What the Folk!

Wow, Turnip! To quote H,

My favorite NZ bands are Crowded House(anything with Neil Finn), The Phoenix Foundation(and all solo efforts) and FOTC. Of course, Crowded House is kinda a given, but their music still moves me.

Indy will have a more impressive list for you---stand by---

What?

I seemed to have developed a reputation ...


Dude. Seriously. Check out Age Pryor. By far my all-time favorite musician. There's just something about his music and his voice that just does it for me. Instant connection. I would start with City Chorus, which I believe is available on itunes. It's still my favorite album, although his Shank's Pony has some real beauties, as well.

I absolutely second Turnip's recommendation of Fly My Pretties, although I'd probably suggestion going with the Return of Fly My Pretties (which was the second concert series they did) first and shelling out for the CD/DVD package from NZ. It's got a CD of the concert, along with a DVD of the concert and the DVD is such a thing of beauty. It's a great stepping stone to get you interested in other NZ musos, like Hollie Smith and Adi Dick.

It's also got Module, but it's Module in his classical piano version, versus his electronic stuff. And then if you follow the Module path, that can take you to Rhian Sheehan, who does gorgeous atmospheric electronic stuff and does stuff with Module, too. That can lead you to Jess Chambers (singing in that particular song), which can take you to Woolshed Sessions, as well as Jess's own new solo album (which I don't have yet).

And if you follow all of them, that will take you to Gramsci/Paul McLaney. Paul McLaney has the voice of an angel. Absolutely stunning and powerful and makes you tingle all over and bring tears to your eyes. His album Edin is absolutely incredible.

Fat Freddy's Drop, a hearty second of Turnip's recommendation

I've also become a bit of a fan of Solaa, who do a bit of a range of funk, soul and rap that is really appealing:
Solaa featuring Hollie Smith (more of a rap sound)
Solaa featuring Ladi6 with more of a soul sound
Solaa with Hollie Smith again, with more of a funk vibe

I haven't even gotten to Twinset or Grandprix or Bachelorette ... I'll get to those later today. Must run to the market and get some stinky cheese and okra!

WOW. Thank you all sooooo much for the recommendations! Turnip and Indigo, you gals rock, and that's a fact. Discovering new music makes me so gleefully happy. I will definitely be checking these out soon.

I'll try not to unleash too much sentimentality on y'all, but I don't think I can accurately say how much joy the Conchords, learning about NZ, and especially this site and you ladies have brought me in the last couple months. I know for sure there's not a better, nicer, more welcoming and helpful group of people anywhere on the internet, and I'm just delighted to know you all.

"New Zealand's own Paul McCartney" hahahahahaha. I love Crowded House. I've loved them since I was a kid. When I was a freshman in high school they were playing and I wanted to go see them and this boy who was a senior asked me if I wanted to go with him and ohhhhh I wanted to go but my mom wouldn't let me. That's cause she's a meanny and was horrible and didn't want her 13 year old daughter hanging out with an 18 year old senior..... Anyway, that's my story of how I never saw them because I had a mean mom hahahahaahahahahaha (Mind you she was sooooo not a mean mom and I had almost no rules, she was just being protective.)

Thank you so much, Val. The feeling is mutual.
The joy factor is the main reason I hang out here so much, and learning more about the guys' native soil brings me much joy as well.

I haz warm fuzzy feelings. Big ones. You can lay your joy on me, baby, because I'm deeply, embarrassingly sentimental. No, like, for real. I sob at life insurance commercials. It's bad.


Indigo Jones, you are amazing. AMAZING. I love Rhian, too. I found his stuff through his remix of What We Need on the Black Seeds' Pushed. His stuff is just electrifying. His Cosmology is one of my most-played songs over the last year. So trippy, so good. I am dyyyyyyyying for him to get his new album out. He and Fat Freddy's Drop are severely testing my patience, I'm tellin' ya. The Turnip does not wait well.

And Bachelorette. Oh. My. Goodness.

Oh, I am in love with Bachelorette. I've been on a major kick of hers for the last couple of days. I woke up on New Year's Day, with the world all misty and frosted outside my window, and just felt this intense physical craving for her stuff. I've been playing Pebbles & Dirt over and over until I can feel those harmonies vibrating through my veins. I could not possibly love her music more. Thank you and your wonderful musical guide for switching me on and plugging me in. Life is better now.

Tunip, do you have Rhian's Remixed album? I'm listening to it right now, specifically Te Karanga featuring Anika Moa. I love this song. So ethereal. I also love Age's remix of Miles Away, as well as the original of Miles Away. Gorgeous song with Paul McLaney singing. I used to love listening to Rhian while floating in the big bathtub we had that had a skylight over it. His music is like floating in space in a warm bath, as I believe he puts it.

Oh! Another one to check out is Ryan Prebble, one of the many infamous Prebbles. One of his brothers, Dr. Lee Prebble, is heavily involved in the Black Seeds.

Also check out Barnaby Weir's (black seeds, fly my pretties) solo album he did as Flash Harry. This particular song is used at the end of the Return of Fly My Pretties DVD for the credits, when the band performed it live. It's impossible to not boogie at least a little when they play it.

Thrashing Marlin is another great one. The first song I linked to is one of my absolute favorites.

Really, I could go on and on. I keep remembering stuff! The kicker is that most of this stuff is primarily just Wellington. Then there's the whole Auckland music scene, Dunedin, Christchurch, etc. ...

Heh, I'm from Napier. Wellington's my home now, and I love it heaps as.

Cool. So you're our contact for potential FOTC sightings now that the boys are back home eh?

Heaps as, bro!

mmmmmm what a lovely warm beautiful thread, I need a cosy armchair, WIUO EP playing, and a drink, to fully appreciate all this. I know very little about NZ and now I want to know loads!!!! Merci le Navet!!!
And I too am rather impressed that beck is back, having read her posts before I finally joined a year ago!!

A few weeks ago on HGTV's (I LOVE HGTV) House Hunters International there was a couple relocating to New Zealand. Oh MAN was that TV candy. They showed the towns around they were looking at and the houses and the beach and oh dream dream dream!

Oh, I saw one of those NZ episodes! Yeah, there was a lot of drooling on my part.

Was it the family with the young twin boys and they bought the A frame house where grandad lived next door? I've seen a whopping total of 2 House Hunters from NZ. I wish they'd do more there. I love House Hunters BTW, I'm totally addicted.