Audio Potluck

For our final episode of Season 1. of Audio Potluck, Res Rapid brings the song Joe by Minus Title to the potluck table. Res describes the song as “positional” that is, representative of a moment in time in the Gisborne music scene and indeed in his own life.

It was the nineties and a bunch of young people were taking matters into their own hands, forming bands, putting on their own shows and finding venues in which they could perform for their friends.

In this episode of Audio Potluck, local guitar maestro Owen Vickers brings ‘Games We Play’ by Marching Orders to the potluck table. While Marching Orders, made up of Jackie Clarke, Martin Kirk, Russell Braithwaite, and Tony Murdoch were a band of the fleeting variety, they made a bang while they were together. This recording was taken from the Shazam Battle of the Bands in 1983 in which they placed third. They are a pretty fantastic example of the New Wave Synth-pop genre of the time and you guessed it, it was all going on right here in little old Gizzy!

In this edition of Audio Potluck, Aimee Milne brings along the track ‘Charade - Love Amongst Ruin Mix’ featuring Gisborne-born and raised Sandy Mill. Sandy Mill has worked with many well-known musicians both here in Aotearoa and in the UK over the course of her epic career including SJD, Dick Johnston and Pitch Black. While Sandy might have been pegged as a ‘dance diva’ her own five-track EP A Piece of Me released in 2019 was more Memphis soul and Blues.

This song however fits within the former category, though as Aimee Milne suggests here, this Love Amongst Ruin Mix would be most perfect the morning after a big night out dancing and not sleeping. Join Aimee Milne, Owen Vickers, Res Rapid and Nikki O’Connor here for Episode 16.

In Episode #14 of Audio Potluck Nikki O’Connor’s brings a song ‘Dark Park’ by the band QTPI formed by former Gisborne lad Arron Clark and Di Smith in Dunedin. A great example of the DIY aesthetic, the story goes that the band was so dedicated to their no-fi approach (presumably one step further than low-fi) that to they turned down the opportunity to record in a studio, sticking to the recording medium they knew would do their fritty punky DIY noise rock the most justice.

Kristine Walsh chose to bring ‘Rites of Spring’ by Flaming Stars along to the latest Audio Potluck not only because it’s a very fun piece of music, but also because of what it represents to her: the coming together of musicians to support each other and play together; a vital element in the creation of any happening ‘music scene’.  Flaming Stars were the original F-Star records band, made up of lyricist and vocalist Simon Vita, guitarist and composer Martin Kirk and Ross Revington on Bass. ‘Rites of Spring’ was one of the Flaming Stars’ first songs but the last one they ever recorded. Described as “devastating” live act, they won Battle of the Bands Gisborne in 1984.

Steven King aka Carrier recently released a couple of edits of the track Patterns 20 and Paulus McKinnon jumped on the opportunity to bring Edit A along to our latest Audio Potluck session. Pattern 20 can be described as a dreamy dub techno journey; an exploration of the dub end of minimal techno, it is sparse and spacious, with a repetitiousness that becomes a meditation. Join Paulus, Kristine Walsh and Nikki O'Connor for some in-depth discussions of process and it wouldn't be an Audio Potluck without a nostalgic wander down memory lane... 

Simon White from Oceanspace was 13 years old when he first heard Skankamelia at the A&P Show. We know that Simon is not alone when he talks about ‘Home’ by Skankamelia as a song he's often called upon when wanting to evoke that sense of home. Skankamelia is a band so inextricably connected to this place, whose music is carried in the hearts of so many people both here in the Tairāwhiti and all around the world. The title of this song says it all really...

Our Audio Potluck host Nikki O’Connor goes all out in this episode, bringing the full complement of pre-dinner drinks, nibbles, and an entrée to pave the way for her chosen song ‘Mata’ by Mountain Eater as well as providing a succulent foray into the song itself. Mountain Eater came into being in Dunedin around 2005 and is comprised of Tristan Dingemans and Gisborne locals Chris Livingston and Anaru Ngata.

In this episode of Audio Potluck Amanda Maclean brings along ‘First Kiss’ by Tyna Keelan, feat. Scribe to the potluck table. Tyna’s voice of honey and the sentiment of first love captured so sweetly in this beautiful ballad, may actually melt your heart. This episode is also a great chance to learn a little bit more about local performer Amanda Mclean as well as the place in which Tyna’s and Amanda’s lives have currently collided as tauira and kaiako - the Māori Performing Arts course at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.