Hard News: Friday Music: Enter Audioculture
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Simon Grigg, in reply to
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the comments. A few things:
- all of the above artists are on a priority list and most have actually been allocated to writers. Some we already have (there is a great John Rowles story for example due to go live next week, written by Adam Gifford who knows both his stuff and John). For my sins, I wrote TrueBliss 'cos I have insider knowledge that few have.
- as we've always said the site is a work in progress and it was never the intention to go: bang - here it is, the complete history of New Zealand music. We are building it slowly and, hopefully, respectfully and we want ensure each of the above is presented properly. It's not that the above don't matter, it's more that they do.
- contributions are welcomed - see http://www.audioculture.co.nz/about
- each page may not win a Pulitzer but some, especially the major acts, take a great deal of informed work. I point you towards Andrew Schmidt's Chills page which was the result of 2 decades of his research into NZ popular music, then interviews and more solid recent research. Or Russell's Exponents story (linked above) or Gary Steel's Shayne Carter, both of which indicate intimate knowledge of their subject. That doesn't mean that other stories are not valid and we've built the site so we can painlessly add as many as possible - as an example if you look at the OMC page, a story I wrote is added as a second feature.
- being highly graphic, each page needs images, and we have some amazing ones. I have personally scanned some 2000 images, many of which were in a pretty poor state so they needed lots of post scan TLC, and I have another 2000 on a harddrive supplied digitally. That takes time.And quite importantly, I'm as intrigued by the small stuff as much as the big stuff. We all know who Supergroove are - important as they may be - but I get a buzz from things like this, a tale of an guy, born from a WW2 relationship in Wellington, brought up in Florida, who arrived back in NZ in the mid 60s, wrote one of my favourite New Zealand singles of all time, then disappeared as quickly never to return.
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andin, in reply to
Thanks sounds really (for want of a better expression) Cool!
Thanks Simon And contributions welcome great.... -
Fetus Productions? Be some awesome visuals
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Already have the story Sacha - from Gary Steel who is a longtime big fan. Not sure when it will go live but soon-ish
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Sacha, in reply to
marvellous
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Simon's mention of Chris Malcolm made me think of other NZ 'imports' who have gone on to make a mark on the NZ music scene to varying degrees - e.g. US-born Ryan McPhun, Polish born Luke Buda of the Phoenix Foundation and German-born Stefan Wolf who penned 'I Could Hit the Ceiling' b/w '(Day Off in) Akaroa as Stiff Herbert, one of Flying Nun's more curious releases (FN059) - a 7" copy of which I still have!
Stefan Wolf I note is still active but relatively low key, based on the Kapiti Coast. He released an EP Das Klischee (the Cliché) in 2011.
I'm interested too in other NZ album/EP/songs where the artist has opted for a foreign language title (and the reasons for doing so). Bill Direen had a German thing going too years ago with the 'Schwimmen in der See' EP. As did Ladi 6 recently with the track 'Köln'. Oh yes, just remembered the Headless Chickens and their frequent 'pollo' references!
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"chris", in reply to
That is very much appreciated, you’ve laid those nagging questions to rest. ‘Pulitzer’ was most certainly not intended as a slight. This work is great and I’m especially loving these Trivia sections. My uncertainty is simply scope vs time; it seems there’s still a fair way to go before it transcends that familiar narrative of who’s who and what mattered, but with you holding the tiller, I know it’s in safe hands. And of course welcoming contributions is wicked. Thanks again for your reply Simon.
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Cheers Chris.
What hit me so powerfully is how much extraordinary music has come out of these small isles over the past 75 or so years. You tend to forget stuff and then it hits you again. In the last week my soundtrack has been dominated by the new P-Money album, the impending reissue of both Larry's Rebels albums and the Howard Morrison Quartet (who I'd never really appreciated before) plus a thousand YouTube and Spotify tracks which I played as I embedded. It was beyond eclectic, but a wonderful experience. I guess we are trying to convey a little of that.
One really important sideline to all this is a related drive by RIANZ to get every New Zealand album released over the past 50 years online, so that they are available and we can also embed. Chris Caddick, the CEO, has personally been performing miracles, tracking down owners, finding masters, pushing labels and working with us to ensure that we can show off the music and people can buy it. There are records going up that have not been available since 1972 or so. No matter how obscure. Want the 1973 album by Butler (a forgotten band from Rotorua)? It's on its way.
All remastered by Chris Chetland at Kog.
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
On the buses…
Butler (a forgotten band from Rotorua)
I always think of them as a Christchurch band, this is where they formed and played their hearts out all over, and always nearby the old Butler bus. I remember outdoor concerts at the University (town site – now the ex-Dux), the Band Rotunda and other places, I think they even supported Ticket at the Horticultural Hall…
(I was too young to get into Aubreys).
a nice covers of Terry Reid’s Bang, Bang and the Four Tops' Reach out.I believe Steve Apirana is still going strong…
source here (but you probably know that):
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Simon Grigg, in reply to
I always think of them as a Christchurch band
Me too actually but on investigation discovered they were from (and returned as a band to) Rotorua as per that link. I think both cities can claim parentage.
I saw them once - in 1974 supporting Average White Band at the Auckland Town Hall. It was the mismatch from hell. They played ponderous prog including a seemingly interminable take of Stairway to Heaven before the deft Scots funksters saved the evening.
Another record about to be reissued - the 1972 album by LittleJohn which UK mag Record Collector called the most obscure major label release in the world ever. And he's still playing too it seems.
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Some break the midweek blues stuff here with a group of 11 year olds rocking out Time Square with some heavy metal piledriv'n shit!
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As an aside, any ideas why Andrew Schmidt's excellent Mysterex blog is no longer around ? I've just searched for it and it appears to've been removed / taken down.
Any ideas if Andrew has a new website and / or blog ?
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
Double Dipton?
I think both cities can claim parentage.
I'm guessing on those criteria this makes The Tall Dwarfs a Southland band... that should put it on the map!
;- )
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