Announcing Aotearoa’s acclaimed country musicians recognised as finalists

The New Zealand Country Music Awards are New Zealand’s pre-eminent celebration of Country Music Artists in New Zealand and held each year in Gore, Southland, New Zealand. The Awards event is run by the New Zealand Songwriters Trust.  The Awards include:

·        Recorded Music NZ Best Country Music Artist

·        APRA Best Country Music Song

·        MLT Songwriting Awards

This year’s finalists for the 2019 Recorded Music NZ Best Country Music Artist, APRA Best Country Music Song and the MLT Songwriting Awards are a master class of the genre, with the winners to be announced at the NZ Country Music Awards at the St James Theatre in Gore on Thursday 30 May 2019.

The finalists for Best Country Music Artist are Jenny Mitchell for her album Wildfires, Jamie McDell for her album Extraordinary Girl, and Tami Neilson for her sixth album Sassafrass!

The top country songs recognised by APRA this year are Holly Arrowsmith’s ‘Slow Train Creek’, ‘Paint On A Sign’ by Jamie McDell, and ‘Manitoba Sunrise at Motel 6’ by Tami Neilson.

There are 10 finalists in the MLT Songwriting Awards.

It’s gearing up to be a big year for Jenny Mitchell, who released her sophomore album Wildfires at the end of 2018. Not only is she nominated for the 2019 Recorded Music Best Country Music Artist Tui, but the 19-year-old Gore local is preparing for a New Zealand tour this year.

In the past 18 months, Jenny has toured through the southern coast of Sweden, dozens of cosy Irish pubs, Australian cities, and towns and throughout NZ. With recent festival appearances with Australian Golden Guitar Winners Brad Butcher, Felicity Urquhart and Luke O'Shea, this is just the beginning for the young artist.

Hailing from Auckland, Jamie McDell began her career at 16 by harnessing the power of the internet and using social media and YouTube to promote original and covers songs to Kiwis.

Fast forward to 2017, Jamie pursued her dream of recording in Nashville, Tennessee, and spent time writing and recording an album with Australian producer Nash Chambers.

The result was Extraordinary Girl, a robust third studio album which features a hearty cast of well-known country music musicians including Kasey Chambers and Tami Neilson.

Her song ‘Paint On A Sign’ is also nominated for the 2019 APRA Best Country Music Song, a sweeping song featuring Australian country music legend Bill Chambers.

Last year, Tami Neilson released her critically acclaimed sixth album Sassafrass! to rave reviews and a nomination for Album of the Year and Best Solo Artist at the 2018 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

Her track ‘Manitoba Sunrise at Motel 6’ is also in the running for APRA Best Country Music Song this year – and for good reason.

Described as “a fire-breathing belter on her own terms” by Rolling Stone, Tami has had an exciting year with a rigorous touring schedule across North America, Europe and New Zealand - including recent sold out shows at both the Auckland Town Hall and the Wellington Opera House.

The third finalist for APRA’s Best Country Music Song is ‘Slow Train Creek’ by southerner Holly Arrowsmith, a track from her well-received album A Dawn I Remember, which earned 5-star reviews in the Sunday Star Times and Otago Daily Times and comparisons to Joni Mitchell.

Holly has previously won the Tui for Best Folk album in 2016 for her first album For The Weary Traveller, and was long-listed for the APRA Silver Scroll Award in 2018.

Recorded Music CEO Damian Vaughan says there’s a wealth of talent in New Zealand’s country music scene – evidenced by our artists’ success both at home and internationally.    

“From industry veterans to new musicians just beginning their careers, there’s a wealth of amazing country music coming out at the moment - it’s an excellent time to be a country music fan in Aotearoa,” says Vaughan.

APRA Head of NZ Operations Anthony Healy adds: “The albums and songs released last year are brimming with heart and soul. Every single artist creating and sharing their music with us deserves to be celebrated.”

The MLT Songwriting Awards are judged by a panel of four accomplished music industry representatives with 10 songs chosen to be performed live at the Awards evening.  The finalists this year are Kaylee Bell (‘Used to Getting Over You’), Tami Neilson (‘Used To Getting Over You’, ‘Queenie’), Kendall Elise (‘Slippery Creek’), Kerryn Fields (‘Mamma’, ‘Until You’), Jenny Mitchell (‘Lucy’, ‘Tug of War’), Olivia Sutherland (‘Don’t’), Miller Yule (‘Tangled Up’) and Ron Mitchell (‘I’ll Be Country’).

