Live to Air

Over all the years I've been involved with making radio programmes some of the most thrilling moments have been when I've had a musician or band just inches away from me performing live, while I've been trying to capture the energy and get it on air. And I also like hearing live music on the radio. Maybe it's the tension of knowing there's no second take and the unknown factor of nor knowing just who is listening that means so many live to air performances positively crackle. In this episode I feature recording of live-to-air performances, some of which I've been involved with, and others that have either been commercially released or I've come across as a radio listener.

On Waiheke Island,my home town, Three Legged Horse, now sadly gone, were a revelation on the local music scene. For years it seemed all you could hear were middle aged guys playing the blues but Three Legged Horse came along and they were something else. They had a grungy, angsty edge courtesy of songwriter Bede Taylor, anchored by the talented playing of Aaron Carpenter and fronted by stellar vocalist Gina Higham. They left behind a stunningly good album, Down, which can be bought at the band's bandcamp page. At Waiheke Radio we were huge fans of the band and they helped us out with fundraisers and the like. We got them in for a live-to-air session for New Zealand music month in 2009 (picture above by Pumicehead) and as well as original material asked them to perform a kiwi cover. Aaron was still listening to the tune on an ipod when he arrived but when the Horse played The Rock and Roll Machine's 'Slave' the performance was electric.

Do you remember cassettes. The other day I stumbled upon a box of them that included a couple of cassettes of live-to-air recordings that I'd taped off the radio in the days before the internet and podcasts. I'd actually completely forgotten that I had taped a live-to-air by Body Bomb, a Dunedin band active in the mid nineties. They were a live favourite of mine who played extremely loud punk rock that pinned you to the back wall. As well as the live track featured on the podcast you can find a Body Bomb track on the website of band leader Victor Billot. The band also featured Tristan Dingemans of HDU but unfortunately the rest of the band members identities elude my memory.

Fatal Jelly Space were a great Auckland band who released one great EP titled Hole on Flying Nun in 1990. They were a staunchly feminist outfit and a ferocious (if not somewhat scary) phenomenon live striking fear into the hearts of many. Around the turn of the century Bob Dylan played the god-awful North Shore Events Centre in Takapuna, Auckland. Ordinarily that wouldn't have grabbed me, but supporting him was none other than Patti Smith. As soon as I heard that I was there. She was better than I can describe here and I went away very happy. On the way back into town to catch the last ferry to Waiheke we saw someone hitching we recognised as coming from the island. We picked her up and got chatting and it turned out this fellow Patti Smith fan was Frankie Fatal of Fatal Jelly Space. So anyway, in 2003 I was putting together a series of live-to-air performances on Waiheke Island radio station, The Beach to mark NZ Music Month. I remembered that late night hitch-hiking encounter and approached Frankie about performing. She agreed, playing a great set of new songs and revisiting one of the tracks from the Hole EP, 'Miseriah'.

Between 200o and 2002 Auckland alternative radio station bFM, long-time champions of NZ music, released a series of three CDs of recordings of live-to-air performances broadcast by the station titled Live and Direct Vol. 1 - 3. Most of the tracks were cherry picked from the station's NZ Music week specials, when they would broadcast dozens of live-to-airs over a week. Vol. 1 featured recordings from 2000, a year before Cassette released their classic Emo EP. Where Emo was all slow, Neil Youngesque country rock, 'Marty Squire', the live song featured on Live and Direct Vol. 1 is a much rockier affair, signposting a direction the band would take on later releases.

Another legendary live-to-air performance on Waiheke Radio came from Tank and Pump, the band that emerged following the end of Three Legged Horse. Frontman and songwriter Bede Taylor gathered an eight piece behemoth around him, unleashing new levels of rock ecstasy upon the island. They pulled out all the stops when they crammed into Waiheke Radio's 3 x 3 m office (pictured above, photo by Pumicehead) and delivered an amazing hour long on-air live performance. They've since kept up their reputation as a phenomenal live outfit, most recently performing with celebrity fan John Hawkesby.

Whether it's on DAT in the back room cupboard of radio stations, or boxes of cassettes in the attic of music fans like me, I get the feeling there are many, many amazing live performances of New Zealand bands floating around out there and I think it's time we dug them out and had another listen.

Download the Counting The Beat - Live-to-Air podcast

Don't miss the next episode of Counting The Beat: Counting The Beat Podcast RSS

The Ones That Got Away

Sometimes I feel like there's almost too much music to listen to. And that means I miss things that deserve greater attention. In this episode I go back and take a listen to some recent-ish releases that I overlooked. They're the ones that got away.

I've been a fan of Bachelorette since her first E.P., The End of Things, but her new album My Electric Family is the release that I've always hoped she would put out. Annabel Alpers engaging tech-pop songs have often touched on themes of isolation and humanity's interaction with technology and reflecting that her music has been mainly solo with just her and her synthesisers. However, as indicated in the title, on My Electric Family Alpers is joined by musicians from Cassette and HDU and as a result the songs are more expansive and richer in texture than past releases. This album has also attracted Bachelorette overseas attention and has been released on US label Drag City. I've posted some Bachelorette clips on the video page and you'll find a National Radio interview here.

That Bachelorette album features members of the band Cassette. Cassette's debut E.P. Emo, released in 2000, was a classic, it's Neil Young like country rock was super laid back with a subtle underlying groove. It was a long wait until the debut album Cut For Summer came out in 2006 but the band had lost none of it's appeal in the meantime. The Cancer E.P. came out in 2008 and then with almost unseemly haste Cassette released their second album The Jingle King earlier this year. Cassette's slow laid back approach is still there along with the groove but songs now build into waves of blissful guitar.

