TE VAKA PRESENT SONGS OF 'MOANA'

Experience the Music From Disney’s Moana with Te Vaka (Julie Foa'i) And Symphony Orchestras in Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin

Moana songwriter, Opetaia Foa’i is coming to New Zealand to lead his band, Te Vaka, for their first ever performances of the soundtrack Moana in New Zealand in July 2018.

Foa’i says this is the first time Te Vaka has performed Moana songs with a symphony orchestra live.

With hit tracks 'We Know The Way' and 'How Far I’ll Go”, the show titled ‘Songs of Moana’ features the most successful movie soundtrack since the Lion King.

Te Vaka’s beautiful melodies and harmonies are not-to-be-missed, with thrilling log drumming, and flamboyant dancing in an explosive family show.

Foa’i says writing the music to Moana was an absolutely energising experience.

“They said, ‘think Lion King, set in the South Pacific 2000 years ago’ and we would like you to write the music,” Opetaia Foa’i said.

“You can actually start to feel like you’re in a Disney movie because things like this don’t happen in real life – but it did happen.”

Te Vaka, the group of musicians and dancers brought together under the inspired leadership of Foa’i, has toured the world extensively for more than 20 years representing New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Te Vaka present
SONGS OF MOANA

SATURDAY, JULY 7TH, 2018
Isaac Theatre Royal
Te Vaka with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra - 6pm

SUNDAY, JULY 8TH, 2018
Dunedin Townhall
Te Vaka/Moana/Dunedin Symphony Orchestra - 5:00pm

SATURDAY, JULY 14TH, 2018
Michael Fowler Centre
Songs of Moana with the Wellington Symphony Orchestra - 2:00pm

SATURDAY, JULY 14TH, 2018
Michael Fowler Centre
Songs of Moana with the Wellington Orchestra - 5:00pm

GASPER SANZ 'SCENE OF THE CRIME'

Gaspar Sanz (Rebecca Coleman-Smith) released their second single for the year 'Scene of the Crime' at the beginning of May by playing their first headline show at Sydney's iconic Oxford Art Factory to an enthusiastic crowd. 

The single swiftly climbed to #1 on the Australian indie Unearthed charts, playing on both Triple J and Triple J Unearthed, as well as being picked up by music blogs Indie Shuffle, Happy Mag, Indie Folx, and being added to Spotify's Indie Arrivals playlist.

With strong international interest, 'Scene of the Crime' currently boasts over 11K streams on Soundcloud alone, and has garnered plays from radio stations as far afield as Germany. 

This comes off the back of the success of their first single 'I Swim', which is currently on rotation on NZ's Radio Hauraki.

The band are set to play their first joint headline show in July with City Calm Down playing DJ at World Bar for the exclusive afterparty of City Calm Down's Sydney show earlier that evening.

CHORES RELEASE QUIRKY NU-DISCO TUNE, ‘VAMPIRE TEETH’

Chores continue their winning streak with a new killer track, ‘Vampire Teeth’, feat. EYE SAK MAC.
 
Listen HERE
 
The track has had first-play spins on George fm (New Zealand) and Triple J (Australia) and now has been featured online at Dancing Astronaut.
 
A beat-driven, uplifting tune, ‘Vampire Teeth’ delves into new sonic territories for Choresand showcases the duo to be one of the most progressive acts on the Kiwi dance scene right now.
 
“We are always trying to develop our sound and ‘Vampire Teeth’ is very much about pushing boundaries. Its vibe pays homage to the nu-disco music we grew up listening and partying to, band such as Van She, Hot Chip and Chromeo.”
 
‘Vampire Teeth’ features, and is co-written by, EYE SAK MAC (AKA Isaac McFarlane) - a New Zealand songwriter and vocalist, best known as one half of guitar pop band Two Cartoons and founder of Daddy’s Records.
 
Also sharing songwriting duties with Chores and McFarlane is Alex Wildwood, known for his indie projects Shakes and Beeches. Wildwood also produced the track and has a lengthy and esteemed list of production credits to his name, including Sachi, NÏKA and October.
 
Together Chores, EYE SAK MAC and Wildwood demonstrate a flair for songwriting, pairing quirky pop with catchy-as-hell hooks and melodies, with compelling lyrics. “Vampire Teeth is a metaphor about the girl who you wished you loved, but really she’s the girl you only like spending time with because you don’t want to be alone.”
 
‘Vampire Teeth’ is the latest in a string of hit singles released by Chores. Their last track, ‘Surrender ‘feat. Abby Wolfe, has amassed more than 270,000 plays on Spotify since its release just months ago. The song received Top 40 radio play on ZM and The Edge in New Zealand and was added to A Rotation on Kiwi tastemaker station, George FM.
 