This year’s Country Music Award winners will be announced during the NZ Country Music Awards in Gore on Thursday 30 May. The awards are open to the public, and tickets are available through iticket.co.nz.

Finalists for Recorded Music NZ Best Country Music Album

·        Jamie McDell – Extraordinary Girl

·        Jenny Mitchell – Wildfires

·        Tami Neilson – Sassafrass!

Finalists for APRA Best Country Music Song

·        Holly Arrowsmith – ‘Slow Train Creek’

·        Jamie McDell – ‘Paint On A Sign’

·        Tami Neilson – ‘Manitoba Sunrise at Motel 6’

Finalists for the MLT Songwriting Awards are

·        Kaylee Bell (‘Used to Getting Over You’)

·         Tami Neilson (‘Used To Getting Over You’, ‘Queenie’)

·         Kendall Elise (‘Slippery Creek’)

·         Kerryn Fields (‘Mamma’, ‘Until You’)

·         Jenny Mitchell (‘Lucy’, ‘Tug of War’)

·         Olivia Sutherland (‘Don’t’)

·         Miller Yule (‘Tangled Up’)

·        Ron Mitchell (‘I’ll Be Country’).

From The Pit Music Photography Exhibition During NZ Music Month

From The Pit is a curated exhibition of New Zealand music photography, featuring images of New Zealand musicians captured by some of the best music photographers in the country. The exhibition is on display from 02 May onwards during NZ Music Month at Flying Out and available now at the Q Theatre in Auckland.

Reuben Raj (Radio 13 / SomeBizarreMonkey) and Dave Simpson (Getty Images / UnderTheRadar) got together in mid-2018 with a mission to promote music photography in New Zealand. With support from Independent Music New Zealand and the New Zealand Music Commission, a print exhibition called From The Pit curated by both Dave and Reuben was launched at the 2019 Taite Music Awards on 16 April.

Dozens of photographers end up ‘in the pit’ at music venues up and down the country each week, capturing images of New Zealand's vibrant music scene. It's a difficult and unpredictable environment to work in, but these photographers work tirelessly to capture the magic they see before them.

Part artists, part historians, but all music fans, they strive to take the perfect photo, which reflects how it felt to be at the concert and communicates the excitement of a live music event.

The full print exhibition features the work of the following photographers and runs throughout NZ Music Month (May 2019) at the Flying Out record store on Pitt Street in Auckland. Many of the images are available for purchase.

• Adam Binns

• Bevan Triebels

• Chontalle Musson

• Chris Morgan

• Connor Crawford

• Dave Simpson

• Gerry le Roux

• Ginny C

• Ivan Karczewski

• Maisy Riera

• Mark Derricutt

• Matt Henry Mendonca

• Ngamihi Pawa

• Nikita Weir

• Rachel Webb

• Reuben Raj

• Shelley Te Haara

• Stella Gardiner

• Steve Bone

• Trevor Villers

A selection of prints in A1 size can also be seen on the Red Wall of Q Theatre in Auckland. An extended ‘remix’ of the exhibition is also available in audio-visual form at FromThePit.co.nz. Like and follow From The Pit NZ on Facebook for updates and behind-the-scenes photos and videos.

Bio

Dave Simpson

Dave Simpson is a live event and people photographer who strives to capture amazing photos of people doing their thing whether on stage or off. He is a regular contributor to Getty Images and UnderTheRadar.co.nz. His editorial images have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world including The New York Times, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pitchfork, NME and have been used by brands including Prada and Carlsberg. Dave teaches street photography and is an Associate of the Photographic Society of New Zealand.

Reuben Raj

Reuben Raj, or sometimes known by his moniker SomeBizarreMonkey, is a film and digital photographer. He constantly aims to capture moments of time on camera and his obsession with photography has allowed him to deliver assignments around the world including Russia, China, Singapore and most recently, the Middle East. His experience includes fashion, press and movie stills but music photography is where he started as a teenager and remains his most loved genre. Reuben is the founder of NZ music media site, Radio 13 and a lover of vinyl records.

