NZ MUSIC MONTH | TE MARAMA PUORO O AOTEAROA WEEK 2

May 9th 2022
Nau mai, haere mai. Welcome to week two of TE MARAMA PUORO O AOTEAROA | NZ Music Month 2022, and the second weekly EDM of the month! The past seven days has seen an exciting amount of media about this year’s ‘Level Up’ theme, as well as a huge volume of events and releases kicking off the month.

This year’s theme is Level Up, with a focus on up-and-coming artists making waves in the music industry, celebrating the success of rising stars, and continuing to boost them as they climb the ranks in Aotearoa. As always, feel free to get in touch with us if you have an inclusion for the newsletter, or are keen to chat more. Thanks for tuning in!

KEY NEWS:

  • The NZ Music Month Summit is back for 2022! The event will take over The Tuning Fork on Saturday, May 28th, with a focus on useful, practical information for emerging artists and music professionals to grow, thrive, and level up in their careers. Topics include how to level up your artist toolkit, an update from Soundcheck Aotearoa on their harm prevention work, how to get your music played on nationwide radio stations, and how to navigate the complexities of touring overseas as a rising musician. Tickets are available from Moshtix, or you can watch free on the livestream on YouTube and Facebook.

  • Crescendo Trust are raising awareness for the power of music, and crowdfunding to create meaningful pathways into music and audio careers for vulnerable youth. With over 190,000 disengaged youth in Aotearoa, and 28,000 unemployed, music can act as a powerful tool in helping rangatahi onto a clear path by pairing them with mentors in the industry. Please consider donating during NZ Music Month at the Play Your Part website.

  • Last Friday, NZ Music T-Shirt Day announced their return for 2022! On Friday, May 27th, Kiwis are encouraged to wear their favourite NZ music merch and donate to the MusicHelps appeal, which has helped over 70,000 local industry workers through financial grants and mental health services. A list of local artist merch can be found on their website. Rally your friends, whānau, and colleagues to create a team, and text MUSIC to 2448 to donate $3.

  • KICK’s ‘Pass the Aux’ feature is back this week, with Kiwi singer-songwriter BestBits featuring their favourite Kiwi tunes everyday between 3-4pm. 

  • To celebrate TE MARAMA PUORO O AOTEAROA | NZ Music Month, ZM have introduced the Kiwi Power Hour. Every Thursday from 12pm - 1pm, Kiwi music will take over the ZM airwaves as they play new bangers and old classics.

  • Otago student Lillian Gibbs has become the youngest person to join the Aotearoa premier national chamber choir, Voices New Zealand. Congratulations, Lillian!

  • Based on a spinoff of the hit game Wordle, Kiwi musician James Mac has created an NZ Music Month version of Heardle! Test your knowledge each day by seeing if you can guess the Kiwi song in just 1 second, over at the website.

  • The Edge and BurgerFuel have banded together to celebrate TE MARAMA PUORO O AOTEAROA by challenging listeners to a guessing game through Kiwi waiata. There are thousands of dollars in prizes up for grabs, including UE Booms, Google Homes, Beats Headphones and of course, BurgerFuel vouchers. Tune in every morning from 8am to win!

KEY EVENTS

  • Aotearoa Music Producer Series (AMPS) is heading to Hawkes Bay and Gisborne this week! AMPS is a series of one-day production seminars featuring Aotearoa’s finest producers. The full day sessions will be at The Cabana in Napier on Wednesday, May 11th and Thursday, May 12th, and at Gisborne Girls High School on Friday, May 13th. This week’s amazing producer speakers are Simon Gooding (who has worked with P!nk, Teeks, Drax Project, Neil Finn, Dua Lipa and many more), and Tom Healy (whose credits include Tiny Ruins, Jamie McDell, Bic Runga, Finn Andrews, Brooke Fraser and more). These free events are available to producers of all skill levels - just sign up at the Eventbrite page here.

  • Kiwi songstress Georgia Lines kicks off her Leave Behind tour this Wednesday, May 11th in Hamilton, followed by a show at Auckland’s War Memorial Museum on Monday, May 16th. The tour follows the release of her recent single Leave Behind, which dropped last Friday. With effortlessly powerful vocals and captivating live performances, Georgia Lines is rapidly becoming one of Aotearoa’s wāhine to watch. Tickets are available from Under the Radar.

  • Covering the why, how, tips & tricks of TikTok, this NZ Music Month seminar taking place this Thursday, May 12th will provide insight into how to get more from the platform in 2022 and beyond. Get your free ticket from Eventbrite.

