INTERVIEW: Kimbra

On a recent School's Tour to Wellington with Moana Ete, Kimbra caught up with me for a quick chat before a gig. Much younger and shorter than I expected, Kimbra nonetheless comes across as intelligent and mature beyond her years. Like many NZ artists, Kimbra first came to attention as a finalist in the 2004 Smokefree Rockquest. With two singles under her belt and plenty of interest, Kimbra's future looks bright.

Charlette Hannah: How has the Schools Tour been going, and how did you get involved with that?

Kimbra: Yeah, it's been going really good so far, we've done two schools now and the response has been really good. We weren't really sure but lots of kids have been coming along and enjoying it, and they knew my single which is good. People were singing along which is fun. A venue that has just opened in Cuba St called Zeal are helping out with a few tours for bands and stuff, and they asked me if I'd like to help them out with it, so of course I was like 'yeah sure'. Good opportunity to come down to Wellington. So as well as the School's Tour which is a really great opportunity, I've been trying to get as much as I can in the evenings.

Charlette: You've already managed to generate a fair amount of attention for yourself. Do you have a manager or do you do the hard yards yourself?

Kimbra: I'm just doing it by myself at the moment, which has been fine. Obviously it means you have to spend a little bit more time on the computer side of things, and obviously it would be nice to hand it over to someone else and let them do it. At the same time it's good to know that you're in control of what's happening, what's being portrayed. I'm moving to Auckland next year and maybe I'll think about getting a manager then. Probably not until the point where it becomes a real imperative.

Charlette: You've had a lot of support so far from NZ On Air, have you had any interest from record labels?

Kimbra: I've been fortunate to be able to talk with some labels and get advice which has been cool, but at this point I'm just waiting out for the right deal or situation. And yeah, NZ On Air has helped me out a lot with the singles and the funding side of things, which is similiar to what a record company would provide. Obviously when I come to recording an album I may look into labels more seriously. At the moment I'm just taking it slow, I'm not in any rush to sign up to anything unless I'm sure it's going to allow for the plans I have in the future.

Charlette: Have you got any plans for an album or an EP soon?

Kimbra: Yeah, I would like to get onto something soon now that I've done the two singles. NZ On Air often fund for an album. That's definitely something I want to get onto soon. But at the same time I feel like you only get one shot at a first album and I want it to be good so I don't want to rush into anything too soon. That might mean doing an EP first or something of a shorter length before I jump into an album.

Charlette: Do you have band that you work with?

Kimbra: I have worked with bands in Hamilton, but it's a lot easier to just roll up with my guitar in terms of live performance. Next year I'm looking at getting a simple band together, just drums, bass, to complement the music a bit more. But at the same time, I try to bring together the elements of a band on stage when I play, and try to think dynamically like that.

Charlette: A couple of random questions... How would you describe your music to a deaf person?

Kimbra: Golly, that's a hard one. I suppose there's a lot of roots of soul in my music, I listen to a lot of that as well. It's generally acoustic, there's quite a jazz vibe to my music, jazz and soul. I'm quite rhythm focused so I really enjoy interesting rhythms and melodies is a big thing for me, I like to write really melodic music. I'm hoping there's a unique twist to the music, that it's not too cliche, hopefully it steps out a bit.

Charlette: Would you have plastic surgery when you get old and wrinkled?

Kimbra: I'd say no. I know image is a big thing in the music industry, but to me, if I can still make music at that age and have to sacrifice looking good then I don't really care. I wouldn't really spend all that money on it when it could go to so much betteruse . Plastic surgery, blurgh.

Charlette: Do you want to be world famous?

Kimbra: I'd like my music to reach as many people as it possibly can, and if that means fame, then so be it. It's not something I'm really aspiring to. I'm not passionate about all the stuff that comes along with the music industry, but I'd definitely like my music to reach lots and lots of people, and of all different backgrounds and beliefs, so in that sense, yes.

Charlette: In the 2004 Smokefree Rockquest you were a finalist... Do you think you should have won?

Kimbra: Um [Charlette: I'm just joking!]. I'm glad I didn't win. It was so absolutely unexpected that I came second, and I would never be gutted that I didn't win! Second place can sometimes be a blessing as well, as you get all the exposure of Rockquest, but you're able to break away from it if need be. Whereas sometimes coming first can be hard to come outside of the whole realm of the Rockquest label. Yeah, it was a big year that year, and the bands who got placed were definitely well deserving.

