Street Georges Releasing Second Single “Next Lockdown (Covid Love Song)”

Avondale based music project “Street Georges” are excited to announce the releasing their Second Single “Next Lockdown (Covid Love Song)” at Auckland’s Portland Public House on Thursday 22 April 2021 with Special Guests Audio Zephyr, Claire Kendall, Ema Barton and La CoCo opening the event pending lockdown levels for Tamaki Makaurau.

Waikato born frontman Rich Beckmannflay has previously been known playing drums for most of his musical past. Rich now calls himself a recovering drummer transitioning to singer songwriter and guitarist early 2018. Inspiration for “Next Lockdown” was the observation of people going through lockdowns on their own, perhaps wishing they had made connection with a special someone before the lockdowns defined everyone's shelter in-place default bubbles.

Next Lockdown was written during the first Lockdown in 2020, with a few rehearsal sessions that were interrupted by next lockdown alerts. Recorded live at Earwig Studios on 24 track analog tape engineered by Darren McShane. Mastering was completed February 2021 at Munki Studios by Mike Gibson during yet another lockdown, just in time for yet another lockdown leading into March 2021. Whilst trying to predict lockdown levels for a live release event, we hope there is no next lockdown!

Anna Hawkins releases out of this world music video for 'Wayfaring Stranger / Yea Though I Walk'

The second single and music video from Anna's upcoming album Dreamer is out now. Part traditional, part original song, 'Wayfaring Stranger / Yea Though I Walk' came together during last year's lockdown creating a new version of the classic american folk / gospel melody. Working with singer-songwriter Luke Thompson the single features drone, eerie violins, snare drums, guitar and atmospheric vocals recorded with Nic Manders at Parachute Studios.

The music video, filmed by Storyworks, takes in dramatic land-scapes of New Zealand's beautiful South Island. The shooting mainly takes place in and around Otago's other-worldly Omarama Clay Cliffs. In a cinematic style the music video see's Anna travelling across vast terrain, walking with a lantern amidst starry nights and stepping out on the edge of a cliff as the sun rises behind her.

"I really wanted to do something spectacular for this song visually whilst bringing the viewer on a journey. I wanted to give my followers something similar in nature to a previous music video of mine filmed in Israel, which now has over 1.5 million views, but this time showcase the wonder and beauty of New Zealand."

Anna is currently running a preorder campaign for her upcoming album Dreamer (Out April 30th) via her website www.annahawkinsmusic.com/pre-order

The campaign runs till the end of March and features exclusive items and experiences, giving supporters unique perks, downloads and behind the scenes access.

Turkey The Bird live in Whanganui & Marton

Turkey The Bird is New Zealand's answer to "Simon & Garfunkel" if "&" was a musician too.

Catchy folk songs with stunning rich melodies and effortless smooth lyrics. Songs that tell uplifting stories about love and life.

Hailing from the New Zealand left coast town New Plymouth, this uplifting band will hit you with beautiful three part harmonies and toe tapping rhythms.

The bearded trio features Andre Manella from Switzerland on guitar, bass and percussion, Adrian Whelan from Ireland on guitar, bass and spoons, and Sol Bear Coulton, the token kiwi, on Banjo.

On Saturday 27th March Turkey The Bird will bring their energetic live show to the Whanganui Musicians Club for the very first time and are joined by a couple of special guests. Wayne Morris who's a master on the washboard, cajon and percussion, and the legendary Janet Muggeridge on Mandolin and vocals. The show starts at 8pm and entry is $25 cash on the night or $20 for club members. On Sunday 28th March they will play at the Marton Harvest Festival from 10am.

Jeremy Redmore set to warm your winter with The Brightest Flame Tour

It's been a year since Jeremy Redmore released his acclaimed comeback album The Brightest Flame. It was a release cut short by Covid's varying symptoms, but the season is now right to take these cinematic songs and their embedded stories to audiences across Aotearoa.

Winter 2021 presents itself as the perfect scene for a set of songs that were conceived while Redmore was living in Toronto in the midst of snow-piled pavements, breathless cold and a collapse of the world as he knew it.

What emerged from that time was an album universally praised by critics for its emotive strength and sonic complexity and a surprising departure from his previous solo album and work as the writer and frontman for Midnight Youth.

"Redmore’s writing here is as lucid as ever, and he hasn’t lost his ear for melody, but this is much more introspective slow-burn than stadium stomp," Matt McAuley wrote for The Spinoff.

"The multi-tracked vocals and oscillating synths of early album standout ‘So Easy (II)’ recall the work of Canadian indie legends Wolf Parade, while the red-eyed balladry of songs like ‘Goodbye’ and ‘Southern Lights’ split the difference between early Bon Iver and late Walkmen to powerful effect."

Redmore says fans can expect not only songs from The Brightest Flame, but also from his complete catalogue, including unheard interpretations of Midnight Youth hits.

With the tour kicking off in June, Redmore will be joined by a full backing band and will announce some incredibly talented support acts very soon. Tickets available via Under The Radar from Monday March 22nd.

Deva Mahal strikes deep with homage to her late Sister

Out 19 March, this track aptly titled Sister is a collaboration by Deva Mahal and sister Zoe Moon, for their late beloved sisters. 

This long overdue collaboration steers us into the depths of our emotions, as can be expected with such a deeply personal ballad. Appropriately, the sisters co-wrote and produced the track, delivering it with a breathtaking, mostly beach shot video, directed by Paascalino Schaller. A video the sisters also art directed.

The track opens full of anticipation with ethereal vocals calling ‘are you there?’.  Underpinned by pensive piano chords as Deva’s unmistakable tone enters. Her vulnerability is palpable.