  • Join multi-award winning Maisey Rika, Horomona Horo, Dr Jeremy Mayall, andRegan Balzer for TE PAE ĀTEA: The Celestial Realm. This online event will explore narratives around the marama (moon), ngā whetū (stars), te maramakata (Māori calendar), planets, navigation, space, time, and connection, through voice, sonic sound, taonga puoro, and performance painting. Tickets for the event on Thursday, May 12th are only $15, and are available from the Eventbrite website. 
  • Flying Nun Records, Radio Active and Something Something present What Was That Thing? Live! this Thursday, May 12th at the Vogelmorn Bowling Clubin Wellington. Vera Ellen will bless your eyes with unique melodies and larger-than-life sound, Soft Plastics will wash away your autumn blues, and Mirror Ritual's(FKA Transistor) will keep you entertained during their first show under a new moniker. Tickets available from Under the Radar.
  • New Zealand dream-pop luminaries French for Rabbits are taking their critically-acclaimed Taite Music Award nominated LP The Overflow on the road! Bandleader Brooke Singer talks about the excitement of hitting the road: "We are SO excited to finally announce this album release tour for our new album The Overflow. We're thrilled to be able to travel and perform the length and breadth of our beautiful country and meet friends and fans along the way.” Check out their Auckland show on Friday, May 13th at The Tuning Fork. Tickets available here.

  • Bird Like Men is an album by Tararua, which will be presented as a multimedia performance featuring Ariana Tikao, Ruby Solly, Alistair Fraser and Phil Boniface. Starting their national tour  at Wellington’s Public Trust Hall this weekend, the evocative show is bought to you by Chamber Music NZ. Visual artist Louise Pōtiki Bryant will provide stunning digital imagery inspired by the Māori rock art depictions of bird people at Otago’s historical Maerawhenua. Tickets for the event taking place on Saturday, May 13th are available from their website.

  • To celebrate TE MARAMA PUORO O AOTEAROA, Lockdown Legends are featuring Kiwi DJs every weekend in May on their Twitch channels. Check out all the artists on the lineup here, along with times and usernames. This Friday and Saturday, Dale Richie & Lance Gooch, Chameleon, Donna-Marie, and more will stream, with a variety of genres on offer.

  • Auckland Live continue their slate of epic events across the month with Young Gig Makers - Indie Rock in the Garden, a night of music from up-and-comers in the indie music scene this Saturday, 14th May. Young Gig Makers grant recipient MaxEarnshaw will be joined by Smokefree Rockquest 2019 winners Haven, Parachute development artist Benjamin Mack, and charting artist Keeley Shade. Tickets are available from the Auckland Live website.

  • Dunedin Libraries continues their NZ Music Month celebrations with Nook & Cranny Music Festival: Pedal Party, a collaborative workshop that will explore modern and vintage guitar pedals, and how they can be applied to all kinds of instruments. Check it out this Sunday, May 15th, with more info at their website.

  • This Saturday, May 14th, another outdoor festival will be held at the brand new Lilyworld venue. Everyday People will see Melodownz, Hurricane Emily, Sin, Summer Thieves, Muroki, Soaked Oats and Matthew Young take to three stages around the venue, in a lineup that encourages diversity in gender, ethnicity, genre and backgrounds. Tickets are available here.

  • Finalist for the APRA Best Country Music Song in 2021, Kendall Elise is hitting the road for her Let The Night In album release tour! From soul-stirring country gothic ballads to full blown barnstormers, the Papakura native will start the tour at the Raglan Old School Arts Centre on Saturday, May 14th. Tickets are available from Under the Radar.

  • Anthonie Tonnon continues his Leave Love Out of This album release tour with a show at the Hollywood Avondale this Saturday, May 14th. Having recently focused on delivering thematic solo shows, this tour will see Tonnon perform with a full band for the first time since 2018. Tickets are available from his website.

  • Hans. is set to take the stage at Basement Theatre this Saturday, May 14th for a show with ABG, a newfound Asian collective of Auckland artists. Hans. and friends will bring the heat with an epic night downtown. Tickets available here.

  • Akshim Bindra and Amber Carly Williams are set to share the stage this Saturday, May 14th in Christchurch! Bindra cites the works of Phil Spector and early cinema music as inspiration, delivering a project “that surrounds the sound of city life and lousy late night strolls.” Joining them, William’s is an emerging indie-pop singer-songwriter hailing from Christchurch, who featured last year on the TVNZ show Popstars. Tickets are only $15, available here.

