CLAUDIA ROBIN GUNN 'EARTH SWEET EARTH'

Self managed independent artist Claudia Robin Gunn from Little Wild Music releases a brand new song ahead of next week’s 50th Earth Day. Titled ‘Earth Sweet Earth’ this is a joyous and uplifting track for the whole family to enjoy, with a mix of piano, acoustic guitar and acapella harmonies.

The first advance single off her NZ on Air supported children’s album Little Wild Universe, due out June 19th, this song was produced with Tom Fox at The Sound Room. 

Earth Sweet Earth sends a message of global unity, with a love heart emoji painted by a child on the Pacific Ocean in her self illustrated artwork. 

The single is also accompanied by an instrumental version for family singalongs. 

Friday April 17th Claudia will be performing a livestream to celebrate this release, including previews of forthcoming songs off the Little Wild Universe album, from her deck in suburban Auckland. 

Earth Sweet Earth will be available on all streaming services and from her bandcamp page. 

You’ll find lyric sheets included in the bandcamp download for this song.  

Bandcamp: https://claudiagunn.bandcamp.com/

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Dnn2mwwu3QwyQjXJFqyZN

Livestream on Facebook Friday 7.30pm at https://www.facebook.com/claudiasworld

INDIE-POP NEWCOMER RIIKI, SHARES SUN DRENCHED, 70’s INSPIRED MUSIC VIDEO FOR ‘HIGH HEIGHTS’

Indie-pop newcomer RIIKI, shares her visionary, sun-drenched and ‘carefree’ world in ‘High Heights’ music video, out now. 

The cheerful music video invites viewers inside RIIKI’s playful 70’s inspired world of poolside glam, colour and spunk, as she demonstrates being a role model of confidence. Since ‘High Heights’ release at the end of November 2019, it has shown no signs of slowing down. THE INTERNS say “It’s a refreshing pop track that trades electronics for organic, human production, complimenting her beautiful tone”, with New Zealand’s top hit radio network ZM following similarly saying “A head-bopping soak-up-the-sun pop tune, ‘High Heights’ matches the sweetness of RIIKI’s vocals with a catchy summertime vibe”.

The video for “High Heights” is available now and was directed by Wellington, NZ based director Ezra Simons, who has previously worked with the likes of NZ artists Mermaidens, Earth Tongue and The Beths. 

Dedicated to those who have ever been discouraged or belittled by someone else, RIIKI’s character becomes a role model for not giving a damn.

‘High Heights’ is RIIKI’s second-ever release, co-produced by Simon Gooding (projects include Pink, Dua Lipa, and Migos) which stunned an appearance on the Hot 20 NZ singles charts for some weeks. The track also made it on Apple Music’s A-list Pop and New Music Daily playlist’s and featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlists in NZ/AU, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and also became the face of the popular Spotify playlist ‘Pop Edge’. 

Listen to ‘High Heights’ now on:

Spotify // Apple Music // iTunes // YouTube

BETTER LIVING EVERYONE - A MELTED ICECREAM STREAMING THING

You get up and look around the house. A boot. Fly Spray. Two dressing gowns. Vitamins. Your own reflection on the stainless steel tap.

Due to a series of unfortunate events, not much gig-going is going on right now, but this doesn’t mean we can’t have live music.

You’ve spent so much time with these things. But now they are different. Their stillness, and in that stillness your own stillness, revealing something that was not there before.

Melted Ice Cream, Ōtautahi’s notorious cassette label, is turning its collective glad-hand to a streaming-only festival. 
And now that we’re not limited by physical venues, why not get nation-wide? Or even internation-wide?

A sound! A sonic vibration so wild all your other senses diminish and your body has gone. It has become the vibration.

This is the Melted Ice Cream’s fifth ‘Better Living’ festival, which, in its past lives has brought acts from all around into its Christchurch base.

The objects are gone too. You wouldn’t see them anymore anyway. You can’t without eyes to see.

This year’s festival is curated by poster boy Ben Woods, as he rides in on the back of the success of his debut LP ‘Put’. The set-up will be a ‘music-at-home’ scenario, with artists ‘going live’ on their own Instagram profiles. To save you the irritating task of jumping between instagram accounts, the tech mystics at Melted Ice Cream will capture the streams in real time, and roll the whole thing as one live stream over at meltedicecream.co.nz. And you’ll be able to stream it on your telly!

