CHESHIRE GRIMM - SLAVE TO THE GRIND

Melancholy NZ trio Cheshire Grimm (Lora Thompson) are ready to unleash a lyric video for their upbeat ska-influenced single 'Slave to the Grind' – the first track off their second and much acclaimed EP 'Rain or Shine' which was released earlier this year  with a seven date Australasian tour shared with good friends Skinny Hobos.

As well as the usual Cheshire Grimm lineup of dual female vocals, solid bass, trippy guitars and hard-hitting drums; Slave to the Grind features guest keyboard work by Melbourne-based Synth Master Graeme 'Wily' Bell (Automatic Terror Machine), and Saxophone work by Aaron Searle.

‘Rain Or Shine’ hooks you in with the opening riff of Slave To The Grind and the only time you’ll want to hit the skip button will be to go back to the start of the song once you get to the end' –  NZ Musician Magazine, 2017.

This marks the third single and second video from the EP after the release of their music video (filmed in Melbourne) for their second single 'Jimmy' in May 2017.

After a wintery writing break, The Grimm will be returning to gigging in November, opening for South Auckland goth/rock/hiphop legends Vallkyrie in their hometown of Hamilton NZ,soon followed by dates in Auckland, Raglan, and the Bay of Plenty and their third Australian tour which will kick off in 2018 - more details to come!

Purchase Slave To The Grind on Bandcamp

Stream Slave To The Grind on Spotify

CIARAN MCMEEKEN #GIVEAHOME

All available proceeds to go to Amnesty International

On September 20, thousands of musicians performed in people’s homes in over 200 cities in a world first for Amnesty International’s ‘Give A Home’ global concert series.

New Zealand was the first country to kick off the worldwide event with Sofar Sounds living room gigs in both Wellington and Auckland featuring Ciaran McMeeken, Theia, Tiny Ruins, Estere, Opal House and Miles Calder.

In the lead up to the Auckland show, Ciaran McMeeken penned a track with the same title as the concert series – available today – the proceeds of all purchases and streams will be donated to Amnesty International.

Of the Give A Home track McMeeken states;  "I wrote this song from the perspective of a child losing their parents in a war torn country. It really weighed heavy on me how fortunate and privileged we are here in New Zealand and also the importance of the fact that if we are able to help and give, even in a small way, then we must. I truly hope this song can be of some solace or comfort for people out there”.

"Ciaran has written a really beautiful song. To offer it up in this way speaks volumes to his compassion and Amnesty International is really pleased to see him champion refugee rights. People like Ciaran welcoming refugees and taking action to offer support will make a real difference for people who have lost everything and are trying to rebuild their lives. On behalf of all people around the world working to welcome refugees, thank you for your stand." Meg de Ronde, Campaigns Director at Amnesty International NZ

Erica McQueen, Team Leader from Sofar Sounds Auckland agrees; “Sofar Sounds is all about bringing people together through music. To have Ciaran put himself in the shoes of those we want to support with Give A Home is truly special. It helps us to connect with the cause in a unique and powerful way”.

Give A Home
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HIP HOP CREW SWIDT LEAD 2017 VNZMA FINALISTS

Auckland rap crew SWIDT lead the pack with six finalist nods for the 2017 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards which will be held at the Spark Arena on 16 November.

The Onehunga group is up for Godfrey Hirst Album of the Year, Vodafone Single of the Year, Best Group, Best Hip Hop Artist, and Vodafone People’s Choice – as well as Massey University Best Producer at the Artisan Awards for band member SmokeyGotBeatz.

Two Kiwi songstresses who are making headlines across the world are finalists in multiple categories. Lorde is in the running for Godfrey Hirst Album of the Year, Vodafone Single of the Year, Three Best Solo Artist, The Edge Best Pop Artist, and Vodafone People’s Choice while Aldous Harding has received nominations for Godfrey Hirst Album of the Year, Three Best Solo Artist, Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Best Alternative Artist.

Kiwi dream-pop artist Fazerdaze is up for Best Alternative Artist and Breakthrough Artist of the Year, while indie-rock band LEISURE will look to claim Best Group after their Breakthrough Artist of the Year finalist nod in 2016. On top of this, both are nominated for Godfrey Hirst Album of the Year.

Local hip hop MC David Dallas is a finalist for Godfrey Hirst Album of the Year for his fourth album Hood Country Club. He’s also in the running for Best Hip Hop Artist and Vodafone Single of the Year for his 2017 track ‘Fit In’.

Dunedin-born singer songwriter Nadia Reid has seen her musical career grow significantly over the last few years. A finalist for 2016’s Best Folk Album, the release of her second album Preservation earlier this year has catapulted her into the VNZMA finalist list for Three Best Solo Artist, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, and Best Alternative Artist.

