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
 

SKINNY HOBOS SUBURBAN LIVING TOUR RELEASE

Skinny Hobos (Sam Holdom) are hitting the road once more, thumbing their way around the North Island with 7 block-busting shows this Music Month to support their third single ‘Suburban Living’, set for release on May 12th.

2017 has gotten off to a flyer for the powerhouse duo that is Alex Elvis and Texas Holdom, with a maiden performance at Homegrown backing up their first foray across the ditch, and they are set to carry that hot streak into the cold winter months. With ‘The Merchant of Tirau’ and ‘Jokers & Fools’ already well set in the Kiwi rock consciousness, Skinny Hobos promise to bring another whirlwind set of heavy hitting riffs and foot stomping beats to keep you grooving all night long, with some new tunes sprinkled in amongst your new old favourites.

Jumping on board for selected dates are Brendon Thomas & The Vibes, the psychedelic trio who have been tearing up New Zealand with their latest EP ‘Wrap You In The Sun’, produced by Split Enz’s Eddie Rayney. Their infectious hooks and soaring melodies create a beautiful cacophony of sound which needs to be seen to be truly experienced. Having shared a handful of stages over the last six months, Skinny Hobos and Brendon Thomas & The Vibes are beyond excited to bring their incredible live chemistry around the North Island together.

Tickets available from undertheradar.co.nz 

TEMPIST FUJIT RETURN WITH LAUNCH OF NEW SINGLE

Sat 15th April 

Old Stone Butter Factory

Butter factory Lane

Whangarei

8.30pm – 12pm

After some time off the road and in the studio Tempist Fujit (Doug Gordon) return to the Whangarei live scene with their, much anticipated, first single release “Midnight Train” from their upcoming debut album. Performance will be on Sat 15th April at the “Old Stone Butter Factory”, Whangarei. Tickets $15 on sale now at www.eventfinda.co.nz Supported by local acts “Moondog Blues” and “Dj Steve”. The track will be available for download/streaming at all major online distributers from 15.4.2017.

Lisa, the lead singer for the band, say’s “We are all excited at the prospect of playing to our fans again and can’t wait for them to hear our new material” Performance will include tracks from their upcoming album plus a few of your old favs.

TIKI TAANE MAHUTA

This year, Taki Rua are taking on our most ambitious project yet - touring the performing arts epic Tiki Taane Mahuta, starring the legendary Tiki Taane (Ninakaye Taane-Tinorau), to thirteen cities around Aotearoa.

Live music, theatre, aerial performance, contemporary dance, kapa haka, mau rākau and hip hop unite in Tiki Taane Mahuta, one of New Zealand’s largest nationally-devised productions ever. Nine of our nation's leading performing artists will perform on our nation's greatest stages, while Tiki Taane plays his soundtrack live with support from Shapeshifter's Sam Trevethick.

Tiki Taane Mahuta depicts two generations of New Zealand families and the tragedy, hope and redemption which connect them. Expanding beyond the 1996 and 2013 settings, the production explores the ancestral realm which oversees the characters’ whakapapa - genealogy. Tiki Taane Mahuta shows the importance of community rejuvenation and the strength found through connecting with whakapapa.

Created by renowned artistic director and Taki Rua Kahukura Tānemahuta Gray, a six-show season of Tiki Taane Mahuta debuted in 2015 at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch.

Secondary schools and tertiary institutions are able to book exclusive Student Matinee performances.

Palmerston North - Regent on Broadway, May 19

Napier - Napier Municipal Theatre, May 22

Tauranga - Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, May 24

Hamilton - Clarence Street Theatre, May 26

Auckland - Aotea Centre, May 29

New Plymouth - TSB Showplace, May 31

Wellington - Opera House, June 2

Blenheim - ASB Theatre Marlborough, June 6

Ashburton - Ashburton Trust Event Centre, June 9

Christchurch - Isaac Theatre Royal, June 12

Oamaru - Oamaru Opera House, June 14

Dunedin - Regent Theatre, June 16

Invercargill - Civic Theatre, June 20

A Reserve Tickets

Adult - $75

Concession, Child - $60

Groups of 10+ - $60

Early Bird - $60

$15 off all A Reserve Adult tickets when purchased before April 30.

B Reserve Tickets

Adult - $60

Concession, Child - $50

Groups of 10+ - $50

Additional booking fees may apply.

All shows at 7pm. The show runs for approximately 120 minutes, including a 20 minute interval.

Book by clicking the name of your venue.

HA THE UNCLEAR ANNOUNCE NZ TOUR & NEW SINGLE

Ha the Unclear (Michael Cathro) are pleased to announce a fistful of shows around the country in May to celebrate the release of new single BIG CITY (out 21st April)

TOUR DATES

SAT 13 MAY - SAWMILL CAFE - LEIGH
THURS 18 MAY - GOLDEN DAWN, AUCKLAND
SAT 20 MAY - CAROLINE, WELLINGTON
FRI 26 MAY - SPACE ACADEMY, CHRISTCHURCH
SAT 27 MAY - THE CROWN HOTEL, DUNEDIN

PRESALES FROM UNDERTHERADAR.CO.NZ

BIG CITY was recorded with Tom Heal (Tiny Ruin, Popstranger) in Mt Eden. The song tails a public transport journey as a bus full of people fail to react appropriately to an onboard emergency. Recently inhabiting Auckland after making the move from their hometown of Dunedin, the song focuses its lens on big city living. Alluding to bystander apathy and diminished social responsibility, BIG CITY ulses and distorts fittingly as it winds its way to its inevitable, repeating refrain ‘everyone’s anonymous’.

