Nau mai, haere mai. Welcome to week two of NZ Music Month 2021 | Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa. Last week was filled with events, tours, releases and more, delivering an exciting week of activities for everyone. The theme for this year is Access All Aotearoa - celebrating local music for all New Zealanders, in every place, for every age, and in every genre.
These weekly e-newsletters showcase the great activity planned across Aotearoa throughout May, with a huge number of events taking place from the top of the country to the bottom. We’d love to hear from you with any suggested newsletter inclusions, interview requests or further information, so please do get in touch.
KEY NEWS:
Live Nation and Vodafone’s Ones To Watch kicked off the New Zealand Music Month | Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa festivities with an exclusive showcase at Everybody’s in Auckland. Attendees were treated to intimate performances from Balu Brigada, Daily J and Juno Is, sharing the incredible local talent lined up for the next three months of the programme.
After a successful week at Auckland’s Monster Valley, The Art of the Record exhibition is now in the Capital. Displayed at Wellington’s Te Auaha on Dixon Street, the exhibition will be running all week before heading down to the South Island.
The Great Escape festival in the UK has hosted some of New Zealand’s most prominent acts in the past such as The Beths and Leisure, and now in 2021 they’re taking the festival online and continuing to promote some of the great talent from Aotearoa. This year's Kiwi line-up features a wide range of genres including Teeks, Reb Fountain, Purple Pilgrims and Merk. Check it out on Saturday morning, with all details available on the website.
Launched during the COVID-19 lockdown last year, Spark Sessions has continued to shine a light on Kiwi artists from around the country. On Wednesday May 13th, Spark Sessions returns for NZ Music Month | Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa with R&B/pop hybrid artist Mikey Dam. Fresh off his latest single ‘Would You’, Dam will be performing via a free livestream on Spark’s Facebook page.
The Project are highlighting up-and-coming Kiwi artists with their ‘On the Rise’ feature each week. Last week they spoke to Mikey Dam about his new single 'Would You,' and what’s up next for him.
ON AIR NEWS:
Kiwi radio stations have continued to go above and beyond for artists and their support forNZ Music Month | Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoais a clear reflection of that. Make sure you tune into the newsletter next week for even more radio news!
Radio Hauraki is highlighting local bands and musicians with their Locals Only Night, where every Monday - Thursday the night show will invite a different artist to join them as a co-host.
GeorgeFM’s Brook Gibson will be running ‘Local Produce’ once a week on his night show, bringing in a new producer every week to play their track and interview them about the tune.
Also on George FM, Sin will be running the Kiwi 3-Way, where she’ll be joined by a Kiwi musician or loyal George FM listener to play their top three local tracks.
The Rock is running the Choice As Kiwi Roadie throughout May. When listeners hear a Kiwi track played on The Rock, they can text in ‘Choice’ to go into the draw to win the ultimate roadie to see their favourite NZ band.
In celebration of NZ Music Month | Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa, RDU 98.5FM are presenting a special live podcast series called Now That’s What I Call RDU! Recorded live recorded every weekday at 8am, the series aims to delve into the rich history and culture of the Ōtautahi music scene, with each week focusing on a different decade.
Flava is featuring Kiwi artists for their 'A-List' segment, who will highlight five of their favourite songs, complete with personal memories and stories about each track.
Every Monday during May 95bFM: Drive with Jonny & Big Hungry will be joined by a local muso to play one original song and one NZ cover live from the bFM lounge. Check out the just announced whopper line up for their Fancy New Bands show at the end of the month.
If you missed any of the RNZ content last week, you can catch up over at RNZ Music. Highlights include the RNZ Music Live Sessions with Mazbou Q, and the MixTape with Otis Frizzell, one of the featured artists in The Art of the Record exhibition.
KEY EVENTS:
This weekend, Hamilton will host the inaugural GrrrlFest, a showcase of female and non-gender conforming artists. Starting off on Friday with two cabaret shows, Saturday and Sunday will showcase artists across a range of genres at Nirvana Lounge and Brewaucracy.
Wellington’s Neptune Collective will be celebrating the opening of Art Jam in collaboration with Newtown Community Hall. Art exhibits, light installation and graffiti showcases will all be on display between 14th - 16th May, with live performances from Soul Drop, Will McClean & The Zooks and Nahbo.
The Auckland’s Writers Festival will be hosting A Celebration of Song with Marlon Williams, Tom Scott and Reb Fountain. As part of the festival, these artists will share their insights into the songwriting process. Following the panel discussion, the audience will be treated to a very exclusive acoustic performance. Tickets are available here.
