Love conquers all

He’s one of Aotearoa’s biggest music stars and she’s working hard to make a difference in our community. Together Rachel Axis Taane Tinorau and Tiki Taane are one of the Bay’s most recognisable couples. Here they talk about their unusual love story, overcoming addiction and ghosts.

Words Karl Puschmann | Photos Graeme Murray + Supplied
Styling Nicky Adams | Hair Sam Henry | Make up Desiree Osterman

Moving up to the Bay from Christchurch had been a dream come true for Rachel. But the dream turned into a living nightmare when a ghost showed up. “I had a rough time when I first moved here. There was a weird energy and a spirit,” she tells UNO over a piping hot cup of cinnamon tea. “We nicknamed him Spirit Fingers.”

We’re sitting in the comfy lounge of the Pāpāmoa Beach home she shares with her husband, musician Tiki Taane. It may be a gloriously sunny afternoon but her haunting story and the spirit’s creepy nickname cause a shudder. 

It’s fair to say that Spirit Fingers put something of a spooky damper on the excitement the couple had been feeling. They’d spent two years making their long-distance relationship work. Rachel’s move up in 2015 marked the beginning of not just their life together but, as they each had a child, also the beginning of their life as a blended family. The couple couldn’t have been happier. 

Until…“I’d wake up with someone standing next to the bed or at the bedroom door,” Rachel continues. “When Tiki was away, walking down the hallway would freak me out. It was creepy. I could feel there was always someone there. It was full-on.”

Tiki, who has planted himself in a huge, comfy beanbag, nods and says, “Where we are there’s a lot of spiritual energy. And a lot of spiritual history as well.”

He explains that the area was used as battlegrounds and that there are urupā (burial sites) underneath the nearby boardwalks that stretch along the beachfront. “That’s why it’s up high,” Tiki explains. “There’s a lot of bones in that area.”

There was something strange in their neighbourhood, but both being spiritual people, they weren’t about to call Ghostbusters. Instead, they wanted to show respect and understanding. They had a karakia (a traditional Māori prayer to invoke spiritual goodwill) written, which they then recited in their home. “It was basically to say to them, ‘You're welcome to be here’,” Rachel says. She laughs, then adds, “But just please don’t interfere with my sleep.”

Looking back now, she thinks it was curiosity, rather than a terrifying Hollywood-style haunting, that was the spirit’s motive.

“Tiki’s been settled here for a while so they were probably like, ‘Who’s this bitch?’” she grins. “They were just sussing me out. Since the karakia, it’s been sweet. There’s definitely still an energy, but not a bad one.”

“This whole area of Pāpāmoa has an energy that I really enjoy,” Tiki says. “I love it here.”

His connection to the area runs deep. He moved here back in 2010 but first visited in 1996, when his former band, the award-winning group Salmonella Dub, played in the Mount. 

“The first time I came it blew me away. Then I just loved coming back here,” he says. “It’s always been good vibes.”

When Tiki first laid eyes on Rachel, she wasn’t even there. He was in Auckland getting a tattoo when he saw a photo of his tattooist and her friend. “I was like, ‘Who’s that hottie?’ and she was like, “Oh, my God! I’ll hook you up!’” he laughs. 

Rachel of course knew of Tiki, but even with their mutual friend putting in the good word, she wasn’t prepared to rush a meeting with a stranger.

“Rachel was like, ‘This is a red flag’,” Tiki laughs. “She didn't give me her number. She gave me her email. So I started emailing. Then emails led to texting and texting led to phone calls. We'd call each other every night.”

In that regard, it was quite an old-fashioned courtship, with Tiki really trying to impress her. “Yeah. Hard,” he grins.

When Tiki appeared somewhat out of the blue, Rachel was concentrating on being a solo mum to her toddler and not at all about relationships. “I hadn't had very good experiences with men, so I had my boundaries up,” Rachel says. “I was quite weary. But Tiki was really respectful. He wasn't creepy. So when I had trust through the emails, I was like, ‘Okay, here's my number’.”

While the pair hadn’t committed to each other, they were becoming bigger parts of each other’s lives. But they hadn’t yet met and were still, in the words of Rachel, “doing our own thing.”

About six months on from their virtual meeting Rachel entered a radio competition to win a trip to Rarotonga. It was a typical shock-jock style of radio competition, which saw five married men going to the island with five single women and their friends.

“It’s so wrong and looking back now I’d be so anti it,” Rachel admits. “But I entered as one of the single chicks and won. I told Tiki and it turned out the dates I was there he was actually going to be there as well.”

In what can only be described as serendipity – a word Tiki would also use when he wrote a love song to Rachel before proposing on camera during the making of its music video – he was going to be there with the drum ’n’ bass group Shapeshifter.

The pair arranged to meet the night she arrived and he zipped over to her hotel on a scooter. After their six-month courtship, the couple finally met, and embraced, for the first time.

“Then she got on the back of my scooter and that was it,” Tiki beams.

