SoundCheck Aotearoa: update on upcoming workshops, resources, and FAQs

We thought it was time to update our music community on the work of SoundCheck Aotearoa, tell you more about what we are doing and why, and invite you all to participate in upcoming events.

SoundCheck Aotearoa is an action group formed in 2020 with the mission to foster a safe and inclusive culture for the music community. Our first project is focused on the prevention of and response to sexual harm, and in the future we want to expand our work to cover representation and inclusion issues more broadly.

You can read more about us and our first project HERE.

FAQs
As conversations have unfolded there have understandably been a variety of who/what/when questions around SoundCheck Aotearoa. Transparency is important to us, so we have answered them with an FAQ section, which you will find HERE.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Through March and April we are offering a series of workshops on the topic of a safe and inclusive culture for the music community in Aotearoa, and an online feedback form for those who can’t attend the workshops. The workshops are scheduled for Monday 22nd March, Tuesday 23rd March, and Tuesday 6th April.
Your ideas from the workshops and feedback form will help us to prioritise what’s needed, and develop a firmer work plan for the coming 12-18 months.
We will circulate that work plan in May 2021, and offer another chance to give feedback then.
For information about upcoming workshops, to RSVP and access the online feedback form, click HERE.

WHAT CAN I DO IN THE MEANTIME?
Creating culture change in the music community is a long term project that SoundCheck Aotearoa are committed to, but there are things we can all do in the short term to raise awareness and increase safety and inclusivity.
Click HERE to read a list of suggestions created by our experts, and HERE to access some resources.

We understand that issues relating to sexual harm are sensitive and can trigger a variety of feelings and reactions. We encourage anyone affected or anyone who has experienced harm in the music community to make use of the range of support services listed on our website HERE.

A hectic last few weeks for TALI

It's been a hectic last few weeks for Tali - not only is she one of the busiest DnB MC in the world right now, but she also has been working on some exciting collaborations. The first is her official remix of 'Hawks And Doves' for the amazing Reb Fountain.

"‘Hawks & Doves’ is the opening track on Reb’s acclaimed album; the gateway into her self-titled record that captivated listeners the world over. ‘Hawks & Doves (Tali Remix)’ accentuates Reb’s songwriting prowess by adding lush harmonies to repeating themes and incorporating swirling undercurrents of mood and texture that reimagine ‘Hawks & Doves’ amidst the winds of change. Brooding beats, melodic bass lines and oscillating synths ebb and flow like echoes. The result is a mesmerising collaboration between two of Aotearoa’s finest female musicians. Distinctive artists in their own right, Tali and Reb Fountain are a combined force to be reckoned with"

Listen to Hawks and Doves the remix here: https://open.spotify.com/album/3VlITMoIJVRmTcOTNmLsek

Tali's second release this week is in the form of a collaboration with UK Drum and Bass Producer Harriet Jaxxon, who is a rising star in her own right. The track 'What We Gonna Do?' is an epic banger, aimed at smashing the glass ceiling with its staunch lyrics ("I don't wanna play nice no more) and robust basslines. Out on Drum & Bass Arena Records this Friday.

Theia x Vayne Te Ika a Māui CREEP Tour!

Two of the most formidable forces in Aotearoa music are hitting the road this May!

Get tickets HERE

Following the recent release of their hard-hitting waiata ‘CREEP’, alt-pop queen Theia and hip-hop sensation Vayne are taking to the road in May for a five-date tour.

Friday, May 7 – Nivara Lounge, Hamilton
Saturday, May 15 – Whammy Bar, Auckland
Friday, May 21 – Moon, Wellington
Friday, May 28 – Boiler Room, Whakatāne
Saturday, May 29 – Smash Palace, Gisborne

Theia and Vayne will perform their own sets back-to-back and will join each other on stage to perform ‘CREEP’ – a bilingual (te reo Māori and English), bass-heavy banger, which delivers a cutting message to sexual predators.

Listen HERE

In ‘CREEP’, Theia and Vayne nod to their own personal experiences and trauma in dealing with sexual harassment and abuse and also acknowledge the many others who have been harmed and continue to be harmed by the actions of predatory people.