The voices begin to layer, as the rhythm section arrives Deva passes the baton to her younger sister Zoe. Zoe, an artist in her own right, has gone from strength to strength with her music in the past few years. It’s beautiful to hear her carry such a personal song alongside Deva with her own inflections enriching the experience.

By the time the second chorus hits, the band roll into a driving groove led by the toms, like the broken heartbeat of the song, while the guitar plays a classic chank, keeping one foot in the musical lineage which Deva carries alongside the best of her generation. 

While the strong lead vocals weave seamlessly between each other, making it hard at times to differentiate between the two of them, this ballad also fulfills one's hopes of experiencing Deva’s epic belt taking us to yet another level. The impact only grows with the sisters repeated and impassioned calls in the outro ‘if I sing louder, reaching out, oh can hear me, If I sing loud, at the top of my lungs, will you be there?’.

The Hawaiin born Kiwi sisters wealth of International experience and rich musical exposure oozes with every detail here. With the visual offering alone, akin to an award winning work of art!

We’re excited that Aotearoa still gets to keep otherwise US based Deva Mahal and experience the products of a local collaboration with whānau, the gifted artist Zoe Moon no less!

Watch their video here courtesy of NZ On Air.

And listen here

MIRANDA EASTEN 'COUNTRY BOY'

Miranda Easten, Christchurch's country singer-songwriter, is back in the new year with a new single "Country Boy". Following the release of her 2020 single "Only One", "'Country Boy' is an energetic and romantic love song about the excitement of a relationship in its early stages, including falling in love, and learning new things about each other," Miranda says.

The new track was recorded with world renowned Greg Haver (Kimbra and Melanie C) at Roundhead Studios in Auckland, mixed by Scott Seabright and Clint Murphy and mastered over in Nashville. The recording process had some interruptions as Miranda explains, "we finished the album despite a pandemic, a broken guitarist's hand, and emergency life-saving surgery on myself (appendix). I flew to Auckland to film the "Country Boy" music video and recorded the last songs less than two weeks after my surgery." Despite this, the song came out a quintessential country love song, where you can hear Miranda's influences of Jewel Kilcher, Dolly Parton and Miranda Lambert.

Finishing her studies doing the Contemporary Music & Performance at Ara Institute of Canterbury Music Arts in 2014, Miranda formed a duo called The Manuka Set with Vanessa Kelly. Miranda has also worked alongside New Zealand singer-songwriter and producer Greg Johnson who is based in LA. Miranda was the executive producer for his album, Swing The Lantern, and collaborated with him on both Stay and Stars & Dreams, released in 2019. Recently, Miranda has been mentored by Sacha Vee, founder of SOLE Music Academy, who has been helping her establish herself as an artist and to bring her vision to life. Miranda's first release "Cowboy Lullaby" made it to #16 on the Australian Official Top 40 Country Music Chart in 2020. Recently awarded a grant from The New Zealand Music Commission, Miranda is preparing for the release of her debut album.

Listen here: https://gyro.lnk.to/CountryBoy

PAUL THE KID 'WYD'

What ya drinkin’ to survive?! Beer or water? A little vodka or ayahuasca?

This funky indie house banger is made to move ya body during summertime afternoons.. so get hydrated!

Drawing inspo from cosmopolitan house music Paul The Kid has brought a light, care-free energy to the sound that is just FUN.

In these times it’s nice to just have a bop and an easy sing-a-long.

With a thick round bass line, dancing high hats and jazzy keys WYD puts a smile on ya dial and warms you up like love.

Once again bringing in the energy of Guy Harrison (Avantdale Bowling Club) to add his latin inspired keys playing WYD keeps building and grooving throughout extended solos to ride this banger to the end. Again, it is just so fun!

So, what are YOU gonna drink to this song?

Pre-Save: https://gyro.lnk.to/WYD

Bandcamp: https://paulthekid.bandcamp.com/

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/paulthekidofficial/

Website: https://www.paulthekid.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul.the.kid/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulTheKidOfficial

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulTheKidNZ

KAYLEE BELL 'THAT SUMMER'

Hot on the heels of her 10 million Spotify streams, Country music star Kaylee Bell is set to release her latest single THAT SUMMER on March 19th.  THAT SUMMER is a collaboration with US Country Artist Josh Mirenda and was written on a Nashville writing trip in 2020, with fellow country artists Taylor Acorn and Andrew Pacheco.

Bell comments “we wrote the song as a feel-good summer song, I always spend NZ winters over in the States which is their summertime and I have so many amazing memories of summers there, hence wanting to reflect back on a summer that 'changed you' in a significant way. Summer-time is always a time you want to reflect on as it is usually filled with memories, fun, falling in love and we wanted to capture that into a song of looking back and wondering if the person you fell in love with one summer, ever reflects back to that moment as well."

Mirenda comments “I’m honoured to have worked with Kaylee on this song.  Especially given the times we have all been in recently, just making music feels great.  Especially when it’s with such a unique scenario.”

THAT SUMMER will be the third single release from Bell’s upcoming album release, currently scheduled for August 2021.  A fourth single, in collaboration with Kiwi Pop Artist Lepani, will also be released in April.

Bell’s latest release THE RED EP has over 10 million Spotify streams, and includes five hit singles, making Bell the ‘Most Streamed Female Country Artist’ for Australasia in 2020 behind Keith Urban and Morgan Evans.

Further information on Kaylee Bell can be found at www.kayleebellmusic.com.

THAT SUMMER will be available for purchase from March 19, 2021 here.