Across the Tasman, both the song and the video received love from Triple J Unearthed: “Surplus energy beaming outta this track from Chores. Handy too cos you'll expend a bit of your own bouncing to this” - Dave Ruby Howe, Triple J Unearthed Music Director
 
It also enjoyed success in Asia and Indonesia with airplay on Kiss 105, Hard Rock FM, Radio Heatwave, MTV Asia, Billboard China and VH1 India.

JULIA DEANS 'WE LIGHT FIRE' ALBUM RELEASE TOUR

Julia Deans is proud to announce a special nationwide tour in celebration of the release of her critically acclaimed sophomore album ‘We Light Fire’.

Inspired by world events, friends, and family, We Light Fireis an album that examines both what it means to be human, and our spectrum of strength and vulnerability.

This is a singer/songwriter at the height of their craft. 
★★★★ 1/2 Sunday Star Times

Yep, she can sing, and when she soars it’s a spine-tingling thing because it’s all real.★★★★Metro

Julia Deans boasts one of the best falsettos in New Zealand. Her razor-sharp voice is intoxicating from the moment it chimes in.
★★★★NZ Herald

Following her recent support slots on Marlon Williams’ sold out nationwide tour, this will be the first time audiences around New Zealand will see Julia perform her own headline tour with a full band in over seven years.

But it will be a tour like no other.  

The music industry worldwide has recently come into the spotlight over its long term issues regarding gender disparity. The disturbing figures¦show a lack of female representation in all areas of the industry, but especially in the live arena. The percentage of women artists and female fronted bands in festival line ups, or as support artists on tours, are minimal. 

A light has been shone on the gender disparity conversation and it has inspired Julia to utilise her We Light Fire tour as a platform to create opportunities for females  in New Zealand, and so all of the support artists on her tour will be locally appointed with a focus on  female, female identifying gender non-binary fronted bands or solo artists. 

The team behind the tour are also predominantly women – booking agent, promoter, publicist, and the majority of Julia’s band and touring crew. 

Of the We Light Fire tour Julia says “Throughout my career I have strived to be recognised as a musician first, but often my being a woman has meant I’ve been looked upon as some kind of novelty. To me, gender should not be an issue.I strongly believe we need to foster an environment that not only welcomes women and encourages them to get involved, but which also encourages men to support women and embrace them as equals.”

Tickets for Julia’s tour go on sale today 11th June from UnderTheRadar and Ticketmaster.  

Any artists/bands interested in applying for support slots, keep an eye on Julia Deans Facebook page

Tickets on sale now from Under the Radaror *Ticketmaster

¦Billboard– lack of representation by women and supporting report.  

BBC– lack of women represented on festival lineups in the UK. 

Huffington Post- Lack of women represented in festival lineups in the USA.

ALIEN WEAPONRY HIT NO.1 IN NZ AND THE USA

‘Te Reo Metal’ became the official language of New Zealand music last Friday, when kiwi thrash metal trio Alien Weaponry’s (Niel de Jong) debut album Tū entered the NZ album chart at no. 1.

“We really hoped the album would get on the charts in New Zealand,” says guitarist and lead singer Lewis de Jong. “But we never thought it would hit number 1 – especially when we heard that Katchafire (no. 3) and Tami Nielsen (no. 2) were releasing albums on the same day. We are so grateful to everyone who has bought, downloaded and streamed our music, especially everyone who pre-ordered it through our crowd funding campaign and record stores, which would have helped get it to the no. 1 spot.”

New Zealand isn’t the only place where Tū is taking off. The album has had over a million streams on Spotify since its release on 1 June; and tracks from it have been added to over 7,000 playlists worldwide, including Spotify's own metal genre playlists New Blood, New Metal Tracks, Kickass Metal and Thrash Metal Big 4 & Friends.

It has also been getting rave reviews from critics and fans all over the globe.

“[We] played Alien Weaponry’s Tū in full today at 6pm and holy shitballs the notifications exploded. This is one badass album and their slot at Bloodstock Festival is gonna be one NOT to be missed!” said UK based Primordial Radio.

Overdrive magazine in Australia wrote, “By fusing their Māori culture within their music, Alien Weaponry offer the world of metal something completely new and special.”

Netherlands online magazine MetalFan.nl enthused, “These guys have delivered a pearl of a debut record.”

Songs from the album have been playlisted by over 50 radio stations in the USA, with the band’s latest single ‘Kai Tangata’ last week rocketing to the no. 1 slot on the prestigious ‘Devil’s Dozen’ countdown for the Liquid Metal show on New York based Sirius XM toppling metal heavyweights Parkway Drive from the top slot.

“Lots of bands have become really big after being included in the Devil’s Dozen,” says drummer Henry de Jong. “Getting onto the Devil's Dozen really helped launch fellow label partners Jinjer in the USA so that was pretty big news for us, and we hope it’s a sign of things to come.”

