Something Elsewhere
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TODAY IN HISTORY: The day John Kennedy died
22 Nov 2020 | 1 min read
In an interview with Elsewhere in advance (well in advance) of his two concerts in New Zealand in 2014, the conversation with Steve Earle turned -- as it usually does with him -- to politics. After some to and fro about various issues of homelessness and such, I asked him why he had the same touchstones in his lyrics (Guthrie, Kennedy, Kerouac) and if they symbolised something in America... > Read more
Radio broadcast WQMR, Nov 22, 1963
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THE NZ MUSIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES (2020): Here's the who's who of "who?"
31 Oct 2020 | 5 min read
The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame has been contentious, right from its first inductees Johnny Devlin and Jordan Luck in 2007. Many complain certain eras or important figures have not been represented. If you're a teenager you might look at an old inductee and say, “Who?”. If you're of pensionable age and some young upstart in their 40s is acknowledged you might say the same.... > Read more
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AOTEAROA MUSIC AWARDS 2020 NOMINEES: I'd like to thank . . .
18 Oct 2020 | 5 min read
Now to be known as the Aotearoa Music Awards (AMA, same initials as the American Music Awards unfortunately), the annual awards for New Zealand music of all persuasions -- from alternative to children's music, from te reo Maori to cover design -- will take place this year on Sunday November 15. Obviously things have been a little confused and uncertain of late in these Covid days but more... > Read more
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THE BEATLES AS COMIC AND CARTOON CHARACTERS (2020): The greatest story ever sold, and sold again . . .
16 Sep 2020 | 3 min read | 1
From the moment they first appeared, the Beatles' look was so distinctive that it only took a few scribbles of a black pencil and you had the makings of a mop-top hairstyle. Often not much more than that appeared in advertisements and on Beatle product. It was a powerful enough visual signifier. As individuals they were also distinctive so by the time they had got a couple of hits... > Read more
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THE ALBUM ART OF EXOTICA (2020): Bachelor pad images from a time before this
31 Aug 2020 | 3 min read
It was long ago and – for many in the US, UK and the rest of the Western world – far away and rather exotic. Hawaiian music was enormously popular from the Thirties onwards and for many people the restful sound of lap steel guitars evoked palm trees swaying in the breeze, the lap of the waves against the side of the outrigger and other such cliches poured into a... > Read more
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THE FINALISTS, 2020 APRA SILVER SCROLL NOMINEES: And the judges decision will be final . . .
22 Aug 2020 | 3 min read
The annual Silver Scroll Award – which was founded in 1965 – acknowledges the depth of original songwriting in Aotearoa New Zealand, but there can only be one winner. The award goes to the song which the members of APRA considers the best song of the year, regardless of how much or little it sold or was played on media outlets. The award is for quality not quantity. The... > Read more
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FIVE FOR FEWER THAN FIFTY: Picking up homeless albums from the rescue shelter
29 Jul 2020 | 7 min read
There are websites and online pages dedicated to the serious art of collecting vinyl records from secondhand shops, junk bins and so on. Most people are looking for rarities and items of value, and that is fine and worthy. Nice to see them going into collections where they will be cared for. Elsewhere's not like that, our vinyl shopping entails assessments such as “that looks... > Read more
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FIVE FAMOUS BUT OVER-RATED ALBUMS IN ROCK: Acclaimed often, disappointing or dull mostly
22 May 2020 | 7 min read
Picking bad albums is child's play, acclaiming classics even easier still because mostly the work has been done for you by generations of critics, fans and the foolhardy. And acclaiming some obscurity as a lost classic is a breeze because chances are most people haven't heard it so aren't in a position to agree or disagree. However picking over-rated albums is much more difficult... > Read more
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The 11th TAITE MUSIC PRIZE (2020): Make a date for the Taite, mate
1 May 2020 | 3 min read
Named after the late Dylan Taite, one of New Zealand’s most respected music journalists, the award recognises outstanding creativity for an entire collection of music contained on one recording. The prize winner will receive a cash prize of NZ$12,500 to be spent as they wish, thanks to Taite Music Prize founding partner Recorded Music NZ; recording time at Red Bull Studios... > Read more
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THE BRITISH COUNTERCULTURES, ARCHIVED (2020): Shall we go to the pub or the protest?
