Poi E

“Poi E whaka-tata mai
Poi E kaua he rerekē
Poi E kia piri mai ki au
Poi E-E awhi mai ra
Poi E tāpeka tia mai
Poi E o taua aroha
Poi E pai here tia ra

POI... TAKU POI E!”

Poi E – Patea Maori Club

Throughout May a lot of different thoughts about New Zealand Music Month come into my head and most of them are singular thoughts about a small thing and do not create enough substance for a full length blog. I thought I’d make my last blog for NZMM 2013 one about lots of different points and tie up some loose thought ends.  I haven’t blogged about much beyond popular music, as I love the place it has in society and I find less mainstream music a bit of challenge to write about. But New Zealand is lucky to have a diverse local music culture with all different genres of music, and one of the key parts of NZMM is celebrating all type of Kiwi music.

When I started thinking about posts for New Zealand Music Month I had a suggestion tweet from a children’s music performing group to check out their work. For me it was one of the first realisations of what New Zealand Music Month really means and while their music in no way related to me – the lack of children on my behalf was the problem – I loved that they too were out celebrating our music month. Children’s music is a key part of child development and learning and I love the idea there is a Kiwi band out there dedicated to the wonderful world of children’s tunes. If you’ve got some young bubs, I recommend you check out FleaBITE’s tracks.

Along with children’s music I think a genre we forget about a lot is our indigenous music. Music is so important to a culture; it is a way of handing down stories through generations, especially as cultures within New Zealand become more integrated and dissolve into the cultural melting pot. Poi E remains one of New Zealand’s biggest hits and incorporates traditional Maori language, and dance and dress in the video clip. New Zealand Music Month helps the Maori music scene by encouraging people to view Kapa Haka performances and Maori music groups.

Speaking of Poi E I must make mention to those bands who came out with a hit … then disappeared. Poi E is known as New Zealand’s top one hit wonder according to an old C4 countdown, but special mentions to two other huge Kiwi one hit wonders: How Bizarre by OMC (which achieved large international success) and Ben Lummis for They Can’t Take That Away.

Speaking of reality TV contestants, I want to say ka pai to The X Factor NZ, who amongst their obvious advertising strategy, did a Kiwi anthem special during New Zealand Music Month to showcase our talent, from Brooke Fraser to Lorde to Six60 to that beautiful reminder of Goldenhorse and the classic Dave Dobbyn and Exponents. I think we left Mel Blatt impressed with Kiwi music scene.

To the rest of the others New Zealand Music month who deserve a mention – the DJs, the upcoming singer songwriters, the school choirs and University music showcases, the acoustic sets and that hard core death metal band who doesn’t quite make it onto a rock music radio station, I hope New Zealand Music Month has been a whole lot of fun and you’ve had your opportunity to showcase your talent. We’ll see you in a year, NZMM. 

Poi E

FleaBITE

How Bizarre 

Ben Lummis 

Bullet For Your Gun

“I am not a bullet for your gun
I cannot erase the things you’ve done
I am not the drug you need
Can’t stop the cuts that bleed
I am not Jesus for your cross
Can’t give back what you have lost
Can’t make your problems disappear
I am not the answer, the answer to your prayer”

Bullet For Your Gun – Black River Drive

I blog a lot about New Zealand being a small country with a relatively small music industry and how bands gather a small but dedicated following from our beautiful country when they first start out. While this kind of music industry might not make a band from Auckland or Christchurch or Feilding the number hit on the US Billboard charts, it does mean those of us who attend shows get up close and personal with the band – so close you can touch –at gigs and on interact more on social media sites. For example, Taylor Swift may be one of the biggest act in music right now, but you would never see her having a beer with her band mates after a gig and replying to every single comment left on a Facebook page. The biggest muscians in the world use their Facebook page for nothing more than publicity of themselves, whereas our local Kiwi bands are great at keeping in contact with their fans.

I first discovered Black River Drive when they opened for Seether last year, then heard them again when they opened for Luger Boa a few weeks later. I thought they were cool, I bought their music and I “liked” them on Facebook; you could say I became a fan. I wasn’t a crazy stalker find everything out about the band kind of fan, but rather a fan of their music and their style, much like, I would assume, a lot of their Facebook followers. I love the way Black River Drive use their Facebook page for more than just publicising their music to encourage people to buy it. I have spent a lot of time reading through posts where BRD have asked their fans about where their music should head next, what covers they should do, even how they should raise money to produce a new album without having to sign up to a major record label. They answer all questions and comments, thank their fans for their interaction and, knowing people are probably having a bad day, post videos of roosters. It makes me want to like them more than I already do; I want to go to their shows and I want to listen to their music.

