The Famous Elsewhere Questionnaire
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THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE SONGWRITER QUESTIONNAIRE: Bill Morris
15 Jun 2015 | 4 min read
Not many New Zealand musicians could pull a quote about themselves from the influential American magaine No Depression, and certainly not one as glowing as that about Bill Morris. “He’s thousands of miles from Nashville, " wrote John Apice, "but even those songwriters would not want to get into the ring with a heavyweight like Bill Morris. If they did,... > Read more
Gold Light (In the Palm of My Hands)
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE SONGWRITER QUESTIONNAIRE: Aly Cook
12 Jun 2015 | 3 min read
Aly Cook should need no introduction given how many nominations she's had for best female country artist (five) or because of how she turns her skills as a publicist to her own advantage. She is all over social media, sends out interesting newsletters (she's so much on the move they read like travelogues) and just keeps writing and playing. If she isn't as well known in her homeland... > Read more
Western Line
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE SONGWRITER QUESTIONNAIRE: Sally Stockwell
15 May 2015 | 2 min read
While it's easy to be dismissive of actors moving into the world of music (does anyone yearn for the return of Keanu Reeves in Dogstar?), there have been some creditable and credible results from thespians and screen stars writing and recording their own music. And into that crossover now steps actress Sally Stockwell who is best known for appearances on New Zealand television shows... > Read more
Lair
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE JAZZ QUESTIONNAIRE: David Long
13 May 2015 | 3 min read
Those who have followed the by-ways of David Long's busy life might wonder why this award-winning producer, composer and guitarist-without-portfolio – who was a founder member of the Muttonbirds, has composed scores for Peter Jackson films, is a member of Plan 9, his music appearing in the current NZ doco The Ground We Won and he has written for dance and theatre – should here... > Read more
Holy Grottoe
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE JAZZ QUESTIONNAIRE: Alan Brown
11 May 2015 | 6 min read
Auckland-based keyboard player and composer Alan Brown has been around the New Zealand jazz scene for decades in groups like Blue Train and the Grand Central Band, has toured and played with the likes of Nathan Haines and Caitlin Smith and of course helmed his own trio . . . as well as passing on the message through his teaching. But his new album Silent Observer takes a quieter turn and is... > Read more
Abandoned Fences
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE SONGWRITER QUESTIONNAIRE: Robin Nathan
4 May 2015 | 3 min read
Over here at Elsewhere we don't have little ones but that doesn't stop us enjoying children's books and sometimes even music aimed at the wee folk. Our favourite local artist making music for kids – which adults don't have to endure but can actually enjoy – is Wellingtonian Robin Nathan, producer of Fatcat and Fishface albums as well as fleabiteBITE. The lyrics are... > Read more
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE SONGWRITER QUESTIONNAIRE: Jody Direen
20 Apr 2015 | 2 min read
Wanaka-based Jody Direen is the new face and new voice of New Zealand's mainstream (but post-Taylor Swift) country music scene. Elsewhere spoke to her last year (here) and mentioned at that time her single Loud had gone to number four on the Australian country music charts, and that she had been spotted by Bear Grylls team when singing in Wanaka. She spent six months in the States... > Read more
Adreenaline
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE SONGWRITER QUESTIONNAIRE: Fraser and Naomi Browne of Paper Cranes
6 Apr 2015 | 4 min read
The Japanese writing on the cover of the debut album album by Auckland's Paper Cranes (and the band name, of course) alert you to the fact that there is something a little different about them. Singer Naomi was born and brought up in Japan and in performance they deftly (and discreetly deploy Japanese flute). That debut album The Road Home caught Elsewhere's heart recently (see here)... > Read more
Tillsammans, Futaride
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE SONGWRITER QUESTIONNAIRE: Joel Fafard
1 Apr 2015 | 3 min read
Let's be honest here: Not many people in New Zealand would have heard of long-running Canadian singer-songwriter Joel Fafard who writes his own material but is also rooted in Southern blues and folk. He's not only very good, he's been doing this for more than a decade, has a brace of albums behind him, tells a good story between songs and back home has picked up awards. So Elsewhere is... > Read more
Jitterbug Swing
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE SONGWRITER QUESTIONNAIRE: Sharon Corr
30 Mar 2015 | 4 min read
The first thing that is surprising about Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sharon Corr is that she is 45. For someone who has been touring and recording for 25 years she is astonisingly well preserved. The other thing however is that she is a very classy songwriter and her two solo albums since the family band the Corrs called it a day a decade ago (a hiatus, not a break-up... > Read more
