REVIEW: Achilles Botes

ACHILLES BOTES
THE MIGHTY MIGHTY
THURSDAY 20 SEPTEMBER
Words and Photo by Charlette Hannah


It's only the second time I've seen Achilles Botes perform live, but his songs seem familiar already. He's definitely one of the more interesting solo acts, with his loop and various other pedals, slide and layered rhythms.

Achilles has a tuneful voice with a bit of a rock edge, and his songs are very catchy. He ranges from melodious folk to upbeat rock. He even threw in a Greek song.

The word that springs to mind when thinking about his song is earnest. Not a 'nice try dear' kind of earnest, but an open, honest, sincere kind of authenticity. It's a pleasure to watch.

Visit myspace.com/achillesbotes
Earlier review

INTERVIEW: Flip Grater

In 2006, Flip Grater released her debut album Cage For A Song, under her own record label, Maiden NZ. As part of her solo release tour, she gathered recipes from friends, venues, and audience members all over the country, and compiled them along with a tour diary. The Cookbook Tour is a charming and interesting book, filled with simple recipes, and Flip is currently touring to promote the release of the book. Playing at The Mighty Mighty in Wellington, she caught up with Charlette Hannah for a chat before the gig.

Charlette Hannah: Did you know you would write the cookbook before you did the Cage For A Song tour?

Flip Grater: Yes, absolutely. I knew about it before I put the album out. The idea for the tour came about I think in June or July last year, 2006, whilst my album was in production. And I knew it was going to be coming out in August, knew I was going to be touring in August for the album, and I just wanted to find an interesting way to do that tour. It wasn’t just another album tour. And that’s what we came up with.

CH: Did it make the tour more enjoyable having to talk to people to acquire recipes, or would you have done that anyway?

FG: It definitely made it more interesting. I purposely went on the tour by myself because that’s when you end up talking to more people. You stick to your comfort zone a bit when you’re traveling with others. And that was the whole point of it, adventures and meeting people. Everyone loves talking about food. I think it’s quite a common thing, people really do want to talk to strangers and meet new people. Especially if they’ve gone to see you at a gig, then they are open enough to want to meet people. But often there’s no reason to, there’s no talking point to start a conversation. Doing something like this gives everybody the perfect excuse to talk to you.

CH: Is there a particular plan for this tour, or will you just talk about the book?

FG: Yeah, it could be endless, people have joked about that! Collecting recipes on the book launch tour, and write another book about that… but I think I’d like to move on to some similar but slightly different idea’s to do with publications.

CH: Have you always been a writer?

FG: I don’t know how to answer that. I could be a total wanker and say everybody’s always everything… I was born a musician, I was born a writer. But the reality is that we are ever changing and our existence is as well, and it’s not really who I am, it’s just something I do. It’s not even really something I do, I just did it once, I wrote a book. I wrote this book and I may do it again sometime. I don’t know, I don’t think an author is who I am, I don’t think a musician is who I am. But maybe that’s a bit deeper than we need to go.

CH: What do you think of yourself as?

FG: I don’t know, I guess that’s ever changing as well. I’m passionate. I guess people describe me as driven, but that just makes me think everyone is lazy. ‘Cause it’s a shame there’s a word to describe that, as if that’s a weird thing. I’m starting to ramble now, but I like to be busy, that’s all.

CH: Are all the recipes vegan?

FG: No, the majority of them are, accidentally, vegan, or possibly vegan if you omit certain ingredients. I’ve tried to list those options for people who can’t figure it out for themselves. They’re all vegetarian.

CH: Would you do a solo tour again? Are you doing a solo tour?

FG: I am yeah. I didn’t mean to. As I say, the first time it was on purpose because I wanted to have adventures. The funny thing is I’m doing the same trip almost. I’m not going to all the same spots, I’m going to a few less places. But I’m traveling alone, I’m traveling in Lada. My boyfriend was going to come on this trip but he decided to go skiing instead, so now I’m solo traveling again. The problem with that is that last time, part of the reason for traveling by myself was not just to meet people, but also to have all sorts of misadventures and have to find ways out of them. And it was pretty uneventful in that way, I had a pretty sweet time. The car went really well and everything sort of worked. But this trip has turned out to be crazy. My PA broke, and my car battery went dead, and my windscreen broke and I got really sick, and it’s just been crazy. I actually really wish I had someone on this trip with me, but that’s how it goes, and sometimes it’s for the best. I do like traveling by myself.

