Music

Making music at the film festival

It's Film Festival time again! Yep, the Tauranga leg of the New Zealand International Film Festival kicked off last night with a little bit of French magic,... Read More

Silver Jews and purple mountains

Songs can be deceptive; songs can mess up your mind. Because pretty much everything, however dark and dangerous, however sad and tragic, can sound good in a song.... Read More

Loserpalooza is coming!

There are two sides to Tauranga. It often seems - possibly with good reason - that we're locked in the musical mainstream, an unthreatening mixture of jazz,... Read More

Bringing the boogie to town

Time to celebrate, boogie-lovers - Jan Preston is coming to town! Or should I say, Jan Preston is coming back to town, since the woman they call Australia's... Read More

Searching for life downtown

Walking along Devonport Road is a sad experience these days. Perhaps it was a couple of weeks since I'd been in town but a few days ago when I strolled up... Read More

Bob and Bruce still busy

Let's check in with the old fellas today. It's something I do from time to time and specifically this week we're talking about Bruce and Bob. I guess... Read More

Spotlight on: the Grant Haua Trio

Ever wondered what happened to soul music? The stuff that makes you dance like an uninhibited child? It's on the comeback, as three local lads and seasoned musicians,... Read More

Music – from Matariki to the Mount

As Matariki events continue, calls are out to create a public holiday. This isn't a new thing. Just as Matariki rolls round annually so do voices asking for it... Read More

Mulling over movies with a warm wine

Music Plus is the name of the column so I tend to skip between a solid diet of music and a smorgasbord of related cultural food groups. This week we're munching... Read More

Country legends and folk concerts in NZ

So here we are on the long road back from winter; it'll be summer before you know it... Yep, last weekend marked the year's shortest day - June 22 - an auspicious... Read More

Reggae fever and three narcs

I write this just as the first line-up announcement for next year's One Love Festival has been made. And very impressive it is too. You've probably come across... Read More

Shirley Ryder is Lucy Star

I've written about Shirley Ryder a lot this year; today I'm writing about her again. Shirley is a singer, songwriter, YouTube presenter and producer, and a bunch... Read More