Hollie Smith article

Hollie Smith and other blues artists interviewed in the NZ Herald with the usual questions about the Blues - they are all playing at this weekend's Coromandel Blues festival - on the news page of nzblues.com.

Site relocated

The site has been relocated, it is now being served closer to the target markets which are not just in New Zealand. We are here to serve information and content about New Zealand artists but not just to New Zealand. New Zealand users should experience occassional slows but better availability. The reason for this is the news of international cables being cut in the Middle East - which has hidden some of our sites - yet they were still up in the USA. Odd. We determined that it was best to find a USA host that was always going to be available, so we have reconfigured our software to cope with different versions of PHP, SQL and so forth. If there are any other things that are missing or do not work, please contact me, info@nzblues.com

Having built a significant audience in New Zealand, with a way to release NZ Blues music and video, we now are looking for a larger audience.

NZBlues.com

Our "parent" site - if there be such a thing, www.NZBlues.com - is having a server change to accommodate a larger audience of Non-NZ fans.

Blues cruise sets sail - 21 Dec 2007 - NZ Herald: Entertainment News, Reviews and Gossip from New Zealand and around the World

Blues cruise sets sail - 21 Dec 2007 - NZ Herald: Entertainment News, Reviews and Gossip from New Zealand and around the World

The Gig

Gigs that go well are jewels. This one did. It had its flaws as they so often may but they were nothing compared to the sight of a granny dancing through three numbers.

Unfortunately due to circumstances a band member was held up so the support act took the slack and did more. Calamity Family performed "Hip Hop" at a Blues gig. I hate hip hop but this was simply great stuff. The audience responded strongly to this fine performance - unpredictable hip hop with music and sophisticated poetry and ripe in the same way a blues number may be. Watch out for them. Damn fine.

Then the Jive Bombers started gradually to invade the stage as though it was not really noticed, and fairly then the show just started, with There was a Time. Everything seemed right except the camera I hired - was strange to me, and one of the installed white lights had stopped working for some reason. But it did not matter. I like saying that - because the "it will be right on the night" philosophy is the only one that works. The first half of the show went extremely well with highlights "Rum Jungle" when the BVs seemed to engage. I also really like the new BVs on Boss, for which they must be commended. The band were fairly tightly packed on the stage. In a way this works as it is more about the music. This is one of the more competant back lines in the business. Neil Watson shone like the star that he is. Ross Burge and Tony MacMaster held it all together. Most of all, Rick Bryant was in fine voice.

It's been a long day. more later...

The night before

There are just a few readers out there that may be interested in the inner world of the artists that create the blues. Not for that reason did I start filming Rick Bryant four years ago, but for another, completely different reason.

And that is a love of good art - art that is going to last the distance. Rick Bryant is famous, sure. Do you follow his music? You are probably part of a sort of musical who's who if you do.

He is one of a handful of artists writing original blues songs. He has worked with Gordon and top sound engineers to shake all the dust off in the studio. At first it was a few songs then a CD then it was a double then triple CD.

Does video make the live events less valuable? No, it makes them far more valuable. I have realised you can not film original experience. The being there is the vital part. Videos retrieve power from the essential experience of the event. My aim is the capture reminders of the experience of the performance in the shoot.

Ticket sales to this show have been better than usual. There are door sales (most unseated).

It is the vital performance of singer - the old music, but done new and very much of the now - like the members of the amazing Dap-Kings behind Amy Winehouse. Consider, there's hundreds of years of blues experience behind her sound. And this twelve piece, The Jive Bombers, has an extraordinary vintage to live up to.

First off the band - it is a very good one with players like Kingsley Melhuish on trumpets and Chris Watts on tenor sax, not to mention Neil Watson (Anika Moa) on guitar, Gordon Spittle and Ross Burge (Mutton Birds, Dave Dobbyn, Don McGlashen) on drums and the very safe hands of Tony McMaster on bass. Is that everyone.

Certainly not. Check out the new BVs. Holly has a new song - the blues like it was in the twenties - plenty evil - if you get my drift.

The Jive Bombers is some of the best musicians doing music written by one of our most active musicians. He did two gigs last weekend - not just the Jubilation one - but a Windy City Strugglers one as well.

The Jive Bombers may be more relaxed but rehearsal schedules like this are extraordinarily demanding. Just remembering the words for three completely different shows (plus his other band, The Top Scientists) show a mental dexterity of musical creativity way off the scale).

You may not like all of his songs, but many of them grow on you. The band will concentrate on their recording project to Rick Bryant standards and release this stuff when it is ready. He is a bit of a Kiwi legend.

Hands up who would buy this CD


You can be The Boss


Perfect Woman


Rum Jungle


55


Me oh My


Cruel But Fair


Respect


Laid Low


Dog


Used to be friends


Good Woman


Daddy





I would.

Mailing list updated

The mailing list software was updated in a somewhat rushed fashion as the Government announced changes in the spam regulations. This introduced a problem, but it has since been fixed. Am now reviewing things, but it would help if a few of you just click on Mailing List and confirm your email address today. It really would.