CH: So you still have Lada obviously? A pretty important character…

FG: Oh yeah, a very important character! The book would be nothing without her! As I say she’s needed some work on this tour. I think she’s getting a bit tired.

CH: Are you happy with how many albums you’ve sold so far?

FG: Yeah, it’s sold quite a few for an independent release so I am really happy. If I could sell as many books as I’ve sold CD’s I’d be happy as.

CH: Any plans for a new album soon?

FG: Yeah, as soon as I get back from the tour I’m going to start recording for the next record. I’ve got some new songs, and a couple of really new ones that I wrote last week. I’ve kind of been doing this business-y stuff for ages and the songwriting brain gets switched off. So I’m quite keen to get back into it, and I’m going to get straight back into the recording studio when I get back.

CH: So you’ll put that out next year?

FG: Yeah, next year. I don’t know if I should just keep doing the same sort of thing over and over. What I’d really like to do is an international cookbook tour, I just need the funding for it. That’d be pretty amazing.

CH: So why did you set up your own record label?

FG: I always wanted to do that, and I thought, there’s no good reason not to. As I say, I like to be busy. But putting out my own record, even though it was a good idea at the time for learning a lot, I’m starting to think that doing your own publicity isn’t the best idea. It’s possible to do it, but it’s just really emotionally exhausting, ‘cause you get really invested in your product. Anytime someone says no to doing a story on it, it feels like a personal rejection. That wears you down quite a lot, because even if 50 people say yes, one person says no and it has much more power. And the thing is, you really need to positive about what you put out there and you can’t let those things wear your enthusiasm down. So I’m starting to think that doing your own publicity is not the best idea. I’ll only do other people’s publicity in future I’ve decided. Having a record label is going to be fun and fantastic for doing other people’s records, but I’m not sure about my own anymore.

CH: Have you got other artists on the label already?

FG: Urbantramper. We’ve just put out an Urbantramper CD this month. It’s such a beautiful record, I love it. I love it so much. That’s the kind of thing I’d like to do, help other artists get into shops and things like that.

CH: Do you have a day job or are you a full time musician/record label owner?

FG: Full time music, yeah. Full time music related things. I do a bit of work for Rockquest, I do some judging for Rockquest, I do mentoring for NZMIC and then I do the record label and I do my projects, and I do a bit of production for music videos.

CH: How did you get involved in Rockquest and mentoring?

FG: Just over the years, getting involved in things, one thing leads to another.

CH: What advice would you have for other NZ artists?

FG: Don’t compromise what you’re doing. Just find the right people who are enthusiastic about it.

CH: What do you think has really helped you get where you are now?

FG: Friends, support networks, good relationships with people in general. I really think that’s the most important thing in life. I think if you can get that happening in your life then it automatically helps your career in whatever you’re doing, especially in music.

REVIEW/INTERVIEW: Good Laika

GOOD LAIKA
THE MIGHTY MIGHTY
THURSDAY 30 AUGUST
Words and Photo's by Rosie Morgan

On Thursday night, I was fortunate enough to attend the over-crowded, and inspiring show for Good Laika's debut album release (Heads I Win, Tails You Lose) at the Mighty Mighty. Due to work restraints, I missed Age Pryor who started the show, but arrived just in time for Good Laika's set. The band all looked a little nervous, but were excited about the new stage the Mighty Mighty had put in, and firmly reinforced the fact that there would be no encores as they were all very tired, which is a shame really, because Good Laika are one of those bands you could sit and listen to for hours, and not get sick of.

I was very impressed with the music, the relaxed atmosphere, and the friendliness of the band welcomed you into the set, and invited you to get carried along into the Good Laika sound. One look at these guys, and you just know they deserve to be a success.

After the show, I interviewed Ricky Boyd (drums).

ON NZ Music vs International:

"Nz's definitely pushing boundaries. I mean, we've got the Mint Chicks, the Pheonix Foundation... its all happening. Our resources though are more 60's, 70's. We know {nz music} is there, but we're more like ostriches, keeping our heads underground and see what we like".