Another newcomer to the Music Awards is TEEKS who debuted at number ten on the NZ Official Top 40 Chart for ‘The Grapefruit Skies EP’. He’s up for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Best Soul/RnB Artist, and Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Artist at this year’s show.

Kiwi music stalwart Ladi6 is a finalist for Best Soul/RnB Artist and Christchurch’s Theia has been nominated for The Edge Best Pop Artist and Vodafone People’s Choice. Both musicians are up for Vodafone Single of the Year for ‘Royal Blue’ and ‘Roam’, respectively.

There are some strong finalists for Best Roots Artist with Israel Starr, Sons of Zion, and Tomorrow People all being recognised for their contributions to the genre in 2017.

The last 12 months have seen the release of excellent electronic music as well. Chaos In The CBD, K+Lab, and Truth are the three finalists for Best Electronic Artist.

Other finalists include Devilskin (Best Group, Best Rock Artist), KINGS (Three Best Solo Artist, Best Hip Hop Artist, Vodafone People’s Choice), Shapeshifter (Best Group), MAALA (Vodafone Single of the Year, Vodafone People’s Choice), Mitch James (The Edge Best Pop Artist), Clap Clap Riot (Best Rock Artist), Graham Brazier (Best Rock Artist), Tommy Nee (Best Soul/RnB Artist), Alien Weaponry (Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Artist), and Maisey Rika (Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Artist).

Curate Music, Josh & Amberley Klinkenberg, and Juliagrace are finalists for Best Worship Artist, while Jenny McLeod, NZ Trio, and Te Kōkī Trio have all been recognised as finalists for Best Classical Artist.

Recorded Music CEO Damian Vaughan says each year gets better and better and he is immensely proud of this year’s finalists.

“We have a wide variety of talented musicians dedicated to their craft here in New Zealand. The Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards gives us a platform to recognise the incredible work that’s been produced across a number of genres and categories. It will be a fantastic night to take in everything that has been achieved in New Zealand music this past year,” says Vaughan.

The recipients of the Vodafone Highest Selling Single, Highest Selling Album, NZ On Air Radio Airplay Record of the Year, and the International Achievement Award  will also be announced on the night.

A line-up of exciting live performances

Alongside celebrating the great Kiwi musicians and their work over the last 12 months, the 2017 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards welcomes a number of artists to take the stage and perform on the night.

This year, SWIDT, Lorde, TEEKS, Theia and Devilskin will be performing on the night and there will also be two special performances, including a tribute to the 2017 Legacy Award recipient.

The Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards will be broadcast live on Three on November 16th from 8.30pm. Whether you’re on the red carpet or your couch at home, you’ll be able to watch some of New Zealand’s finest musical talent at the Music Awards.

Tickets go on sale 5 October, $25 general admission + booking fee, available from Ticketmaster. 

IWI 'TE KAWA TUATORU'

TEKAWATUATORU ‐ the new album from Māori language music pioneers IWI (Teresa McGregor) ‐ is due for release today.   

Featuring new waiata of celebration and whakapapa...  “in a IWI stylee”  ...  TE KAWATUA TORUi s IWI’s third album and also features remixes of some of their most popular songs,  including   MŌ AKE and E NGĀ RANGATAHI. Pre‐sales of the album are currently available via iTunes.   

IWI are long‐ time advocates of Te Reo Māori who have contributed towards the survival of the language and tikanga through waiata.  “For us,  every week is Māori language week”  says Kimo Winiata and Keelan Ransfield of IWI. “We want to normalize Te Reo Māori and encourage everyone –  both fluent speakers and learners ‐ young and old – to not be afraid or ashamed, but to be proud tospeak our beautiful language every day”.   

MAI I MAKETŪ is the first single to be released from the album. Kimo says that after always beingreminded by relations that his DNA includes other sides ‐ not just Tainui whakapapa – the song is an attempt to show his Ngāti Whakaue kin that their whānau residing in Ōtaki are proud of their Te Arawa heritage! This is backed up by Kimo’s eldest child Matawai, who composed the second verseof the song, with her teina Kimiora performing it on the recording.   

TE KAWA TUATORU was mixed and produced by Maaka Phat of Minaaka,  and remixes are by   Te Kawa Hērangi, Kimo Winiata, and Maaka Phat. The album was funded by Te Māngai Paho

GRAEME​ ​JAMES​ ​-​ ​WISH​ ​YOU​ ​WELL​ ​TOUR

After details were announced last week, Graeme James is back with his raucous,  foot-stomping new single Wish You Well , available to stream and download today.   

A timely tune about saying farewell to a friend off to travel the world,  Wish You Wellhasbecome a very personal and fitting song for Graeme, as he prepares to relocate to Europefor adventures of his own with wife Zoe in mid-2018.   

Graeme is proud to announce a huge New Zealand tour before he moves overseas, playingshows in some of his favourite spots around the country to say goodbye to the local fanswho have been instrumental in his success so far.    