  • Rising punk rock band DARTZ is returning to the stage in Tāmaki Makaurau this weekend! Up first on Friday night, the legendary Old Folks Association will host the all ages gig Bad Friday The 13th, which will see DARTZ perform alongside four piece post-post-punk combo Ballot Box, five piece queer feminist pop-punksters Cootie Cuties, and Feshh, a noise-rock and shoegaze collision from Western Springs College. On Saturday, May 14th, you can join DARTZ for a headline show at Whammy. After many COVID delayed shows, the Pōneke four-piece are coming in hot off the release of their new single Dominion Road (Dumpling House), described as “a frenzied punk rock retelling of the Mutton Birds’ Kiwi classic.” Tickets are available from Under the Radar

  • Auckland Live’s Historical Music Venue Tours continue this week, hosted by award-winning author and historian Gareth Shute. The free tours will take you on a brand-new journey from Karangahape Road down to Aotea Square, stopping at a number of quintessential music venues along the way. If you fancy doing the tour alone, you can follow along via the Auckland Stories app, available on the Apple Store and Google Play. Tours run every Thursday and Sunday, more info available from the Auckland Live website.

  • Depot Artspace in Devonport (Auckland) hosts NZ’s first ever showcase of 3D printed musical instruments throughout the month of May in their Street Front Gallery with a live performance using the 3D printed instruments on the opening night, this Friday 13 May.


KEY RELEASES:

  • Last week the talented Marlon Williams dropped his new track My Boy, his first solo music since the 2018 smash album Make Way For Love. Along with the music video, directed by Marlon and Martin Sagadin, he also dropped an incredible slate of US and Europe tour dates, showing he’s a force to be reckoned with on the global stage. 

  • Melodownz is back with a brand new track, Slow Jamz. Releasing this Friday, it’s his first release since his track with Lisi and Mikey Dam Pray For More.

  • Rhombus is back with their big tune Treat You So Right, featuring TK Paradza andLisa Tomlins. TK and Lisa bring sublime vibes to this one, cutting singalong melodies over that signature Rhombus sound. The music video will drop this Friday, May 13th, followed by the full album After Party, out Friday, May 27th.

  • Indie darlings There’s A Tuesday will release their newest single Girl At Night today, along with a shiny new music video releasing this Friday. The song explores what it’s like to be a girl in a patriarchal world, and how walking at night is pretty much a no-go. As Minnie from There’s A Tuesday says, “Specifically we use the example of walking home at night and having to bring a guy friend with you so you feel safe. It's addressed to 'Harry' who is the guy friend, and he's a good dude but it sucks you have to have a good dude with you to feel safe!”

  • A new MCK era is set to begin, with the second single from her debut album out this Friday, May 13th. Paragraphs follows An Honest Mess which featured Melbourne pop-folk artist Mountain Boy.

  • SKRAM have released a lyric video for the new Tiki Taane remix of their song Living Our Lives. Catch them playing live in Taranaki, Hamilton and Wellington this May on their Walk Into The Sun album release tour.

  • The new single The Day from vintage soul & funk practitioners The Fades is out now! Formed from their love of classic funk and soul cannon, the Wellington heavy hitter’s track is available now on all digital streaming services through Diver Records. Catch them at the Rogue & Vagabond in Wellington on Friday 13th May.

  • Auckland based surf rock / reggae band Flaxxies’ new track Lot 61 has just dropped with a beautiful video shot on beaches around the Coromandel.

  • Whanganui roots reggae band NLC have just revealed their new track E Noho Rā.

  • After the video for her recent charting track Perfect captured the real-life moment she was proposed to by her now-finance, Kylie Price has moved to the UK – and now released her new single Stay.

  • New Plymouth’s This Little Badge have released a brand new track Think Of A Number you can check out over on Spotify.

  • Three Houses Down have a brand new track called The Dream, featuring Troy Kingi & Fiji.

  • Eli Superflyy delivers his upbeat, lead single Vicar – an infectious track driven by its illuminating yet dreamy lyrics, nestled in between captivating guitar melodies.

  • Emerging Korean-Kiwi artist Taebz’s debut project Gloss showcases his multi-dimensional electronic production flair in this compact 6-track EP. 

Stay tuned for next week's edition of the TE MARAMA PUORO O AOTEAROA | NZ Music Month weekly EDM, with even more news, releases and events coming your way across the month. If you’d like to make an inclusion to the newsletter, get in touch. To be included in the Monday newsletter, submissions must be made the Thursday prior. See you next week!

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