Something Elsewhere
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BOB DYLAN, RETREAT TO QUIET, 1967-69; PHOTO ESSAY #3 (2018): Watching the river flow
28 Aug 2018 | 1 min read
Although there were no photographers and phone photos allowed at the recent Bob Dylan concert in Auckland, the promoters and Dylan's management provided images to the media to cover any articles written. Unfortunately none of them were of much visual relevance because they were not recent. (A selection came from 2009). But there such an interesting series of images of the very young... > Read more
BOB DYLAN, PLUGGING IN, 1965-66; PHOTO ESSAY #2 (2018): Getting that wild mercury sound
28 Aug 2018 | 2 min read
Although there were no photographers and phone photos allowed at the recent Bob Dylan concert in Auckland, the promoters and Dylan's management provided images to the media to cover any articles written. Unfortunately none of them were of much visual relevance because they were not recent. (A selection came from 2009). But there such an interesting series of images of the very young... > Read more
BOB DYLAN, FOLKSINGER 1962-64; PHOTO ESSAY #1 (2018): Long ago, far away
27 Aug 2018 | 1 min read
Although there were no photographers and phone photos allowed at the recent Bob Dylan concert in Auckland, the promoters and Dylan's management provided images to the media to cover any articles written. Unfortunately none of them were of much visual relevance because they were not recent. (A selection came from 2009). But there such an interesting series of images of the very young... > Read more
THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC MONTH SUMMIT (2018): Confronting Issues in the Music Industry
13 May 2018 | 6 min read
May, being the long established month to celebrate and promote New Zealand music, is also the right time to take a close look beneath the surfaces. As with the wider world, the New Zealand music industry is needing to come terms with issues which affect it, and the musicians, managers, promoters, producers and others within it. On Saturday May 26 int the Herald Theatre at the Aotea... > Read more
VINYL VINYL VINYL (2018): Record Store Day at Southbound
13 Apr 2018 | 1 min read | 1
Although Record Store Day -- this year Saturday April 21 -- has become a commercial enterprise with limited edition vinyl of records you probably don't need by major artists cashing in, there is still something quite exciting about the buzz around it . . . and of course an excellent catalogue of albums on freshly minted vinyl which you actually do want. Southbound Records in Auckland... > Read more
MUSIC MANAGERS AWARD (2018): You're on in five. Jeez, where's Dave!
13 Apr 2018 | 1 min read
Now in its 14th year, the NZ Music Managers Awards acknowledge those who are there to ensure the artists get to shine under the lights, under take a tour, are organised and their music comes to your attention. It can be a big job (like rounding up cats by sheepdog I imagine) so we should al acknowledge these people and on the night of the awards (held at The Tuning Fork in Auckland on... > Read more
FIVE FRENCH ALBUMS I'M SURPRISED I OWN (2017): Voulez-vous ecouter avec moi, ce soir?
19 Mar 2018 | 5 min read | 1
There's actually a very simple reason I have a large box of albums by French artists like Leo Ferrer and Serge Reggiani, as well as couple of dozen 10'' EPs and about 50 singles. The School of Music at the University of Auckland was culling their vinyl and offered these free to a good home. No one else seemed interested and my home is good enough for me, so . . . The 10'' and... > Read more
THE LINE-UP FOR THE AUCKLAND CITY LIMITS FESTIVAL 2018: Bigger, better, back and Beck
18 Feb 2018 | 1 min read
The inaugural Auckland City Limits Festival two years ago was one of the better -- and best organised -- festivals in the city, perhaps because many of the key players behind it had been involved in the last few Big Day Out events. So they knew what to do . . . and what not to do. Held in spacious Western Springs with stages far enough apart so there was very little bleed of sound, and... > Read more
THE LANEWAY FESTIVAL 2018: The line-up and running times
22 Jan 2018 | <1 min read
The now-annual St Jerome Laneway's Festival in Auckland has put itself about a bit, but last year found an ideal home at Albert Park in the centre of the city. This year's event, there again, takes place this coming Monday, which is a holiday, Auckland Anniversary Day. Elsewhere has offered preview and review coverage in the past and here we offer the line-up and running times,... > Read more
VOLUME SOUTH @ MIT
10 Dec 2017 | 1 min read