Charlette: You've said that your experience at the All Blacks vs. Ireland match has made you more confident on stage... How do you feel when you're performing, in general? Do you get nervous?

Kimbra: Yeah, as I've said, after doing that game it's been a lot easier to conquer nerves. Every gig I played after that just seemed so much easier, as nothing can quite measure up to singing to 30,000 people at a stadium! All things fly around when I'm performing. I try to come across honest and sincere on stage, so I try not to crowd my head with thoughts of 'how do I come across' because I think it's really cool as a performer when you see someone just as they really are. Not vulnerable, but just honest, yeah.

Charlette: What musicians would you like to collaborate with if you could?

Kimbra: I've always dreamed of singing with a real wicked gospel singer. In New Zealand I'd say someone like Hollie Smith, but overseas, people like Jill Scott. If Jeff Buckley was still alive, singing a song with him would be an absolute dream come true. There's just so many people I admire.

myspace.com/kimbramusic

INTERVIEW: Little Bushman

A Psychedelic Jazz Enhanced Journey.

Resurrecting the iconic sounds of the past, the Little Bushman have created a sound that stays true to their roots. Pushing away the safety net, this 4-piece band’s (Warren Maxwell, Rick Cranson, Joe Callwood and Tom Callwood) brave fusion is destined for an exciting future. Their debut album, Onus On The Sand, featured the stunning vocals of Lisa Tomlins and Deva Mahal. They currently have their heads down working hard on their next musical experience.

Lucy Wyatt talks to Little Bushman’s drummer, Rick Cranson to find out more.

Lucy Wyatt: The Little Bushman creates a deeply atmospheric and confident sound. Taking into account your jazz past and your personal influences of Hendrix, Zeppelin and Marley is this where you pictured your sound ending up?

Rick Cranson: Yes and no. We definitely have influences from 70’s rock n roll – a lot of influence from Hendrix. There’s also influence from lots of jazz, Coltrane, the later Miles Davis bands, and many others. Also lots of psychedelic rock and roll like Pink Floyd, but really it’s a sort of an evolving sound. But the new album is quite different to our first one and that’s because musically, our writing has changed. There are more elements of Little Bushman and lots of improvising. There are lots of big jams that last 15 minutes or so. It’s simply an ongoing thing.

Lucy: “Jimi” is a very thought provoking track – the obvious strength of a legendry icon combined with the sensual Polynesian backing vocals inspires something of a mesmerizing cross-cultural journey. Was it your intention to create such a feeling?

Rick: Initially it was just a song about this fantastic musician that had given us loads of great music and loads of ideas to think about. It was supposed to be a celebration of his life and his gift of music – although we do try and keep things very New Zealand with our sound – like the Polynesian style vocals, so it sounds different to anything else overseas. We like to keep it like that – as New Zealand has a sound of it’s own.

Lucy: Even though your sound is quite different from that of Trinity Roots, (Warren Maxwell’s last highly successful band), there are still the strong overtones that tell of nature and community. How important of a sub-genre is this for the band?

Rick: It’s a big part of our music. It’s almost like escapism. We try to take the people that come along to our concerts on a journey. We try and push as far out there as possible to create an almost trance like effect. That’s a really important thing, and it’s reflective of New Zealand culture - wanting to escape and have a good time, to forget about work and the things you have been doing during the day and take on another experience. The more we play live the more we want to go down that road and make a whole experience of the shows.

Lucy: Onus Of The Sand is an incredible album. There are so many elements that ring through from the psychedelic rock era of the 60’s, a bluesy tone and some dramatic twists of jazz improvisation. This is arguably a new type of New Zealand sound – was it more of a discovery or specifically planned to sound this way?

Rick: It’s a little bit of both. It’s definitely a conscious decision to say that’s where we are going. Warren Maxwell would come along with a whole bunch of skeleton ideas for songs and lyrics and a couple of basic cords and from there we would do a little bit of improvisation. Trying different ideas until it evolves into something that is a whole piece of music. That might take weeks but we do have a goal in mind. We try out all these ideas and if they work they stay, if they don’t they get replaced. We want it to be interesting for our audience and of course interesting for us. We improvise a lot so the tracks aren’t going to be similar. I think that’s quite a strong thing with us all being jazz players. Within that there are definite structures - we follow those structures so that each track has a character if it’s own.

