BAKERS EDDY 'JACK SHIT FOR YOU'

Now based in Melbourne, Bakers Eddy (Claire Gormly) are about unleash their new material upon the world, revealing an exciting and fresh new sonic direction for the five-piece.

Recorded at Studio in the City, with Shihad’s legendary Tom Larkin on the production desk alongside Jon Grace (production/engineering), the band set about capturing their energetic live show in a studio setting.

"Those guys are great - They just got it, you know," says Jamie Gordon of the experience. "Off the bat they were speaking our language but took it further than we had ever anticipated.

“Our time spent working with Tom really changed our mentality about the recording process and in turn what we produced. Capturing our raucous live show and translating that same energy to the record, something we had never quite bridged until now.

"We haven't been this into what we have crafted since we first started the band and it’s exciting as f***!"

Bakers Eddy on Friday 1 September release their new single, ‘Jack Shit For You’. The track is the first from their upcoming EP - a fast tempo dirty-pop-punk tune, that’s full of youthful desperation.

"We're all about having fun at the moment, living large with zero dollars... I think that shows through the music. There's an element of ‘who gives a shit’ and youthfulness mixed with cheap wine.”

KINGS 'HYLMN'

Following last Friday's hot new release 'Kush Rolled x Cup Filled', kiwi artist and producer KINGS (Matt Headland) has opened up the vault to reveal a second track off his upcoming new album, Chapter One.

In this brooding new track 'HYLMN', Kingdon Chapple-Wilson gets autobiographical. We are invited into the young artist's beginnings and taken on his long journey to the top. It's an homage to the hustle, the hard times and those of us out there on a mission. Stay tuned for more new music next Friday. Chapter One is due out November 3rd via DRM NZ.

Known as a musical shapeshifter in terms of the styles he fuses together in the studio, Chapter One is a multi-faceted yet cohesive body of work that documents the young kiwi artist, father and producer's steady rise to the top. Completely self-produced by Chapple-Wilson, the 12-track album is his first independent release of which he had to say: 

"I've always encouraged artists and musicians to do things themselves and to study the game thoroughly. It was only right that I do this entire project the way I preach. From directing the music videos to designing the cover art, everything is written, produced, mixed, and mastered the way I intended, with the hope that it encourages YOU to do the same thing." 

Chapple-Wilson appeared through the smokescreen with his chart-topping track 'Don't Worry Bout It' which has now surpassed 6 million streams and over 1 million YouTube views.

See KINGS LIVE at this year's Edgefest (more details here) and on SIX60's recently announced The New Waves World Tour with Nico & Vinz (more details here).

FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR MAIOHA, SOUNZ AND SCREEN AWARDS - TO BE PRESENTED AT THE SILVER SCROLLS

Some of New Zealand’s best songwriters and composers have been shortlisted for four prestigious awards to be presented at the 2017 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 invite-only awards ceremony at the Dunedin Town Hall on Thursday, September 28.

APRA MAIOHA AWARD

The APRA Maioha Award recognises the art of contemporary Māori songwriting and honours composers who are telling their stories in the language of Te Ao Māori.

2017 finalists:

Atua Whiowhio by Kingi Kiriona

Raupatu by Alien Weaponry (Lewis de Jong, Henry de Jong, and Ethan Trembath)

Taku Mana by Maisey Rika

Atua Whiowhio by first time finalist Kingi Kiriona challenges the boundaries of tradition, blending haka and hip hop, presented through the lens of kapahaka group Te Iti Kahurangi.

Teenage thrash metal trio Alien Weaponry are also first time finalists for Raupatu, a political song focusing on land confiscations by the colonial government.

Working in a completely different genre, but just as deep and powerful in her composition is previous Maioha Award winner Maisey Rika. Taku Mana comes from her fourth album ‘Tira’, and revolves around the idea of joy and praise, a celebration of ancestors and mana.

SOUNZ CONTEMPORARY AWARD

The SOUNZ Contemporary Award celebrates excellence in contemporary composition.

