Jol Mulholland
By Poppy Tohill
Interviewing Jol Mulholland proved a bit of a fun adventure, getting to head along to the Lab Recording Studios, where his musical space and humble abode he calls ‘The Oven' (due to being excruciatingly hot in the summer, because there's no windows) is located.
Howling Bells
By Sebastian Mackay
"Level with me." Howling Bells vocalist Juanita Stein doesn't say it but you can hear it in her voice, "this usually only goes one way." Again, she doesn't actually say it but it's there. Brimming at the top of her intonation. Surprisingly seriously. Oddly serious. Actually, a little bit ridiculous.
Phil Rudd
By Jake Ebdale
Phil Rudd is a beguiling, classic character in the world of rock. The drummer for AC/DC, one of the biggest rock bands ever in terms of both tours and album sales, he once gave it all up for a simpler life - in fact, he retreated to Tauranga in the eighties and is still living there today. Once he rejoined Acca Dacca in the early 90s, instead of begging for his old job back, the rest of the band came to him. It shows how powerful and crucial his style of drumming is to the band - but I've always wondered how he would sound on his own.
David Ward
By Poppy Tohill
Written and performed by the exceptionally talented trio, David Ward, Peter Daube and Dave Kahn, Wheel Of Experience is a unique musical and theatrical experience that paints the lives and legends of early NZ through a collection of stunning original songs. Having recently returned to Auckland from an extensive 26 date tour around New Zealand, I caught up with composer, musician and producer of the show, David Ward, in the middle of Aotea Square where the project first debuted back in 2011, for a chat prior to their upcoming shows at Auckland's Q Theatre in September.
Pop Will Eat Itself
By Sebastian Mackay
Pop Will Eat Itself, thankfully isn't pop and hasn't eaten itself (you could argue they did but vomited themselves back up 10 years later) and that means they're coming for us. For the first time in 20 years the good ol' chaps are bringing their live shebang to our rainy little shores. It's a wonder any still cares, really. ButGraham Crabb (co-vocalist and last standing original member) has answer for that. Well, he has an answer for most things.
Interview - Shayna King
By Poppy Tohill
Lately I've been hearing a lot about numerous emerging artists from Christchurch, with one of those being the talented alternative songstress Shayna King, who has been on my musical radar for a while. With the release of her new single ‘Calling You' on Monday, it was a treat catching up with Shayna for a chat on the phone a few days prior to the single's release.
Morgan Evans
By Sebastian Mackay
Interviewing is a lot like discovering. Artists come across your desk and there's a fair amount of 'who the hell are you?'. The next thing you know you're on the phone and there's a suspended silence before the hum and haw over a left field question. I'm ashamed to admit there was a fair amount of that during my interview withMorgan Evans (full disclosure: I'm the kind of guy that has heavy metal labels on speed dial, not country singers).
Justin Townes-Earle
By Poppy Tohill
Despite all the hardships Justin Townes Earle has been through over the past few years of his life, he's come out clean on the other side and is a wealth of knowledge and advice, proving a really down to earth, relaxed guy to chat to, early on a Tuesday morning.
Henry Wagons
By Poppy Tohill
After having had the privilege of interviewing a number of bands now, I love that some-times the best conversations and interviews you have are the ones with the artists you know the least about. While researching the Australian indie rock band Wagons and their front man Henry Wagons, I was intrigued with what I read about them and didn't know quite what to expect from the interview.
Interview - Shihad
By Jake Ebdale
Here's a catchy new chant for today's youth, courtesy of New Zealand's own Shihad. All together now:
G! C! S! B!
Seether
By Sebastian Mackay
There are some things in life you can control; small children, a line of ants, a dog, how many forks you eat your cereal with. And there things that you can't; Americans, Americans being good at their jobs, an army of possessed demon baby babies, what piracy (and the digital age) does to CD sales and fans getting band tattoos.
Parents
By Poppy Tohill
I was fooled by the classic ‘punk musician stereotype' when trying to spot Auckland hardcore punk band,Parents guitarist Jono in a cafe yesterday afternoon. As we sat down, we joked about the fact that if you were meeting him for the first time (which I was) and you had no idea he was in a band, a punk one at that, it would probably take a little convincing for one to believe.
Team Dynamite
By Poppy Tohill
With their distinctive smooth beats and easy listening New Zealand style, within five minutes of sitting down with vocalist Tony Tee and beat maker Haz Beats of hip-hop crew Team Dynamite you soon come to realise their personalities aren't much different.
Big Data
By Poppy Tohill
I was all ready to chime "Good Morning" to Mr Alan Wilkis, the man behind the American electronic music project Big Data, as he picked up the phone for a chat earlier this week. But just as he answered, I realised he was on the complete opposite side of the world to me where it was about 8pm at night.
Chris Jericho
By Sebastian Mackay
There's a standard set for talking about Fozzy, it becomes the Chris Jericho Show (WWE Superstar, author, world's number one podcast Talk is Jericho, lead singer of Fozzy - see what I mean?) and in the whirlwind of talking about Chris (who is an awesome guy and talks the talk while reinventing both the talk and the walk) Fozzy (and the new album Do You Wanna Start A War?) almost gets entirely abandoned.
Midnight Gallery
By Poppy Tohill
Placing strong emphasis on originality with an absence of major sampling, offering accomplished symmetry between rap and singing, lyrics paint the pictures of real life, sketching experiences on a variety of musical canvases throughout Auckland/Thames based trio Midnight Gallery's forthcoming self titled debut album.
Lizzie Marvelly
By Poppy Tohill
After two successful classical crossover albums, debuting in the top ten on the Official New Zealand Album Charts and evolving into exciting new territory, talented songstress and now pop star, Lizzie Marvelly, can add a top 15 position to her achievements after the release of her debut EP, ‘Collisions' debuted at number 14 on the NZ Charts and also reached number four on the Official Local Album Charts.
Pennywise
By Poppy Tohill
Forming 26 years ago in 1988, California punk rocker's Pennywise who released their eleventh studio album ‘Yesterdays' on July 11th to celebrate their 26th year together. Prior to its release I had the pleasure of catching up with lead guitarist Fletcher Dragge for a chat on the phone where we talked about the history of Pennywise, the new upcoming album and what it's like being in a band for 26 years.