Those familiar with Theia and Vayne’s respective catalogues of music, or those lucky enough to have caught the pair performing ‘CREEP’ together at a festival this summer, will know this promises to be one helluva club show that’s not for the fainthearted.

The pair will be supported by DJ Monoga.my. A rising star on Tamaki Mākaurau’s queer scene, Monoga.my is the resident DJ at K Road’s famed G.A.Y and the driving force behind Pride Month’s recently sold-out Nympho club night. At each city and town, Theia and Vayne also hope to give the opening spot to a local emerging act.

Theia makes unapologetic alt-pop, which pushes boundaries both sonically and lyrically. Since emerging in 2016, she has gone on to amass a loyal fanbase across the globe, receiving critical acclaim from the likes of Pigeons & Planes, Clash and Billboard Magazine, which recently described Theia as “one of the most exciting voices in pop to emerge from New Zealand in the last five years”. She is fluent in te reo Māori and also has a reo Māori project called TE KAAHU.

Vayne is one of the fastest rising voices of Aotearoa hip-hop today. Since its July 2020 release, her debut EP GUTTA GIRL has spread like wildfire. Teaming up with Montell2099, LMC and Church Leon, the glowing rapper’s debut is a nod to the Gutta Girl in all of us. Having grown a notorious following from packing out K Road venues, to performing at The Others Way, FOMO and opening for Six60, Vayne season is on.

Get tickets for the Theia x Vayne CREEP tour 2021 HERE

RENÉE MILLNER 'OUT THEIR WINDOWS'

Taranaki’s soul folk singer-songwriter Renee Millner unwraps a new single on February 24 inspired by a very different world.

“It feels like we’re at a bit of a crossroads at the moment,” says Sam Johnson, sound engineer and producer of “Out Their Windows”. He worries that mainstream music has strayed away from authenticity and distinctiveness and, as a result, holds less interest.

“But artists like Renée are going back to taking care at both the song writing and the recording stage. Making music that’s from the heart, that can have a chance to mean something to other listeners, and that places value back on the idea that humans need nourishment from the music they hear.”

It’s just over two years since the release of Renée’s last EP, “In The World”, and “Out Their Windows” reflects the vastly different world we inhabited in 2020. An observation of life in a time of pandemic, the song explores the conflict between keeping ourselves safe from the threats of the outside world and maintaining the connectedness we crave in order to thrive.

The song focuses in particular on the plight of some of society’s most vulnerable: the elderly who have been kept safe, but carefully isolated, in residential care facilities. 

“Seeing my grandmother spend such an extended period of time in a rest home, I began contemplating what went through her mind during those last years,” says Renée. “I wondered what thoughts she and others were having. 

“Were they remembering times when they could interact freely with the world? And if so, were they satisfied that they’d made the most of the opportunities they’d had?”

Despite the sombre setting, the song’s message is hopeful: that if we lose something we hold dear, we’ll look back with pride at what we did with it, rather than regret for the things we didn’t.

As an artist Renée knows what it is to face choices in which it seems there’s no winning – how do we make room for growth, while at the same time keeping ourselves, and in this case others, safe? “Out Their Windows” encourages us to recognise that, while the world could – literally at any moment – deliver events that restrict our choices, we always retain the power to break free from the fears we create inside our own heads.

An ardent admirer of Renée’s smoky soul-folk vocal style, Sam recorded the majority of the tracks live in his Oakura studio, Rhythm Ace, with Renée at the guitar and the upright piano.

“Working with Renee has been such a treat. Engineering and producing for artists who are as fully authentic and respectful of their craft as she is creates a great flow. Just singing and playing,” he enthuses. “No click, no obsession with making everything perfect, just giving the songs the best possible chance to breathe. I love it!”

“As a camera operator I found it a great opportunity for flexibility and movement. I get to dance along with Sophie, riffing off her expressive energy.”

“Out Their Windows” is the first of three singles Renée is set to release this summer, setting the tone for her current musical direction.

“Renée’s songs have the beauty and deep emotional entanglement of the singer-songwriter genre, but to tie her down to that limited space would miss the pervasively expansive threads from which she weaves her wonderful music.”

