It's Time

“All of us saw our hearts fall
As this city crumbled down
But we continue to stand tall
We’re not leaving this ground

For all the tears that we shed
For all the holes that we’ve filled
We learnt to smile instead
Because it’s time
Because it’s time
To rebuild”

It’s Time – Will Frost

February 22 2011 is a day cemented in New Zealanders. Following the earthquake in September 2010 when, thank goodness, no one was killed, and the continuous aftershocks which continued to rattle Christchurch, there was a thought in the back of New Zealand’s mind there might just be another big one. We hoped and prayed it wouldn’t happen, but it came, and took 185 lives and left a city in ruins. Last week I visited Christchurch to see the damage for myself.  Nearly a year and a half later, the impacts of the earthquake are still staring in your face, and as I wandered through the city and looked at fallen down buildings, vacant houses and a half crumbled Cathedral, I wondered how Christchurch could ever recover.

But as I wandered the city and fought back a few tears, I saw signs of hope around the city. There would be a flower here and there. There were posters along barbed wire which reminded people to be happy and to think positively. As I left the crumbled city centre, I saw a man standing at the edge of the city, playing a harmonica and brightening up a mass of rubble. There are signs of hope for Christchurch away from the city as individuals strive to rebuild the city they call home. Take Sam Johnson, a young man who is inspiring to me and has earned the respect of a country. Sam heads the Student Army and makes sure there are people, young people, to clean up and remove rubbish when more earthquakes hit. Check his work out here: http://www.samjohnson.co.nz/. Sam has just started another project; Ministry of Awesome, where he is encouraging people to send in their awesome ideas to help rebuild the city. Check it out: www.ministryofawesome.com. Sam – you thoroughly deserved Young New Zealander of the Year 2012.

And then there are people who give their message through music. It’s Time is a song which Will Frost says is dedicated to the people of Christchurch. He talks about the rebuild and the way in which the people of Christchurch have shouldered the earthquakes and the struggles and come through to the place they are now. It’s Time was written as part of the Festival of Flowers and was themed ‘colour me beautiful Christchurch, creation of new life’. While Will did not win, this song nevertheless shows the ways in which music can be used to bring something, or someone, through to a new life no matter what heartache has been endured. I don’t know if I would be able to withstand Christchurch, the constant shakes and the painfulness of seeing a dark spot where the CBD no longer operates. But through the help of the dedicated and brave Christchurch people, the city has begun to move forward and stand tall and, somehow, learned to smile again.

Kia Kaha, Christchurch. 

Smells Like Teen Spirit

“Hello, Hello, Hello, How Low 
Hello, Hello, Hello 

With the lights out, it's less dangerous 
Here we are now, entertain us 
I feel stupid and contagious 
Here we are now, entertain us”

Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana

Last week I got chatting to a bunch of mates about music artists who were “gone too soon”. We discussed Buddy Holly, Gram Parsons and Sam Cooke, and all those members of the infamous 27 club – Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and, of course, the man who is said to have changed music through grunge rock, Kurt Cobain.

Kurt Cobain was a rebel and an idol to those who wanted to fight mainstream and order. He was the musical figure for Generation X, much like The Beatles in the 1960’s. That is, until all the attention became a bit much and he ended his own life. Now, Smells Like Teen Spirit is played as a reminder of grunge rock and a tribute to a man who managed to change a generation through music. The song has been covered so many times as people tried to connect with a man who never really seemed like he wanted to be connected with.

According to Cobain’s band mate Dave Grohl, Cobain never really focused on the lyrics of his music and instead pulled together melodies, and became frustrated when people tried to pick apart his lyrics because they weren’t important. I’m not going to do it here, because, quite frankly, all I know about Smells Like Teen Spirit is that it is a kick ass rock song with a lot of punch and pulls a finger to the authorities. But it makes me wonder: how is this a song for our generation when Cobain himself said his songs are filled with contradictions? And how is it we worship a man who took his own life before he’d reached 30 and supposedly never really loved himself? It seems no one, not even Dave Grohl or Country Love, knew who Kurt Cobain really was.

When I was chatting about the “gone too soon” club, we kept mentioning “what else could they have done” in terms of making more music. Would they have continued to create more music, would they have turned into cliché rock stars, or would they have spiralled further down their destructive paths until they reached a point where making good music was no longer a priority?