Lucy: With New Zealand music becoming more internationally recognized and accounting for your influences, both the legendary and the genre-based, do you think this will afford you some better recognition abroad?

Rick: Yeah - I think we’ll try and jump on the bandwagon. We’d like to get over to Australia next year if possible. We’re going to finish this next album and get it released in November so that we have 2 albums under our belt. We’re definitely hoping that the overseas listeners will embrace us much as they have embraced other New Zealand bands in the last couple of years. But you never know, they might think - man what are these guys on?

Lucy: What are your foreseeable plans for Little Bushman and do you have many tour dates booked for the future?

Rick: Our biggest thing is getting our second album finished. We’ve just spent 3 weeks tracking it over in the studio and there’s a whole lot of over dubbing and extra parts to put on and a whole months worth of mixing to do. Our aim is to release it in November. We have a few dates booked - some in Napier in October and then we are also playing with the Auckland philharmonic orchestra. The composer is going to score out a whole bunch of our songs for an orchestra. We are very, very excited about that. Next year we’re predicting a very busy year - getting out. We’ve been out there quite a bit this year already, like Soundsplash at the beginning of the year, that was great fun and of course this Saturday at the San Francisco Bathhouse.

www.myspace.com/littlebushmanband

INTERVIEW: Cornerstone Roots

Revolutionary Reggae Roots.

Recognized in Australia, Japan, USA and Brazil, Cornerstone Roots are taking their original reggae roots global. The new album “Free Yourself” stays faithful to New Zealand with a nationwide tour towards the end of July. It surely is forward march for these pioneering roots masters.

Lucy Wyatt: Four years on from “Soul Revolution” we are now graced with your second album “Free Yourself”. Do you think your sound has changed?

Cornerstone Roots: It’s been a natural progression from Soul Revolution, but in saying that we definitely tightened things up. We recorded it with all of us in the one room – so it was done live. We did have a crack doing it the old school way – one instrument at a time and it didn’t quite work – we weren’t really getting the bite, so we decided to go back to how we recorded our first album. Also, we wanted to get it as close to our live sets as possible – and admittedly there was some pressure to keep up with Soul Revolution.

Lucy: You are known to project both political and spiritual messages within your music, does writing about global issues come easily for you?

Cornerstone Roots: Always. It’s part of my personality. I’ve tried to be quite platonic when writing, but I just can’t do it. A lot of people ask me what does it mean, what’s Cornerstone about? I say, what does it mean to you? I don’t want to ram stuff down people’s throats. I put the lyrics out there on the album so people can work out the political and environmental issues for themselves. One guy in the States emailed me and said for him it’s like a soundtrack for life.

Lucy: Your band has certainly grown from your original 3-piece set. How has the input of Jonathan Crawford shaped the band?

Cornerstone Roots: He’s a very perceptive person, quite eccentric at times, but we kinda like that. He brings a lot of experience to the band. He’s like ‘“it’s ok man, you just do what you feel like doing, don’t worry about the crowd, just play for yourself.”’ He gets us to think outside the square. He’s taught us how to explore our different influences and not to worry about being labeled.

Lucy: Also Lucino the “king of dancehall” contributes to the new album with his exceptional voice on the track, Jah, what was it like working with him?

Cornerstone Roots: Again – inspirational. He’s a legend. We were meant to record with him the night he played at the Galatos, but he decided not to record with Fat Freddy’s Drop or us. The next day I got talking to him and he was like, “yeah - I’ve decided to do the track.” We found the last studio in town. It took him 2 hrs to get the track down. He wrote it, did the backing vocals, the ad-lib and “Jah” was the result. Then I drove him straight to the Big Day Out where he was due on stage. It was tight.

Lucy: Your roots are obviously of great importance to you, always staying loyal to Raglan, what with organising the Soundsplash festival, but now you are taking Cornerstone Roots global. Why have you chosen to head to Brazil this year?

Cornerstone Roots: We’ve been distributing to Brazil over the past 2 years. What happened was people were coming over here from Brazil, Japan, America and Europe and about that time we happened to be playing a lot in Raglan. The tourists who were at the gigs just flipped their lids. Since then our music has started to spread quite quickly back in those countries. So that’s how Brazil came about. They sort of approached us and we did some deals. We have a 20-day tour planned from San Paolo to El Salvador, all we need now is the funding.