“I pretty much spent the whole time with Tiki,” Rachel smiles. “It was a great first date.”

After the fairytale romance in Rarotonga, the real world hit hard when they returned home. Rachel’s friends were worried she’d get too attached and her mum was concerned her old habits might return.

“My mum was absolutely horrified. I'd been through such an intense time with addiction that she was really scared about the rock-and-roll, party lifestyle. Tiki was not like that at all. But there was an assumption, a stereotype, that the music industry
is all about getting slaughtered and taking drugs all the time. It may be in some groups, but not ours.”

Having finally met Rachel, Tiki wasn’t about to let her go. He already knew she was the one. He emailed her tickets to fly to Auckland that weekend so they could go to a dance party. 

“You told me that you loved me and I was like, ‘Ooof. This is a red flag’, because it had only been a week of physically knowing each other. But you asked me that weekend to be your partner. I was like, ‘Yeah!’ and here we are!”

“We both had the same mindset and just really connected, big time,” Tiki says. “We were talking for months and months and months before we actually met in person. So we built our connection that way.”

“Yeah, we had the same values and passions, like advocacy. We both had a kid, they’re only two years apart,” Rachel adds, referring to her daughter Karcia (12) and Tiki’s son Charlie (14). “And a similar life story in a way. Both of us have been through addiction and both came out the other side of that. We're both of a similar vibe.”

Because Rachel’s mentioned it a couple of times, I ask about her addiction. 

“I was a meth addict for four or five years, from age 14 to 19,” she replies. “I'd done my work well prior to Tiki coming along. I went to rehab when I was 19.”

Rachel escaped into addiction due to trauma. Her parents separated when she was two years old and Rachel's relationship with her father has had its challenges ever since. She moved schools a lot due to bullying and at just 14 years old she was sexually assaulted in a park after a party. The culmination of all this trauma at such a young age led her to meth. 

“I still struggle with PTSD,” she says. “I hate the word addiction. I look at it more as escapism. When people use a lot that's usually because they're trying to numb or hide from something that's either happened or that's going on. But me and Tiki have a really good relationship where if there’s something going on, we both talk about it. We don't need to get wasted to numb anything.”

Those dark days are well and truly behind her. Having turned her own life around, she’s now determined to help others do the same. She does public speaking at events where she shares her journey through trauma, addiction and recovery and is also a qualified social worker who previously worked at Women’s Refuge and now goes into the Bay’s secondary schools to deliver consent education and healthy relationship education.

“As someone who has had sexual trauma, I wish that I’d had this education when I was younger,” she says.

Depending on the situations she encounters and the people she helps, it can sometimes be hard for her to switch off at the end of the day. But she knows Tiki is always ready to support her.

“I listen and I wait till she’s got it all off her mind,” he says. “It’s been a huge education for me as well and made me really become more talkative about sexual harm in the music industry. When you start delving into the subject, this kaupapa, you've got to look at yourself, what you've done and start questioning the behaviours that you've done in the past. Some of it might not be nice. I can't sit here and go ‘this, this, this and this’, I have to look at what I've done and think about that and go, ‘How come that happened?’ or ‘Why does this happen?’. It's a really vulnerable opening you've got to do, and I think a lot of people are scared to do that. For me, I've learned loads from Rachel. Untold amounts of stuff.”

Tiki, in turn, has also been sharing his knowledge with Rachel. Over lockdown, he taught her how to DJ and now she often plays support slots for him at his shows. Because he’s away playing his own shows so much he doesn’t often get to interact with the local music scene here that much. 

“This is my home. This is where I live. When I think of doing gigs and stuff, I think outwards. I don't think about playing locally. It’s quite interesting. I don't know why that is.”

As well as touring, Tiki produces artists and bands in his purpose-built home studio and recently released his first feature film, the award-winning concert-documentary Tiki Taane in Session with CSO, which he produced, directed and performed himself. Following rave reviews at the New Zealand International Film Festival, it has since been accepted into numerous festivals around the world and continues to clock up awards.

“It's doing really awesome. It's been a wicked buzz,” Tiki says of the project which took him three years to complete. “I'm so stoked that I rolled the dice on it.”

Spend some time with Rachel and Tiki and it’s easy to see why they work so well together. They’ve both overcome demons and found each other, and then overcame their initial physical distance to connect in a deeper, spiritual way. Their personalities complement each other with Rachel outgoing and Tiki more laid back. And with Spirit Fingers no longer haunting the hallways, their home has a chill vibe and a welcoming atmosphere. 

“We definitely made the deal, the commitment,” Tiki says of their relationship. “I knew from the beginning that I’m in this for the long run.”

Then, smiling warmly, he says, “It's been incredible.” 

Tiki Taane in Session with CSO is available to rent
at Tiki’s website tikidub.com

The A to Z of Dire Straits

Everything you didn’t know you needed to know about the legendary English rock band, playing at A Summer's Day Live in Tauranga on December 30.

