Merv Pinny celebrates his extensive music career with a re-release of a country song from his past

Merv Pinny is a seasoned artist with decades of music under his belt. Having grown up in a musical family in the Waikato region of New Zealand, Merv started playing at the age of 10 and was in a band with his brothers only two years later. A natural guitar player and with country roots, his music reflected this and he found an early career as a country-rock singer/songwriter.

Merv achieved success in the 1990s with multiple nominations at the New Zealand Music Awards, winning Rock Single of the Year for his track, Destiny in 1994. The track was recorded at the Airforce Studios in Auckland, New Zealand, and features some of New Zealand's finest musicians at the time. It was produced by the late Mike Farrell.

Destiny is about a young artist finding himself and taking a magical ride through the music industry. Now, 27 years later, it is an opportune time for this artist to re-release such a significant track from his past, and to celebrate the magical ride he has enjoyed throughout his extensive musical career.

Destiny has been remastered for digital release along with the original music video clip.

New album set for release in early 2022

Merv Pinny's brand new album is set for release in early 2022. Titled Dark to Light, the album follows Pinny's journey as an artist with songs that have captured the imaginations of millions from across the globe. War; humanitarian crises with children; refugee crises; the cruel world of love on the internet; and gun violence have been the topics that Pinny felt compelled to write about in the hope of invoking change for the better. Seeing the effects that both money and power had had on so many of these devastating events, Pinny used his songs to help give more meaning and donated proceeds direct to World Vision and Children in Crisis. Just this month, Merv performed for Kerikeri locals as part of a fundraising event for the Northland Rescue Helicopter, helping to raise more than $15,000.

Our entire world has now been affected since the pandemic started in 2020, filling lives with heartbreak and sadness as we all have learned to live in new ways. Merv recognised the importance during this time to have more positive and uplifting experiences, so he started writing new material that has been crafted to instill in everyone a much-needed feeling of joy and laughter, with the hope yet again of using his music to invoke change for the better. Dark to Light celebrates the significant journey of an artist who has evolved his music over the years, in keeping with the times.

In The Shallows release THERE YOU ARE

There You Are is about confronting the full spectrum of emotions that are a part of the human experience. It's a message of empowerment, reminding us that if we face our fears, we can work through them better than if we turn away from them.

Who are In The Shallows? …  It was in August 2019, when Welsh singer-songwriter Danni Parsons found harmonic delight in the raw vocals of Kiwi rock and roller Lance Shepherd.... Wellington based Indie Folk-Pop band 'In The Shallows' was born. The band also features Andrew Bain (Fur Patrol) and Nick Brown (Eb & Sparrow, Vorn). 

Together they offer up an exquisitely diverse and silken sound that weaves together soaring harmonies, mesmerising vocals and acoustic guitars with relatable lyrics about intricate tales of love, loss, connection, redemption and empowerment. Danni's voice described by LA reviewer Edgar Allan Poets as having 'a high, delicate timbre that mesmerised him as the mermaids did with Ulysses in Homer's Odyssey'

Their 5* rated debut album produced by Steve Rokosh (Calgary, Canada and Nashville, USA) and release in Nov 21, won over the ears, heart and soul of muzic.net.nz's Kev Rowland who said "..anyone who enjoys acoustic music, performed by some wonderful singers, containing songs with a purpose yet so varied that the album never gets tiring, will find this simply essential".

Their last single Let's Not Start a War received a 10/10 review from UK's House of Prog and was reviewed enthusiastically by many media outlets around the world, including HappyMag AU, BuzzMusic LA, Indie Criollo Equador, Sinusoidal Music, India and many others.

Guitarist and vocalist Lance has worked as a touring/recording guitarist with Martina Topley-Bird (ex Tricky), with producers such as Johnny Dolla (Massive Attack) Leila Arab (Bjork), and has played a number of high profile radio, television and live shows throughout Europe and the US including BBC2, Later... With Jools Holland, Montreaux Jazz Festival and SXSW. 

Vocalist and Song-writer Danni was raised in Wales, moving to Aotearoa in 2005. Once settled in Wellington, she went on to co-write lyrics with Mara Simpson (Mara and the Bushkas), who both performed in Wellington band Soul Caravan. Danni also works as an actor/body double, in casting and as a crew member on international film productions, in television and theatre (Mortal Engines, Ghost in the Shell & Avatar). Danni also produces the music videos for In The Shallows, among all the many things self- managed artists must do!