INTERVIEW: The Have

“The Have” are truly having it.

All grown up at the average age of 22 “The Have” have come along way, since their days jamming in Wanganui. With songs licensed for movies (The Devil Dared Me To), sports (Rugby 2007 and Burnout 2007) and TV ads (X Box, Canterbury for Rugby World Cup, Super 12’s in Australia), what have these boys not been up to? Their debut album “Back To The Burning Wreck”, sees them on their first nationwide rock n roll tour. Hot, young and awesome live, these boys seriously should not be missed. This time believe the hype, they certainly rock.

Lucy Wyatt speaks to Peter Mangan, to find out more.

Lucy Wyatt: Bet you are looking forward to promoting your debut album “Back to the Burning Wreck” to a New Zealand audience.

Peter Mangan: Can’t wait. We did a few gigs a few months ago, but it’s going to be great to cover both the North and the Sound Islands and see their reaction. Really looking forward to seeing our fans.

Lucy: It’s fantastic that the US producer Barrett Jones (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) got on board, how was it working with him?

Peter: It was something totally new for us working with an international producer. He has such a strong background and great advice. He had some really great ideas and we had fun trying lots of different recordings. The whole band really learnt a lot from him.

Lucy: He obviously influenced your finished sound with his US approach, creating a very polished album. Who are your influences?

Peter: Black Rebel Motor Club is really doing it for me this year and the blues. We’re all influenced by lots of different bands and styles, I guess it changes a lot each year.

Lucy: So how did the name “The Have” come about?

Peter: It’s interesting you ask about that. It was Blair’s idea at High School, he just came out with it, we all agreed and “The Have” it was. Just came out of nowhere really.

Lucy: I heard about the cameraman in Texas a couple of years ago having to wipe the beer off his camera because the crowd respected you so much. Apart from that, how do the US audience compare to the New Zealand crowd?

Peter: We’ll have to wait and see, hopefully they’ll get down like they have in the past and in like the crowd in the US. We just want them to have a good boogie, get the party happening; because that’s what we’re all about.

Lucy: You’ve come a long way quite quickly, where do you see yourselves next year? Any plans overseas?

Peter: We’re heading to Aussie in a few months to do some gigs, and we’ll probably relocate in the near future, as most Kiwi bands eventually do, but not quite sure yet.

Lucy: Back To The Burning Wreck has had very positive reviews. Was it hard to edit down the tracks? Do you have a favourite?

Peter: Yeah it was hard. We had 23 to edit down and we decided on 13 in the end. I guess my favourite is Oh, Oh, My, My.

Lucy: You guys are all pretty young and charging ahead nice and smoothly. What age were you when you looked at your idols and thought I can do that?

Peter: We were 16 at High School and we all had the same passion, tastes and ambitions. We started young. When you’re young it’s about having fun, now it’s paying off.

Lucy: Myspace has helped lots of bands worldwide, do you feel it has had much of an impact on your success?

Peter: I think it’s a great tool to use. It’s excellent to hear from our fans and keep in touch with them wherever they are in the world. Also for photos, so people can see what’s been happening at the gigs. It’s free advertising and access to our music, perfect.

More info

www.myspace.com/thehave

http://www.thehave.com

NEWS: Blindspott call it quits

By Charlette Hannah

For ten years Blindspott have been leading the New Zealand metal music scene, and now the boys are calling it quits.

Blindspott have had an impressive amount of radio play for a metal band. Thanks to fan's requests, radio stations were forced to play the songs. This set the boys off with a major label bidding war, two number one albums, triple platinum sales, a number one airplay single, countless sold out tours, and overseas adventures in South East Asia, Japan, America and Australia.

Marcus and Shelton are moving to the UK with their new band, Damian is focusing on a solo music project and his design career, while Dave will continue to tour international bands through NZ.

However all is not lost. If you're a fan of Blindspott, they are doing a New Zealand farewell tour. They'll be in Wellington on Friday 10th August at Union Hall.

Visit their MySpace for more dates.

OPPORTUNITY: Taste of Chaos

If you want to play at the Taste of Chaos this October, act quick, as C4 is giving one NZ band the chance to grace the stage.

You'll play alongside the The Used, Rise Against, Aiden, Escape The Fate, The Bled and Gallows.