Words Karl Puschmann

A Summer’s Day Live 

This annual concert has become a must-do Summer event. This year Dire Straits Legacy headline, supported by Nazareth and Hello Sailor. They play Tauranga’s Wharepai Domain on December 30. Other dates include Napier, Matakana and New Plymouth.

Banned

Canadian radio banned Money for Nothing due to a problematic slur in the song’s lyrics. The ban was overturned in 2011, a mere nine months after being instigated. 

Compact Disc

Dire Strait’s 1985 Brothers in Arms was the first album in history to sell a million copies on the then brand-new Compact Disc format. 

Dire Straits Legacy

Former Dire Straits members keyboardist Alan Clark, guitarist Phil Palmer, percussionist Danny Cummings and saxophonist Mel Collins started this band. They enlisted the legendary Trevor Horn on bass and keys supremo Primiano Di Biase. Marco Caviglia, the world’s authority on original frontman Mark Knopfler’s distinctive guitar-playing style, leads the band. 

English teacher

Before Dire Straits took off Mark Knopfler was an English teacher at a college in Essex.

Football

Mark Knopfler famously supports football team Newcastle United. The
club plays his soaring instrumental, 1983’s “Going Home (Theme Of The Local Hero)” before every home game.

Grammy Awards

Dire Straits won four Grammys, including Best Rock Performance and Best Music Video, and was nominated for seven others including Album of the Year and Best New Artist.

Headbands

Dire Straits wasn’t the most fashionable band around, but Mark Knopfler’s dedication to sporting a headband during the 1980s has since become iconic. 

Infidels

Mark Knopfler produced Bob Dylan’s 1983 album Infidels. Dire Straits Legacy keyboardist Alan Clark also played on the record. 

Jack Sonni 

Guitarist Jack Sonni played with Dire Straits from 1984 to 1988. He was in Dire Straits Legacy until passing away aged 68 in September. The upcoming shows at A Summer’s Day Live are dedicated to him.

Knopfler, Mark

The founder, frontman and flipping amazing lead guitarist of Dire Straits. Classic Rock described him as “a virtuoso” and Rolling Stone ranked him 27th on their 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. 

Lawyers 

After asking Sting to sing backing vocals on “Money For Nothing” Mark Knopfler got a call from The Police’s lawyers. Because Sting accidentally sang “I want my MTV” with the same melody as The Police’s hit “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” the lawyers demanded – and got – Sting a song co-writing credit.

Money for Nothing 

This pop-rock classic belittling the rock stars on TV was written verbatim from an actual conversation Knopfler overheard in a hardware store. The song reached No.4 here, spending 27 weeks in the charts.

New Zealand

Dire Straits regularly toured here throughout the 80s. Their first gig was at Western Springs Stadium in 1981. Their final was at Mt Smart Stadium a decade later in 1991. 

On Every Street

The 1991 follow-up album to Brothers in Arms couldn’t match its predecessor's success. With morale at an all-time low, the band called it quits after the accompanying tour.

Private Dancer 

Tina Turner’s darkly seductive comeback hit was written by Mark Knopfler for Dire Straits. He shelved it after deciding the lyrics were unsuitable for a male singer. 

Q Magazine

Popular UK music mag Q ranked Brothers in Arms number 51 in their 100 Greatest British Albums Ever list.

Romeo and Juliet 

Alongside its Shakespearian influence, this early Dire Straits hit from 1981 takes oblique inspiration from one of Knopfler’s real-life failed romances.

Sultans of Swing

Undisputedly Dire Straits’ greatest song. This sublime, melancholic rocker from their self-titled 1978 debut album is a sophisticated fusing of rock, blues and jazz and details the (mis)fortunes of a pub band. The 10-minute performance on 1984’s live album Alchemy will rock your socks off.

Twisting by the Pool

The band’s only No.1 single here was this rock n’ roll throwback from 1983’s ExtendedancEPlay EP. It spent four weeks at No.1 and was in the charts for 15 weeks. 

Uli Edel

In 1989 the director tapped Mark Knopfler to write the soundtrack for his grim drama Last Exit to Brooklyn. Edel followed up this film with Madonna’s 1992 erotic thriller Body of Evidence.

Vertigo 

The British label that signed Dire Straits in 1977 after a London radio DJ played a demo of “Sultans of Swing” on his show.

Walk of Life 

This cheery ditty off Brothers in Arms spent 14 weeks in our charts, peaking at No.3. The album’s producer wanted to leave it off the record but he was outvoted by the band. 

Xylophone 

The xylophone appears on “Love Over Gold”, the title track from the 1982
album that went straight to No.1 in our fair country. 

Yes 

The influential English prog rock band was formerly home to current Dire Straits Legacy bassist Trevor Horn. 

Zaragoza

This Spanish city was the literal end of the line for Dire Straits. The band played their final ever concert there at the Estadio La Romareda on
October 9, 1992. 

