Mike Hall didn’t intend to start a band. Or, rather, another band. As bassist in the much-loved Auckland outfit Pluto he already had an incredibly successful outlet for his collaborative tendencies. But during the year-long process of putting the Nightchoir album '24 Hours of Night' together, another band is exactly what he found he had. A revelation that surprised him as much as anyone. ...more

As their name itself directs, it can be hard to know quite where you stand with The Pyramid Scheme. Despite haunting the nation’s capital for much of the noughties, they have had little manifest to show for it. And now they do they are cashing up. NZM’s own spectral specialist Martyn Pepperell boldly undertook to track them down and ask about ‘Massive Reminders of a Virile King’, their newly released album, before the Schemers dispersed further beyond the metaphysical. ...more

Having made a striking impression with their debut and subsequent EPs (‘This Machine’ and ‘No Light’) in 2008, The Naked and Famous have since developed their live skills with performances across NZ along with shows at New York’s CMJ Music Marathon and a local support slot for their heroes Nine Inch Nails. With a now solidified band line up they have thrown themselves into writing and producing their debut album ‘Passive Me, Aggressive You’ which is due out in August. Lydia Jenkin spoke to the highly vaunted band about the dilemma of endless possibilities, finding their own business model and forging a more expansive sound. ...more

Based in Christchurch, Gabriel ‘Messenjah’ Calcott is a long serving jack-of-all-trades within the music scene. Best known for his role as both DJ and record producer in seminal local dancehall reggae collective Dubwise (alongside David ‘Papa’ Levi and others), over the last 13 years, Calcott has also turned his hand to event promotion, studio/live sound engineering, record label operation and more. He spoke to Martyn Pepperell about his Reality Chant business and collaborative international release ‘Kings Highway’. ...more

In late 2009 Flip Grater arrived back home from a European tour, split with her partner and moved city. Some rather stressful circumstances, to say the least. But Flip didn’t withdraw to lament her situation, instead she channelled her feelings into the 11 songs that make up her latest album ‘While I’m Awake I’m At War’. ...more

Young Sid experienced the full range of highs and lows over the years following the release of his first album ‘The Truth. He has resourcefully catalogued the journey on his sophomore effort, ‘What Doesn’t Kill Me’, and the result is a strikingly sincere hip hop release. Gareth Shute finds out how Sid (born Sidney Diamond) has sought to channel even his worst experiences into his music. ...more