The success of the Volume: Making Music in Aotearoa exhibition at the Auckland War Memorial Museum -- where visitor number exceeded predictions and feedback was almost unanimously favourable -- is encouraging for those who would love to see a permanent museum of New Zealand popular music. It also, even before it had done its run -- encouraged many involved to think about an off-shoot... > Read more
PLEASE PLEASE ME; THE POTENCY OF MUSIC (an essay, 2014)
30 Oct 2017 | 11 min read
About three years ago I was invited to write a chapter in a very academic book entitled Soundscapes of Well Being in Popular Music. It was being edited by – among others – Professor Robin Kearns of the Geography Department in the School of Environment at the University of Auckland. Although I am a contracted lecturer in the School of Music at the same university (and yes, I... > Read more
WEARING THEIR ART ON THE SLEEVES (2017): Finalists for best album cover at the VNZMAs
11 Oct 2017 | 1 min read
Despite the predilection for streaming services where the music is detached from any visual image the artist might have had in mind, the art of the album cover is not dead and – with the slow but steady return of the vinyl record – an album cover can still speak visually for the music. And so it is only right that we salute at our annual music awards those who conceive and... > Read more
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ANDREW STAFFORD, WRITER AND LABEL OWNER INTERVIEWED (2017): Going global in our own backyard #2
28 Aug 2017 | 3 min read
With the Going Global Music Summit about to land on our shores -- at various venues and locations in Auckland this coming weekend Sept 1 and 2 (for details opf speakers, artists and events see the link below), it is timely to let some of the delegates have their say about their experiences in the music industry, what sounds shake their tree, what's going in their world and maybe reveal... > Read more
THE OTHERS WAY FESTIVAL (2017) Times and other things
27 Aug 2017 | <1 min read
The now annual Others Way Festival in Auckland is a showcase for young and up'n'coming bands alongside a diverse range of more established artists. Spread over a number of venues in central city -- and coinciding with the Going Global Music Summit this Friday (Sept 1) -- this year sees the re-formed Sneaky Feelings (with a new album under their belts to be released on the day) among the... > Read more
LARS BRANDLE of BILLBOARD INTERVIEWED (2017): Going global in our backyard #1
27 Aug 2017 | 4 min read
With the Going Global Music Summit about to land on our shores -- at various venues and locations in Auckland this coming weekend Sept 1 and 2 (for details opf speakers, artists and events see the link below), it is timely to let some of the delegates have their say about their experiences in the music industry, what sounds shake their tree, what's going in their world and maybe reveal... > Read more
LED ZEPPELIN MASTERS (2017): The songs better remain the same
21 Aug 2017 | 1 min read
Elsewhere has made no secret of its sneaking admiration for tribute shows. The audience's expectation of authenticity and commitment has driven most of the lesser players out of the market and – removing the kitsch factor of Bjorn Again – there's something strange, disconcerting but ultimately quite enjoyable about seeing someone being someone else and dressing in that... > Read more
THE CITY UNDER THE SKY (2017): Images of Oslo, Norway
24 Jul 2017 | 1 min read
Although Norway is rightly known for its fjords and towering landscapes, the capital city Oslo was established around flatter land. That means that when in the city itself or even at one of the higher points in the mountains nearby -- for example at the extraordinary ski slope run built at Holmenkollen just 30 minutes from the city centre by train -- there is more sky to seen than there is... > Read more
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET REVIEWED (2017): Don't knock this rock
10 Jun 2017 | 3 min read
Here's the thing: ignore the nay-sayers, the smarter-than-thou critics and those who haven't seen this stage show but will be prepared to be dismissive in advance. Of course this isn't what it was like in late '56 when Elvis Presley and his girlfriend, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis joined in on a Carl Perkins' session in Sam Phillips' Sun Studio in Memphis. But to criticise... > Read more
THE 2017 VODAFONE PACIFIC MUSIC AWARDS: And the winners are . . . all of us
2 Jun 2017 | 4 min read
The stars seemed to be in a particularly auspicious alignment for this year’s Pacific Music Awards, held at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau: the 55th anniversary of Samoan independence, Samoan Language Week, the global success of the film Moana which put Pacific faces on the screen for young Pasifika to celebrate and the sound of the region into the ears of its global audience... > Read more