Their debut album tour took them to 22 festivals and venues throughout NZ in summer 2020/21 including NZ Spirit, Earthbeat Festival, Resolution NYE Festival, Performance Arcade - Wellington, are they're not slowing down with another jam packed summer Tour in 21/22. 

The duo recently opened for Tui Folk award winner Amiria Grenell and had support from NZMA’s Best Country Music Artist Jenny Mitchell, Jocee Tuck and TOMMY on their debut album tour. 

Kiwi up and comer JAKE turns head with slick debut single ‘Waiting List’

Emerging Hawke’s Bay artist JAKE makes an almighty splash today with the release of his debut single, ‘Waiting List’ - a sublime slice of chill R’n’B-infused indie pop, with a hip-hop twist.

All about being stuck in that “zone in the middle where you can’t let go of the past but you can’t move on'', ‘Waiting List is a relatable song for our times, with an effortlessly cool delivery and a sexy switch up. “You’re stuck on a waiting list, waiting for someone or something to fix your problems,” explains JAKE (AKA Jake Murphy). “It also relates to the current space the world is in at the moment, as I think a lot of us feel stuck in the middle of waiting for life to get back to normal and how it once was, and we’re unsure what the future looks like.”

‘Waiting List’ was produced and mixed by the award-winning Simon Gooding, who JAKE first teamed up with at APRA’s inaugural Hawke’s Bay Songhubs in late 2020. This led to Simon and JAKE working together again in 2021, when Simon received NZOA’s Artist Development Fund, aimed at pairing producers with emerging artists.

“Simon and I spent about five days in the studio together - three days creating six or so demos and the next two days refining the stronger ideas. With ‘Waiting List’ we made a few different versions and decided to blend two of those to make the track we have now,” says JAKE.

The song is accompanied by a gritty video shot by award-winning director Connor Pritchard.

“I was in Auckland recording with Simon and saw that Connor had posted on Instagram that he had a few slots coming up, so I flicked him a message and he said ‘Let’s do it!” We shot the whole thing in a few hours as the sun started to set. It’s just me with the backdrop of the city. I think it captures the vibe conveyed in the song very well - cruisy but also a little moody, with an element of surprise that you’ll hear half way through where the beat switches up.”

‘Waiting List’ is the launch pad for an exciting few months ahead for JAKE. Watch this space for more music to come!

Find JAKE:

Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / YouTube / Spotify / Apple

CHEAP SLEEPER 'MISTY'

Cheap Sleeper are four blokes and a ranga from Auckland who have put their heads together to release some fresh summer tunes. Ben, Jacob, Jono, Josh and Tyler have been jamming together since meeting in high school, being a popular request for bars, 21sts and one particularly alternative wedding. Since they began releasing original songs in 2021, the band has been booked for the Resonate gig series at the Mangawhai Tavern, and hosted several independently organized gigs alongside emerging bands/DJs.

Misty was recorded and produced throughout Auckland’s longest lockdown with band members working on their parts independently at home, and then working them together with Emily Wheatcroft Snape acting as Producer and Mix/Master Engineer. The song captures the band’s (and the rest of the country’s) anticipation for returning to the carefree vibes of a Kiwi Summer, “all we need is time”. Having been released on the countries transition to the Traffic Light System, the day before crate day, Misty is well on its way to being the summer anthem of many Cheap Sleeper fans.

TîMMY the FIRST presents ‘THRONE’

AN INCISIVE AND MODERN HIP HOP SINGLE

Otago-based Zimbabwe-born rapper TîMMY the FIRST is making a striking statement with heartfelt protest track ‘THRONE.’ This single, born out of frustration with the international political climate, is as powerful as it is addictive.

Having developed his edgy and deeply personal style across his three years in the Dunedin music scene, TîMMY wrote his first pass of ‘THRONE’ as a frenzied response to racial injustices taking place around the world. “As I watched the protests and the intense energy of this movement,” TîMMY notes, “I couldn’t stop wondering; will this ever stop? Will anything ever change?"

In ‘THRONE,’ TîMMY pays tribute to generations of black activists whilst, at the same time, confronting his own relationship to the world around him. The single isn’t just a protest against injustice, but also a protest against inaction. 

“[This movement] showed me how many things I had accepted because I felt they would never change,” he admits, “I felt angry, tired, frustrated. I felt like people like me would never be heard.”

“It’s so hard watching people who look like you being treated that way.”

TîMMY uses the track to reflect on the external pressures that defined his past and prevented him from standing up for himself. The result is an inspirational track that pushes listeners to engage with its ethos: this is our world, let’s do something about it.