For tickets to A Summer’s Day Live, visit trademark.flicket.co.nz

Playing for keeps

Esteemed pianist Somi Kim is set to join Opus Orchestra
for a captivating soloist performance.

Words Casey Vassallo 

Photo Jen Raoult

One of sought-after pianist Somi Kim’s earliest memories is attending keyboard classes with her mum in South Korea. “I just remember loving how interactive it was… And that we could collectively experience and share the enjoyment together,” Somi shares. “I guess that's what I love about music and going to concerts – you're in that moment that will never be the same again.”

At eight years old, Somi moved to New Zealand, and despite her commitment to music she says she coasted on the back of her natural talent. That was right up until the end of her Master of Music degree at the University of Auckland. “I realised music was my saviour, and thought I’m going to give it a really good go,” she says. “Once I started putting in the effort, doors started to open.” 

Somi went on to win the Royal Over-Seas League Pettman scholarship with her Estrella Quartet chamber group in 2012, and complete two more degrees in collaborative piano at the Royal Academy of Music in the UK. The stack of accolades she’s achieved since are nothing short of outstanding.

Today, Somi has her dream job as the official pianist for Auckland’s NZTrio, and regularly plays with the Auckland Philharmonia and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. “Being in Europe helped me find my musical voice and with experience comes confidence… Which opens a lot more doors for you,” she says. “Coming back home and being able to give back to the musical community – the home that helped shape me into the musician I am – feels extra special.”

Her upcoming performance with Opus Orchestra is her first with the group. Conducted by Peter Walls, the Somi Kim: Mozart and More concert is coming to Hamilton, Tauranga and Rotorua this October, which includes music from Prokofiev and Hamilton’s own composer Martin Lodge. “I get to play a Mozart concerto, which is every pianist's dream,” she says of the dark and stormy piece she’ll be playing in D minor, alongside his operatic Overture to Don Giovanni. 

“Without orchestras like Opus, it would be difficult to get classical music out to places like Tauranga, Hamilton and Rotorua that just don’t get enough exposure like the main cities,” Somi says. “Music is an integral part of life. It gives us all a chance to sit back and take some time for yourself and be present with your emotions.” 

Somi Kim: Mozart and More will be heading to Hamilton on Friday, October 13, Tauranga on Saturday, October 14, and Rotorua on Sunday, October 15. 

Opusorchestra.co.nz

Acoustic spirit

Whiskey SoHo is the Bay’s top-shelf blend of musical talent.

Words Shiree Schumacher

Singer-songwriter Waylon McPherson has been steeped in music since childhood – strumming his way through various bands and playing to crowds over the years with some memorable success. But a voice injury, and the pandemic, forced a hiatus. After time to recalibrate and heal his voice, Waylon re-emerged as Whiskey SoHo – a multi-genre percussive solo-acoustic act that’s as interesting as it sounds. Singing, playing and percussing on his guitar using effect pedals manufactured by McPherson Stompboxes, his own Papamoa-based family business, he produces a full band-like experience. His sound is funky, soulful – and just like a great whiskey, hits all the right notes. 

What led you to become a musician?
I can always remember being drawn to music. When I was three or four years old, and my dad put on a Dire Straits Live Concert VHS, and that's when the penny dropped: “Wow, so this is how music is made!” I began to learn guitar at 10 years old and was totally into it, but it wasn't until I was around 18 and I played my first live show that I knew music was something that I wanted to be a large part of life.

How did you end up creating Whiskey Soho?
I’d been playing the cover circuit for quite a few years but during lockdown, all my gigs were cancelled. This coincided with a vocal injury, and I was advised not to sing until it was addressed. After quite a bit of vocal therapy, I was able to heal my voice back to a point where I could perform, and in late 2022,  I started working on Whiskey SoHo. 

What do you love about what you do?
The biggest thing I love about playing music live is how it brings people from all different walks of life together in a positive way. It's an addictive feeling when you are playing in front of a crowd that's really engaged. I love my day job, which is a company my wife Shelley and I started in 2008, McPherson Stompboxes NZ Ltd. We work with musicians all over New Zealand and around the Bay, building, servicing, repairing and modifying musicians’ instruments and gear. We are a musical household 24/7 around here.

What are your music career highlights so far?
Being managed by Ray Columbus and having a single on the NZ Charts. Being nominated for best new artist in the Juice TV Music Awards. Performing on Top of the Pops with Chefu and Opshop. Performing live on the Good Morning Show. Rotorua Sound Shell performance to a crowd of over 30,000 people. Supporting Midwave Breaks on the Mount Maunganui leg of their tour. I have played many memorable gigs, and they all make up epic lifetime experiences.

What inspires your music?
Life experiences, random thoughts and ideas. My style of writing is all about the vibe. Songs can have several storylines that are all intertwined. Even though my songs have meaning to me, I would rather the listener have their own idea of what it might mean to them. When I was six or seven, I remember really liking a song, and watching an interview where the artist was describing what the song was about, and I felt like knowing the backstory took away some of the magic of what the song meant for me.