An exciting couple of years for Ha the Unclear has seen them nominated for a Tui at the NZ Music Awards, perform spirited sets at Rhythm & Vines and The Winter Garden, tour New Zealand supporting Courtney Barnett and perform shows across the Tasman in Australia.

In 2015 Ha the Unclear relocated from their southern, Scottish influenced harbour hometown of Dunedin/Ōtepoti (pop. 127,000) (farthest city in the world from London) to the North Island city of Auckland (pop. 1,495,000) (avg. house price $1,000,000). This included a transitional 6 months spent living on a hydroponic lettuce farm in the Bay of Plenty where the band toured between bouts of picking basil, lettuce and avocados.

Ha the Unclear - Big City is released on Friday 21st April 2017 via Banished From the Universe.

THA MOVEMENT 'THE UNDISCIPLINED SON' LISTENING PARTY

Continuing on in the proud tradition of Ōtara musical storytellers, Tha Movement (Noma Sia-Salapu) has seen it all from early mixtape days with long-time associate Mr. Sicc and NZ hip hop pioneer Ermehn through to more recent collaborations with the Machete District collective.

Recorded sporadically over a 2-year period in South Auckland, Melbourne, and Brisbane, Tha Movement’s second solo EP ‘The Undisciplined Son’ also doubles as a welcome return to the hip hop production boards by award winning south Auckland Music and Sound Producer Anonymouz.

Recalling the conflicting journey between his proud Sāmoan heritage upbringing and the opposing realities of south Auckland gang life which he eventually finds his way back out of, ’The Undisciplined Son’ also features a stellar line up of New Zealand/Pacific hip hop artists including Kas The Feelstyle, Mareko, King Kapisi, Swiss, Poetik, SMV, MC Arme, Dok ll, Wiggidy WayQs and an unreleased bonus 2012 archive track with Mr Sicc which is only available on the limited edition hard copy CD.

Tha Movement and Anonymouz proudly invite you to an exclusive listening party, in anticipation of the EP’s online release.

Friday 28 April, 6:00pm – 10:00pm
LOT23
23 Minnie Street, Mt Eden
Entry fee: $20 per person, Purchase tickets on Eventfinda
Kitchen and bar are open from 4pm
18+

Ticket price includes a limited edition hard copy CD with a bonus track that will not be available online.  To pre-order a hard copy CD for $10 without attending the event email thamovenz@gmail.com

2017 MMF MUSIC MANAGERS AWARDS - FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The New Zealand Music Managers Forum with support from the NZ Music Commission, Recorded Music NZ and OneMusic is proud to announce the finalists for the 2017 Music Managers Awards.

The relationship between artists and managers is one of the strongest and most important in the music industry, and for thirteen years the MMF Music Managers Awards have been celebrating the importance of the people at the centre of this relationship who are shaping the careers of New Zealand’s biggest artists.

Out of view of the public eye, music managers work hard to strategise and build an artist’s career in the ever changing and evolving landscape of the music industry and choosing a manager is one of the most importantdecisions an artist will make.

The award categories include NZ Manager of the Year, Breakthrough Manager of the Year, International Achievement, Self-Managed Artist of the Year, Best Independent Tour, Best Small Venue and Best Large Venue.  Another award category has also been created this year for Emerging Manager of the Year, recognising the achievements of the new managers in the industry.

Also awarded on the night are the Industry Champion Award as voted for by MMF members, and the MMF Mentoring Achievement Award as voted for by MMF Mentors.

The MMF Music Managers Awards will be held at The Tuning Fork in Auckland on Wednesday 10 May with the attendance of managers, industry professionals, and artists.

The finalists for this year’s awards are:

Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year 

• Alastair Burns (Marlon Williams and Julia Jacklin)
• Ashley Page (Broods, Joel Little, Jarryd James, October, Robinson)
• Lorraine Barry (nomad, Dave Dobbyn, Benny Tipene, Mark Vanilau, Victoria Girling-Butcher)

Emerging Manager of the Year

• Nicole Thomas and Paula Yeoman (Theia)
• Rikihana Douglas (SACHI, Montell2009, Matthew Young, LA Women)
• Serra Galuvao (SWIDT)

Breakthrough Manager of the Year

• Claire Gormly (Bakers Eddy)
• Israel Buchanan (Israel Starr)
• Matt Headland (KINGZ)

NZ Music Commission International Achievement

• Alastair Burns (Marlon Williams and Julia Jacklin)
• Ashley Page (Broods, Joel Little, Jarryd James, October, Robinson)
• Julie Foa’i (Te Vaka)

Self-Managed Artist of the Year

• Mel Parsons (Mel Parsons)
• Nick Atkinson (Hopetoun Brown, Supergroove)
• Tami Neilson (Tami Neilson)

Best Independent Tour

• James Southgate (Devilskin – ‘Be Like The River’ national tour)
• Lorraine Barry (Dave Dobbyn ‘Pop Up’ tour)
• Rodney Hewson (Anika Moa ‘Songs for Bubbas 2’ tour)

OneMusic Best Small Venue

• Leigh Sawmill, Leigh
• San Fran, Wellington
• The Tuning Fork, Auckland

OneMusic Best Large Venue

• ASB Bay Park, Mt Maunganui
• The Bedford, Christchurch
• The Powerstation, Auckland

The awards would not be possible without the support of our incredible sponsors, who recognise the key role that managers play in the success of New Zealand music. In 2017 our major sponsors include: The NZ Music Commission, Recorded Music NZ and OneMusic