We’ll never know what they might have done. We’ll never know exactly what Cobain was thinking that night when he took his own life. Cobain said himself his message and artistic vision were always misinterpreted – we’d probably just mistake his comments. My opinion? Less thinking, and more enjoying the great music they did leave us with; here’s Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Part of Me

“This is the part of me
That you’re never gonna ever take away from me, no
Throw your sticks and your stones, throw your bombs and your blows
But you’re not gonna break my soul
This is the part of me
That you’re never gonna ever take away from me, no”

Part of Me – Katy Perry

When Part of Me was released, there was rumour after rumour this song was Katy Perry’s song to kick Russell Brand’s behind and tell him she was fine without his antics. It made sense; after all, the lyrics do seem to lean that way. Katy Perry denied this fact – she said it was a song she had up her sleeve for a while, but gossip mags refused to believe her.

That is, until the video clip was released. When I saw the video for this song, my brain when into analytical mode and I read the message very differently. Armed forces? Check. Giant US flag? Check. American and patriotic? Double check.

Before I launch into the messages of this video clip, let me get one thing straight. I know little of American culture. I go by the pop culture lessons I’ve learned from American Pie, Lady Gaga and The Simpsons, and the big news stories which reaches our shores. I’ve never been there and I’m not sure exactly what American culture completely entails. But it still seems to me Katy Perry has taken a song and led us to believe a message while meaning something completely different – something which she only portrayed in her video clip. I mean, how many other people took Part of Me as a relationship break up and the part of her you couldn’t take away was a bit of strength or power or something? And yet, it seems the part of Katy we can’t take away is her patriotic bond to her country.

It makes me wonder how many other songs have different messages from what we are led to believe. Take Hotel California by The Eagles for example. That song seems to be about a stay at a hotel, but really it is a song portraying the drug culture and the dwindling path taking drugs will make you walk down. And what about those Meat Loaf songs – he was one to take us on an adventure and tell us a story without never quite knowing what he meant, and yet we were more than willing to take a journey into this music without ever fully knowing what he is meaning. Is this bad? Of course not, it’s just yet another mystery of the music.

As for Katy Perry, a bit of country love is never a bad thing. After all, California Girls are undeniably, fine, fresh and fierce, and that is the part of her you’ll never ever take away.

What Makes You Beautiful

“Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else but you

Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground it ain’t hard to tell
You don't know
Oh Oh
You don't know you're beautiful”

What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction

Oh, bejeeeeeeezizzles, One Direction with their One Infection fans girls standing for One Resurrection and hoping for a special One Connection.

Or something like that.

I have always been rather curious about the phenomenon of the fan girl, and my curiosity was recently sparked again with fan girls and #1D. When One Direction came to New Zealand, hundreds of tweeny boppers stayed for literally hours outside their hotel. I was heading along the road the hotel was on at 7:45am on the Saturday and the girlies were still there, hanging out with their signs and hopeful stares. Oh, girls, surely you should be curled up in bed with a hot chocolate in your fluffy pink PJ’s and a Creme magazine finding the next teen sensation you will turn your attention to when the British boys get a bit old?

Okay, that’s a tad harsh, especially as I’m all for being a fan of a music act. I wouldn’t be writing this blog if I didn’t love music and I wasn’t a supporter of all the music acts I have so far written about. And no matter how cheesy and ridiculously marketed the group may be, musicians of any sort would not survive without their fans supporting them. Sure, it might be a bit crazy to be outside their hotel at some ridiculous hour of the morning (and I can’t help but wonder what parents would allow such relaxed restrictions on where their daughters are this time of morning), but this is just a way of showing support. And while I will never be the screaming tween outside One Direction’s hotel room, I cannot deny the look of pure joy I had when Dave Grohl / Meat Loaf / Taylor Swift came on stage.

Fan girls are a funny concept, because a group of people who can’t pay their phone bills have the power to influence our whole music industry. To this day, I do not know whether I love or hate this. While the fact remains that not always the best artists became famous and this is something I find sad, the music which fan girls inspire is catchy, fun and a whole other side to music which is important.

I spent a great night hanging with fan girls when Reece Mastin came to New Zealand and thoroughly enjoyed a fan girl inspired concert.  And while I didn't go to the One Direction concert, I admit it: I have a little One Direction Infection with What Makes You Beautiful. 

Why Does Love Do This To Me

“Jackie came, she went away
Deep in the valley, I kissed her that day but
It seems I'm thinking of you
But I'm still thinking about myself

I don't know 
Why does love do this to me
I don't know
I don't know”

Why Does Love Do This To Me – The Exponents

Well, today was the last day of New Zealand Music Month. I hope you have had fun, explored Kiwi artists and learned a thing or two. This has been one of the best New Zealand Music Months for me, because I feel I have really looked into the music, the artists and the concept of dedicating a month to home grown tracks. And, let’s be honest, there is no better way to sign off May then playing the ultimate Kiwi party song. Take this blog as a way of celebrating all you’ve done for New Zealand music awareness this month. Or, if you haven’t quite celebrated Kiwi music as much as you could have in May, I will give you one last chance to get amongst it with The Exponents.