How is it being part of Papamoa's music community?
Papamoa and the wider Bay of Plenty is such an incredible musical community, supportive, encouraging and helpful. The quality of the musicians in the Bay is world-class. There is so much inspiration every time someone releases new music, or you get the opportunity to catch a live show.

What is your favourite instrument to play?
Guitar! I'm totally obsessed with the guitar and have been since I was 10! The entire Whiskey SoHo act is built around pushing the boundaries of what you can do with just one acoustic guitar.

Who is your favourite band or musician right now?
I love so many styles and types of music, hence the  range of genres I write and play. I love that there is something for everyone and more amazing music is being written, recorded and released every day. When I connect with a song, I can enjoy it, regardless of the artist who wrote it, or who performs it. Every style or mix of music has its place and has the opportunity to connect with people, and the big thing is how to give people the opportunity to hear your music.   

whiskey.soho

Life is a cabaret

Celebrated vocalist and Pāpāmoa local Mandy Meadows is taking her internationally acclaimed cabaret, Piaf: The Legend, around the North Island.

Words Karl Puschmann

Édith Piaf is a true French icon. The singer was one of the country’s biggest stars and one of its few musical acts to have a global impact. Her songs, largely autobiographical ballads about love and loss, were received as instant classics that immediately joined the standards songbook to be covered and reinterpreted forevermore.

But despite all of Édith’s fame, her life remains shrouded in mystery. Even decades after her death the renowned French chanteuse still
keeps many dark secrets. 

“She was a very complex, complicated character,” vocalist Mandy Meadows says. “She was abandoned by her mother and father who were circus performers and grew up in a brothel. Nobody really knew exactly where she was from.”

Mandy has been fascinated by Édith for as long as she can remember. As an international singer, it’s no surprise that she’d be enamoured by the songs, but Édith’s life also captured her imagination. So much so that she created a cabaret style show around it.

Titled Piaf: The Legend, the show tells the story of Édith’s life via her remarkable songs like La Vie En Rose, La Foule and Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien. For complete authenticity, Mandy sings them in their original French.

“All the songs are in French but the story is in English, so everybody can understand that because it is a show for everybody,” she says. “Whether you're a fan or not, it's really her incredible story that’s so captivating.”

Édith’s life was full of contradictions but never boring. From her childhood as a street urchin to helping POW’s escape during the war to becoming one of the biggest stars in the world.

“She was a real contrast of flaws and beauty,” Mandy says. “And unapologetically human, which is what I really like about her. She was a phoenix, rising above the ashes. There was nothing pretty about her life. It was really very tragic. But through all of that, she created these absolutely stunning songs and had a big, booming voice out of someone so small.”

Mandy first performed Piaf: The Legend in London’s Piccadilly Circus around seven years ago after funding its development by joining a paid clinical trial.

“I literally gave my blood for this show,” she laughs.

Since then she’s taken it all over the globe, leaving audiences spellbound and earning four and five-star reviews. Now she’s bringing that special French je ne sais quoi to the North Island. 

With dancers, a six-piece band that includes French accordion and clarinet and, of course, Mandy’s acclaimed vocals and performance leading the way the cabaret is all but guaranteed to transport you out of the regions and straight over to Paris. 

“I get quite emotional actually,” Mandy replies when asked how she feels while performing Édith’s passionate and powerful songs. “I really feed off the audience and I always cry. I always have that moment on stage where something really emotional happens and I feel the audience tense up. I do the same. It's a real energy and a beautiful thing. It's a really unique experience.” 

For more info, videos and tickets visit piafthelegend.com

Jazz you like it

With the Port of Tauranga National Jazz Festival celebrating its 60th birthday this year, UNO spoke to festival manager Marc Anderson to get a sneak peek at what to expect.

Words Karl Puschmann

It’s hard to believe that the Port of Tauranga National Jazz Festival has kept crowds bipping, bopping and swinging for 60 years. Music fashions may come and go but jazz, it seems, is eternal.

Marc Anderson, the festival’s manager, has a theory for jazz’s long-lasting and generational appeal.

“It's such a broad genre that encompasses so many different styles,” he says. “Sixty years ago, jazz was the hip music that all the kids got into. Now, 60 years on, most genres of music can be somehow or another related to jazz. Whether you know the influence or not. It makes jazz still current and relevant.”

It’s a broad church, jazz, and everyone is welcome. With around 40 subgenres nestled under the umbrella term “jazz”, ranging from summery smooth cool all the way through to challenging modal explorations, its wide variety is one of the defining features of the genre. It’s also something taken seriously by the Jazz Fest.

“It's really important for us that we don't pigeonhole the festival into having one type of jazz because there's a lot of interesting music out there,” Marc says. “I love the lineup. It’s a really diverse array of music and I'm excited about the depth of music and talent that we've got this year.”