SOAKED OATS 'COMING UP'

New Zealand’s indie sludge-pop rockers Soaked Oats are on a high after a massively successful summer of Australia and New Zealand touring and alternative radio chart-topping success following the release of latest singles ‘Driftworld’ and ‘Shuggah Doom’. The four-piece Dunedin band never stay still for long, and Soaked Oats are back with brand new single ‘Coming Up’ in celebration of the announcement of their new EPSludge Pop, to be released digitally and on delicious 10" vinyl on Friday, June 14th 2019.
 
Not only do the boys have a new EP in the wings, but today they announce their landmark-signing to Australian record label Dot Dash.  With label mates of high indie calibre asMethyl Ethel, Carla Geneve, Gabriella Cohen and Total Giovanni, this signing marks a huge career step for the band. All that hard work, endless touring and careful honing of the band's sonic and visual aesthetic have paid off!

Originally formed as a label for Australian artists only, Dot Dash / Remote Control Records co-owner Harvey Saward commented on the addition of a New Zealand band to the roster. "In the fine tradition of Mother Goose's Baked Bean song, Sharon O'Neil and the pavlova; it seemed only right for an Aussie label to claim another golden Kiwi as our own. Joking! We saw this band play live in Melbourne a couple of times and alongside the new recordings we believe these young chaps have amazing potential".
 
The new single ‘Coming Up’ brings the wistful self-examinations within Soaked Oats' lyrics to the fore, drawing the listener into a reflective, nostalgic soundscape. Paired with a video directed by Jake Munro (Avantdale Bowling Club, Yukon Era), the flickering black-and-white film depicts the boy’s adventures during their travels in a 34 foot 1980’s R.V. they called home for their 10 week, 20 thousand mile, D.I.Y U.S. tour in 2018. The video transports us through both rural and suburban America. We witness caravan parks, waterfalls and underground gig venues, following the boys on their travels through the grainy lens of nostalgia and longing for a time now passed. 

Vocalist Oscar Mein shares, "The footage was captured on mountains of rolls of super 16 and super 8mm film. Jake (Munro) and I retreated to a cabin on New Zealand’s wild west coast of the South Island and spent days trawling through it all to find the excerpts that fitted and established the progression found within the song."

Speaking on new single ‘Coming Up’, lead singer/songwriter Oscar Mein says, “I had just written the first half of the lyrics as a poem. I was trying to personify a low morning in the immediate surroundings of a bedroom. Henry sent through a demo he had done titled ‘coming up from behind’, and I started playing around with applying the poem to the song while working within the title he had given it. I wrote the last few lines in a more positive headspace with Tom Bell at Chicks Hotel where we recorded it. Tom Healy added a bunch of nice stuff to this song, and it wouldn't be what it is without him, especially that acoustic guitar that chimes through when we get grooving and the synth parts too, plus a lot of other tasty bits. The cover photo is an image I took of my close friend Louis. He’s a very talented poet who also writes about crappy mornings sometimes, often after he has just woken up.” 

‘Coming Up’ was recorded in Dunedin by Tom Bell at the iconic Chicks Hotel in Port Chalmers. The track was produced in Auckland at Paquin Studios (The Lab) by Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins, Miss June, Finn Andrews) and Soaked Oats. 'Coming Up' is accompanied by a music video shot and directed, once again, by Jake Munro (Avantdale Bowling Club, Marlin’s Dreaming, Yukon Era), who shot the video on location as the touring adventures unfurled in the U.S.
 
The band is heading to The Great Escape, the UK’s largest showcase for up-and-coming bands held in Brighton, May 9-11. The boys are gracing the Horatios stage with their distinctive sludge pop sound on Friday the 10th of May at 12:30 pm, followed by an evening set at The Hope and Ruin stage, 9:00 pm on Saturday the 11th of May.

Once they've finished blowing Brighton away, Soaked Oats will be playing a London show on Monday, May 13th at the east London venue, Servant Jazz Quarters. 

To celebrate the release of Sludge Pop, Soaked Oats will be playing both Australian and New Zealand tours. Dates for these shows below.

