The name Connan Tant Hosford may not sound familiar, but think back a few years and you'll likely recall humming along to the '60s-inspired quirky rock-blues of three-piece Connan and the Mockasins. First appearing in Wellington they proceeded to tear up the country with their catchy, poppy singles and electric live sets. They knocked out two great EPs, shot some equally crazy music videos and then bunked off to the UK. Practically homeless they still managed to impress the pants off pretty much everyone, got an offer from Norman Cook (aka Fat Boy Slim) to produce their record, were touted by NME as the most exciting thing to come out of NZ and seemingly had the world before them. Instead, for a variety of reasons, the group disbanded and whittled down to just Connan, though fortunately that didn't mean the end of the Mockasin magic and mayhem. Rhys Morgan talks to Connan about his return to NZ and the journey towards his solo debut album. ...more

The first Tui of 2009 has already been awarded. It was for the Best Folk Album of last year and it went to three very surprised 40-something Dunedin women for their self-produced debut, engagingly titled 'Two, Maybe Three, Days Ride'. Delgirl have been making music together since 2000, but until that Tui moment considered themselves outside the frame, their delicate and dawdling music too personal to categorise. Richard Thorne talked to Erin Morton (that's her on the left) en route to the Auckland Folk Festival at Kumeu where the award was made. ...more

After a huge year of what could only be described as over achieving, one of this country's favourite songwriting sons is about to release his second solo album. Don McGlashan talks to Mark Bell about the challenges of juggling his various endeavours and enjoying the ride that was 2008. ...more

One is a reserved Kiwi engineer/mixer/ drummer with a growing reputation here and overseas. The other has the kind of non-stop mouth you might expect from an award-winning Welsh producer/mixer/engineer/drummer in demand from all round the globe - though certainly not the attitude. Clint Murphy and Greg Haver make a studio tag team of engineer + producer that already has a number of claims to success, including album production for a Spice Girl and the biggest local singles in three of the last five years; The Feelers' Stand Up plus Maybe and One Day from Opshop. Richard Thorne talked to the pair at Roundhead Studio in Auckland (where the Kiwi engineer was mixing tracks for an Irish band the Welsh producer had recorded in England), just ahead of Haver's marriage to a New Zealand bride and Murphy's departure to base himself in England for the foreseeable future. ...more

When young aspiring guitar makers came to luthier Peter Madill for advice, he would tell them to go away and do a cabinet-making apprenticeship. And then come back and ask all the questions. "They probably just thought I was a grumpy old fart," recalls Madill, laughing. "I was getting someone in about every week, but I'd just send them away. I thought it was important they got their woodworking skills under control first. Surprisingly, only one ever came back, and he had done his apprenticeship and was so pleased making furniture he didn't think he would ever try and make a guitar." An apprenticeship was what Madill did in the early 1960s, for four and a half years. It would have been five had he not had School Certificate. And it was invaluable. ...more

Music and imagery have always been strongly intertwined for Wellington musician Rhian Sheehan. The richly evocative music on his first two albums - 'Paradigm Shift' and 'Tiny Blue Biosphere' meant Sheehan finding himself frequently licensing tracks to TV shows and advertising. For his latest album 'Standing In Silence', Sheehan has taken the approach a step further and produced a work which is a stunning journey through moments in our world, captured simultaneously in photos, film and music. During a fleeting trip to Auckland he sat down with Lydia Jenkin to discuss the inspiration and the delivery of this multimedia project. ...more

A delayed album can be pushed back for any number of reasons such as money, label difficulties or creative problems. Andrew Spraggon, the nucleus of Sola Rosa, had to leave listeners without a fresh album for three and a half years, but not due to the reasons above. Why then? Spraggon was more concerned with changing the direction of his Sola Rosa sound, while also focusing his concentration on the organic process of recording live. He talks to Andrew Hughes about bringing the new album together with a variety of collaborators. ...more

The Mint Chicks are a band with many sought after reputations – for their entertaining onstage antics, crazy costumes, for their controversial yet brilliantly forward thinking music. It may have taken three years and a change in continents, but their third album is finally ready. Lydia Jenkin sat down for a chat with songwriter brothers Kody and Ruban Nielson to discuss the creative process that has brought them to the imminent release of ‘Screens’. ...more