The Port of Tauranga National Jazz Festival is renowned for the quality of its lineups but for its 60th Birthday Bash, they’ve pulled out all the stops. They’re expecting 20,000 people for the Downtown Carnival, which boasts over 40 acts during its two days, not to mention the huge range of shows, concerts and events going on over its 10 days. 

Local jazz institution Blue Train is reforming, Laughton Kora’s galactic-jazz ensemble Black Comet is landing and jazz duo Goldsmith Baynes will send chills down your spine with their contemporary fusion of jazz and Maori philosophies. Of course, that’s just a sliver of what’s on the programme. 

“The Port of Tauranga National Jazz Festival is one of the flagship events in Tauranga and it feels like the community is really behind it,” Marc says. “Everyone's really positive for the festival, which shows because it's a great place to be. If you come along, I guarantee you'll find some magic every single day.”

Then, putting his money where his mouth is, he laughs and adds, “And if you don't, I might buy you a pint!”

The Port of Tauranga 60th National Jazz Festival is running from Saturday, April 1 through to Monday, April 10.

Two Worlds, One Music

Duo Goldsmith Baynes has been turning heads in the jazz world. Their latest album, the acclaimed E Rere Rā, brings a Māori outlook, vision and language to contemporary jazz. UNO caught up with singer-songwriter Allana Goldsmith ahead of their show at the Tauranga Jazz Festival.

How are you feeling about performing at the Tauranga Jazz Festival for its 60th birthday celebrations?

We can't wait to play. I've been going to the festival since I was about 18. It's such a great time. Everybody should get along and check out music they've never heard before. I always say, go with an open mind and be ready to experience something different or something new. 

That’s what jazz is all about, right? That search for something new. 

That's right. Innovation happens by pushing those boundaries. It's fun and exciting. As a musician,
you never know what you're going to create.

Is that how you found your unique sound with Goldsmith Baynes?

Māori music and jazz music meeting together to form a new space was more than just bringing a bit of Te Reo to songs. It was a complete way of approaching the music. The way it was made was thought about as bringing a Māori approach to jazz.

What was that approach? What brings these two worlds together?

The way that we think about it. I’ll tell Mark I’ll be singing about birds. He will reflect on that and then play what he thinks will match that. The idea is that the musicians will follow the meaning of what we're talking about and bringing to fruition in terms of music. 

A lot of jazz is based on explorations into theory, but you approach your songs from feelings or meanings?

A lot of people take a theoretical approach to jazz. Of course, prior to it becoming an academic type of music it was Black, African music. It came from feeling before they ever really thought about it. And theory came prior to that. So it's kind of like taking it back to its roots. I like to think of it like that. 

What's great about jazz is how pliable it is. It can be adapted in so many ways or incorporated in so many different expressions. 

That’s right. Jazz has been a way for me to write my own music and write my own lyrics and learn my language. It's multifaceted and pretty personal. Me and my friends and musicians think of jazz as an approach to life.  

jazz.org.nz

Musical mind

Singer-songwriter Sophie-Maude credits her unique perspective with fuelling her creativity in music and in life.

Interview | Hayley Barnett

Sophie-Maude Turner is a surprisingly confident, self-assured, immensely talented musician. Surprising not only because she’s only just graduated school, but also due to the fact that she faces far more challenges than the average teenager. 

The 19-year-old BOP singer-songwriter has Tourette syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and obsessive compulsive disorder. But what might be seen as a barrier to others has become a source of inspiration and point of difference for Sophie-Maude, and she’s fast becoming a role model for young people across the country – something she never dreamed would happen just a few years ago. 

Earlier this year, she was given funding from NZOnAir to film her single "Comfortable" on the sands of Mount Maunganui main beach, and it quickly soared in the charts, making this local teen one to watch for 2023.

How would you describe your style of music?
My most recent releases have been a cross between Indie/synth pop. My style is constantly evolving. Since I'm still in my early days of being an artist, there are still so many exciting styles to try and play with until I find something that really reflects me. The whole process of writing lyrics and matching them with my ideas for music is part of my learning journey. Belting high, long notes is my real passion and my journey will be in that direction.

How did you get into singing and music?
When I was young, I had a habit of inviting myself up on to the stage at local events when there was a break in the entertainment. I liked going up to sing and just enjoyed performing. It was a way for me to connect to people – something I found difficult. Those random appearances resulted in an article in a local magazine which showed my picture, asking if anyone knew me! Luckily my mum saw the photo and I was then formally asked to appear the following year. That was my first real break.

How do you think the Bay has helped shape you?
Those first few appearances led to lots of opportunities to put myself out there. I have always been honest about how I function, how my brain is wired. It is really important for me to be me. No two performances will ever be the same because of that. It has meant that I have been able to give back to the communities that have helped make my life better, and living in a small town made this so much easier to do. There is a fantastic local music community too, with so much expertise and passion for what they do. Everybody knows everybody!

