Spectacular music video shot at Mardi Gras Ohakune for Thomas Oliver's latest single FRIENDLY FIRE

The official music video for the latest Thomas Oliver single Friendly Fire, which features Thomas Oliver's fantastic live band, was shot at his headliner appearance at Mardi Gras Festival Ohakune in November 2020 and has been released this week. With many countries around the world in lockdown and with the global entertainment industry on its knees, this was one of the biggest music festivals in the world at the time.

Friendly Fire is a song written about the energy that exists between two past lovers, and the idea that a platonic relationship cannot be maintained when this particular “fire” is present, regardless of intentions or efforts.

Produced and mixed by Thomas Oliver for big festival stages, Friendly Fire is a synth- laden hybrid of modern electronic music and melodic lap-slide guitar.

“I love playing this song live. It's huge. And it is meant to represent the triumph of love, and the irresistibility of living it over again.” - T.O.

ARIA 'UNRAVEL'

Morgana O’Reilly’s directing debut with ARIA’s track Unravel is a provocative masterpiece where the duo’s prior years in the arts is unmistakable. Friends since they were 13, this is also the work of two professionals stepping into new realms with a wealth of experience to boot

The artists tackle a dual lens of masculinity and femininity. O’Reilly has ARIA playing five archetypal men and one hyper-sexualised female. She holds them close, with a mixture of admonishment and compassion. ARIA seamlessly shifts from character to character, costume and makeup impeccable.  By the end of the clip she has fully unravelled.

Unravel is a hauntingly personal track, born out of a desire for connection and trust. ARIA’s classically trained, ethereal and melancholic vocals weave a soulful melody, soaring above a swell of strings, deep bass and grimy snare. ARIA co-produced the track with longtime friend and collaborator Abraham Kunin (The Dalai Lama, Teeks, Home Brew, Freddy Reynold, Phodiso, Rush Wepiha). Kunin’s producer chops are clearly at play when the captivating hook of Unravel takes flight; a plea for connection and trust, it sways with a hopeful lilt. 

ARIA fostered her talent for singing, dancing and performing since a young age. She honed her super powers by adapting and diversifying, whether it was writing and recording the anthem ‘Friday’, in the shack with Homebrew, belting top Cs in the Festival Garden for Dr Colossus, crooning BVs for Teeks on RNZ, or laying down vocals for Noah Slee at Red Bull studios, Berlin, ARIA has lapped it all up, slowly harvesting her experiences to build her own juicy, tapestry. After her years in Berlin, ARIA is excited to be home and channelling the eclectic, artistic influences she has into this personal and vulnerable work.

Prior to O’Reilly’s directing debut she has been an actress and creator across film, television and theatre. In 2020 she starred in Prime TVs INSiDE, season 2 of Mean Mums and Neon’s The Sounds. She’s best known for her roles in Kiwi film Housebound, Aussie soap Neighbours, NZ comedy series and many theatre productions. As a creator, her one-woman show The Height of the Eiffel Tower toured festivals such as Edinburgh and New York fringe.

In a world where societal pressure means that masculine bravado is held high, Unravel is a call to cherish vulnerability and cultivate compassion for each other. It’s a story of fighting for vulnerability, empathy and strength. 

Adam Hattaway and The Haunters release blazing new single + video 'Big Night' from forthcoming album

Buckle in, Adam Hattaway and The Haunters release blazing new single ‘Big Night’ from their third full-length album Woolston, Texas due for release March 26th next year.

The track, heavy with guitar and wailing falsetto, brings darker themes to light with its many hopeful moments “sometimes you have to try” quickly followed by the foreboding “sometimes you wanna die”.

Recorded at Lyttelton's Sitting Room studio, ‘Big Night’ is album producer Ben Edwards' favourite off Woolston, Texas. Frontman Adam recalls his, at times, experimental methods, nudging along it's charged-up sound. “Ben tried to get us really amped up when we recorded it, running around slapping and pushing us over while we were playing it... it’s truly, one of the strangest experiences I’ve had."

The Delaney Davidson-directed music video, shot on his iPhone, follows the gang of Haunters goofing off in Christchurch's Moorhouse Ave Burger King carpark - “like a bunch of idiot wannabe petrol-heads trying to go out for a 'big night', but it’s not even night time at all," says Adam. “It contrasts against the weight of the song and hopefully shows we don’t take ourselves too seriously. I want all upbeat rock and roll to be like that.”

The Ōtautahi/Christchurch-based alt-rockers have just wrapped their ‘Wasting Our Time’ tour, delivering electrifying live performances to audiences across Aotearoa.

Adam says of the tour: “It’s been refreshing to be out, and meet lots of great people. You forget all the special moments that happen along the way on every tour. There’s been a real sense of adventure.”

Adam Hattaway and The Haunters will play Nest Fest, January 9th 2021, Black Barn Vineyards, Hawkes Bay. Tickets at Nestfest.co.nz

Miles Calder announces 'Lake Geneva' Single Release Shows

Wellington songwriter Miles Calder will embark on a three-date tour of the North Island this December, celebrating the release of his latest single 'Lake Geneva'. Miles will be joined on-stage by his 5-piece band, including Nick George (drums), Steve Moodie (bass), Chris Armour (guitars) and Dayle Jellyman (synths, electric piano), promising audiences a diverse range from chomping rock ‘n’ roll to flooding ballads.