TîMMY’s worldly experience is a defining factor in his style, and ‘THRONE’ is no different. First moving from Zimbabwe to New Zealand as a five year old, Timmy was soon uprooted again as his family traveled the world to perform missionary work. “I didn’t really encounter anyone that really looked like me,” he says, “It was tough being an outsider, subconsciously accepting that I was somehow lesser because of my ethnicity.”

Spending much of his childhood living between Canada and the United States, TîMMY learned to connect with people through playing music.

“After traveling the world, I encountered  other Africans, other races. I met people who were proud of their skin, people who were happy to be who they are,” he says, “it opened my eyes,  there’s more to me than what I look like. I hope to be part of a movement, with the rest of my fellow creatives, to mould that image of what it means to be an African-Kiwi.”

Despite being told for much of his life that hip hop was ‘bad music,’ TîMMY felt a pull towards the genre and fell in love with the process of constructing verses and hooks. Amidst feelings of dissatisfaction with where he was heading, he realised that his life had been defined by others’ preconceptions of who he should be. Instead of following, TîMMY vowed to walk his own path; TîMMY the FIRST was born. 

Produced by Abraham Kunin, ‘THRONE' is a culmination of everything TîMMY has learned so far. Embracing the full range of his voice and without holding anything back, this single embodies the “no-compromise” approach that inspired TîMMY’s decision to pursue music.

‘THRONE’ is accompanied by an intense and visually arresting music video directed by Justin Harwood from Tomorrowland. Further showcasing TîMMY’s performance nous and enhancing his credentials as a music innovator to keep an eye on.

Out December 3rd via New Zealand indie label Bigpop Records

Five wāhine toa to be inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame

The 2021 Hall of Fame inductees will be celebrated at the Aotearoa Music Awards in November 

The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa is proud to announce the induction of five incredible women. The latest inductees’ hard-fought journeys have left a lasting legacy and forged a path for others on-stage as well as behind the scenes.

Annie Crummer, Debbie Harwood, Dianne Swann, Margaret Urlich and Kim Willoughby will be inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame in December. They will be recognised for their individual contributions to Aotearoa’s music scene, the inspiration they provided to local artists and audiences, and their importance in shaping New Zealand’s popular culture.

All five women got their start in the early 80’s. Annie and Kim, each having already released music under either solo or group names, found themselves atop the charts as guest vocalists on Netherworld Dancing Toys ‘For Today’. Dianne’s band Everything That Flies was on the rise and earning plaudits everywhere. Debbie’s talent was picked up early with a signing to CBS Records and award nominations following soon after. And Margaret was unmissable as the frontwoman of Peking Man.

“When I was a young person, women were outnumbered in the business by perhaps 100:1,” says Harwood*.

“All of us had toured for years in original bands. As the touring circuit dissolved and radio shut its doors to local music, surviving as an original band became almost impossible. At this time, as video became the new radio, local artists were competing with the huge video budgets of overseas bands. Our videos looked tragic in comparison, and it perpetuated the self-effacing Kiwi attitude that New Zealand music was crap. It was a tough time. The only way to get to the people at this time was to tour the length and breadth of New Zealand, relentlessly building up a live fan base.”

Debbie, Dianne, Annie and Margaret had a chance meeting at the 1985 Aotearoa Music Awards where all of them were finalists. Not long after that, the idea was floated of getting together with the addition of Kim as When The Cat’s Away.

“The idea formed to get together, have some fun and sing a bunch of songs that we like, learn some harmonies. I don’t think anybody pictured it as being as popular as it became,” said Dianne in 2004.

“The Cats toured for two and a half years before ‘Melting Pot’ was released,” said Debbie.

“As the single shot to No.1 in 1988, the industry was incredulous. Considering the lack of support at the time, our success was like a flower cracking through concrete! The sharemarket crash had just happened, and the public loved the band because we were optimistic and energetic. Sometimes I felt like Vera Lynn cheering up the troops. The preference would have been that our original bands had been supported by radio and the public, so we reluctantly accepted the huge success of the band, never fully standing in the glare of it. There was a little bit of bitterness at the necessity of forming such a band: a band that was born out of exhaustion from trying to get airplay and support for our original music, a band that was supposed to be merely a short break from the slog.”

