Avalanche City - Big Day Out Tour

 I recently spent a couple of weeks in Australia doing sound for Avalanche City at the Big Day Outs. The shows went really well! Its always interesting as to what I should expect from an Avalanche City show, the band is constantly evolving and changing its line up of instruments and members and this was the first time this line up had played together

Dave has played for the majority of last year around America as a three piece and at the moment opt to play 'Go' in that arrangement with Dave stomping on a stomp box for the kick drum and Stephen stepping down from the Drums to sing and play Tambourine.

The shows sounded great! (even if I say so myself) I was a bit nervous at first as I had in the past been somewhat weary of Avid's live desks but I soon found my way around the Profile and made friends.

Here are a few photos I took with my phone from the tour.

Sydney Big Day Out

 Cocktails on a floating bar at a Warner party, Leaving the bar (honestly it was sunny!)

Gold Coast Big Day Out

 

 Animal Collective in Gold Coast and Steves Birthday in Adelaide

Adelaide Big Day Out

Melbourne Big Day Out

 

 Giant, Fruity Tiramisu thing in Melbourne and Backstage at Perth

Perth Big Day Out

Best Folk Album of 2013 Tui Awarded to Great North

Last year a good deal of my time was spent recording Great North's second album 'Halves' I'm so proud to be able to announce that Halves was recently awarded the Tui for Best Folk Album of 2013! Its been amazing working with Great North the past few years on their EP 'Soldiers' and first album 'Newfoundland' but I was especially proud of Halves and Hayden writes some very intelligent, heart wrenching, beautiful songs so its amazing to see some recognition for something that we worked so hard on.

Congratulations to Hayden, Rachel, Strahan, Dale, Olly, and new drummer Ryan! Special mentions to Matthew Hutching who played Pedal Steel and Stephanie Cole who played Banjo on Lead Me To The Light.

If you haven't heard it yet have a listen below.

Avalanche City at the Waihi Beach Hotel

Avalanche City playing at the Waihi Beach Hotel Summer Festival

5th of January 2013

Office Christmas Party

No this is not turning in to a food blog but here are a few treats I made for the Little Monster Studio Office Christmas Party a (to go alongside this years batch of cider of course) I know I technically don't have any staff or even an 'office' but I thought I'd worked hard enough this year to warrant a repeat of last years christmas party.

I baked THREE flavours of Macarons, Toblerone, Raspberry and White Chocolate and Salted Caramel. Plus a giant gingerbread house and soft pretzels among other things.

Jocee Tuck played some songs and the annual staff awards were given out, I managed to win a large portion of them again somehow.

Great North - Folk Album Of The Year Nomination & Video

As well as Watercolours winning Critics Choice at the New Zealand Music Awards recently it was announced that Great North have been nominated for Folk Album Of The Year at the New Zealand Music Awards for the album Halves that I produced; http://www.nzmusicawards.co.nz/2012/11/30/4977/

The winner is announced on the 27th of January at the Auckland Folk Festival in Kumeu. Just to be nominated is a huge achievement and I'm really proud of them. So amazing to see something I've believed in being recognised as one of the best folk albums of the year.

Great North also recently released the beautiful video for Lead Me To The Light starring the ex Mayor of Waitakere Bob Harvey;

'The Concert' in Christchurch & Leigh Sawmill

Last weekend I travelled down to a somewhat cold and wet Christchurch with Avalanche City to do sound for them at 'The Concert' which was organised to thank people who had volunteered/will volunteer in the Christchurch earthquake clean up. To get in you had to have either done 4 hours of volunteer work or signed up to do it in the future. The above photo is from my view, a rather nice old Yamaha Desk.

Despite the weather a fair few people had shown up and it was a pretty decent day of music!
 

The next day we flew back to Auckland (on a flight almost entirely full of musicians from the concert) in time for me to be picked up at the airport by Hollie of Tiny Ruins, Delaney Davidson and Silke and then head straight for Leigh to set up and soundcheck at the Sawmill for the Tiny Ruins & Delaney Davidson early show there that night. I don't think I'd ever seen Leigh Sawmill that full before! Both acts were amazing, it was a lovely show.

AUSA End Of Daze

Last Friday I did sound for the Auckland University Students Asocciation's End Of Daze event with Lydia Cole, Randa, The Wyld and Loui the Zu. When it stopped raining (see tarp hiding under the DJ booth below) it turned out to be a nice, fun day. More photos from the show here on the bFM facebook page.

Hula Hope and Avalanche City Tour.

I returned from a 6 day Australian tour with Avalanche City, late at night on Monday ready to start recording a couple of songs on the Tuesday with Hula Hope from Wellington. The Tour was great, so nice to spend some time with the Avalanche City guys and gals and interesting to do some shows in a different country.

The shows were pretty good, my low point was thinking I was going to have to mix a show stood on stage right behind the band with a particularly rowdy looking croud staring at me but my high point was discovering I could mix with the venues iPad from wherever I wanted! Hahahaha.

Back to recording with Hula Hope, the first day we recorded Acoustic Guitar and Vocals for the 2 songs and then I played a bit of Bass and the second day I added the rough outline of where drums would maybe go in one of the songs ready for me to redo later and some piano and Hula added a few harmonies and backing vocals. I have to finish adding some parts now while she's back in Wellington and send her the rough mixes!

Watercolours win VNZMA Critics Choice

Readers of this blog will know that for the past few years I have been playing guitar in and had been working with Watercolours towards some demos, as well as of course the first Watercolours single "Under"

The other week we played at the Kings Arms for the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards Critics Choice award, up against stiff competition for the award in the form of Beach Pigs and Loui the Zu. Any of the bands could've taken out the award, the other two bands were and are amazing but somehow the judges decreed Watercolours as the winner.

Its pretty special to have been involved in this project so far and hopefully I get to continue as a guitar player for as long as possible. Anyway, big congratulations to Chelsea on this award, its well deserved.

Josie Tuck - Drum recording

We spent a few days last week recording drums for Josie Tucks album with Stephen Thomas behind the kit. We got some really great sounds and tracked some really cool beats; a bit of afrobeat influence in a couple of songs, some cool percussion as part of the kit and a fair amount of jazz influences, even some free jazz moments! Lots of the parts are almost symphonic which should be a good base for the type of instrumentation and arrangements that Josie intends to have on top.