ACROSS THE DITCH In musical terms, and to Australia audiences, New Zealand may be best known for its indie exports (based around the Flying Nun label), the various pop shapes of Neil Finn and associates and heavier acts such as Shihad. Yet there is, and always has been, a fertile country & folk scene throughout … Continue reading
Darren Watson is a stalwart of the New Zealand blues scene with a lineage in the bands Chicago Smoke Shop and Midge Marsden Band. Primarily he’s cut his teeth as an electric guitarist and singer so this acoustic record is a departure from the template and as a result it feels like a special project. … Continue reading
2017 is pretty much done and dusted and it’s been another great year for Australian and New Zealand releases under the broad banner of Americana music. Our favourite album (and an EP) list takes in ethereal and eccentric folk music, raw alt-country, covers, spoken word and melancholic power pop – highlighting the range in … Continue reading
Post To Wire is excited to be co-presenting (with ABC Music, Select Music, We Manage) Henry Wagons‘ next run of shows this September, October and November – across Australia and New Zealand. Fresh off the plane from five weeks touring North America on the back of his new solo album After What I Did Last Night…, … Continue reading
Lyttleton is fast becoming the ground zero for contemporary country and folk music in New Zealand. From Marlon Williams to Aldous Harding, Tami Neilson to Julia Jacklin, The Sitting Room has been perfectly capturing New Zealand music for over a decade now and the latest album to emerge from the studio is singer/songwriter Nadia Reid‘s. … Continue reading
Josh Rennie-Hynes recently wound up his first New Zealand tour with a run through the South Island before a final show in Auckland. Here he continues his ups and sometimes downs with the local cuisine, nearly gets taken out by stingrays and does a lot of driving. Big thanks to Josh for documenting his time … Continue reading
The last 12 months have been a bountiful period for Americana releases in Australia and New Zealand. From debut albums to notable EPs, collaborations to albums recorded on the other side of the world, there was something for everyone and most importantly it showed our local scenes are going from strength to strength. The music … Continue reading
In New Zealand over the last five years there’s been a noticeable groundswell of talented alt-country/Americana songwriters and musicians releasing albums to rival the best coming from overseas. Tiny Ruins, The Eastern, Aldous Harding, Bernie Griffen, Tami Neilsen, Marlon Williams and Delaney Davidson have all garnered hard-earned critical acclaim and many have links with Lyttelton … Continue reading
Bernie Griffen won plenty of hearts and minds with the dark and emotive alt-country of his last album Everything So Far (2012), accompanied by his band The Grifters. Now he has replaced nearly all of them with a new line-up called The Thin Men and jumped tracks to a rockier (in its many different forms) … Continue reading
Brisbane singer/songwriter Josh Rennie-Hynes released his debut album February a few months ago before heading out around the country with some extensive touring. Now he’s venturing overseas for the first time, taking his folk and country sounds to New Zealand for a tour (in association with Post To Wire) that will cover most of the … Continue reading
Will Wood is the latest artist to release an album on the Lyttleton Records label out of the South Island of New Zealand. The label has already released Aldous Harding’s excellent debut plus the three volumes of Sad But True… featuring Delaney Davidson and Marlon Williams. Wood is Auckland based and his debut album Broken Man … Continue reading
Folk music comes in many styles and levels of intensity from brisk strumming and foot stomping to plaintiff torch song but it’s alway at its best when stripped back to its essence – words and accompanying raw instrumentation. On her debut album Lyttleton’s Aldous Harding (Hannah Harding) has a direct line to the heart and … Continue reading
Hollie Fullbrook’s debut album and other releases as Tiny Ruins have been critically lauded, as have her many live shows over the last few years. Brightly Painted One, her long overdue follow-up to Some Were Meant For Sea continues the exceptional journey of this New Zealand singer/songwriter whose reputation is now one that spans continents. … Continue reading
If you haven’t heard the other-worldly voice of New Zealander Marlon Williams you need to fix that immediately. Below you can check out his new single ‘Strange Things’, released today and presumably from a forthcoming and much anticipated solo album. It’s a lush and beautifully haunting song with ghostly backing vocals that highlights Williams’ voice and … Continue reading
On his 73rd birthday Bob Dylan has announced he is returning to Australia and New Zealand for a run of shows many of which are in relatively intimate theatre settings. Here’s the list of dates and venues plus a listen to the new Dylan track ‘Full Moon & Empty Arms’ from his forthcoming 2014 album … Continue reading
