What Do We Know?

Rachel LaFond is a pianist and composer from Seattle, who recently moved to New Zealand. Rachel’s mother was a piano teacher so her relationship with the piano started when she was very young. When she was a teenager she studied music in Austria before returning to the US. Several years ago Rachel and her husband gave up their day jobs (that’s right folks!!) to travel the world. Their travels brought them to New Zealand where Rachel was suddenly inspired and compelled to write. They liked the place so much they moved here, and in no time Rachel wrote, recorded and released her first album. The rest is… well a podcast episode! 

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Scotty Pearson is best known as drummer for New Zealand band Elemeno P. The band’s abrupt and controversial ascent (as some people saw it) earned them a solid fan base, significant album sales and more than their fair share of criticism. We go back to the start. We talk about Scotty’s beginnings in the punk days of the late 70s, touring with christian bands, Ringo Starr, forming Elemeno P, getting kicked out of the US and the crazy number of drum kits he owns! Scotty is a top guy, really honest and generous with his stories. Enjoy!

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Gray Bartlett has been a prominent and unrelenting force in the music industry for over fifty years. He is a highly respected guitarist who has performed regularly around the world since the sixties. As a music promoter he brought some the the biggest names in music to New Zealand (including Michael Jackson) and as an artist developer he launched the careers of numerous artists including Hayley Westenra. He’s even the person responsible for the sand down at Auckland’s Mission Bay. That’s right, before Gray there was only rocks! This is an action packed episode. Get into it! 

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Dave Johnston is a Tui-Award winning professional drummer and composer who plays and writes for alternative rock bands The Zoup and Villainy. He is also a freelance mixing engineer and during the day works as Industry Liaison for the SAE Institute. We discuss his beginnings in music, the inner workings of Villainy, his experience being produced by Tom Larkin (Shihad) and his role at SAE. Dave is very generous with both his time and opinions and we thoroughly enjoyed talking to him. 

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Alex Leighton & Ryan Cooper are the brains and good looks behind Mukpuddy Animation. Tenacity is an understatement for these guys. Mukpuddy is an independent studio that launched over fifteen years ago and has stubbornly worked through many set backs and false starts before finally getting the green light on their biggest project to date; The Barefoot Bandits (TVNZ) a show they’ve affectionately dubbed "The Kiwi Goonies". On the eve of the release of season two, they visited our studio and had a candid conversation about their journey. Get in to it!

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As well as being a musician and luthier, he’s worked at Disney World, on Antartica, as a business mentor and use to sky dive for fun. Talk about an interesting life! American Tomm Stanley now lives in Christchurch, New Zealand and owns Stonefield Music, building top quality, beautifully crafted bass guitars. With lots of experience in marketing and business Tomm is launching his company with an international mindset and strategy. A fascinating and lovely guy with lots of great stories. This is a good one!

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Malika Tirolien is an extraordinary singer and songwriter who gained international acclaim when she sang on Snarky Puppy’s album Family Dinner. She grew up in Guadeloupe before relocating to Montreal. She soon established herself on the local jazz scene and performed with many great bands including Groundfood and The Brooks. Since her performance with Snarky Puppy, Malika has released her own album Sur la voie ensoleillée (2014) and most recently a new band called Bokante with Snarky Puppy’s Michael League. They are currently touring the world promoting the new album. Just before you listen to the episode, check out her legendary performance here: https://youtu.be/UUWsAL92feU 

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Keyboardist and vocalist Lucy Graves has played for CeeLo Green, Printz Board, she currently plays for the Black Eyed Peas as well as her new duo Parker Lane. Lucy grew up in west Auckland and attended Avondale College, followed by the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Having relocated to Los Angeles, Lucy is a great example of a dedicated, successful New Zealand musician that you’ve probably never heard of. While many people are hypnotised by short-lived media darlings, puffed up by hype and rumour, musicians like Lucy Graves work tirelessly behind the scenes, maintaining high standards and working with some of the best in the business. Get it in you!

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Having started in radio and programme production, including a number of iconic music radio initiatives for NZ on Air, industry insider Peter Dickens went on to become the general manager for The New Zealand Music Foundation. In 2016 The New Zealand Music Foundation conducted their first ‘Wellbeing Survey’ to try and further understand the extent of the mental health issues in the entertainment industry. This is a subject that’s close to our hearts and in this conversation we attempt to unwrap the problem. http://www.nzmusicfoundation.org.nz

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Today we release our 40th episode and this is one we can all relate to. Nicole Slater is an L.A. based social media & branding consultant who specialises in the entertainment industry. Her background includes TV and radio work as well as being the marketing and promotions manager for the legendary House of Blues. She now runs her own consultation company and works with a variety of high calibre clients. This episode gave us the opportunity to ask Nicole numerous questions in the attempt to get some clarity around the ever-changing landscape of social media and online marketing. 

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