I’m deliberately writing this musing over Facebook posts during New Zealand Music Month as I feel connectivity is a large part of what makes NZMM, and I think local bands are fantastic at connecting with their fans via social media. We are encouraged to go to shows and discover new talent, and while this is a great thing, it takes time and money and effort on the listener’s behalf. We give them money, they give us music, we give them our effort getting to the show and they give us their effort playing a fantastic live set, and we give them our time to know them, and they give us their time by responding to their fans.

Gutter Black

“Lying in the gutter
I cut the cord from my mother
She pat me on the head and say
Go to sea boy, get to sea man.

She comin' to my house
Trouble trouble trouble
Go to sea boy, get to sea man

My luck in the gutter black
I guess I'm running back
To you 
You in my brain; you in my heart”

Gutter Black – Hello Sailor

I feel it necessary to take a look back at the bands which were this New Zealand Music Month. A lot of time and energy in May is spent discovering new talent, but the month is also a cause for celebrating all eras of New Zealand music. I must pay tribute today to one of those leading figures of New Zealand rock Dave McArtney of Hello Sailor who sadly passed away earlier this year.

Hello Sailor were an iconic band for New Zealand and I feel they had a series of firsts for our music industry. Their self-titled album was the first NZ made record to be certified gold and it became a gateway for rock bands to come. They toured the country with their music but failed to take it overseas, the unfortunate fate for many New Zealand acts. And they made a 21^st century comeback in two ways: firstly when Gutter Black became the theme song for Outrageous Fortune, and secondly with the release of their 2006 album When Your Lights Are Out, and more recently 2012 album Surrey Crescent Moon. Hello Sailor proved a band never reaches the end until the end of one of its members with a memorable 22 year career coming to an end in April.

Dave McArtney’s contribution to New Zealand music was more than fronting Hello Sailor and we remember him fondly for giving back New Zealand’s emerging talent. He taught at Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand for a number of years before his death and, prior to this, had roles in directing and composing music for New Zealand media productions. Dave was an important part of New Zealand music and I think the tribute which flowed from social media sites from the public are testament to that.

Of course, McArtney is only one figure who achieved greatly in New Zealand music. I bet you could name another five off the top of your head (dead or alive) and their successes and contributions. I feel now is a great time to pull out their old tracks and have a listen for what could be the first time in years. It’s New Zealand Music Month and we are celebrating success of musicians not only from today and tomorrow, but across generations of New Zealanders alike.  

Dirty Love

“You got me good
I saw the blood in your eyes
Bang, bang, baby, leave me dead or alive
Now that wind is howling for the same old lies
I know what you're asking for
I'll give you what you want and more
Your dirty love”

Dirty Love – Gin Wigmore

As is common on a Thursday night, my flatmate and I sat down to watch Bones a couple of weeks ago. Near the end of the show was the “chase scene” where Booth and Brennan ran after their suspected killer and tackled him to the ground. This was accompanied by the music in the video below and about half way through this scene my friend said to me “is that Gin?” I said “I thought so too, but I think it’s actually Duffy”. We asked Google and I was to be proved wrong – Kiwi girl Gin was indeed had a song on Bones. I was so excited a New Zealand artist was featured on a huge television show and felt proud of our homegrown music.

However, not long after watching Bones and hearing Gin I started to wonder why it was I was surprised to see a New Zealand song on an overseas television show. The New Zealand music industry is not an unknown factor to overseas markets: Crowded House* were covered on Glee, Flight of the Conchords had their own show, Bret McKenzie won an Oscar for his song work on The Muppets Movie and Kimbra recently co-won a Grammy.  I realised I had no reason to be surprised of Gin’s or any other New Zealand artists success. I really do believe the New Zealand music industry is much stronger than we give it credit for and it is celebrated globally.

The success of New Zealand music has to begin at the roots to build awareness of artists and a fan base of followers, and then it can go from strength to strength. This is why May is such an important time for Kiwi musicians. New Zealand Music Month aims to fund and increase the knowledge of all types of New Zealand music through gigs and album releases. It’s about New Zealanders and it’s for New Zealanders – whether it is the acts that already have international fame or that small indie band that opened for a major international artist or that guy who is making electronic tracks on his computer late at night, May is the time to celebrate New Zealand music for a 31 whole days.

So, happy New Zealand Music Month my wonderful blog readers; I’ll be jumping aboard with three more Kiwi blogs to come this month on varying topics which tie in with May. And while I’m thinking up my weekly post do let me know what you love about New Zealand Music Month and Kiwi Music in general.

*Crowded House is, and will always be, a New Zealand band. Don’t argue.