Funnily enough, Why Does Love Do This To Me isn’t exactly full of the happiest messages but rather the mishaps of love. Then again, I guess that is what the Kiwi spirit is all about. The mishaps of our sports team which drive us mad but we come back again and again to support them. This is the song you hear when the Blackcaps score a win, the All Whites pull out a surprise victory and the Silver Ferns beat Aussie. And, of course, THIS is the song which was played over and over after the All Blacks won the 2011 Rugby World Cup. And if you’re at any celebration and you don’t know the words to this song, you’ll probably get a jeer and a taunt about not being a true Kiwi.

I urge you not to let your Kiwi music listening, celebrating and discovering end here just because May is finishing. Instead, join me in finding ways to further explore the exciting and awesome music our country has to offer. Keep an eye on these blogs: the last blog of every month from now on will be dedicated to a Kiwi musician. But for now, and to salute off this year’s New Zealand Music Month in style, let’s crank up The Exponents.

Renegade Fighter

“I'm a lover, I'm a winner, I'm a fighter
Gonna set your soul on fire
I'm a lover, I'm a Renegade Fighter
Gonna set your soul on fire”

Renegade Fighter – Zed

If Shihad’s Run is my favourite Kiwi song and Luger Boa are my favourite Kiwi band, then Zed take the spot as my childhood home grown heroes. Forget Shortland Street stars and All Black hotties; Nathan King stole my heart with his charming good looks and sweet smile.

If you aren’t a Kiwi and are wondering who Zed are, you might know Renegade Fighter as the song on the credits to American Pie 2. It also features in New Zealand as the theme song to the current Rebel Sport advertisements, despite it being more than ten years since this song was released. Seems like Zed should be celebrating success ... Or not, because Zed officially split in 2008. When this was announced, it broke my little teenage heart. In a statement from Nathan King, it was said Zed felt their failure to break into the overseas market saw the band members want different things which could not happen when they were still together as Zed.

I feel we should spare a thought for those bands who didn’t quite make it where they think they should have. Shihad hit it big in Europe but failed in the USA. The D4 got a following in Japan, but called it quits not long after. The Bleeders all headed overseas to see where they could go, but only two came back and formed the band The Leeches. It seems as our musicians venture overseas, some of them hit hurdles they cannot overcome. And, in their minds, they will know when it is time to call it quits on the band, no matter how many fans it will upset.

It is still New Zealand Music Month, and it is still a time to celebrate. And so, as we celebrate the artists who are currently creating their place in the music industry, spare a thought for the bands who are no longer with us. Along the way they have influenced our music choices and they have given us songs which will stick with us. Many of them are now in new bands – Nathan King’s latest project is Paper Planes – and maybe these bands will hit it big overseas. But while it is still New Zealand Music Month I encourage you to take the time to reminisce with the Kiwi bands who you grew up with.

You'll Never Take That Way

“I have a heart that's covered in scars
I got a beach, a melody, and a guitar
Got a dream that's bigger than me
I've got a rhyme, a rhythm, and time on the sea

You'll never take that away from me”

You’ll Never Take That Away – Jamie McDell

This week’s blog should be aptly titled “the babes of New Zealand music”. Because, if you haven’t noticed, our Kiwi girls are damn fine musicians who are making news and music headlines at home and overseas. I’m talking about babes like Brooke Fraser, Bic Runga, Kimbra and Ruby Frost just to name a few.

This week I dedicated my blog to one of our latest home grown babes, Jamie McDell. One important aspect of New Zealand Music Month is giving time and publicity to emerging artists who are on the fringes of being huge. Miss McDell is well on her way to being huge; You’ll Never Take That Away is on our airwaves, Jamie’s doing shows around Auckland city and has visited other parts of the country. She has done some beautiful interviews, including one on Saturday Breakfast a few weeks ago which I thoroughly enjoyed watching. She’s doing acoustic covers, shooting videos, releasing more tracks, and is tipped to be the next big thing in Kiwi music.

Her first major hit, You’ll Never Take That Away is a song which New Zealand desperately needed. In a nutshell it describes our Kiwi spirit; it’s got a kicking attitude while still being heaps of fun. The music video shows off our fantastic beaches and sums up a New Zealand summer in four minutes. But mostly, it’s a nice break from the other bubble gum pop music which is on our airwaves at the moment. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a bit of One Direction or Katy Perry, but we need to be brought back down to earth and return to our local roots with songs like You’ll Never Take That Away.

I love our Kiwi girls, and I have made it one of my New Zealand Music Month missions to listen to more music from our Kiwi girls. Established or just starting out, I want to find out more about them. So, I’m going to sign off here and tune into some sweet tunes from our home grown babes. Care to join me?