Relocating to make the most of opportunities presented by his recent signing to indierecord label Nettwerk, this will New Zealand’s last chance to catch Graeme’s captivatingone-man-band show this October and November.   

Wish You Wellis Graeme’s second single with Nettwerk, and follows a steady stream ofsuccesses in the last 12 months.  With over 7 million streams on the service Spotify, GraemeJames is one of New Zealand’s most listened to indie artists. 

The Wish You Well tour is his biggest yet - tickets are available to buy today fromwww.graemejames.com    

GRAEME JAMES –  WISH YOU WELL TOUR DATES  

OCTOBER

Fri 27 Christchurch Blue Smoke 

Sat 28 Dunedin Benessere Studios 

NOVEMBER

Thu 2 Feilding Feilding Little Theatre

Sat 4 Hastings Common Room 

Thu 9 Hamilton Nirvana Lounge 

Fri 10 Tauranga Vinyl Destination 

Thu 16 Auckland Whammy Bar

Fri 17 Taupo 

Sat 18 New Plymouth 4th Wall  

Thu 23 Queenstown Sherwood 

Fri 24 Wanaka Gin & Raspberry 

Thu 30 Nelson East Street Vegetarian Cafe

WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2017 APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARDS

Lorde has won the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Award for her international hit song 'Green Light'.
 
Ella Yelich O’Connor, along with her co-writers Jack Antonoff and Joel Little were unable to be at the ceremony held at the Dunedin Town Hall last night, but were thrilled to win the award, and Ella sent this message from America.
 
“I can’t believe it. I really wanted to win the Silver Scroll Award, I just feel like it’s so prestigious and important. I always love and respect the songs that end up in the Silver Scrolls.
 
“Thank you for honouring 'Green Light', which is a song I love so much, and am so proud of. The second it came out, I knew it felt like a bit of my heart, right in the song. Thank you so much, I wish I was there!”
 
It’s the third time Lorde has been a finalist in her short career, and her second win with co-writer Joel Little, after being awarded the trophy for 'Royals' in 2013. The award acknowledges excellence in songwriting and has been given to some of the most recognisable names and songs in New Zealand music during its 52 year history, from the Swingers’ ‘Counting The Beat’ and Bic Runga’s ‘Drive’ to Scribe and P Money’s ‘Not Many’.
 
“As a song, 'Green Light' instantly hit its mark. Ella has captured that moment in her life and shared it beautifully with us all” says Anthony Healey, Head of NZ Operations for APRA AMCOS. “Along with Joel and Jack she’s crafted something that’s been critically acclaimed all over the world. But 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 Shayne Carter (Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer) was the musical director of tonight’s 52nd APRA Silver Scrolls ceremony, which saw a host of other Kiwi songwriters collect awards.
 
Newcomers Alien Weaponry (Henry de Jong, Lewis de Jong, and Ethan Trembath) took the esteemed APRA Maioha Award, recognising exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori, for their heavy metal anthem 'Raupatu'. The song raises awareness of land confiscations by the colonial government with a startling performance.
 
Wellington composer and violinist, Salina Fisher, won the SOUNZ Contemporary Award for the second year in a row, with her haunting composition 'Torino', which was inspired by the work of taonga puoro artist Rob Thorne. Rob was able to accept the award on Salina’s behalf, because she is currently based in New York, studying at the Manhattan School of Music.

First time finalist Claire Cowan received the APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award for her rich and varied soundtrack for TV mini-series 'Hillary', which celebrated the life of Sir Edmund Hillary .
 
The APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award was won by Tim Prebble for his emotive work on beautiful independent film 'One Thousand Ropes'.
 
Rounding off the evening was the induction of The Clean into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, with a wonderful tribute to the iconic Dunedin band from poet David Merritt, film-maker Stuart Page, and musicians Astro Children and Billy TK.
 
The winner of all awards were:
APRA Silver Scroll Award: Ella Yelich O’Connor, Jack Antonoff, Joel Little (Lorde) – Green Light
APRA Maioha Award: Henry de Jong, Lewis de Jong, Ethan Trembath (Alien Weaponry) – Raupatu
SOUNZ Contemporary Award: Salina Fisher – Torino
APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award: Claire Cowan – Hillary
APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award: Tim Prebble – One Thousand Ropes
Hall of Fame: The Clean – Hamish Kilgour, David Kilgour, Robert Scott, and Peter Gutteridge
 

THE BLUE COLLAR KILLER SINGLE RELEASE AND AUSTRALASIA TOUR

Callum Gentleman is releasing a Killer and taking him on the road – and appropriately, given part of the song’s focus, appropriate in our post election times. 

The song and video for Callum’s new single Blue Collar Killer are out now, with an 11-date New Zealand tour with his band September/October, after which he spends November touring Australia.