— Graeme Woller, Musician, Into The East

Sonic Delusion live at the Great Kiwi Beer Festival in Hamilton

Sonic Delusion (duo) is hitting the road this weekend playing two gigs who could not be more different from each other. First they will be warming up the stage at the great kiwi beer festival in Hamilton on Saturday 13th March for acts like Sojourn, Thomas Oliver, Hollie Smith and The Black Seeds. And then on Sunday 14th March they will play an intimate house concert at the House With No Nails in Wardville.
Too funky for folk and too folky for funk - that's Sonic Delusion's Latin-infused, pop-laced "funky electroacoustic folk".

Sonic Delusion’s frontman Andre Manella uses his well-worn loop pedal to spontaneously create layers of rhythm, tone and vocals.

The Swiss-Kiwi electro-folk raconteur “easily carves out his own unapologetically ambitious and intriguingly experimental sound”.

“Catchy loops invite plenty of dancing and hip swaying… a sensual delight to the ears”.
Sonic Delusion (duo) includes French import Severin Thiebaut (bass, keys).

He ratchets up the dynamics with Latin-flavoured keys and funky bass.

It's the only one man band in the world with 2 people.

ACCLAIMED TE REO METAL BAND ALIEN WEAPONRY TO PLAY WITH THE NZSO IN MAY

Aotearoa’s Alien Weaponry, hailed as one of the most exciting young metal bands in the world, unite with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra for two special performances in May.

Stronger Together in Kirikiriroa Hamilton and Ōtautahi Christchurch will be a unique music experience for audiences, the NZSO and Alien Weaponry. The performance will include material from their award winning 2018 album Tū and their soon to be released second album Tangaroa. The concerts are Alien Weaponry’s first with an orchestra and the first collaboration with a metal band in the NZSO’s 75-year history.

Embraced by audiences and critics around the world, the three-piece from Waipu have gone from strength to strength since their debut album Tū in 2018.

The band have sold out headline shows in New Zealand, Australia, Europe and North America; opened for metal heavyweights Slayer, Anthrax, Ministry, Black Label Society and Prophets of Rage, and played main stage sets to record crowds at some of the world’s biggest and most prestigious music festivals.

Alien Weaponry deliver emotionally and politically charged stories of conflict and grief with a warrior-like attitude, with many of the songs sung in te reo Māori. Some, including the high-octane Kai Tangata, incorporate taonga puoro.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Lewis de Jong, drummer Henry de Jong (Ngāti Pikiāo and Ngāti Raukawa) and bass player Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds (Ngāti Rarua, Ngāti Wai and Ngāti Hine) can’t wait to play with the NZSO, led by renowned New Zealand conductor Holly Mathieson.NZSO conductor Holly Mathieson.

“I've always loved the idea of incorporating orchestral music with contemporary music, and when I heard that the NZSO wanted to collaborate with us I was really excited,” says Lewis.

“I think there is going to be a very interesting mix of people who come to the show, mixing the metalheads with the classical music fans.

“One thing for sure, the mosh pits will be insane.”

"Being trained as a classical pianist when I was a child, I've always wanted to play in the true orchestra experience,” says Tūranga.

“And now to be able to be a part of something involving the talented team of the NZSO, I am super excited, and I’m so glad I get to join it with our passion for heavy metal too!”

NZSO Chief Executive Peter Biggs says audiences will be blown away.

“Classical and metal share much of the same DNA. Many of metal and hard rock’s biggest names, including Eddie van Halen, loved and took inspiration from classical composers and performers. Metallica’s live album S with the San Francisco Symphony sold in the millions.

“While we’ve collaborated with some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s best-known bands and artists, for us to finally play with a metal band of Alien Weaponry’s calibre will be one of the highlights of 2021.”

In 2019 Alien Weaponry beat the likes of Metallica to take the top spot in a Finnish music magazine’s poll for best metal album of the decade.

American music magazine Revolver says the band is one of 2021’s breakthrough acts. “We've been singing Alien Weaponry's praises for a while now, and they've lived up to our wildest expectations at every turn.”