2017 finalists:

Incident Tableaux Part One by Chris Gendall

Serendipity Fields by Jeroen Speak

Tōrino - echoes on pūtōrino improvisations by Rob Thorne by Salina Fisher

This is the fifth nomination for Chris Gendall, former winner of the SOUNZ Contemporary Award, for his orchestral work Incident Tableaux Part One.

Prodigious Wellington composer and 2016 winner Salina Fisher is a finalist once again, this time for her string quartet Tōrino, which was inspired by the music of Taonga Pūoro artist Rob Thorne.

UK-based NZ composer Jeroen Speak, who has been working around the world for twenty years, is a second time finalist for his piano trio Serendipity Fields.

APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A FILM AWARD

2017 finalists:

Marc Chesterman for Spookers

Peter Hobbs for Jean

Tim Prebble for One Thousand Ropes

Sound designer and composer Marc Chesterman has been collaborating with film director Florian Habicht for most of his career, and is nominated for his work on the soundtrack and score for Habicht’s recent documentary hit Spookers, about the diverse people who work at the legendary south Auckland horror entertainment attraction.

A man of many pursuits, Peter Hobbs has done everything from performing in Dunedin bands Kitset and Lesley Speaker, to setting up a recording studio and running youth music workshops in Bosnia. He is a finalist for his work in Jean, which tells the tale of pioneering aviator Jean Batten.

Tim Prebble has 50 years experience, becoming an award winning sound designer with credits on over 40 feature films, and more recently working as a composer, completing his third feature film score. He is a finalist for One Thousand Ropes, a new drama from Tusi Tamasese (The Orator) about a Samoan man atoning for the violence that divided his family and exiled him to solitude.

APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A SERIES AWARD

2017 finalists:

Claire Cowan for Hillary

Karl Steven for 800 Words

Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper for Terry Teo

Claire Cowan is widely known for her work as a contemporary composer and collaborator, as well her works for screen. She’s a finalist for the first time for her work on the local TV series Hillary, which charted the life of our iconic hero Sir Ed.

Last year’s winner Karl Steven (front man for Queen Neptune, Supergroove, Drab Doo Riffs) is a finalist once again for his work on popular Kiwi/Aussie TV series 800 Words, which charts the gentle drama and comedy of life in a rural west coast town.

Having won the APRA Best Original Music in a Film award last year for his work on Mahana, this year Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper has turned his talents towards the small screen, and is a finalist for his work on classic Kiwi comeback comedy Terry Teo.

. All awards will be presented during a ceremony at the Duendin Town Hall on Thursday September 28th. As a part of the celebrations, APRA will also be inducting a songwriter/s into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.
 
The awards are proudly supported by Panhead Custom Ales, Quartz Reef Wines, and NZ On Air.

TOP 5 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2017 APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARDS

Five top acts have made the shortlist for the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Award, recognising excellence in songwriting.

• Close Your Eyes by Bic Runga (written by Bic Runga and Kody Nielson)
• Green Light by Lorde (written by Ella Yelich O’Connor, Jack Antonoff, and Joel Little). Published by Native Tongue Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia P/L, EMI 
• Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd.
• Horizon by Aldous Harding. Published by Native Tongue Music Publishing.
• Life of the Party by Chelsea Jade (written by Chelsea Jade Metcalf and Leroy Clampitt).
• Richard by Nadia Reid. Published by Kobalt Music Publishing.

Having won the Silver Scroll Award in 1997 with Sway, Bic Runga is once again a finalist 20 years later, this time for her beautiful, energetic love song Close Your Eyes, written with partner Kody Nielson (Silicon, UMO, The Mint Chicks). A song about going your own way, finding joy in the little things, and love enduring through time, it presents Runga as potent as she’s ever been. 

Another past scroll winner (for Royals in 2013), Ella Yelich O’Connor and Joel Little are nominated once again for their latest world-dominating single Green Light. A cutting indictment of a past lover, which perfectly captures the chaos of post-break-up feelings, and the push and pull between the old and the new, it’s a bona-fide pop sensation. 