However, from this unexpected success came a multitude of positives and an enduring public and peer adoration and respect for these five supremely talented musicians:

Annie Crummer
Annie Crummer MNZM has one of New Zealand’s best-loved and most travelled voices. That voice has taken her from Avondale to Paisley Park, from local talent quests to duets with Sting, and back to her Rarotongan heritage. She first came to public notice with her inescapable performance on the Netherworld Dancing Toys’ ‘For Today’ (which also featured Kim Willoughby), before going on to a successful solo career as a featured performer, powerhouse vocalist for hire and an enviable CV in musical theatre, notably starring roles in The Lion King and Queen: We Will Rock You (“The voice of one in a million” – Brian May). Annie most recently contributed original work to Waiata Anthems last year and is currently working on a new solo album.

Debbie Harwood
Debbie Harwood is a renaissance woman of the New Zealand music industry. As well as being a platinum-selling and award-winning artist, she has also been a radio host, publicist, tour manager, producer and a music mentor. She has always championed the work of female singer/songwriters. A successful stint touring Australia (most notably working with Jimmy Barnes) was followed by a return to Aotearoa where amongst gigging, Debbie released an all-female album of love songs and masterminded the Give It A Girl concerts, also finding time to lecture on music at the University of Auckland. Debbie’s most recent EP, The Sun, came out in 2019.

Dianne Swann
Playing live to 85,000 people. Signing to two international labels. Recording with Radiohead. Having her song ‘Birthday’ chosen as NME single of the week. These are just some of the highlights of Dianne Swann’s career as a vocalist, songwriter, and performer. After spending much of the 90s in the UK with her bands The Julie Dolphin and Boom Boom Mancini, Dianne returned home and formed the critically-acclaimed duo The Bads, releasing four albums since 2005, as well as touring and recording with the likes of Dave McArtney, Tim Finn and OpShop amongst many others. Having spent a career mostly in bands, Dianne released the album The War On Peace Of Mind under her own name this year to critical acclaim.

Margaret Urlich
Already a New Zealand superstar by the mid-80s thanks to her lead role in Peking Man, Margaret achieved what very few Kiwi artists in the 80’s and 90’s could do by cracking Australia. Her debut solo album Safety In Numbers sold over 250,000 copies across the ditch and established Margaret as one of the premiere artists of the 90’s with multiple platinum albums in both Aotearoa and Australia. Margaret relocated and made a home in rural New South Wales but returned often to New Zealand to tour, most recently in 2019.

Kim Willoughby
From post-punks The Gurlz through to Netherworld Dancing Toys, the platinum-selling and chart-topping When The Cat’s Away as well as being a go-to vocalist for seemingly everyone; Kim’s career is that of the consummate professional. A naturally gifted singer, blessed with a word-for-word perfect recall for song lyrics. Kim continues to tour as Kim Willoughby & the Bandoleros with fellow Hall of Famers Paul Woolwright and Rick Ball (Hello Sailor).

New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa

Presented by NZ Music Hall of Fame Trust, the inductions are undertaken in a private ceremony whereupon inductees are gifted a tapu taonga, in accordance with tikanga Māori. All five women inducted will be publicly acknowledged at the 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards in December on TVNZ 2. The entire broadcast will be streamed on TVNZ On Demand.

Tomorrow People end the year on a high with 16-track album – including three new songs!

The tumultuous year of 2021, a year of challenges and ups and downs. Throughout it all, one thing has been consistently positive and that is Tomorrow People. With their feel-good energy, the band has released a new song on the First Friday of every month during 2021, culminating now in the full album reveal – aptly titled 21.

The album 21 features the 11 #First Friday tracks, two Māori bonus tracks, and three new previously unreleased tracks.

“21 represents a celebration for us. After a year of challenges, it is a nice way to wrap everything up,” says band music director, Avina Kelekolio.

“21 not only showcases the hard work we put in during the year, but it also represents maturity within the band and in some ways, a new start, kinda like a 21st birthday,”

The Tomorrow People #FirstFridays campaign was born from a team decision by the Platinum-selling band in late 2020 where they would commit to writing and releasing a new song every month for the calendar year 2021.

Their unorthodox release strategy was initially a risk, but has become a huge success with fans and loyal supporters strongly behind the idea and loving the fresh approach. The band is extremely proud of the numbers they have been able to achieve to date.

The singles ‘Just A Little Bit’, ‘Vows’, ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ and ‘My Guy’ have all achieved substantial airplay this year - with the four songs prominent on the Radioscope charts across 46 weeks this year. ‘Just A Little Bit’ a particular stand-out with A rotate across Mai fm and 27 weeks in the top 100 airplay chart. An incredible feat!