Soaked Oats Sludge Pop Release Tour
UK, Australia & New Zealand

UK
Friday May 10 12.30pm - Horatios - The Great Escape, Brighton UK

Saturday May 11 9.00pm - The Hope and Ruin- The Great Escape, Brighton UK
The Great Escape Tickets Available HERE

Monday May 13 - Servant's Jazz Quarters, East London UK
UK Tickets available here

AUSTRALIA
Wednesday June 26 - The Bearded Lady, Brisbane
Tickets via Oztix

Friday June 28 - Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Tickets via Moshtix

Saturday June 29 - Grace Darling Hotel, Melbourne
Tickets via Eventbrite

NEW ZEALAND
Saturday June 22 - Winter Festival, Queenstown*
Friday July 5 - Totara St - Mount Maunganui
Saturday July 6 - Galatos - Auckland**
Thursday July 11, San Fran - Wellington
Saturday July 13, Blue Smoke - Christchurch
Thursday July 18, The Cook - Dunedin (All Ages)
Friday July 19, The Cook - Dunedin

Tickets for NZ Shows via underthearadar
except
*Queenstown Winter Festival - Free Show
** Auckland - Tickets from Venue

Calling all New Zealand music enthusiasts, travellers or fans of Soaked Oats abroad. Come and enjoy Soaked Oat’s penchant for joyous songwriting and high energy shows!

Soaked Oats are a young four-piece band that formed in Dunedin, New Zealand who have been described as "a southern stew of Kevin Morby and LCD Soundsystem with a good shake ofMac DeMarco".

Their latest singles include 'Driftworld' and ‘Shuggah Doom’, the latter of which stormed to the top of Alternative Radio Charts in New Zealand, and was picked up by the astute RRR, FBi, Tone Deaf, Rage and MTV in Australia alongside RNZ and student radio across New Zealand.

After a solid 18 months touring NZ, Australia and the U.S, Soaked Oats are making their inaugural trip to the motherland in May to perform at the UK’s well-established music festival, The Great Escape. 

Since forming in early 2017, the band have come to notoriety for writing songs about stone fruit ('Avocado Aficionado', 'I'm a Peach'). As well as touring prolifically, the band has released three EPs in their short existence. Tour Supports have included: Tiny Ruins (NZ) and Hockey Dad(AU).

The band is made up of lead vocalist Oscar Mein who scribes the smart, witty and thoughtful observations on life. And fruit. Don't forget the fruit. Guitarist, Henry Francis and his amazing pedal-board are on the noble path to tone mastery, making the instrument sound like it was made by unicorns. Rhythm section Max Holmes (bass) and Conor Feehly (drums) provide the backbone, the funk and keep the party going.

SONIC DELUSION 'ANYTHING GOES'

Sonic Delusion has been gathering momentum for months in the lead up to the release of his 5th recording album, ‘Anything Goes’, a collection of happy, upbeat and bouncy new tracks sung by Andre Manella, the uniquely upbeat and bursting with electroacoustic funk frontman of Sonic Delusion.

Sonic Delusion frontman Andre Manella acknowledges the amount of work put into recording ‘Anything Goes’ succeeds any of his other album release to date, he’s genuinely happy with every single song and unapologetically convinced that his fans will love the new album as much as he loved making it.
 
Sonic Delusion has carved out an album of 10 dynamic songs that each have their own funky folk looped beats, rhythm and memorable lyrics, just a bit tongue in cheek, that his global fans know and love. New tracks, ‘ Have You Ever’ and ‘All Good Things’ will delight just as much as ‘Hey Trouble’ and ‘Anything Goes’ single releases which toured across New Zealand over summer.

New Album ‘Anything Goes’ available now!

Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Sonic_Delusion_Anything_Goes?id=Byvbh2lgrbuizfsljhezpulzw7y

iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/anything-goes/1459107985
 
Known as one of the original one man banders, and having been looping for over ten years, Manella  still digs  the challenge of carving out his intriguingly experimental looping and sounds in front of a live audience. Fans can catch Sonic Delusion LIVE for the official album launch of ‘Anything Goes’ Friday 3rd May at the Fitzroy Surfriders Club, New Plymouth.

BUY TICKETS HERE 

THE 2019 OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC MONTH SUMMIT DISCOVER LIVE - 2ND ANNOUNCEMENT

NZ Music Managers Forum, NZ Music Commission in association with APRA AMCOS, NZ On Air and Auckland Live present

THE 2019 OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC MONTH SUMMIT
DISCOVER LIVE

Continuing the first announcement of the Official NZ Music Month Summit, we are thrilled to announce more speakers and a special initiative from APRA AMCOS for the day.

Held at the Herald Theatre Aotea Square in Auckland on May 25th from 10am, the Summit will feature four separate panel sessions with industry leaders discussing every aspect of the juggernaut, which is live performance.

With special thanks to our friends at APRA AMCOS, lunch will be provided to the first 100 people who register for the Official NZ Music Month Summit. 