Smalltown Boy
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE SONGWRITER QUESTIONNAIRE: Jamie McDell
23 Mar 2015 | 3 min read
Although 22-year old singer-songwriter Jamie McDell from Auckland (or Raglan if there's good weather) is often characterised as a poster girl for healthy living, the outdoor life and eco-consciousness, it's also worth remembering she is an accomplished songwriter whose debut album Six Strings and a Sailboat won her the Tui for the best pop album of 2013 (and she was nominated for breakthrough... > Read more
Fly Honeys
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE QUESTIONNAIRE: Emma Davey
13 Mar 2015 | 2 min read
A couple of weeks back Wellington singer-songwriter Emma Davey could happily buy a slightly better quality bottle of supermarket wine because her debut album The Court of Love was sitting on the New Zealand music chart in the top 10. While the jazz-influenced title track might have reflected back on her work with vocalist Dave Feehan and her appearances at the Tauranga Jazz Festival,... > Read more
Damaged Man
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE QUESTIONNAIRE: Quail State aka Jono Aidney
3 Mar 2015 | 4 min read
Jono Aidney who performs as Quail State has been through illness and itinerancy, but now back in his hometown of Auckland he has posted his debut album, Volcano Hazards of Auckland, at bandcamp (here) and launches it this Friday, see poster below. Aidney is an articulate guy and that comes through in his focused, gritty and pretty terrific dark take on power pop. And also in what he has to... > Read more
Idle Hands
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE SONGWRITER QUESTIONNAIRE: Nick Mc Grath of Sparrow Thieves
23 Feb 2015 | 2 min read
Last week Elsewhere was pleased to introduce, Lethargic Caffeine, the debut album by Southland's Sparrow Thieves noting gthat it betrayed a maturity of songwriting and an economy of pop-rock into power-pop style. It seemed natural therefore to flick Nick McGrath the band's main songwriter our specially framed songwriter's questionnaire. And needless to say his comments as as interesting... > Read more
Golden Age of the Gas Station
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE QUESTIONNAIRE: Sharon Van Etten
11 Feb 2015 | 2 min read
Although Sharon Van Etten has only made one prior appearance at Elsewhere (the very favourable review of her 2012 album Tramp) the New York singer-songwriter has long been one of our favourites for her highly literate rock which has its roots in folk. Her most recent album Are We There (deliberately without the question mark) has picked up the best reviews of her career, so to see her in... > Read more
Every Time The Sun Comes Up
THE FAMOUS JAZZ ELSEWHERE QUESTIONNAIRE: Andrew Hall of Spiral
2 Feb 2015 | 2 min read
With influences from across the pop and rock spectrum within the context of their jazz, the large ensemble Spiral -- which had its origins on Auckland's West Coast -- present something rather different than the expected. The collective experience of the members includes time with Batucada Sound System, the Rodger Fox Big Band and Hayley Westenra, as well appearances at Montreux, the... > Read more
Pick Me Up
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE QUESTIONNAIRE: Jarii Von Gohl of DYSE
26 Jan 2015 | 2 min read
The noisy German duo DYSE -- drummer/singer Jarii Van Gohl and guitarist/singer Andrej Dietrich -- make what one new fan on Facebook described as "maths rock". And that sums it up: disciplined, angular, abrupt stops and starts, rigorously worked out . . . They make sometimes thrilling racket and at other times edge out into what you might call prog-metal. And for just two... > Read more
Reudikamm
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE REGGAE QUESTIONNAIRE: Logan Bell of Katchafire
24 Dec 2014 | 2 min read
Elsewhere has long held the view that Hamilton reggae band Katchafire have been the hardest working band in the country. Three gigs on one Waitangi Day alone tells you how committed they are. But having played around this country -- and recording a series of excellent albums -- they also took flight and have toured in Australia and the US. Oh, and Brazil. It's been more than a decade... > Read more
Seek Ye
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE REGGAE QUESTIONNAIRE: Etana
12 Dec 2014 | 2 min read
By happy chance, we received a reply from Etana to our Famous Elsewhere Reggae Questionnaire . . . and a year ago she had answered our Famous Elsewhere Questionnaire. But she's a star and the questions are of course different (and where they are the same it is interesting to compare her answers) so let's give the Jamaican soul-reggae queen another shot at it . . . and anyway she's got a new... > Read more
THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE REGGAE QUESTIONNAIRE: Fiji
4 Dec 2014 | 2 min read
He's called Fiji because he comes from . . . err, Hawaii actually. George Veikoso aka reggae/r'n'b man Fiji -- who is of Fijian heritage -- has been a regular touring artist around the Pacific Rim, has released a swag of albums in the past two decades (see here), and is an advocate for the specifically Pacific sound. "If you’re going to be a Pacific Islander artist,” he... > Read more