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Hinerongonui Kingi is a multi-talented musician, writer, dancer, journalist and even a body builder!  There seems to be nothing she can’t do, and her positivity and optimism is inspiring.  Hailing from Rotorua, Hine started performing at a very young age and has already performed around the world.  We talk about her time in Dubai, her strategies in setting and realising her goals and her can-do approach.  Included in this episode is a little bit of information about our special upcoming 100th episode!  Dig in!

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Episode #98 is now available! Our guest is Rikki Morris.  Rikki is a highly respected, multitalented singer, songwriter, musician, producer & live sound engineer.  He joined Th’ Dudes as a roadie back in 1979 and went on to have a huge hit as a solo artist with the song Nobody Else.  He appeared on TV shows like 3.45 Live, Alive and Kicking, Get Your Act Together and Super City and he ran his recording studio The Bus (Depot) for many years.  His brother was the legendary musician and producer Ian Morris and later this year Rikki will honour his brother by stepping into his shoes, performing a finale tour with Th’ Dudes.  Rikki’s been sober for many years now and has remained open and candid about his recovery.  He’s one of the best live engineers out there and in addition to all of this, he’s also a really nice guy to hang out with.  Much of Rikki’s extensive career has already been covered, so we took a different approach and just had a conversation.  It’s what we do best.  Pull up a seat, order a Virgin Mary and get into it!  

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Dug Pinnick is the bassist and vocalist for legendary US band Kings X.  Kings X have been together for forty years and quickly became known and respected for their unique sound, their sophisticated musicianship and their powerful performances.  Their fans include Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament, The Police’s Andy Summers, Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil and many more.  Dug's journey has been one of constant struggle. He had a traumatic childhood and then had to find his way as a black man in America, a gay man in a religious environment all while trying to pursue a career in music.  We talk about his lyrics, his childhood, impostor syndrome and being an honest outspoken person.  We talk about the complications with the bands performance in front of 300,000 people at Woodstock 94 and we chat about the state of the world.  On the episode Dug says "It hasn't gotten worse than the 70s until the police come out with tear gas and rubber bullets."  Two weeks later George Floyd was murdered by a police officer, igniting riots across the US. Welcome to the groove machine!

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Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Aditya Kalyanpur began playing the Tabla as a toddler and his life since has been deeply immersed in his music.  He was trained by highly respected Tabla Maestro, the late Alla Rakha Khanand and by the time he was a teenager he was performing regularly and working as a session musician on albums and radio jingles.  In his early twenties Aditya was invited to record with The Rolling Stones and spent several days getting to know the band.  He soon moved to the US with no contacts and effectively started again.  In 2008 Aditya founded the New England School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and he would go on to record and perform with Katy Perry, Anoushka Shankar and Herbie Hancock. This episode is a celebration of Aditya Kalyanpur's incredible journey and a love letter to music.  

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Huia is a multi-talented music professional with many strings to her bow.  She's a singer / songwriter who performs in Te Reo Māori, she works at Kog Studio as publicist, she founded Integrity Promotions to look after the PR and management of performers, her Grandfather was artist & poet Rei Hamon and she's married to musician and mastering engineer Chris Chetland.  She's a hard working, strong minded and opinionated and she maintains those qualities while being kind, empathetic and absolutely hilarious.  We covered lots of big subjects and had many laughs in the process.  Buckle up!

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Musician Joel Haines grew up immersed in music and his journey establishing a career happened organically.  His father Kevin Haines and brother Nathan Haines are both highly respected musicians in their own right and all three of them have carved out impressive careers and gained high praise and respect from their peers.  (We had Nathan on the show a few years ago on Episode #14)  Joel has worked with artists like Hinewehi Mohi, Whirimako Black, Annie Crummer, Fiona McDonald, Maisey Rika, Cairo Knife Fight, The Straw People, Che Fu, Rikki Morris, and The Human Instinct and these days he spends most of his time composing music for film and television.  This is a fun and fascinating episode with an undeniable and ever humble talent.  Dive in!

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Today (May 12th, 2020) we've posted a special edition of the podcast with Dr Siouxsie Wiles.  Dr Wiles is a British microbiologist and science communicator who specialises in infectious diseases and bioluminescence.  She's been a regular expert voice in the New Zealand media throughout this pandemic, while juggling her professional and personal commitments.  

We recorded this episode a few days ago and my goal was to talk to her more specifically about the entertainment industry, when we might expect to be up and running again and how we can work strategically and safely going forward.  Dr Wiles was great to chat to and I hope this special short episode will be helpful to our creative communities.  

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Brad Stent is an entrepreneur, a filmmaker, a voice artist and presenter who began his professional life early, with youthful confidence and reckless abandon.  He was presenting his first radio show at fifteen years old and he had established a company making advertisements before he turned twenty.  A few years in, his professional and personal life unravelled and Brad spiralled to rock bottom where he remained paralysed for some time.  Soon however, he picked himself up and slowly rebuilt his life.  He’s now a new man and is committed to working on projects that affect positive change.  This is a story about hope.  Brad is living proof that it’s never too late to turn your life around.  Tune up, tune in. 

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Te Radar is a highly respected and well-known comedian, documentarian and social and political commentator who has worked in war-zones, dived with sharks, played with scorpions and even plunged into the Ross Sea in Antarctica wearing only a skimpy pair of togs.  You know Te Radar from his various shows including Off The Radar, Eating the Dog, Nine to Noon and War Tourist – Christmas in Bethlehem. We have an action packed conversation about how recent events have impacted the entertainment world, his innovative approach to touring, the art of comedy, working in war-zones, the time he couldn't find the war, the one question he asked Yasser Arafat and his thoughts and ideas towards an uncertain future.  Do it!

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Bonnie Hurunui came from humble beginnings in a family that didn’t have much money but had a lot of love and positivity.  After her studies, she worked in retail and then the corporate world, living a very normal non-show business life.  When she decided to pursue music seriously in her thirties, she hadn’t been warped by the music industry and all the experience she gained in her career gave her a completely different perspective and approach.  She soon cofounded the unique covers band White Chapel Jak who quickly turned heads with their unconventional set up, their surprising reworking of famous songs and their energetic performances.  Over the last few years they have grown from an unknown band playing pubs and markets, to a major touring act, playing festivals and selling out venues all over New Zealand.  Bonnie and her growing team are living proof of what can be achieved.  This is an inspiring listen.  Dig in!

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