There will be an opportunity to ask APRA representatives questions during the lunch break, with meal catering by the initiative Eat My Lunch which provides food for hungry kiwi kids.

The subjects and second speaker announcements are:

LOOKING AFTER YOURSELF ON THE ROAD

Going on tour sounds like it is a whole lot of fun, and it is! But it can take a toll on an individual’s wellbeing, health and relationships.  This will address the various pitfalls and give tips on how to exercise self-care while on the road.
LAUGHTON KORA
​​Laughton Kora, with his incredible voice and immense talent, has been at the forefront of New Zealand music for over the past decade.  A member of Soul Charge, KORA, The Heavy Metal Ninja’s, Neon Ninja and Laughton Kora & Friends, he is also a member of NZ Marley All-Stars, Fly My Pretties & Kinetic. Laughton was the TV lead in the TVNZ series ‘Coverband’, played Judas in the Auckland Theatre Company's "Jesus Christ Superstar”, is a NZ Music Commission Mentor in schools, and an all talented performer.

Laughton joins the already announced Tami Neilson and Julia Deans

PRODUCTION, TIPS OF THE TRADE

For everyone who has practiced hard and now there is a gig to perform. This panel covers what questions should be asked in advance to ensure stress free show for all involved. Production gurus share their knowledge and insight to a stress free live performance setup.

CAROL HARDING

Carol has more than 30 years experience in the entertainment industry as a stage manager, producer and in production.  Having worked on some of New Zealand’s largest events such as Big Day Out (20 years), WOMAD (12 years) R&V (9 years), the NZ Music Awards (22 years) her experience is vast and wide having worked with emerging artists, rock n’ roll legends to Presidents and Royalty.

Carol joins the already announced Chris Tate and Tom Anderson.

MARKETING & PROMOTING LIVE SHOWS

Performing live is a crucial talent to master for any artist with reputations being made or broken from a show performance.   Industry experts give insight into the various ways to successfully market and promote shows, no matter what level of experience the artist is at. 

MATT HARVEY

As one half of Concord Dawn, Matt has turned Australasia, the USA, China, Japan, India, Russia, Turkey Canada and Europe multiple times.  Now managing Shapeshifter and Nick Dow Matt brings a vast wealth of knowledge to this panel.

ANNA LOVEYS

Anna runs Auckland based PR, publicity and marketing company Saint Lachine and passionately promotes the work from both independent kiwi artists and labels.

Matt and Anna join the already announced Mel Parsons and Harry Pettit

FESTIVAL BOOKERS

Some of New Zealand's top festival bookers will give tips on what they’re looking for when putting together a festival line up. 

HAMISH PINKHAM

Hamish is the co-founder / director of the hugely successful Rhythm and Vines New Years Eve festival.  Currently based in Auckland, Hamish is passionate about the development of the music events and tourism industry in Aotearoa.

GERRY PAUL

Gerry is the Music programmer for Aotearoa’s largest street festival CubaDupa, the promoter for Coastella and has recently founded the first national Irish Festival “NZ Irish Fest”.

Hamish and Gerry join the already announced Gavin Downie and Rachel Turney.

Remember across NZ Music Month to share your live music experiences on social media with #dicoverlivenz and #nzmusicmonth.

 
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster now - they cost $10 plus (booking fees). 

100% of the ticket income will be donated to MusicHelps, a charity dedicated to changing lives through music.  

If the ticket price will be a barrier to you attending, please contact Lorraine Owen at the MMF – lorraine.owen@mmf.co.nz.

NZ Music Managers Forum, NZ Music Commission in association with APRA AMCOS, NZ On Air and Auckland Live present

The 2019 Official NZ Music Month Summit 

Saturday May 25

The Herald Theatre – Aotea Square, Auckland

10am to 4pm

Tickets from Ticketmaster

  Ticketmaster

Vince Harder 'Next To You'

Next to You is Vince Harder’s first release of 2019, off the back of the radio hit 'Not Gonna Let Go', that played out heavily across NZ Airwaves late 2018.

Following sessions in LA with the likes of Printz Board, 10A, and the iconic Sheila E, Harder returned to NZ to work with DJ/Production duo SACHI.

Next to You is the first release of this body of work, featuring iconic vocals layered up to create an unmistakable throwback future funk track.