A Low Hum, run by Blink, has been responsible for nurturing and giving opportunity to many emerging artists over recent years through the A Low Hum magazine and CD series, the acclaimed Camp A Low Hum, and releasing CDs and digital downloads from a small roster of artists. A Low Hum releases and events have always been noted for going the extra mile for their imagination and aesthetics. Earlier this year A Low Hum released a digital sampler comprising high quality digital downloads with limited release hand-printed posters. The sampler features Disasteradio, Secret Knives, Mount Pleasant, Ropes, Nikky Brinkman and Over The Atlantic. I've put some Over the Atlantic clips on the video page.

Finally, something brand new. The Mint Chicks recently released their third album Screens. The band have just released a brand new, untitled song on their website. To hear it you need to visit the site and simultaneously play for video clips which together make up the visuals and audio of the song. It takes a bit of buffering but it's worth checking out.

Download the Counting The Beat - One That Got Away July 09 podcast

Don't miss the next episode of Counting The Beat: Counting The Beat Podcast RSS

New Releases March 09

Bratty teen no-wave noise-pop band Moron Says What?! won a few fans with their song Wikipedia which I featured on the Computer Games episode of Counting the Beat. They have also built a reputation as an energetic and exciting live act, although they've divided audiences with some declaring them awesome and some just plain annoying. The band have just released an E.P., the Pop Up E.P., which can be ordered through their myspace page. (Live Moron Says What?! clip on the video page)


Another band with a solid live reputation are Clap Clap Riot. They have also just released an E.P. TV Knows Better. It's good without being groundbreaking, with five catchy guitar driven songs influenced by early 80s British post punk indie. The E.P. should appeal to fans of Cut Off Your Hands and Collapsing Cities. Check out the video for 'Don't Want Your baby' on the video page. Also worth viewing is the Clap Clap Riot Red Bull Session.

Head Like A Hole, a band with a fearsome live reputation that I have many fond memories of, are the latest band to jump on the reunion touring bandwagon. However the line-up touring does not include Tom Watson, who joined the band for their third album and added a welcome melodic element to live performances. Watson has been busy though, working on a new album with his laid back county rock outfit Cassette. Their debut E.P. Emo is a classic and the first album Cut For Summer, while not making a big splash, is also excellent. The first song to be released from the upcoming album Jingle King, 'Our Dream' indicates that the new L.P. is another one to look forward to.

I'm a big fan of covers of New Zealand songs by kiwi acts so I was excited when I heard about Loon-A-Tiki, an E.P. of kiwi covers by Labretta Suede and the Motel Six, a 50's influenced full on good time rock and roll band. The band tackle everything from 195os hit Haka Boogie to 80s punk from Sticky Filth. Also well worth checking out is the bands album Not Food Hungry. You can also hear Labretta showcase her favourite music each Friday on bfm. I've put some Labretta Suede videos on the http://countingthebeat.blogspot.com/2008/01/sound-and-vision.html.


Download the Counting The Beat - New Releases Mar 09 podcast

Extended Play - New Releases June 08

These days with cheap recording and CDs that can hold 80 minutes of music some releases just go on and on. But, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. That's why I like the EP as way for artists to present their music. Short and sharp, all killer, no filler. But with enough space to present some different ideas and styles. Some of my favourite NZ releases ever have been EPs - The Gordons Futureshock EP, The Tall Dwarfs Slugbuckethairybreathmonster, The 3Ds Swarthy Songs for Swabs. So I'm pleased that bands and musicians are still putting out EPs. There may even be a bit of a resurgance. This episode features new releases that are all EPs.

Just a few months ago I was wondering whatever happened to Gin Wigmore, who in 2004, as a teenager, won the prestigious International Songwriting Competition. She disappeared from view but mere minutes after I said that she was sadly lost she re-emerged with her first release, an EP on a major label called Extended Play. NZ has no shortage of female singer-songwriters at the moment, but what sets Wigmore apart is her extraordinary voice, the kind that polarises opinion. I'm firmly in the "love it" camp and I'm impressed by this EP, where the songs place that voice alongside strings and piano but in a way that doesn't sound too lush or overpowering. The EP includes a newly recorded version of the song that won the International Songwriting Competition, 'Hallelujah'.

Cassette are renowned for taking a long time between releases. There was something like a six year gap between their debut, the Emo EP, and album Cut For Summer. Now, a year or two later with what seems like unseemly haste for Cassette they have a new EP, Cancer. Well, not really new. The songs were actually recorded before the album but have been unreleased up till now. The EP is no collection of left-overs though. Cancer includes plenty of the kind of languid, laid-back, country rock that the band are so good at.

Also recently releasing EPs are lo-fi artist Bannerman who has recored an EP of pop songs featuring horns and strings, but using only one microphone, and young Christchurch dance-punks Bang Bang Eche who have a self titled EP out now. Both are great, although the Bang Bang Eche EP is really hard to track down. Why is it that so often I go to the record shop to buy a new kiwi release and its not stocked, even by the stores with huge and varied stock like Real grovvy or JB Hi Fi. (By the way I have no idea whether the band's name should be pronounced Bang Bang Ekk, Eek or Etch.) You can hear a live Bang Bang Eche song here and there are videos for both them and Bannerman on the video page.

Download the Counting The Beat - Extended Play podcast