Aldous Harding has become an international sensation in 2017, capturing imaginations with her singular songs which cut through like a lightning bolt, and she is a welcome first-time finalist for her song Horizon. A spare, vulnerable track which finds impressive power in its simplicity, Horizon finds a way to spin gut-punching love into a song that feels brand new.

Also a first-time finalist, Chelsea Jade is nominated for her hypnotic, subversive, delicate pop piece Life of the Party. The LA based artist (formerly of Teacups and Watercolours), manages to encapsulate the contradicting feelings of awkwardness and confidence in an intoxicating, joyful, yet low-key production.

A fellow newcomer is Nadia Reid, with her fierce, haunting song Richard. The Port Chalmers native has also found herself in demand across the globe with the release of her second album Preservation, and Richard is a stand-out folk-rock gem with its wonderfully direct delivery, charting heartbreak and dissolution, through striking imagery.

The APRA Silver Scroll Awards is considered one of the most coveted awards in New Zealand music and has previously been awarded to artists such as Ray Columbus, Hammond Gamble, Shona Laing, Dave Dobbyn, Don McGlashan, Neil Finn, Chris Knox, Brooke Fraser, James Milne & Lukasz Buda, Alisa Xayalith & Thom Powers (The Naked And Famous), Tami Neilson, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Thomas Oliver.

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 Dunedin Town Hall on Thursday 28th 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 will also be shared via the Student Radio Network (Radio One, RDU, Radio Active, Radio Control and 95bFM), and The Spinoff website (www.thespinoff.co.nz).

Sky’s Rialto Channel 39 are also proud to broadcast the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Awards on Saturday October 21 at 8.30pm.  

The awards are proudly supported by Panhead Custom Ales, Quartz Reef Wines, and NZ On Air.

PARABOLA WEST 'DO YOU WANT TO KNOW'

The off-grid songstress is set to release her latest single "Do You Want to Know?” on 18th August. It’s the second single off of her upcoming 7-track EP titled Purity of Weakness, which was recorded and produced with Scott Newth at The Porch Recording Studio in Hamilton. "Do You Want to Know?" showcases her unique mixture of folk instrumentation and piano-driven storytelling and it follows her acclaimed singles “Fire” (2015) and “Disappear” (2017).

‘“Do You Want to Know?” is the story of someone encountering intense temptation - the promise of deeper knowledge and the answers to the questions that keep you up at night. But at a cost, of course. It’s an old theme, but still very relevant today.”

Purity of Weakness will be released on 8th of September, marked with a live performance event at Galatos. The anticipation will be satisfied sooner for fans who supported her successful INDIEGOGO crowd funding campaign (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/parabola-west-help-record-her-ep-music--2#/) , or those attending her upcoming live shows in Auckland.

THOMSTON AND SACHI COLLABORATE TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE ‘RIDE’

New Zealand based songwriter and producer Thomston (Scott Maclachlan) has teamed up with fellow Auckland producer duo SACHI (Rikihana Douglas), to deliver their new single ‘RIDE’ out today through Sony Music Entertainment Australia. The infectious sound clearly demonstrates why these artists are touted as some of New Zealand’s most exciting up-and-coming artists. The dynamic collaboration highlights Thomston’s incredible way with melody and SACHI’s penchant for lush sound-scapes and punch.

“The SACHI boys and I have become good friends but we have really different energies which makes for interesting collaboration. I wrote ‘Ride’ about 6 months ago and took it to them. Thought they’d be perfect to take it in a bigger, darker direction and they killed it.” – THOMSTON

“We're stoked that Thomston trusted our vision on the direction of the song and think that this collaboration is really special. We are really proud of ‘Ride’ and can’t wait for everyone to hear it.” – SACHI

THOMSTON gave fans a preview of the single on his Facebook yesterday. THOMSTON is no stranger to a killer collaboration. The 20-year-old teamed up with Brisbane-based songwriter and vocalist Wafia in 2016 for their single ‘Window Seat,’ which has received over 7 million streams on Spotify.