Four years on since his last outings with former backing band The Rumours, Miles' revived sound shelves folk-tinged rock to explore swirling psychedelic tones on often personal and self-reflecting songs. Inspired by early-70's Lennon as much as contemporaries like Kevin Morby and Father John Misty, this is music for intimate listening; spacious, hypnotic, dreamy, and deeply honest.

Stay tuned for more from this captivating talent.

'Lake Geneva' Single Release Shows - Tickets at Milescalder.com

Wed 16 December - Wellington, Meow

Fri 18 December - Auckland, Wine Cellar

Sat 19 December - Tauranga, The Jam Factory

MILES CALDER

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SHEPHERDS REIGN ‘AIGA’

Hailing from the deep Polynesian stronghold of South Auckland, SHEPHERDS REIGN have stamped their powerful mark on the New Zealand and international music scene in a very short amount of time, creating a huge buzz from their live shows. Combining the traditional and ancient music of their forefathers with modern rock and metal influences including bands like Gojira, Avenged Sevenfold and Dream Theater, Shepherds Reign have found their own unique sound in a cluttered and overblown musical environment.

Unlike any heavy artist, Shepherds Reign bring a captivating and enthralling sound with the use of the Samoan language, instruments and culture, making it an integral part of their live show. The evocative and primal live show displays a fierce pride for their music that wins the audience every time with its blood pumping ritualistic beats, thick melodic textures and an undeniable power that hooks the audience into the bands dark and heavy realm completely.

A fifteen date tour of New Zealand as special guests of Devilskins’ RED NZ tour 2020 cemented a place for Shepherds Reign as a force to be reckoned with and won them a huge swathe of new fans. Paul Martin, bassist for Devilskin and producer of The Axe Attack commented “I totally knew our audience would love these guys! I can’t remember being this excited over a band for a long time. They completely blow me away with everything they do, attitude, commitment, passion and an unashamedly distinctive sound. But the real magic is in the songs. Powerful, compelling and totally undeniable.”

The band's previous single Le Manu has garnered huge praise and has had almost 2 million YouTube views.  The new single Aiga promises even more. Made with support from NZ On Air, the stunning video shot by Dave Thompson of Imaginary Friends captures the gravitas of the song beautifully with it’s sheer power and scale.

A brutally powerful song live, Aiga (‘family’ in Samoan) is a nod to the support and love the band have for and from their family, friends and community. “My Mum used to sing me to sleep with this song.” Muses Filivaa, testament to the emotional bond the band has with their music. But do not think for one second this is a lullaby. The song is heavy and arresting with its combination of deep metal grooves and ancient ancestry. It has power, an intimidating presence and indisputable hooks. The perfect showcase for this extremely talented and united band.

Shepherds Reign have the chemistry, the heart, power and especially the songs to hit the international stages alongside any of their heroes. Welcome to their Aiga.

AWARD WINNING PRODUCER NIC MANDERS - RELEASES LONG AWAITED ALBUM ‘THIS TIME’

Wrangling magic with musicians from behind the studio desk is Nic Manders’ daily bread – you’ll find crumbs of evidence peppered throughout the liner notes of projects by Brooke Fraser, Katchafire, Stan Walker, Lydia Cole and many other national treasures.

But the collaborations ground to a halt in the first half of 2020; months marked by imposed isolation and quietude. The veteran producer found himself suddenly unbusied by the projects of others. In a newly silent city, he walked the empty streets at dawn, checked on neighbours across the fence, and tinkered on the piano in his front lounge, making jokes about “that long awaited solo album.”

“All this time we’re gifted / To make it what we will”

He revisited a thousand old voice memos, scratches of melody and chord; debris from years of stolen moments and flashes of inspiration. Over weeks, he turned them into songs, playing one-man band in his makeshift home studio. The ticking of an old grandfather clock became his metronome as he revisited old memories, reflecting on the passing of time as the country outside stood still.

“If I could walk these steps again / I’d try and tell myself / to be at peace with all that falls at my feet.”

This Time is not a lockdown album. Nor is it a stolid slice of mid-life melancholy. It’s an artist taking advantage of a change in the wind, shifting tack and taking stock. It’s the nostalgia and dusted-over memories that come flooding back in a quiet moment.

“As a mist, we’re here just a moment / But we bear the bones of our fathers with us”

Thomas Wolfe said you can’t go home again. Not like it was, anyway. Your childhood, your country, your old ways – they look different the second time around. You visit them from a distance, a nostalgic commuter. You flip through old photo albums, while time hums in the background, barely distinct from the neighbour’s mower.

This Time is 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 from out behind the desk and into an artistry of his own.

This Time is out now

YASAMIN RELEASES HER POLITICAL POP ALBUM - ‘SONGS OVER BAGHDAD’

Tauranga-based artivist, YASAMIN, unveils her 10-track full album, Songs Over Baghdad, a beautifully and delicately-crafted body of work that delves into her personal sense of belonging, and the events that have unfolded in both her home country, Iraq, and her adopted country, Aotearoa.