You'll also be included on the Taste of Chaos album released throughout New Zealand and Australia. It's a great opportunity to get your music out there to thousands of ears.

C4 are also giving you a couple of days recording at Auckland's York Street studios.

If you're interested, send your demo, band bio, full contact details and photo to:

TASTE OF CHAOS SUPPORT
C4
Private Bag 92624
Symonds Street
Auckland

Entries close Friday 13th of July.

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REVIEW: Rhombus

RHOMBUS - ONWARDS TOUR
SANDWICHES
FRIDAY 11 MAY
By Lucy Wyatt

Launching their Onwards tour, Rhombus’ first landing was Wellington’s Sandwiches to introduce their new crew. Plugging last year’s much needed international release of Onwards: Remixes and Archives, the culturally diverse crowd were eager to hear where Rhombus were at. With the band’s dynamic, (some would say crucial) front man, Imon Star’s departure last year, now directing his energy on his new group Olmecha Supreme, Rhombus have felt their vocalists’ loss. Formed in 2001, this tour is a symbol of change and a new structure looking ahead. Now spreading their voice and the spirit of their past successful albums Bass Player and Future Reference, throughout New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

The remix of Swans gracefully glides through the air, with Lisa Tomlin’s deeply soulful brilliance soaring high. Again with DJ Fitchie and Tony Chang’s funky mix up of Mile High, Lisa’s voice is a strength that adds to Rhombus’ depth, ensuring the crowd were all positive smiles and dancing feet. Sticking with the ladies here, Raashi Malik’s voice enlightens the band with her Indian roots. Her voice encapsulates her Eastern culture and again Raashi’s glowing input was widely respected and embraced by the expressive and contented crowd.

MC Antsman and Lisa Tomlin together had it going on with Future Reference, proving to be a favorite on the dance floor. Spaceman was part of their second encore allowing a nostalgic grin and MC Mana’s lyrical blast in Onward also kicked things up nicely with a heartfelt dub vibe. It is true to say the energy isn’t the same with the lack of Imon and Aaron, but the remixes are tight and their travels ahead could add another level to this band’s lifespan. As long as they keep producing the quality sounds of the old Rhombus, their original and future fans shall not be disappointed.

REVIEW: The Aviators

THE AVIATORS
SOUTHERN CROSS
SATURDAY 31 MARCH

By Charlette Hannah

In the way we humans have an irrestible urge to box and categorise things, I decided first of all to insert The Aviators in a lounge jazz/dub container. How wrong I turned out to be! Their first song at the Southern Cross on Saturday night was the cruisiest of the lot, and I mistakenly put it in a box I don't particularly like. I decided they were good, but not my sort of thing. As the set progressed they got funkier and funkier, until people just couldn't contain themselves and funked it up on the dance floor, whooping and grooving. Yes, grooving. I thought that was out of fashion, but I have since learned the error of my un-groovy ways.

A seven piece band, The Aviators have the standard bass, guitar, drums and vocals, but they also add in a percussionist, trombonist, and sax player. You can tell they're going to be different just looking at the line up.

I have to admit it took me a few songs to figure out what was going on. They are such good musicians it's hard to tell if a song is rehearsed, a jam, or a combination of the two. In the end though, it doesn't matter. These guys are tight, creative, rhythmic and great fun. Their songs are dynamic, unpredictable, and interesting. They're also good solid tunes with fine instrumentation.

It's satisfying to see a band who are so good live. Some bands appear to be just trying to get through playing their recording live, or getting through the live show so someone will make a recording of them. The Aviators on the other hand are lively, full of stage presence, and great to watch as well as listen to. With seven members, it would be boring if they all played all the time, and yet you barely seem to notice if one isn't playing, because they're dancing up there on the stage. Singer Ned Worboys has one of the best voices I've heard in a while – smooth and yet full of character, and he plays around with his vocal delivery too. The only complaint I would have is that the vocal mix at times wasn’t quite loud enough – when the band went into overdrive the vocals were drowned out.

I visited their website http://www.theaviators.co.nz and http://myspace.com/aviatorsnz and found this, which amused me, so I decided they could have a say in their own review. “...we play funk, crunk and grime. Not because we know what those genres are, but because they sound cool.”

Check them out if you get the chance. I believe they've got an album coming out soon.