Tickets for Stronger Together go on sale from 10am, 11 March at ticketek.co.nz

MILES CALDER 'AUTOPILOT LIFE'

Announces Album Release Tour 2021 w/ Full Band

April 16 - Dunedin - Dive
April 17 - Christchurch - Loons supporting Tiny Ruins
April 30 - Blenheim - The Plant 
May 1 - Golden Bay - The Mussel Inn
May 13 - Auckland - Wine Cellar 
May 14 - Leigh - Sawmill 
May 15 - Tauranga - Jam Factory 
May 21 - Napier - Paisley Stage
May 22 - Palmerston North - Snails 
June 4 - Wellington - Meow

Tickets on sale now at Banished Music

Wellington singer-songwriter Miles Calder will embark on a nationwide tour this April and May in celebration of his debut solo album Autopilot Life, out today. The ten shows will see Miles and his band perform in intimate venues across Aotearoa, captivating audiences with a dynamic set ranging from floating atmospheric ballads to chomping rock n roll. 

Four years on since his folk/Americana self-titled release with former backing band The Rumours and time living overseas, Miles has emerged with a renewed sound, fresh songs, and new band. His new album Autopilot Life takes his classic folk-rock style into a striking psychedelic realm, evoking early 70s Lennon and late-era Beatles as much as contemporaries like Kevin Morby and Father John Misty. 

On the surface, it's subject matter relates to the ending of a long-term relationship. But Miles admits, what could’ve been just a ‘breakup album’ turned into something more universal:  “I realised that I was in a relationship, job, and daily routine that I didn’t want to be in, because I never stuck my head up to check.  I could have just read the lyrics of these songs I was writing.”

Accompanying the release of Autopilot Life is a live music video of the title track, performed at Radio New Zealand’s Auckland studio’s last December. The single is the anchor point for the album’s major theme, explains Miles: “Most of the songs on Autopilot Life relate to living an unexamined life. The overall float-like feel of this song is like the ignorance-is-bliss waking dream state with the vocals crying out from under it.” 

The deeply personal collection of songs were brought to life with the help of long-time collaborators Nick George (drums) and Steve Moodie (bass), along with electrifying recruits Chris Armour (electric guitar) and Dayle Jellyman (synths, electric piano) who all form the new band. During their self-recording process, the band explored an exciting new psych-tinged palette to complement Miles' superb vocals consisting of cascading synths, atmospheric noise, and searing guitar solos. The album was then mixed by Tui-award winning engineer/producer “Doctor” Lee Prebble (The Phoenix Foundation, Jed Parsons) at Wellington's Surgery Studios.

The upcoming ‘Autopilot Life Release Tour’ will deliver rich live versions of almost all of the album’s ten tracks including pre-released singles, ‘Take Me Back to How it Was’ (about “feeling uncertain for the future and wanting to go back to a previous home”), the melancholic 'Lake Geneva’ and anxiety-riddled, guitar jam ‘Bad for Me’. And a sneak preview of newer unreleased songs - “a great chance to road test them before recording straight after the tour,” hints Miles.

Merch including Autopilot Life vinyl, pressed by Holiday Records, CD’s, and Miles’ “nerdiest of merch”, the 'Take Me Back to How It Was' Notebook and Pencil Set, will be available for audiences to get their hands on. Look out for t-shirts designed by Mermainden's Lily West too. For tour tickets, head to Banishedmusic.com.

ANDREW FAGAN & THE PEOPLE ANNOUNCE APRIL TOUR

Andrew Fagan and his band return to venues across the North Island in April to perform songs from his solo and Mockers years, and celebrate acclaimed new album Act Normal.

Tour dates are:

Fri 9 APR WINE CELLAR Auckland

Sat 10 APR JAM FACTORY Tauranga

Wed 14 APR NIVARA LOUNGE Hamilton

Thur 15 APR TWO MILE SAILING CLUB Taupo

FRI 16 APR HAUMOANA HALL Hawkes Bay

Sat 17 APR MEOW Wellington

Sun 18 APR SNAILS, Palmerston North

Tickets on sale immediately, at Plus1.co.nz 

Fagan’s new album Act Normal was released on the cusp of lockdown, so the band are jumping out of their skins for this delayed release tour. To coincide with the tour, new single You’ll Be Fine is released in early March.

Fagan’s band features Darryn Harkness (New Telepathics, Loud Ghost), Kurt Shanks (stellar*), Joe Dekkers- Reihanna, and John Murray.