‘Next to you', the party starter with a catchy vibe, is supported by an aptly themed 90’s music video. This video also features his son Jaxon, who reveals cool runs in the family.

For dates and locations of NZ Music Month Shows head to vinceharder.com

Finalists Announced for the 2019 NZ Children's Music Awards

We are very pleased to announce the finalists for the 2019 APRA Best Children's Music Song, the Recorded Music NZ Best Children's Music Artist, and the NZ On Air Best Children's Music Video.

APRA Best Children's Song finalists:
- Anna van Riel for Haere Mai Song
- Marian Burns for Bubbles and Bubbles
- Simon Stanley for Marley Sitting on a Pumpkin Seed written by Cy Winstanley

Recorded Music NZ Best Children's Artist finalists:
- Anna van Riel for Fishing For Stars
- Craig Smith for Not Just For Kids 2
- Marian Burns for Songs For Kids

NZ On Air Best Children's Music Video finalists:
- Anna van Riel for Echo (feat. Tasmin), video by Anna van Riel
- fleaBITE for Probably Papakura by Robin Nathan, video by Ross Payne
- Suzy Cato and Kath Bee for Sprinkle A Little Sunshine, video by Raymond McGrath

This years finalists represent the diversity and quality of the music being produced in NZ. It’s equal to anything from international artists and, even better, it reflects kiwi kids and their whanau and lives. The finalists cover a diverse range of genres all guaranteed to get your kids dancing and singing.

Presented by Recorded Music NZ, APRA NZ and NZ On Air, the awards have the support of Kiwi Kids Music, the national association of children’s songwriters, creators and producers. Formed by some of the most passionate creators of music for Kiwi Kids and currently chaired by Suzy Cato, the association supports NZ children’s music creators and seeks to advance the potential of all our children to live healthy fulfilling lives.

A little bit about our finalists:

Anna van Riel is a finalist in all three Children’s Awards categories. A two-time nominee in 2016 and Tui finalist in 2014 for Best Country Album, Anna’s interactive album Fishing For Stars serves up wholesome and delicious melodies. Primary aged children and adults alike are being delighted by this ukulele playing Mother’s cheeky humour, melodic and catchy tunes, and fun and imaginative lyrics.

Craig Smith is a two-time APRA Best Childrens Song Award winner, two-time ISC finalist (children’s secton), NZ Post children’s book award winner (children’s choice) and #1 best selling author with The Wonky Donkey. Not Just For Kids 2 is the long-awaited follow up from Not Just For Kids released in 2007. The 2CD compilation includes The Wonky Donkey musical statues and a bonus Live from Glastonbury CD.

fleaBITE producer Robin Nathan is no stranger to these awards being a 2 x Tui winner for Circus of Fleas (2013) and The Jungle Is Jumping (2015). Illustrated, animated and directed by Ross Payne, the joyful hand-sketched music clip for Probably Papakura features two kids going for a jaunt along Great South Road in a bus, seeing all the local sights and people through the window.

Kath Bee & Suzy Cato are two of NZ’s most well-known faces in Children’s music. Individually they have achieved awards, tours, radio & TV shows. The video for Sprinkle A Little Sunshine is made by Raymond McGrath, award-winning animation director, animator, illustrator, designer and writer. Suzy was a Tui finalist in 1996 for ‘You & Me Songbook’ while Kath won the NZ On Air Best Music Video Award for Individuality in 2010, and Dragons Under My Bed in 2014.

Marian Burns has released six albums to date, Songs for Kids debuts her music written for children with nominations in two categories. Receiving the NZ Order of Merit for her services to music in 2018, Marian has spent 30 years as a teacher and conductor. Songs for Kids sees Marian inviting her students to perform the songs along with her.

Simon Stanley is the pseudonym of Cy Winstanley – songwriter and frontman of Tui Award Winning and APRA Silver Scroll Award nominated duo, Tattletale Saints. Recorded in Nashville, Marley Sitting on a Pumpkin Seed is Cy’s first foray into Children’s Music and was inspired by the birth of his niece Marley. Cy wanted to create something that captured the surreal beauty of her home in Central Otago and also teach her about the crazy banjos and mandolins that have become part of his life in Tennessee.

Winners will be announced at an invite only ceremony on Sunday 5 May at Tuning Fork, Spark Arena. There will be live performances, video screenings, interactive music-making workshops, BBQ and plenty of fun and games.