On top of that, all singles released for #FirstFridays this year have featured on the Hot NZ Singles Chart, with seven of the singles also featured on the overall Hot 20 Chart.

The 16-track album features three new tracks, including ‘See You One Day’, ‘Da Da Da Da Da’ and ‘Better Off Alone’. These songs join the powerhouses that have preceded them this year and cemented the Tomorrow People name as one of the most popular played acts across New Zealand radio.

Wellington’s Tomorrow People are one of Aotearoa’s most loved reggae bands. The seven-piece group, made up of Avina Kelekolio, Tana Tupai, Hennie Tui, Fredwyn Kisona, Te Aranga Savage, Snow Chase and Duane Te Whetu, have a string of Gold and Platinum hits to their name including ‘Souljah Feeling’, ‘Feel Alright’ and ‘Take It Away’.

The band have also been nominated at the 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards with a nod for Best Roots Artist,

Since emerging in 2010, Tomorrow People have released two full-length albums and two EPs, including 2018’s critically-acclaimed BBQ REGGAE, which debuted at #1 in the Official NZ Album Charts and earned them a number of awards. 21 is out now - HERE

Catch up on where you can see Tomorrow People perform live in 2022 HERE

Georgia Lines releases dreamy new single and video, ‘I Got You’

Captivating singer-songwriter Georgia Lines has unveiled her stunningly emotive new single and video ‘I Got You’, .

The single has also featured with Rolling Stone magazine HERE

Layered in dreamy, atmospheric strings which floats over a chilled groove, ‘I Got You’ is hook-laden in melody, performed by Georgia’s uniquely soaring vocals. The Tauranga-based artist is compelling in her storytelling, reflecting on change, loss, acceptance and letting go.

“At the time there were so many things in my world that were changing, including dealing with the grief of losing a family member,” says Georgia. “It felt like life was becoming a game of giant jenga with so many pieces being pulled out from under me, whilst trying to hold everything together. ‘I Got You’ is about the process of learning to let go, whilst continuing to hold onto the few things that you know to be true.”

Co-written and produced by Djeisan Suskov (BENEE, Matthew Young, Mitch James, LEISURE), ‘I Got You’ is the very first song the now prolific duo wrote together in 2020. Written fresh out of Aotearoa’s first lockdown, the track is reflective of Georgia’s growth mindset in navigating the challenges of pursuing a career in music during a pandemic.

“Covid has required loads of adaptability, positivity and constant changes in perspective”, says Georgia. “The biggest mindset shift that has helped me navigate this unknown, has been the conscious decision to make sure that every part of the journey is enjoyable. For me, keeping this perspective along with having an incredible support network, has helped me navigate through the hard yards and all the challenges that Covid has brought to pursuing a career in music.”

Also released is the stunning new music video to accompany the single, directed and produced by Georgia Lines herself. Drawing on nature’s elements and spaces where all is falling apart, Georgia crafted the video to sit in the same visual space as the music does sonically.

“Conceptually I loved the idea of creating a video that had aspects of the elements in it (water/sand/nature/grain),” says Georgia. “I loved the idea of creating beautiful graceful movements mixed with static poses amongst these big piles, and loved the idea of creating different spaces within the giant warehouse we filmed in, to bring different ideas visually to the video.”

“Working with Chelsea Jade on the Choreography over zoom was also such a highlight. I loved working with her for ‘No One Knows’, and was so pumped to get to work with her again for this one.”

Georgia Lines is quickly becoming a household name in Aotearoa’s music industry, recently performing alongside Anika Moa, Tami Neilson, Paige and Annie Crummer at Auckland’s Civic Theatre for TUAWAHINE. Her self-titled, debut EP GEORGIA LINES released in 2020, has amassed 1.5 million Spotify streams, with recent release ‘Tōrere’ already gaining more than 47,000 streams; a track unveiled as part of 2021’s te wiki o te reo māori. Georgia’s 2021 single ‘No One Knows’ has just been nominated for Best Music Video at this year’s AMA’s (Aotearoa Music Awards).

With a number of upcoming live shows and tours, including performing as a headlining act at Festival One and supporting Dave Dobbyn at Black Barn, Georgia Lines is showing no signs of slowing down. Georgia has also just been announced to join Ladyhawke, Benee, Sachi and Mitch James at the Dance Farm festival, happening at Joe’s Farm, Whangamata, Saturday January 8, 2022. Tickets and information available from www.dancefarm.co.nz

Georgia also performs as part of the Synthony event in New Plymouth, February 2022.