All that exists now is the shudder, the whistle of things. It reminds you of music.

See the lineup, timetable, and more information at meltedicecream.co.nz.  It’s free to attend, tell your friends, share the link.

 Featuring:

ADAM HATTAWAY • ARY JANSEN • BEN WOODS • Charlotte Forrester of WOMB • DELANEY DAVIDSON • EMILY EDROSA • FERBY • FLORA KNIGHT
 FRANCISCA GRIFFIN • HOT IN THE CITY (DJ SET) • IRD • JIM NOTHING
James Harding of BEST BETS • Katie Everingham of DATELINE
LAWRENCE ARABIA • LUCY HUNTER  • Luke Towart of WURLD SERIES
MARLON WILLIAMS • MARTIN SAGADIN • MICHAEL MORLEY • MOUSEY • Oliver Devlin of HANS PUCKET • Oscar Mein of SOAKED OATS • PICKLE DARLING • POWER NAP • REBECCA NASH RICHARD DADA • ROBERT SCOTT • RYAN FISHERMAN • SABINE (AFTER PARTY FORUM)
Scott Maynard of ZERO COOL • VINCENT H.L • VIOLET FRENCH

17 & 18 April 2020, 4.30pm NZST until late

Stream at meltedicecream.co.nz

ARO ON TOUR - VIA ZOOM!

Blending Emily's honey voiced jazz with Charles' full throated percussive sound (with shades of kapa haka), Aro's story-telling performance "…leaves all who are present with the feeling of having been let in on a special secret" (Rosheen Fitzgerald).

Aro mai, Aro atu, aroha - To face, to be faced, to love

Husband and wife duo Charles (Ngapuhi) and Emily Looker (nee Rice), Aro discovered their shared passion for the power of music to share stories and make connections while studying for a Bachelor of Music at Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau (University of Auckland). Following on from their 2019 album Manu, inspired by the character of ten native birds, Aro will share songs celebrating this country’s natural heritage and wildlife in a mix of jazz, pop and taonga pūrou, written and sung in both English and Te Reo Māori.

Aro will be sharing songs from their upcoming EP He Manu Ano for the first time on this tour; a selection of the most requested songs that didn't make it on the Manu album of 2019 - hosted each Friday from their FB page @Aro Music

Itinerary

Friday 3 April 8:00pm Kaeo

Sunday 5th April 7:30pm Opotiki

Friday 10 April 8:00pm Hokitika          

Saturday 11 April 7:30pm Cromwell

Sunday 12 April 8:00pm Queenstown

Tuesday 14 April 8:00pm Gore

Wednesday 15 April 7:30pm Oamaru 

Thursday 16 April 7:30pm Christchurch       

Friday 17 April 8:00pm Ashburton     

Saturday 18 April 8:00pm Balcairn     

Monday 20 April 7:00pm Lincoln

Wednesday 22 April 8:00pm Onekaka

Thursday 23 April 7:30pm Nelson

Friday 24 April 8:00pm Picton

Sunday 26 April 6:30pm Waipawa      

Wednesday 29 April 7:30pm Thames

Arts On Tour NZ (AOTNZ) organises tours of outstanding New Zealand performers to rural and smaller centres in New Zealand. The trust receives funding from Creative New Zealand as well as support from Central Lakes Trust, Community Trust of Southland, Interislander, Otago Community Trust, Rata Foundation and the Southern Trust. AOTNZ liaises with local arts councils, repertory theatres and community groups to bring the best of musical and theatrical talent to country districts. The AOTNZ programme is environmentally sustainable – artists travel to their audiences rather than the reverse.

MARINA BLOOM 'SONGS OF ISOLATION'

While New Zealand is in a pandemic lockdown, Kiwi-Russian singer/songwriter, Marina Bloom, has committed to release a new song and lyric video each week as part of her new series Songs of Isolation. 

Each song uncovers themes of hope, solace, and reflection and Marina hopes listeners will find a sense of peace from her music. 

“Music can be fun and exciting, but it can also be soothing. I try to provide a bit of both with this collection of songs.”

Marina recently won a Russian Community Achievement Award for her music and has just wrapped up a nation-wide tour to promote her album ‘Back Where We Started’, which debuted at #16 on the NZ Album Charts in January this year.

Listen to the current releases in the Songs of Isolation series here, and follow her Facebook page for further updates.