LEE MARTIN 'LOST GIRL'

Lee Martin is a New Zealand based singer/songwriter who has been impacting the music scene with her thought-provoking lyrics and storytelling writing style.  She is South African born, and has previously recorded two original albums which received ample radio play and enjoyed great success with her fans from all the corners of the world.  A childhood spent listening to greats such as Van Morrison, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen etc. has greatly influenced her music.   Lee started her training in classical guitar at the age of 9 and has been singing and performing professionally for the past 15 years. Lee Martin is an old soul with a versatile writing style which allows her to cross genres as she glides easily between folk, rock, blues and country, all the while maintaining her unique sound.

Lee's storytelling writing style is what intrigues her fans and keeps them captivated. Below is a short interview which provides more details on Lee.

Who first influenced you to start performing music?

 My dad has always been an incredible music lover with an extensive library of records, and later CD’s.  I remember just absorbing album after album when we visited him fortnightly and studying the lyrics.  If lyrics weren’t included, I would write them out by hand (not always getting it right ha ha). I used to buy a pack of blank tapes before every visit and I would fill them with all my favourite songs by the end of the weekend, and then continue to listen to it for the next couple of weeks leading up to my next visit. Favourites were Van Morrison, Dire Straits, Leonard Cohen, the list goes on… 

When I was five years old, I decided I wanted to learn to play guitar and desperately wanted to be a singer/songwriter. I told my mother of this plan and she was told nine is a good age to learn how to play guitar. This is where the longest wait of my life started! Finally, when I turned nine, my single mother, (on a teaching salary supporting two kids) took me to a pawn shop and we managed to get a $10 guitar that to our incredibly untrained ears sounded semi decent.  It had the highest action and just about killed me to play.  To my dismay at the time, the guitar lessons she enrolled me in was for classical guitar but after my mother took on an extra job after hours to be able to support this dream, I just sucked it up and gave it my all. My guitar teacher soon realized that I had to endure a lot of pain on the guitar I was playing, and he was quite confident about my ability and passion, so he convinced my mother to upgrade my guitar to a Yamaha after which I just took off. 

Because of the classical training I found it very easy to play chords and pretty much immediately started writing songs about love and other things I had no idea about. My mother was my biggest fan and loved listening to my new compositions (no matter how bad I’m sure they must have been, she loved it). In primary school I forced family, friends and neighbours to pay an entrance fee to attend my house concert and in high school I had the odd music concert. When I went to University, we started a Uni band and travelled the country with our music.  My band was called Southern Soul and we quickly recorded an album and fully immersed ourselves into this music world. The band broke up after a few years with life leading us in different directions, but I went solo and kept going at it.

What material have you released?

My first album was with my band Southern Soul in 2006 and was called “Package,” while my solo album as Lee Martin in 2008 was “I Know You’re Sleeping”. I guess it is similar in a sense to what I am writing now, but I feel like my music has definitely evolved and matured. I then got married and we moved to NZ in 2010.  Soon after that I had a baby, followed by another, so had a bit of a break.  I slowly got back into gigging and starting over in NZ where I was a complete unknown but managed to become active on the scene and I re-released some of my solo music together with some live recordings in 2016 on an album called “Late Night Sessions.”

How would you describe your style to someone who has never heard you before?

I feel like Norah Jones and Eva Cassidy are two of the artists I have been compared to.  I like writing about life, and I am a big story teller in the way I write my songs. I love observing people and making real connections in order to tell a relatable story not only about my own life but about others as well.  I cross the boundaries of genres and would say all these are applicable at some point; folk, country, blues.

Who inspires you now, both locally and globally?

Van Morrison is my ultimate inspiration as he kind of breaks all the rules. He keeps bringing out new music, performing and doing what he loves. He never stops. It’s just is who he is. Also, I love the way he crosses the boundaries of genres.  He’s not worried about having massive hits or impressing anyone (I know he can be a grumpy bugger), he is just doing his thing and I love it!  I also love Norah jones and the fact that she just released another album.

Locally, I adore Jamie McDell, Matty Von Voin, Marlon Williams (the list goes on). NZ has so much amazing talent.

When you perform live is it just by yourself or do you have a regular band?

I like the simplicity of performing by myself and this is what I do most of the time.  For bigger shows and launches I’ll perform with a band.

What are your plans for the next six months?

Promoting this EP as much as possible and touring around NZ, Australia, US and back in South Africa in September.