At the end of 2019, inspired by a rise of peaceful revolution in her birth city of Baghdad, YASAMIN quietly wrote and recorded her sophomore album, Songs Over Baghdad, to explore the question of belonging and identity, and to raise awareness of the peaceful protests in Iraq through her chosen medium, music. The album itself is political pop in its purest form, a true testament to YASAMIN as both and artist and a person.

“ Yasamin realizes her new songs complicate the overly simplistic Hollywood depictions of international conflict” - OKayPlayer, Christina Lee

Fresh off a support slot for Bic Runga, Yasamin explains the concept of the new album: 

“In October, 2019 there was peaceful uprising in a country that had never seen peace.

That country is Iraq, my birth country. 

In March, 2019 there was a violent massacre in a country that had always seen peace. That country is New Zealand. My adopted country.

This album is about both these events. And what it is like to be from both countries and not fully belong to either.”

Born to Iraqi immigrants, singer-songwriter Yasamin was raised in Auckland, New Zealand. After leaving her career as a scientist to pursue music in 2017, she released her first album, L.O.N.D.O.N.

“Official government figures stated that 149 civilians died during the first wave of protests, mostly as a result of bullet wounds to the head. To date, around 550 people have been killed in the violence with 300,000 thought to be wounded.

“At the time, Yasamin, also a part-time scientist, was working on her second album, which centred on themes of her identity as a New Zealander; Iraqi politics was never part of the plan. But she couldn’t let go of what she had seen and the impact it had led her to start writing songs of protest.

“Her melancholic vocals on her first song from the album, a haunting ballad called October, is dedicated to all the Iraqis who died during the first month of protests. She titled her most recent album Songs Over Baghdad (a play on hip-hop duo Outkast’s Bombs Over Baghdad), because she wanted “Iraqis to tell Iraq’s story” and “wipe away that violent image of bombs over Baghdad’” -Middle Ease Eye Interview. 

"I love this artivist, Yasamin. She’s brave, bold and feisty. She is not afraid to question and challenge and to own her birth country’s problems as much as embrace the problems of ours, too. But more than that she’s honest and a damn fine song writer. This album opened my eyes and ears and will open yours too. And if we want to have a truly diverse and accepting culture, then this is a welcome addition to that journey’s soundtrack” - Tim Gruar - Ambient Light Blog. 

WELLINGTON’S VOODOO BLOO RELEASES POWERFUL DEBUT ALBUM, JACOBUS

Using music as a way to process, to heal and to grow as a human, Wellington’s Voodoo Bloo has created a powerful collection of furious rock music in his debut album, JACOBUS.  

A 9-track studio album that has been born out of dark times for Voodoo Bloo (aka Wellington songwriter and musician Rory McDonald), JACOBUS is an album of twists and turns, a narrative rollercoaster driven by emotion and urgency.

Featuring singles ‘Ha Ha Ok Ok’ and ‘MMA’, JACOBUS is relentless in its fusion of percussion and heavy guitars, while vocals soar throughout leaving little to no room for breath. An emotional album to record, JACOBUS is a tribute album of sorts, a way for Voodoo Bloo’s Rory McDonald to deal with grief and mourning. 

“In all honesty, it took some major events in my life to create a lot of the material you hear on there, but it’s without a doubt some of the most truthful things I’ve ever said, and it really feels like it captures a moment in time that I never want to relive, but promise to remember for the rest of my life. This is the most passion I’ve put into anything, and when shifting through the final mixes I finally felt like I could put some stored up emotion to rest.” Voodoo Bloo

JACOBUS has its moments of intimacy and nuance, with tracks like ‘Homebody’ and ‘9th Of July, 2019’ providing moments of reflection and memorialising on Voodoo Bloo’s part. They act as great contrast to the punishing sounds of ‘Her Name Was Human’ and ‘Lost Connection’, two album highlights that are demonstrative of Voodoo Bloo’s great musicality and instrumentation.

For Voodoo Bloo, the making of JACOBUS was a cathartic experience and you can hear it in his voice as the album closes. While the listener becomes introduced to this young artist with his heart on his sleeve, JACOBUS is a way for Voodoo Bloo to confront and move on from a very painful time in his life.

“There’s really too much to unpack without going on a tangent about why this record was made in the first place, but so many emotions came flooding back when I had to track these tunes. As they were written at a very dark time in my life, finding the perfect voicing for every instrument was so important, and I finally feel like a lot of negative energy that was trapped inside of me got shoved into this audio-bottle of an LP, capturing a very important time of growth and self-discovery for me.” Voodoo Bloo

PRAISE FOR VOODOO BLOO

“If you’ve got an appetite for alt-rock done right, then your new favourite band might just be Wellington’s exceptional outfit, Voodoo Bloo.”

Tone Deaf

“Driven by growling guitars and vocals to match, the new single from Wellington based artist Voodoo Bloo proves a hectic introduction to this young talent.”

AMNplify

JACOBUS is released Friday, December 4.

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