Callum Gentleman plays blues/folk noir with the odd dash of country. It’s Nick Cave meets The Smiths in a dark alley where they conspire to kidnap Bob Dylan and move to New Zealand.  He’s played many gigs around the nation, performing shows with artists such as Tami Neilson, Marlon Williams, Tiny Ruins, Nadia Reid, Delaney Davidson, and The Eastern.

Mr. Gentleman is joined by henchmen Joel Vinsen (wide-screen guitar) and Sam Loveridge (back-alley violin) for the New Zealand leg of this tour. The trio will wind their way around the country, playing 11 shows from as far north as Whangarei (October 20th) down to Dunedin (October 6th).

They play in some of New Zealand’s most iconic venues, such as Leigh Sawmill (September 30th) and the Barrytown Hall (October 7th). This will be the first music gig held at the iconic Barrytown Hall since a noise control issue halted music at the venue earlier this year. After a show at the legendary Bunker in Auckland’s Devonport (another venue almost shut down earlier this year), Callum will take a solo set to Australia, starting with a gig at The Wesley Anne in Melbourne.

Blue Collar Killer is a dark folk tune, a live-set highlight with a Southern Gothic edge. The recording wedges Callum’s pulsing acoustic guitar in between a knife-edge violin (Sam Loveridge) and a shotgun electric guitar (Joel Vinsen) with the sultry Carmen Kilss on backing vocals. The track was recorded at The Lab Studio in Auckland with award-winning engineer Oliver Harmer, and mixed by Ryan Green. 

While the song started life as an ode to a simple workingman with an unusual day job, Callum says it quickly moved on to something else entirely.

“The guy in the tune is your average workaday contract killer. He turns up to work, clocks in, ticks his clients off the to-do list, works some overtime to save up for a family holiday on the Gold Coast, clocks out, heads home for dinner, gets nagged at by his wife cos he’s late again. An ordinary guy, just with an extraordinary skill set,” explains Callum.

“Then my mum said, ‘Sounds like a song about John Key.’ Eureka! The Smiling Assassin has been lurking in the lyrics ever since. Although John was the original inspiration, Bill English will easily sub in, as will many of the candidates in any election.”

Check out the Blue Collar Killer single/video now, then head along to catch one of Callum Gentleman’s electrifying gigs.

Song available through most platforms including Spotify, iTunes

Show Tickets at http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/utr/ticket

More info at www.callumgentleman.com

The Blue Collar Killer New Zealand Tour

Leigh Sawmill – Leigh

Saturday 30th Sept

With Moondog Blues 

Dinner from 6pm – show from 9pm

Darkroom – Christchurch

Thurs 5th Oct – 7pm

With Candice Milner

Purple Rain – Dunedin

403 Princes Street

Fri 6th Oct – 8pm

With The Mason Cooper Disaster

Barrytown Hall – West Coast

Sat 7th Oct – 8pm

With Leap Frog

Le Café – Picton

Sun 8th Oct – 7pm

With Michelle Beck

Lucky Bar – Whanganui

Thursday 12th Oct – 8pm

 With Terry Sarten aka Tel

Common Room – Hastings

Friday 13th Oct – 8.30pm

With Danica Bryant

Old Stone Butter Factory – Whangarei

Fri 20 Oct – 8pm

Supporting Moondogs Blues

Golden Dawn – Auckland

Sunday 22nd Oct – 7pm (Free Labour Weekend Show)

With Paul Cathro

The Incubator – Tauranga

Sat 28 Oct – 6.30pm

With The Harmonic Resonators& Adam McLean

Bunker Hill Acoustic - Devonport

Sunday 29 Oct – 8pm

KINGS RELEASES NEW MUSIC VIDEO 'WE'LL NEVER KNOW'

With the release of his debut album on the horizon, today Kings (Matt Headland) shares his new music video for album banger 'We'll Never Know'. After a string of Friday single releases, the Chapter One story will come full circle as the album is released this November 3rd on Arch Angel & DRM NZ. 

Co-directed with the Grut brothers (Fraser & Ben Grut) of FROG, the video takes place inside Chapple-Wilson's family home. Behind the foggy lens, an emotional rollercoaster is unfolding as Kings takes us through the motions over an upbeat dance beat. Watch the video and get that hand clap!

The young producer turned heads with what would become his chart-topping debut single 'Don't Worry Bout It' in the summer of 2015. The song has now surpassed over 6 million streams, while its infamous video created on his iPhone has received over 1 million YouTube views.

His forthcoming debut album Chapter One is a personal tapestry of beats, stories, and party tracks completely written, self-produced and recorded by Chapple-Wilson from his marae studio, Awataha. As his first independent release, it is a multifaceted yet cohesive body of work that blends stylistic boundaries and documents the young kiwi artist, father and producer's rise to the top.