ABOUT THOMSTON

Compared with the likes of Frank Ocean and SOHN, Thomston took the music blog scene by storm when he leaked an experimental EP in 2014. Since then 21 year old Thomas Stoneman, better known for his stage name Thomston has garnered over 50 million Spotify streams and international media attention. He released his debut album TOPOGRAPH in 2016. Written in five cities on three continents over almost two years the album debuted to much praise, setting him up as a Spotify Spotlight Artist and MTV Brand New Artist, as well as being nominated for the prestigious NZ Silver Scroll Award. Thomston has been busy touring the UK, Europe and Australia, as well as sold out shows in New Zealand.

ABOUT SACHI

Nick Chrisp and Will Thomas met at primary school in Auckland, New Zealand and played in indie rock bands together throughout their schooling years. Since then SACHI have been nominated for break through artist at then Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards and MTV Brand New Artist after they released their debut EP 'LUNCH WITH BIANCA' in July 2016 featuring singles 'No More' and 'Hold On', and have been playing festivals and sold out shows around New Zealand and Australia since. In April 2017, SACHI released their single 'Shelter' featuring NÏKA. The upbeat anthem, premiered on Triple J, and was the second highest played New Zealand song across commercial and alternative New Zealand radio.

KINGS 'KUSH ROLLED x CUP FILLED'

Fresh off the heels of announcing his forthcoming debut album Chapter One, today kiwi artist and producer KINGS (Matt Headland) has shared the first track off the new release with us. The young recording artist's independent debut release Chapter One is due out November 3rd via DRM NZ.

A fast moving track, 'Kush Rolled x Cup Filled' demonstrates Kingdon Chapple-Wilson's prolific skill as a producer and his gift for creating 'the perfect drop' over heavy drum & bass madness and polarizing synthesizers. It's a feel-good, party track set to get you pumped for your Friday nights. 

Stay tuned for a new track reveal every Friday in the lead up to album release, and see the many sides of the Chapter One story.

Known as a musical shapeshifter in terms of the styles he fuses together in the studio, Chapter One is a multi-faceted yet cohesive body of work that documents the young kiwi artist, father and producer's steady rise to the top. Completely self-produced by Chapple-Wilson, the 12-track album is his first independent release of which he had to say: 

"I've always encouraged artists and musicians to do things themselves and to study the game thoroughly. It was only right that I do this entire project the way I preach. From directing the music videos to designing the cover art, everything is written, produced, mixed, and mastered the way I intended, with the hope that it encourages YOU to do the same thing." 

Chapple-Wilson appeared through the smokescreen with his chart-topping track 'Don't Worry Bout It' which has now surpassed 6 million streams and over 1 million YouTube views.

See KINGS LIVE at this year's Edgefest (more details here) and on SIX60's recently announced The New Waves World Tour with Nico & Vinz (more details here)

MANUREWA HIGH SCHOOL SOARING HIGH

Manurewa High School (Shannon Coulomb) has three national finalists in the upcoming Smokefree Rockquest and Smokefree Pacifica Beats competitions.

Sonatane Kaufusi has made the final of Smokefree Rockquest for the second year in a row and hopes to improve on his 2016 second place. 

Blessed has made the final of Smokefree Pacifica Beats through placing 1st in the Auckland region. Blessed contains members with National Final experience in both Smokefree Pacifica Beats and Smokefree Rockquest. 

Makayla & Lakem Have made the finals for the first time but Makayla (Eli) has made the national top 20 in the Smokefree Rockquest band competition in the group Niu Trio previously.

Finau Fulivai is a Year 11 drummer who has made the Stand Up, Stand Out Instrumental finals for the third year in a row (having won the previous two years).

PJ Tele'a, Erikka Foketi, Sau Fatuleai and Televave Televave are a vocal group who have made the Stand Up, Stand Out Group Vocal final.

The MMF wishes them all the best!