26 Apr 2020 | 3 min read | 2
The British counterculture movements from the late Fifties onwards have been difficult to define and comprehend from our geographical, political and social distance. The decade up to the Rolling Stones' ambiguous Street Fighting Man simply blurs into images of CND protests, poetry events, Richard Neville and the Schoolkids issue of Oz, Tariq Ali, Michael X, the Grosvenor Square... > Read more
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ANOTHER SPIN OF HISTORY'S WHEEL (2020): Music in the time of solitude
3 Apr 2020 | 4 min read
About 140 years ago when Thomas Edison made a machine which captured sound he initially thought it could preserve the grand statements and speeches of great men. But he quickly realised – even before his phonograph which used wax-coated cylinders was made available – here was how music could be passed down the generations, the past always present in the future. Edison wasn't... > Read more
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THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE AIN'T FREE (2020): The lives – and livelihoods – of others
27 Mar 2020 | 2 min read
Well, the “gig economy” that sociologists and economists were so excited about has gone belly-up for most of those involved. People in the creative arts who relied on an audience are doing it harder than many right now. Time for those of us who have enjoyed their labours to lend a hand. We here at Elsewhere have never illegally downloaded a movie or music, have... > Read more
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EIGHT OBSCURE USA INDIE SINGLES I'M SURPRISED I OWN: And believe me, eight is enough!
13 Jan 2020 | 5 min read
The small town of Paeroa in New Zealand's North Island (the other island being named . . .) can make a couple of claims for itself. First, it is the origin of the “world famous in New Zealand” soft-drink Lemon & Paeroa, and second that it is the antiques capital of the country. These days “antiques” mostly just means old stuff, but in the town's many such... > Read more
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CHRIS KNOX, COLLECTED AND DONATED (2019): From Enemy to archive
13 Dec 2019 | 3 min read
As some Elsewhere readers will perhaps know, for a couple of years I was one of the rostered caregivers for Chris Knox who suffered a stroke in June 2009. Although limited in physical function, Chris kept his wicked sense of humour, penchant for pranks and winding people up, and even began painting again . . . with his left hand. Examples of his work can be seen and purchased from... > Read more
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10 UNUSUAL ECM ALBUMS OF THE EIGHTIES I OWN (2019): But there's no pattern to the pattern . . .
29 Nov 2019 | 9 min read
When Manfred Eicher founded his record label ECM (Editions of Contemporary Music) in 1969 it was, he told Elsewhere in a 1992 interview, with a view to recording jazz at the same high quality afforded to classical music. At that time however most of the key jazz musicians had found homes on important big or small American labels, so ECM was launched with the... > Read more
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THE NEW LOOK TUI AWARD (2019): A gift for stars inspired by stars
21 Oct 2019 | 1 min read
Last year at the invitation of the Vodafone New Zealand Music Award, the artist Dick Frizzell redesigned the iconic Tui award (see here) and the idea being that every year another artist or designer would bring their own stamp to it, making the Tui awards from now on being unique to that year. This year jeweler and designer Boh Runga of the band Stellar* – and a former... > Read more
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AND THE VNZMA ARTISAN FINALISTS ARE? (2019): Behind the scenes, the makers and creatives
10 Oct 2019 | 2 min read
Music which connects with an audience doesn't just drop from the heavens courtesy of a bandcamp or Soundcloud posting. Hundreds of songs out of bedrooms and cheap studios arrive on those portals every day, so somewhere along the line the music needs professional shaping and sharpening, a bit of promotion (video is logical) and a nice bit of packaging if it is an album.... > Read more
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RIA HALL'S SPEECH AT THE APRA SILVER SCROLLS (2019): Be brave, be bold
3 Oct 2019 | <1 min read
Singer Ria Hall was invited to present the APRA Maioha Award at the 2019 Silver Scroll award. The finalists were: Ka Ao by Tyna Keelan, Angelique Te Rauna, and Mātauranga Te Rauna Korimako by Emily and Charles Looker, performed by Aro Paiheretia by Kaaterama Pou Te Kete Aronui by Mara Te Kahika and Cory Champion, performed by Mara TK And the winners were Tyna Keelan,... > Read more
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VODAFONE NZ MUSIC AWARDS/NGĀ TOHU PUORO O AOTEAROA FINALISTS 2019: I'd like to thank . . .
26 Sep 2019 | 4 min read
And let the discussions begin. The finalists for this year's Vodafone NZ Music Awards to take place at Spark Arena on Thursday November 4 have just been announced. We bring you here the finalists and have highlighted artists or albums which Elsewhere has written about. For more on the awards go here. All finalists are eligible for the Vodafone People’s Choice Award | Te... > Read more
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THE APRA SILVER SCROLLS 2019: And the finalists are . . .
21 Sep 2019 | 3 min read
When you look back and try to identify pivotal years in New Zealand popular music one stands out: 1965. That was the year that youth culture – in the wake of the Beatles, Stones, Cilla, Dylan and many others – became a driving force. Young people had the money for concert tickets, records, entry to dances and so on . . . and so New Zealand musicians could actually make a living... > Read more