Who and what inspires you?
Musically I have so many to choose from but, local artist Georgia Lines, Riiki Reid and Benee are three Kiwis that really inspire me through their own journeys. Aussie artist Tash Palmer too. I also strive to be as vocally consistent as Christina Aguilera. Personally, I look up to anybody that isn’t afraid to give things a go, to follow their passions. Do what makes you happy.

You've talked about your struggles with Tourette syndrome, ADHD, Autism and OCD in the past. How has that affected your journey into music?
In some ways, it was my gateway into the industry, through my hyper-obsession with singing and my lack of filters when just rocking up on to a stage! But the struggles are all triggered by anxiety. The higher my anxiety, the higher my challenges from each of those things. This can affect simple functioning on a day-to-day basis. The most important thing for me as an artist is to recognise that and so my team and I have steps in place to keep my anxiety low. This means that a lot of the everyday elements of the industry are managed
for me. I have input and I have my jobs to do with reminders to keep on task. This allows me to focus on the creativity. I am hugely grateful to my whole support team, as I would not be in the position I am today without them.

How old were you when you released "Comfortable’? What is the meaning behind it and what was it like to create it on one of New Zealand's most famous beaches?
I had just turned 18 and it was my first experience of releasing with a video and through a PR company which certainly helps. The song is about being comfortable with yourself, accepting you for you and not having to change to fit in. The dancer is local Wes Graham and we have known each other for many years. We have both had personal journeys of accepting ourselves and so they were the first person that came to mind when we discussed doing a video. As well as being a talented dancer, we had a connection that enabled us to really feel the lyrics and musical journey together. Everyone that took part in the video has in some way been a part of my life, which was special in itself, and being on one of our beautiful beaches made it even better.

What are your plans for the future?
My last release, "Take Me Away", reached number one in the Hot New New Zealand Singles and so will be followed by my next release in early 2023. I have a busy time with live performances, which includes opening for Hollie Smith locally as well as singing on the stage for Auckland’s CocaCola Christmas in the Park. That will be followed with some local summer festival performances and then hopefully my first small taste of a tour with my own live show. We are working towards a plan that will see us maintain momentum in a steady way which will allow me to enjoy a successful long road of music. 

Listen to Sophie-Maude’s latest releases on Spotify and YouTube.

Back with a Summer’s Day

Enjoy your red, red wine while you groove along to UB40, Jefferson Starship and Dragon at one of the Bay’s biggest music events of this summer.

Words: Martyn Pepperell

When the good people at UNO asked me to interview the legendary British reggae-pop band UB40, I figured it was a safe bet we’d be talking about music. However, I didn’t expect our conversation to begin with chocolate. “I’ve heard you guys have a rival to Cadbury which is supposed to be better,” says Matt Doyle, the new lead singer of UB40. “Whittaker’s, right? I wouldn’t mind trying some of that.” 

Depending on how much chocolate means to you, you may already know that the Cadbury chocolate factory is located in Bournville, four miles south of Birmingham, where UB40 originally formed in 1978. At the time, they emerged alongside a generation of chart-topping local reggae acts that included Musical Youth, Steel Pulse, and Pato Banton. “There was never any question about what sort of music we were going to play,” enthuses guitarist and lyricist Robin Campbell, one of the band’s founding members. “We were only ever going to be a reggae band.” 

“We’re a gang of mates,” Robin continues. “We didn’t come together to form a band. We already all knew each other. We lived on the streets together, hung out together, and all went to school together. We talked about forming a band right through our teen years, and then in 1976, we saw Bob Marley play.” He pauses before continuing with a chuckle. “That was the closest thing to a spiritual experience I’ve ever had. It still took us a year and a half before we did anything, but that was the moment that changed everything.”  

Three years after Robin and UB40 saw Bob Marley perform for the first time, he played to a huge crowd at Auckland’s Western Springs Stadium and had a similar effect on the first two generations of reggae musicians in New Zealand. Interestingly, while UB40 and their peers in Birmingham were making their first steps towards global success in the wake of seeing Bob perform, some of the foundations for New Zealand’s own reggae scene had already been laid near Wellington city in Porirua – home to the Whittaker's chocolate factory – by a band called Chaos. I guess there’s something about reggae and chocolate that goes hand in hand.

On Wednesday, 4 January 2023, UB40 will perform in Tauranga at Trustpower Baypark stadium alongside Jefferson Starship and Dragon as part of Neptune Entertainment’s A Summer's Day Live six-date tour. It’s been 41 years since the first time UB40 performed in New Zealand. Ever since then, they’ve been semi-regular visitors, along the way entertaining huge audiences here with classic hits like “Food for Thought”, “1 in 10”, “Red Red Wine”, “Kingston Town” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You”. “We like to get around the country,
you know,” explains Robin. “It’s a nice place to visit, and the geography is stunning, isn’t it?”