RB says they're more into soaking up "old history", that their music is ethics based, and that they play with emotion and feeling. They use it in their approach to each individual instrument. "Our past present and future are elemental", he says.

And it sure shows. Robin Hinkley's vocals are just one example of the way GL do this. He has a voice that carries far above the vocal melody, far above all the other intrumentation, that carries far. You just know he's singing from the heart, and as soppy as that sounds, I think the sure sign of a a good musician is the ability to express heart and soul and effect the audience. In Tooth and Nail, he sings "I know you're tired" repeatedly, and the audience were swaying, captivated. When you combine RH's voice in harmony with the backup vocals of Jason Faafoi, you have this effect maximized.

Jason also has the same gorgeous, soulful quality to his voice that RH does, but with a little more of an Island Twist. During the Mighty Mighty set, he dedicated a song that he wrote (Coming Home) to his "island sister", who was getting teary as he sang it. This song was a gorgeous island/calypso/melodic tune, that fitted so nicely with the rest of the set, and again, there was much swaying along.

On Keeping off the Radar until now:

They've actually been together for around 4 years, but all of the members have been involved with solo projects, or other bands... for example OdESSA, Boomshack, TV Acting... to name the few obvious ones.

Ricky's' also been involved with drum lessons at various schools and jazz groups, so its a wonder how they even find the time to practice, let alone perform.

Its really only been the last year they're all been able to commit 100% - and, more impressively, only the last 2/3 months that they've recorded, promoted, and released thier Debut- Heads I Win, Tails You Lose, available in stores from 3rd September, if you weren't lucky enough to snatch up one at the show.

On their Overall Sound:

"I'd say... soulful. Its like the ethics of trying to get the best out of a song without being egotistical. So, ego-free. I suppose its truthful" - RB says, and I agree. Everything they play, everything they sing, they're in a moment, and they're reaching out to you.

Aside from the vocals, which embody the soulful element, you also have the talented Nic Marshall on the keys, carrying away the melody, giving it all a dreamy feel, and Matthew Armitage on bass, adding his own spin on calypso rhythm with unique bass lines that compliment all the other elements of the band.

With a band like this, sometimes its easy to forget drums and leave them out all together, but Ricky's skill as a drummer shows in that he can integrate various types of drumming into the band easily, that elevates the music to a new level.

What's on your iPod at the moment?

"Obviously we listen to a lot of Calypso music, thats a major influence". He also listens to TV on the Radio, Grizzly Bear, Air and Beck quite alot at the moment.

If you could tour with anyone, who would it be?

"I suppose I should keep it kiwi, but i'll say Air, Beck, or maybe Belle and Sebastian"

Whats your vision for the bands future?

A World Tour, of course! But a relaxed tour. "To enjoy each others company. I'd like to tour the world and keep that relaxed, friendly aspect.... we're an eclectic, slow band, so a slow tour would be best. We're all friends, so, whatever we do, we're going to have fun." And because of that aspect, he says its also one of those projects that they could leave for a year and return to, with no major issues.

This was shown in the Mighty Mighty show also. There was a lot of joking, a lot of laughing, and a lot of Robin telling the audience off for complimenting Matthew on his shirt, and not complimenting anyone else. "If you're going to compliment him, you have to be nice to the rest of us!!!". I hasten to say the show was "comfortable", but you felt welcomed, you felt at home with the music. Often it felt more like a home gig or (albeit amazingly brilliant) jam session. So it was a friendly relaxed atmosphere, and I think the band should be pleased with that.

Hopes for Heads I Win, Tails You Lose

"We're not trying to push it too far, we're trying to be ourselves", RB says. Promotion and business come 2nd. While of course they do want the album to be a success, he says "its like the first photo of a series yet to be finished".

This is the album of (hopefully!) many more, so its a snapshot of where Good Laika are at now. RB - "We're constantly moving forward and changing, so who knows when the next photo will be."

(Heads I Win, Tails You Lose is available in stores from Monday 3rd Sept. Hit the boys up on their myspace if you've never heard of them- you won't be dissappointed - I'm glad "Midnight" is up there!. myspace.com/goodlaika )

ED's note: Interview with Robin Hinkley posted next week.