Wellington Museum Sonic Explorers series in the Captain's Cabin continues this Thursday midday with Neil Feather and Rosie Langabeer. This week’s focus will be inverted instruments and accordions, so get down to Wellington Museum to immerse yourself in the world of experimental sound!
The Rotorua Night Markets are getting in on the action for NZ Music Month | Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa every Thursday in May, with local performers amongst the delicious food stalls. This Thursday, students of Western Heights High School and Back Porch will be entertaining attendees.
The ever-so scenic Space Place museum sitting in Wellington’s Botanical Garden continues with their Sunday night sessions this weekend. Paddy Free of iconic New Zealand experimental electronic act Pitch Black will be joined by DJ duo The Audio Mechanics. For just $20, you can get tickets to the Sunday performance here.
The beautiful Kapiti Coast will be hosting a marathon of local talent at the Tuatara Brewery, with over 40 local acts taking the stage across Saturday and Sunday. Open to all ages, it's a fantastic reason to get out the house this weekend and get amongst some great local talent. Tickets start at just $10 for both days, with tickets available here.
After rolling out Waiata Anthems last week, TVNZ On Demand have ‘Uke Can Do It’ over on their kids channel HeiHei, taking talented ukulele-wielding kids and pairing them with iconic New Zealand music icons such as Six60, Troy Kingi and Jamie McDell. Catch the full season now over at TVNZ On Demand.
The Invercargill Repertory Society will be presenting Pictures In Her Head, a celebration of female songwriters and composers this Saturday, celebrating wāhine from all different backgrounds. Tickets are still available for this intimate evening.
The New Zealand Children’s Music Awards is happening this Sunday at Auckland’s Tuning Fork. Hosted by iconic kiwi personality Suzy Cato, the awards will reward those musicians who produce for our future generations. Check out all of the finalists here.
Crumb Café in Grey Lynn, Auckland, are hosting a pop up shop for merchandise from artists all over Aotearoa with t-shirts, totes, socks and more. You can find out more about what is available here, with 100% of the sale price going directly to the artists.
JBHiFi have partnered with NZ Music Month | Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa to stock the ‘Collector’ tee from the official NZMM 2021 merchandise line, with proceeds from sales going to MusicHelps. The design features drawings of ten different NZ musical instruments designed and made in New Zealand. If you’d like to know more about these pieces of NZ music history, you can read about them in the brand-new edition of NZ Musician magazine, out this week.
KEY RELEASES
And That released their new single I Am The Mirror last week, which is the perfect tune to pretend it’s still summer. Scott Clearly of And That spoke to Euphoriazine about the song: “The core of the song is about how I feel like a lot of people in my life look to me to be the light (the candle) when in reality I feel more like the mirror.”
Mara TK – the former frontman for Electric Wire Hustle – has released his debut album Bad Meditation. The golden-voiced singer of the Kiwi future soul has his first solo release available digitally now and on vinyl soon, courtesy of Tom Scott’s Years Gone By Records.
The late Malcolm Black’s family have released his posthumous album Songs for the Family. “Our family are very excited to finally be able to share Malcolm’s musings on life, love and death,” says his wife Julia. All proceeds from the sales of Songs for the Family will go to the University of Otago’s Centre for Translational Cancer Research.
PollyHill aka Paloma Schneidman has shared her new track ‘Chilly’ about the culture of cool. As a director and film nerd herself, PollyHill uses ‘Chilly’ to drive home the truth that it’s actually cool to be your weird little self.
Northland-based singer-songwriter Tazman Jack released his debut album Eyes Closed last Friday, with songs about love, life, mental health and more. “With the entire album project, I wanted to make songs that express or show that things can be more than what they seem — just looking at the surface doesn’t give you the full picture,” says Taz (Ngāpuhi and Te Roroa).
The Two Daze compilation is back for 2021, featuring tracks by 15 local artists that were all strictly written and recorded in two days. With tracks by Kraus, Lévyne, Van Staden & Böhm, PARK RD, T.G. Shand, Lucky Boy, Richard Dada (of Glass Vaults). Grab a copy of the compilation over at Bandcamp.
KEY TOURS
Just like last week, there’s a huge range of tours planned for the next seven days, with something for everyone’s tastes. Auckland indie rockers Mini Simmons kick off their nationwide tour this week, while Dianne Swann is taking her debut solo album on the road from this weekend. Miles Calder continues his tour this week, and Nadia Reid and her band take the stage in Hastings to kick off theirs. Check out the full range of tours and gigs happening around the country here.
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