, expect them to fire up their trademark extended build-ups, drum solos, double and triple drops and Auckland based Sons Of Zion whose fusion of reggae, heavy rock, dub and funk will get you dancing.

There are many, many, more exciting artists to discover at the WOMAD 2017 Festival, more below.

In alphabetical order: 9Bach (Wales), Ana Tijoux (Chile), Archie Roach (Australia), Aziza Brahim (Western Sahara), Bebel Gilberto (Brazil), Brushy one string (Jamaica), Emir Kusturica & the No Smoking Orchestra (Serbia), Hanoi Masters (Vietnam), Hot 8 Brass Band (USA), Inna Modja (Mali), La Mambanegra (Colombia), Lord Echo (Wellington/Aotearoa), Mercedes Peón (Spain), Mt Eden (Auckland/Aotearoa), Oumou Sangare (Mali), Rob Ruha (Matakaoa (Gisborne)/Aotearoa), Sinkane (Sudan/USA), Sons Of Zion (Auckland/Aotearoa), The East Pointers (Canada), The Soil (South Africa), The Specials (UK), The Swan Sisters (Christchurch/Aotearoa), Sudha Ragunathan (India), Swamp Thing (Tauranga/Rotorua/Aotearoa), Warsaw Village Band (Poland)

Tickets on sale from the WOMAD site, for ticketing options click here.  

WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2016 APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARDS

Wellington singer-songwriter and internationally acclaimed musician Thomas Oliver (Cushla Aston) has won the 2016 APRA Silver Scroll Award with his captivating love song ‘If I Move To Mars’.
 
Thomas Oliver accepted the prestigious award at a ceremony held at Vector Arena in Auckland tonight. The accolade acknowledges excellence in songwriting and has in the past been awarded to some of the most recognisable names and songs in New Zealand music, from the Swingers’ ‘Counting The Beat’ and Bic Runga’s ‘Drive’ to Scribe and P Money’s ‘Not Many’ and Lorde and Joel Little’s ‘Royals’.
 
A sweet and simple, yet compelling, love song, Thomas Oliver says, “On the surface, it's a light-hearted song about taking someone to Mars and lying in the dirt, drinking Cognac and listening to records. But at its core, it's a love song and I meant every word."
 
“It’s a wonderful thing to recognise talented and hardworking songwriters like Thomas” says Anthony Healey, Head of NZ Operations for APRA AMCOS. “The acclaim of your peers is special, it’s the highest praise and in this case a well-deserved accolade.”
 
Critically acclaimed musician and songwriter Sean James Donnelly (SJD) was the musical director of tonight’s 51st APRA Silver Scrolls ceremony, which saw a host of other Kiwi songwriters collect awards.
 
The incomparable Rob Ruha (Cilla Ruha) took the esteemed APRA Maioha Award, recognising exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori, for his stirring battle anthem ‘Kariri’. The East Coast singer-songwriter is now a two-time recipient of the award.
 
Wellington composer and violinist, Salina Fisher, won the SOUNZ Contemporary Awardfor her exquisite composition ‘Rainphase’, inspired by the beauty and chaos of rain in the capital.
 
The APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award was won by Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper and Tama Waipara for their work on the Lee Tamahori-directed movie Mahana.
 
One-time Supergroove frontman and well-known composer of music for film and television, Karl Steven, received the APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award for the drama 800 Words.
 
Rounding off the evening was the induction of Moana Maniapoto into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. As one of the most recognisable and important voices in Aotearoa, Moana Maniapoto was honoured for the significant impact she has had on the New Zealand life and culture through her music.

FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR MAIOHA, SOUNZ, FILM AND SERIES

Some of the finest talent New Zealand has to offer has been shortlisted for four prestigious awards to be presented at the 2016 APRA Silver Scroll Awards. 
 
The APRA Maioha Award, the SOUNZ Contemporary Award, the APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award and APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award will all be presented at an awards ceremony at Vector Arena in Auckland on Thursday, September 29.
 

APRA MAIOHA AWARD

The APRA Maioha Award recognises exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori. Rob Ruhais a finalist for the award with his song ‘Kariri’, a powerful and stirring waiata that retells historical accounts of the battle of Pukehinahina (Gate Pa) and Te Ranga.
 
IHI has also been short-listed for ‘Mana Whenua’ co-written by Thomas Rawiri andMokoia Huata. The song echoes the proverb ‘Toi Tu te Whenua, whatungarongaro te Tangata’ or ‘For without land there would be no people’. It serves as a poignant reminder of the need to protect our natural environment.
 
Kirsten Te Rito is the third finalist with her waiata ‘Tamaiti Ngaro’, co-written with James Illingworth and Joseph Te Rito. ‘Tamaiti Ngaro’ is an atmospheric, slow-building anthem tinged with touches of electronica.
 

SOUNZ CONTEMPORARY AWARD

The SOUNZ Contemporary Award celebrates excellence in contemporary composition. The finalists for the award this year includes Kenneth Young, whose illustrious career in New Zealand music spans four decades, for his composition ‘Piano Trio’. Prodigious Wellington composer and violinist Salina Fisher is also nominated for ‘Rainphase’ and Chris Cree Brown, an Associate Professor at the School of Music at the University of Canterbury, makes the short-list for ‘Viola Concerto’.
 

APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A FEATURE FILM AWARD

A host of well-known names in Kiwi music are up for the APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award.
 
Three members of the Wellington-based indie-pop band The Phoenix Foundation (Samuel Scott, Lukasz Buda and Conrad Wedde) are nominated for their work on Taika Waititi’s box office smash, Hunt For The Wilderpeople. 
 
Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper and Tama Waipara also make the shortlist for Mahana (The Patriarch), directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Temuera Morrison.
 
Tom McLeod rounds off the finalists with The Art of Recovery, which tracks the devastation of Christchurch in the 2011 earthquake to the city’s regeneration.
 

APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A SERIES AWARD

The APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award will also be presented on the night. In the running for the prestigious award are Karl Stevens for 800 Words, Age Pryor for Jiwi’s Machines and Tami & Jay Neilson for The Brokenwood Mysteries.
 
“In 2016 music is being consumed more than ever before and in a wider and increasing number of ways. We are proud to celebrate music in all its forms - in te reo Maori, in our concert halls and on our televisions and cinema screens. Each has its own world and each is exemplified in our finalists’ excellent work,” says Anthony Healey, Head of NZ Operations for APRA AMCOS.