Alien Weaponry have just announced a 3-date tour of Australia in July (Melbourne on the 4th; Sydney on the 6th; and the Dead of Winter Festival in Brisbane on the 7th), after which they head to Europe and the UK for performances at some of the metal world’s most prestigious festivals including Waken Open Air, Metal Days and Bloodstock Open Air.

Tū is available in New Zealand through JB Hi-Fi, Marbecks, Real Groovy, Mighty Ape, The Warehouse and other record outlets; and can be purchased HERE through Napalm Records worldwide.

TUNES OF I SIGN TO 123 AGENCY AND ANNOUNCE AUSTRALIAN TOUR

Introducing dynamic dub-rockers Tunes of I (Adam Findlay), an exciting up and coming six-piece hailing from New Zealand's capital city. Formed at Wellington's famed NZ School of Music in 2011, the jazz trained collective boasts an experienced rhythm section and two of New Zealand's best horn players.

After building up some series steam on their recent debut Australian run supporting Ocean Alley's sold out 'Chiaroscuro' album release tour, dub rockers have signed with 123 Agency and are returning to Oz in August for their very first headline showcase. The Wicked Ways tour will see the psychedelic six piece revisit Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for three intimate shows only!

Gracing some of the country's biggest stages including Rhythm & Vines, Soundsplash and Homegrown, Tunes of I have also opened for and toured with a variety of heavy hitters including UB40, The Original Wailers, and more.

The band is known for their on-stage dynamic, where their touring experience and Jazz School credentials force you to take notice. Not only is their musicianship and technical ability remarkable, but the solid musical and personal friendships between the members is obvious from the first note. With seven years under their belt, the band has worked hard to tailor their incredible live performance, always leaving the crowd desperate for more.

Highly skilled musicians in their own right, Tunes of I draw inspiration from New Zealand’s rich history of world renowned roots music, while adding in their own eclectic mix of dub, funk and psychedelic flavours that seem as placed as one of the country’s most promising new music exports.

123 Agency Presents:

Tunes of I

The Wicked Ways Tour

With ManaLion

Thu 2nd Aug

The Brightside - Brisbane, QLD

Tickets

Fri 3rd Aug

Northcote Social Club - Melbourne, VIC

Tickets

Sat 4th Aug

The Lair - Sydney, NSW

Tickets

ASHY 'JERSEY'

Following the release of her single If I Ever, ASHY is proud to announce her newest single release Jersey. 

With no shortage of inspiration ASHY releases her latest single Jersey born straight out of her notebook whilst in New York City. A coming of age story about a young relationship built upon insecurity. A song that outlines the simple truth when it comes to a first relationship, what do we value more? To be desired or to be treated how we deserve? 

The song was written by ASHY herself last year (2017) and produced at Parachute Studios alongside producer Scott Seabright. 

ASHY starts the story in present time with the opening lines ‘I don't really care for him, he don’t really care for me’ accompanied by a rhythmic piano. As listeners we are immediately drawn into the narrative of a girl who realised her naive nature had brought upon an unhealthy relationship. 

As the story unfolds it is clear to see that what was important to her at the beginning, the quintessential story. The lyrics, ’He met me out on the East Side, a Jersey boy he was so fine’ paints a perfect picture until we hit the next line, hinted with aggression, ‘but he don't like it when I speak my mind’. Sonically after this line we get a taste of her true feelings as we are introduced to a dark bass and her sharp vocal delivery of her line ‘Check 1, 1, 2, 1’. As the lyrics are complimented by minimal production she makes sure we are listening to her next lines ‘I’m back again, don’t doubt it for a second’. 

ASHY noted that the most important message of the song and its storyline, is that the narrator didn’t know herself enough to pursue this relationship, so she accepts that consequently, the bitter end to the story was partly her fault. Being young, it’s hard to know when you’ve never experienced. Jersey is representative of a new confidence, a different person, she’s back again - don’t doubt it for a second. 

You can find the Jersey on Spotify, iTunes and the Apple Store.

RANEA 'RIRI KŌPŪTAHI [WAR]'

RANEA [Manager Teresa McGregor of SOB Productions] has released the new music clip RIRI KŌPŪTAHI [WAR] 

This is a follow-up to the music clip ĀIO [Peace] released by RANEA at the beginning of NZ Music Month.  

Both songs are from RANEA’s award-winning album TIHEI MAURI ORA, and both videos were produced by Fiona-Kupenga of Te Amokura Productions and funded by Te Māngai Pāho.

In 2016 RANEA won Airplay Song Of The Year Award at the Waiata Māori Music Awards for the title track TIHEI MAURI ORA