Family

https://youtu.be/W8YkLqx3wUk

 

I absolutely love singing with my family.  We often get together to perform gigs, mostly for charity events performing in Upper Hutt.  We usually spend a couple of hours a week going over harmonies and any new songs. It’s always the best part for me – the get together. We always have a good laugh!  

We have all been incredibly lucky to have enjoyed a childhood full of music and with solo careers.  It’s completely different singing with your own blood, they know you at your core and love you unconditionally.

My father is our teacher and continues to this day making sure we sing in tune.  I don’t have kids.  My brother Mark taught his son Steve guitar.   He is now an awesome guitarist.  Hopefully my nieces and nephews will go on to teach their kids in the future and continue our family tradition.  Music has been a true gift in our lives.

Music is a language and expression of the soul.

3rd Album

t’s been a busy few months writing, performing and meeting great people in the NZ Music Industry. Making plans and navigating the digital landscape to work out how I fit back here into the NZ music scene.

I’ve decided it was about time I recorded a third album. After a decade it’s a big step forward. At first, I was reluctant but once I started to focus and write I realized it’s not yet time to hang up my hat – do we musicians ever?

I’ve been busy listening, learning and getting back up to speed with ProTools. I was fortunate in London to have my own home studio but eventually gave it up because I found I wasted too much time trying to find the perfect ‘snare’ or ‘kick’ which detracts from the songwriting.   In the end I sold it all and made a pact to only write songs acoustically either on the guitar, accapella or on the piano only. I know if a song doesn’t sound good on it’s own, without the perfect kick or snare’, the song will never work regardless of how much reverb you throw at it.

So my new set at home is now very minimal – Protools, guitars, a MIDI keyboard, my acoustic piano, mikes and minimal sphagetti junction. Last weekend I finished a new song with a click, to keep me in time, recorded the acoustic piano and then worked on the vocal. That’s enough to take to the studio and let the masters of ‘engineering and production’ take over and turn it into something worth listening to.

I’ve setup a crowdfunding campaign with PledgeMe.co.nz to raise money for this album. It feels a bit weird, it’s not my nature to ask for money, but apparently it’s how most musicians here in NZ get the job done.  And I really want to do this album. So I’m  hoping people will donate and want to hear more of my songs recorded.   A big thank you if you decide to throw some money my way ….. Hopefully I will make it worth your while.

NZ Music

I’ve been meeting a lot of NZ musicians recently and what I often hear is the comment ‘No one is making money in the NZ Music Industry any more’.  Our industry has changed radically over the past 20 years and is continuing to change at such a fast pace that it’s almost impossible to pin point a solution.  Nowadays music is mostly free via the internet with streaming sites – Soundcloud, AppleMusic, Spotify – so why ‘BUY’.

WHY BUY? ….. because unless NZ music is bought we run the risk of eventually there being no music made in New Zealand.   It will be a case of – “Can the last musician to leave NZ please turn off the lights”.   NZ musicians struggle up against the overseas acts.

Please support NZ music and keep NZ singing.  Keep NZ musicians entertaining their people.

Next time you buy your coffee think about spending a couple of dollars to help support the NZ musicians that you want to hear more of.   It now becomes a conscious decision to BUY your favorite Kiwi music supporting homegrown musicians.

Keep NZ Music Alive and it will help keep you alive.