Thinking back to arriving in New Zealand in 1981, Robin remembers the legendary Auckland reggae band Herbs greeting them at the airport with a bag of marijuana. “They said, ‘Our name is Herbs’,” he laughs before deadpanning a follow-up quip. “We said, how did you get that name?” During that trip, Herbs and UB40 found common ground over music, food, and family, in the process creating lifelong bonds. “It’s all about the idea of family, building a brotherhood, and sticking together through thick and thin,” Robin reflects.

Over the decades following that tour, they stayed close to Herbs percussionist Carl Perkins, who formed his own family reggae band House of Shem with his sons Te Omeka and Isaiah, before sadly passing away after a battle with bowel cancer in 2018. Last year, they renewed that connection with the family when Perkins’ sons recorded vocals for three songs on UB40’s twenty-first album, Bigga Baggariddim. “We sent them three backing tracks and said pick one and put a tune on it,” Robin says. “They put tunes on all three of them, and we loved them all. We sent music out to artists from all around the world, and they were the only ones who did that.” 

Matt, who joined the group in 2021 after Robin’s brother Duncan Campbell retired due to health issues, first got to know UB40 while touring with them in fellow Birmingham reggae band Kioko. While, as he admits, it was initially quite daunting to join the group, it didn’t take him long to hit his stride with them. “Being in a band is just the best feeling,” he enthuses. “If you can bring that out, and it carries over to the audience, even better.”

For Robin, the feeling is similar. Like Matt, he has an undying love of playing music and performing. From his perspective, playing music and performing offers a high he’s never found anywhere else. “That sounds corny, but it’s true,” he laughs. “Music is emotional communication, and there’s no substitute for the emotional response you get from the audience.” 

“The audience makes the show most of the time,” Matt adds.

In 2023, UB40 will be 45 years old. It’s a milestone the band plans to acknowledge with the release of a new album titled UB45. Over the course of a lifetime in music, they’ve scaled the highest heights of commercial success while remaining connected to the Jamaican reggae music that first inspired them. Like the rest of us, however, they’ve found the pandemic years hard-going and are very excited to be heading on the road again and returning to New Zealand.

“It’s been like being underwater for too long,” explains Matt. “You need to come up for air and get that breath. It’s been like that. Getting back out on stage, being able to play music, all these things feel like coming back up for air.” “It’s reminded me why I love doing it all so much,” admits Robin. “What you get from an audience is irreplaceable. As long as I’m physically able to do music, I’ll keep going.” 

Q+A with Dragon 

WordsTodd Hunter

UNO: What do you enjoy about visiting and playing in Tauranga?
I love playing in Tauranga. Marc and I spent most holidays hanging around Mount Maunganui. Our grandmother had flats in Rita St. We would spend all day at the small Mount and climb the big one!

Any good stories from playing here in the past you’d like to share?
We went into lockdown in a hotel in January 2021, so we could play at the Greenstone festivals. It was a wild experience. They gave us recording equipment and spent two weeks recording stuff. It was like being 20 again.

Dragon started in 1972. How does it feel to be part of something so long-lasting?
It’s totally great. We don’t take it for granted for a minute. It’s amazing that we still have great crowds to play to. Dragon has been a way of life rather than a band that only lasted a few years.

How would you compare playing festivals in the seventies/eighties to now?
The thrill is the same, and everything else is different.

Aside from playing shows, have you guys been working on anything lately?
We are compiling songs for a new album. It is essential to keep writing new songs to keep in touch with the essence of the band, and, less pompously, it’s fun.

What’s summertime about for Dragon?
Whitebait fritters on the west coast on the way to summer festivals. It doesn’t get better than that.

Q+A with Jefferson Starship’s
Cathy Richardson

UNO: What do you think it is about Jefferson Starship that resonates so well?
Some of the songs are so iconic. They encapsulate the times or even moods of the era. When you hear the Jefferson Airplane song “White Rabbit”, you feel like you could be sitting in a smoky hippie den somewhere, seeing blobs on the wall. Equally, the Starship hit “We Built This City” represents the excess of the eighties.

Do you have any memories from the last time you performed in Tauranga with Toto in 2019?
That was just an amazing tour. It was our first time in New Zealand, which was exciting in itself. Of course, it was so cool to share the stage with those legendary bands, and the audience reception really blew us away.

What are you looking forward to about touring New Zealand with UB40 and Dragon?
We’re excited to reconnect with our friends in Dragon, and we can’t wait to hear and get to know the UB40 guys as well. We met their tour manager, who also works for Deep Purple, who we just toured with in Europe. It will be quite a trip to see her on the other side of the world.

What’s summertime about for Jefferson Starship?
Generally, lots and lots of shows! We love playing outside, much like the old days in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. There’s nothing better than grooving to some great live music with a few thousand of your closest friends on a beautiful afternoon or evening.

To purchase tickets to A Summer’s Day Live, head to trademarklive.co.nz