Releases in the Songs of Isolation series: 

‘Fragile’ - released March 27

‘Three sisters - Tri Sestry’ - released April 5

‘A Long Way From Home’ - released April 11

with more to come!

Producer Nic Manders releases debut solo track

Nic Manders is no stranger to the New Zealand Music scene and for the first time today releases his debut solo track ‘Wheels of motion’

‘Wheels of motion’ is a song about slowing down. It sounds like an oasis in chaos; an old dog returning at just the right time. The work of a seasoned songwriter with the inventive flourishes of a man adept at manipulating a studio soundscape. For the producer, it’s a step fro m out behind the desk and into an artistry of his own.

Wrangling magic from behind the studio desk is his daily bread you’ll find crumbs of evidence peppered throughout the liner notes of projects by Brooke Fraser, Katchafire, Goldenhorse and most other national treasures. More recently Manders has been sonically responsible for stunning projects by Jeremy Redmore, Mōhau, The Offering and Waiata/Anthems, creating moments where the music resonates with a wider narrative of our land and people.

The move to release his own music has been a long time coming and Manders reflects, “I wrote the song a number of years ago and remembered it again the morning before we went into lockdown. I had to find the demo recording to remember the words and when I did, it seemed like quite eerie timing, given the circumstances… My hope is that it helps people to slow down a little, take some time to reflect on the long view.” Wheels of Motion is available on all major platforms today.

APOLLO STEAM TRAIN 'NOTHING STUPID'

Nothing Stupid is the new offering from Tauranga Artist Apollo SteamTrain aka Brendan McCarthy.

Recorded at Colourfield Studios in Tauranga by Tim Julian and mixed by TUI Award winning UK based Engineer Clint Murphy, the track is a progressive rock ballad that utilizes the best of Acoustic and Electric tones to catapult the listener on a sonic journey.

The track was inspired by the line “Don’t go doing Nothing Stupid”, a statement that contains multiple meanings depending on the context in which it is spoken, says McCarthy. 

“After I wrote that line I developed a theme in my thinking whereby I pondered that in our lives we are often so consumed with ourselves and what we believe we should be achieving and then shouting about it on social media, that all we are really achieving is nothing, like everybody else”   

Brendan McCarthy formed Apollo SteamTrain in 2016 as a platform to host his ongoing singer/songwriter projects. Brendan has a deal in place with SongBroker, which has seen his tracks synced on several high profile TV shows including Shortland Street and Filthy Rich.

The track is available on Spotify, Apple Music and all good digital outlets.

LOCKDOWN LIVE

‘Lockdown Live’ – a new weekly live streaming initiative to support emerging New Zealand musicians - will be launched next Wednesday, April 8.
 
The ‘Lockdown Live’ line-up will be curated by NicNaK Media and each Wednesday night, three local acts will perform live via Instagram from 8pm to 8:30pm. The first week’s line-up features Christchurch pop act ASHY; Christchurch duo Dillastrate and Auckland-based singer-songwriter Harry Parsons.
 
Each artist/act will perform for 10 minutes, streamed live from their own Instagram accounts. With New Zealand currently in lock-down, many musicians are not in the same ‘bubble’ as band members and/or producers, so each act will tailor their performances accordingly.  
 
The New Zealand music industry has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and we are looking to local media and fellow music-related businesses to support initiatives such as this and the artists involved. Although ‘Lockdown Live’ is being organised and curated by NicNak Media, we are extending the invite to all emerging New Zealand acts (regardless of whether they work with NicNak Media or not). Our hope is that this will give artists the much-needed boost to continue performing live for their fans and while doing so, gaining new fans and embracing new ways of reaching audiences.
 
If you are a Kiwi music worker who has been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, visitMusicHelps. MusicHelps provides useful information and sources of support. There is also a dedicated Give A Little page for those who would like to donate towards MusicHelp’s work with Kiwi music people affected. Donate here. Or simply text 'Music' to 2448 to donate $3 to the MusicHelps emergency appeal.

The MusicHelps Wellbeing Service is a 24 hour helpline and a free professional counselling service for those experiencing emotional distress.
 
Make sure you follow ASHY, Dillastrate and Harry Parsons for the first ‘Lockdown Live’session on Wednesday, April 8. Please support and share!

If you are an artist and would like to take part in 'Lockdown Live' please contact NicNak Media here.