Motor vehicles are one of the big areas of cost that we all have. It is surprising just how many musicians are not aware they can claim costs for getting from home to practice, home to the local music or CD store, home to the gig and then the bank, and back again, etc. There are a number of ways you can claim for motor vehicle expenses. Firstly you should keep a logbook. That can be a pain in the butt, yet it is surprising just how high the claimable percentage will be if you do keep one and monitor all the times you use your vehicle for music related travel. The logbook needs to be kept for a minimum of three months and once the percentage is calculated, that figure can be used for two years before you need to update it. Most of my clients who use this method are getting percentages in the high 60s to 80s which means they are claiming a significant portion of their motor vehicle costs. ...more

Over the next few issues Building Blocks will be examining some techniques for creating a headlining gig that will showcase an originals band. We’ll cover promotion, preparation, booking, support acts, performance and long-term strategies for making your band stronger in your local scene. But first, let’s talk about planning. ...more

Apparently the songs of Auckland five-piece Great North were delivered to front man Hayden Donnell by drunk angels – “So I thought I’d better get a band together…” While this romantic notion fits their particular blend of alt-country folk rock, inspired by Springsteen, Gillian Welch and Wilco, the truth is more that they’re all friends, who decided to start a band. ...more

The title Haunted Love conjures up many visions, but as Geva Downey and Rainy McMaster explain, the idiosyncratic name was taken from Geva’s collection of Gothic Romance comics from the ’60s and ’70s – which are often source material for their unique dark pop. Formed in 2005, Haunted Love emerged in 2007 with the song Librarian – the film-noir-ish video portraying them as librarians wreaking revenge on a rule-breaking patron in Dunedin’s Public Library. ...more

Stevie Starr (known as Stevie Nicholl to his parents) is bursting with passionate ideas about the creative industries, and when it comes to talking about music (his own or others) he is an effusive interviewee. Finding a love of music as a teenager, he soon realised it fit nicely with his penchant for poetry and began weaving the two together. Picking up more instruments and influences over time, he began working towards an album about four years ago. ...more

Alongside writing and performing with independent, creative ensembles (such as The Pyramid Scheme, The Famous Players and Sheba Williams), and rehearsing extensive repertoires with covers groups (primarily in the jazz idiom), Richard Wise continues developing a unique approach to the drums. From residencies with some of Wellington’s finest jazz musicians (such as Nick Tipping, Charmaine Ford, James Illingworth and the Kevin Clark Trio), to studio work with the Vector Wellington Orchestra, to musical theatre and cabaret shows (including the massive Starlight Express tour this year), to performances with an array of artists including the NZSO, he keeps his kit busy. Somewhere in this hectic-enough schedule he also finds time to be a student of psychology, and brew coffee for fellow Wellingtonians. ...more

Peter McLennan was once the guitarist in Hallelujah Picassos and these days makes music as Dub Asylum. He is a self-described Auckland musician, a DJ, writer, graphic designer, music blogger and pop culture junkie who buys lots of magazines. His creative curiosity and eclectic taste is only some of the sum of his many parts… a musical gent who is always on time! ...more

Well familiar to bFM listeners, Jose Barbosa has a nose for news and a good story. He recently returned from an extended European sojourn during which he caught up with a number of familiar faces and gauged the mood of some Euro-based Kiwi artists for NZM. ...more

Reflecting on the economic disasters of 2009, producer Simon Holloway suggests the focus on the music and other creative industries provided by the local awards season presents an opportunity for a revisionist look at recent popular output. He argues the current economic collapse is in fact due to a crisis in cultural capital and explains what musicians collectively can do to alleviate the issue. ...more

In this article we’re boldly going where other less reputable rock’n’roll mags fear to tread – Christian music. ...more