The more we have enquired about how things are in the Christchurch music scene, a week after the February 22nd earthquake, the worse it seems. As one person we contacted observed, the television images somehow fail to portray the full and almost continuous extent of the destruction or really convey just how shattered the heart and wider infrastructure of the Garden City is. Our thoughts remain with all those affected. ...more

The last time NZ Musician spoke to An Emerald City, the Eastern gypsy-influenced Kiwis had released an album recorded in a cave and were preparing to move to Berlin. Two years later, they’re back for a visit and bring with them a new album, ‘The Fourth’. Gareth Shute caught up with guitarist and keyboardist Sam Handley to ask about the highs and lows of living in one of Europe’s most creative cities. ...more

Having spent her childhood hassling her brother and mother to teach her guitar, and her father to teach her drums, Anna Coddington has been on a musical path for most of her nearly 30 years. She fronted Handsome Geoffrey as a teenager, went on to form alt-pop favourite Duchess in the early 2000s and has added her voice to albums by Anika Moa, Bic Runga and Dimmer. When Duchess broke up in 2007, Coddington decided to forge a solo career, and released her album debut ‘The Lake’ in 2008. During the past two years she has also contributed her talents to large scale collaborative productions Eru Dangerspiel and Fly My Pretties. Now she is about to release her sophomore solo album, ‘Cat & Bird’. She talked with Lydia Jenkin about fulfilling both her ‘cat’ and ‘bird’ musical personas. ...more

Known for his work as front man for The Black Seeds and also as the driving force behind Fly My Pretties, Barnaby Weir is about to release his debut solo album ‘Tarot Card Rock’. It’s been a long time in the making, and showcases the breadth and diversity of Weir’s considerable musical talents. Fellow Wellingtonian Eva Prowse released her debut solo album late last year and will be touring the South Island in late February. She also lent her vocal and violin talents to a couple of ‘Tarot Card Rock’ tracks, and is a member of Fly My Pretties – making her an ideal candidate to quiz Barnaby Weir on his solo musical processes. ...more

Fredericks Brown is keys player Steph Brown, vocalist Deva Mahal and trumpeter/guitarist Michael Taylor. Each overly talented musicians in their own right, they have collectively played and recorded with top Kiwi acts including Fat Freddys, Opensouls, Black Seeds, Anika Moa, Che Fu and Sola Rosa. The three came together in New York in 2009 to write and record some material of their own, and have now released a stunning debut EP ‘Out Of The Rain’ – five tracks of mature soul and funk, laced with hip hop grooves and jazz sensibility. Returning briefly to NZ for the local EP launch in February, Steph Brown sat down with Lydia Jenkin to discuss working in New York, sharing influences and meeting some idols. ...more

Centred around Carl Perkins and his two sons, Auckland-based House of Shem are a quintessential reggae band, with a spiritual and community focus that has earned them thousands of fans around NZ, and further afield. Karl Puschmann talks to Perkins about being a role model, steering the tribe-sized band, and working with the iconic Errol Brown on their recently released second album ‘Island Vibrations’ ...more

All-girl group Ivy Lies have come a long way since the four-piece Starlett formed at high school in 2006. Moving from Christchurch to Auckland they have honed and polished their pop-punk-rock licks, been talent-nursed by a major label, attracted leading management and are now about to release their debut album ‘Little Mind Games’. Mark Bell spoke to the (recently-turned) trio about how they came to write and record the album in LA, while still scrounging most of their gear from friends. ...more

The more you look into the history of NZ music the more you find stories of determined mavericks who both blindly and boldly have gone where business-minded others would fear to tread. Inspired people, true music lovers who have followed their passion regardless of the returns, in many cases creating a valuable legacy and along the way helping kickstart other successful careers. Andrew Maitai was inspired by Flying Nun, one of our true classics of the genre, when he established Powertool Records some 9 or 10 years ago – he really doesn’t know (much less care) quite when his determinedly underground label could be said to have officially started. In part that’s because he had another full time business that he owned at the time, a quite lucrative one called Ace Power Tools, in which he “… sold, repaired and did everything else” with ahhhmm, power tools. He also drummed in a band or two back then, Joed Out, which he mentions straight off, and also the Dead Souls. ...more

Sounds Aotearoa was launched in 2010 by director Emere Wano, in conjunction with the Taranaki Arts and Festival Trust (TAFT). It was from the outset a very ambitious undertaking with success far from guaranteed, looking to have a raft of hurdles to overcome, not least among them the traditional reticence of Kiwi musicians to invest money and time to learn from strangers. ...more

Wellington fivesome The Thomas Oliver Band have made a name for themselves with sweaty, energetic, bluesy live shows, and some prominent support slots over the past four years. Having released an EP in 2007, they’ve honed their sound and are on the verge of releasing a debut album called ‘Baby, I’ll Play’. Steph Gray talked to saxophonist Matt Benton and band leader/vocalist/guitarist Thomas Oliver about their genesis, self-funding the album, and connecting with their broad audience. ...more

Finn Andrews is a charmingly restless artist. Having released their third album ‘Sun Gangs’ in March 2009 and touring both America and Europe relentlessly for the 13 months following, one might expect it was time for The Veils to have a bit of a break come mid 2010. Although the band did take a break from touring, Andrews himself was soon busily working away in his home studio in London. The result is the just-released EP ‘Troubles Of The Brain’, seven tracks of wry, enchanting, folk-inspired and surprisingly upbeat alt-pop-rock songs. Home in Auckland for a few summery weeks to film a rare video, Andrews spoke to Lydia Jenkin about the single, becoming a recording engineer and experimenting with independence. ...more

It has taken the best part of two decades of various musical endeavour, but in the last few years Tiki Taane has moved from enjoying the vast respect of those in the know, to becoming something of a national icon. Karl Puschmann talks to the Top 40 singer/songwriter and underground electronic producer about the strange duality of his life, coping with success, his uncompromising new album ‘In The World of Light’, and why two years ago he almost walked away from it all. ...more