Song for a Sunday morning

Graham Brazier singing his NZ rebel anthem, Billy Bold, at the Titirangi Memorial Hall, with his late, dear friend Dave McArtney supporting on guitar and vocals.

Billy Bold Live

NZ Music Month: ‘Closing Time’

For those who’ve been looking forward to it … it’s closing time.

Music by Brazier, photography by various esp. Murray Cammick, video by Clouso

More from Graham Brazier and friends:

Last one in my one-post-a-day music post for NZ Music Month, closing with the 1979 Hello Sailor playing ‘Blue Lady’ with The Doors’ Ray Manzarek. Just because I can.

Mind you, I’m not promising I’ve finished…

NZ Music Month: Hammond Gamble - Leaving The Country (live in 1984)

Happily, NZ’s premier bluesman Hammond Gamble is still playing.

Sadly however, his first big song is still topical.

More Hammond here.

NZ Music Month: “My Poetry,” by Shane Hollands & Freaky Meat

“My poetry would like to kick your poetry’s assonance…”

Freaky Meat, filmed, not too well, at the Titirangi Toolroom.

(Another one-NZ-music-post-per-day for NZ Music Month.)

NZ Music Month: The Adults - Nothing To Lose

Jon Toogood, Shayne Carter, Ladi6 et al making music for adults.  Which is no comment whatsoever on their day jobs.

(Another one-NZ-music-post-per-day for NZ Music Month.)

NZ Music Month–Rodger Fox

Musicians aplenty have come through R0dger Fox’s jazz bands over the years, but there’s bugger all evidence about on YouTube. Still, here’s Rodger Kox’s Wellington Jazz Orchestra swinging Bill Cunliffe’s tune ‘All’s Well in Wellington’ on what looks like a Telethon.

(Another one-NZ-music-post-per-day for NZ Music Month.)

NZ Music Month: Nathan Haines–‘The Poet’s Embrace

NZ reeds man Nathan Haines is already a jazz legend—especially now he’s increasingly playing more jazz and less dance music.  But until recently he still didn’t feel ready to record a “real jazz record,” an “acoustic” album—one recorded live to tape and without digital trickery, just the way the masters of jazz did in the old days.

The result was ‘The Poet’s Embrace,’ for which this clip is a taster.

(Another one-NZ-music-post-per-day for NZ Music Month.)

NZ Music Month - Kiri Te Kanawa: ‘Frühling’

From "The Maestro And The Diva", featuring a rehearsal performance under the great Georg Solti of ‘Frühling’ from Richard Strauss' gorgeous Four Last Songs.

Even at half-power and just in rehearsal she was amazing.

Here she is at full noise.

(Another one-NZ-music-post-per-day for NZ Music Month.)

NZ Music Month - The Neighbours: ‘The Only One You Need’

I recall The Neighbours--with Sam Ford, Trudi Green and the legendary Rick Bryant—being a shit-hot live band around Wellington in the mid-eighties. They enlisted film-maker Gaylene Preston to “dramatise” their 1983 EP ‘The Only One You Need.’ You might wonder “why?”

(Another one-NZ-music-post-per-day for NZ Music Month.)

NZ Music Month: ‘Stoned Guitar’ by the Human Instinct

In the dictionary under “wig out” it says “see ‘Stoned Guitar’ by the Human Instinct.

This is that song, from 1969. The un-stoned guitarist (yeah right) is Billy TK. He seems to have played before.

(Another one-NZ-music-post-per-day for NZ Music Month.)

MZ Music Month: Music by Brilleaux

Music this afternoon by Tauranga’s own Maximum R’n’B outfit Brilleaux!

“Pictures of the Queen,” words and music by Brilleaux

“I Can Tell,” words and music by Ellis McDaniel (aka Bo Diddley)

“Riding on the L&N,” words by Dan Burley, music by Lionel Hampton

(Another one-NZ-music-post-per-day for NZ Music Month.)

NZ Music Month: ‘Wintersturme’ sung by Simon O’Neill

New Zealander Simon O’Neill is now one of the world’s leading Wagnerian tenors. And I bet most of you didn’t even know that.

Here he is singing “Wintersturme,” from Act I of Richard Wagner’s Die Walkure (part of Wagner’s famous “Ring Cycle”), sung at the 2008 Ravello Festival in Italy. The woman he’s making love to is the amazing Waltraute Meier; conducting him is Daniel Barenboim; and playing for him is the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra—an orchestra made entirely of musicians from both Israel and Palestine.

Not a bad place to be be for a boy from Ashburton.

(Another one-NZ-music-post-per-day for NZ Music Month.)

PS: Here’s Part 1 of a short doco on Simon done when he was understudying Placido Domingo at The Met a few years ago in the role he’s now singing  around the world as lead.  Naturally, it’s called ‘The Understudy.’

NZ Music Month: ‘Dies Irae’

Music by Mozart, performance by Auckland Choral Society with the APO.

(Another one-NZ-music-post-per-day for NZ Music Month.)

NZ Music Month: “Travellin’ On”

Remember this? Midge Marsden, Murray Grindley from the Underdogs (and countless TV jingles) with the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan roped in to set the song afire.

Not bad for a TV ad!

Another one-NZ-music-post-per-day for NZ Music Month.

Friday Morning Ramble #666

Welcome to another end-of-the-week ramble. Here’s some stuff to check out over lunchtime—or maybe over the weekend.

Not exactly busy, are they.
The Ministers respond to the Christchurch housing crisis… – Holly Walker,  F R O G   B L O G

Winston is going gaga? Or Winston always was gaga? No matter, the evidence is now more clear.
Lunch with Winston Peters – Stephen Stratford,  Q U O T E   U N Q U O T E

Dunedin’s “stimulus” stadium continues to weigh them down. (It’s like the sovereign debt crisis in microcosm.)
Stadium blew budget by millions -  S T U F F

Every time the NZ Parliament passes a new act it costs the country an average of $3.5 million, according to a new study. And even just a piece of regulation costs around $530,000.  They included the cost of Parliamentary time and the cost of the policy analysts’ time. What they didn’t include was the effect of every piece of new legislation, and every new  regulation, in slowing down and making it harder for the folk who actually get things done to get things done.
Cost of legislation – V I S I B L E   H A N D   O F   E C O N O M I C S

Despite his many errors as a commentator Brian Gaynor is without doubt one of the country’s most successful fund managers. So when he notes the widespread impact of the Commerce Commission’s wealth destruction, it’s worth listening.
Shaky telco regulation spooks investors – Brian Gaynor,  N Z   H E R A L D

Set up by Roger Douglas, the culture of the Communist Commerce Commission needs to change. And the simplest way to change it is to close it down.
Sadly, a slap is all it gets.
Auditor General letter slaps Commerce Commission – W H A L E   O I L

The Green Party took forty years to gain currency. Lesson for those who choose to take it: in politics, ideological victory is a marathon, not a sprint.
Beyond Today: a values story, and the Greens’ story -  Claire Browning, F R O G  B L O G

There is no such thing as ‘rational’ debate. Well, certainly not at the Labour Party blog The Double Standard.
"There's no such thing as 'rational' debate!" – T H E   C O N T R A R I A N

“Sin taxes” on cigarettes and alcohol  are not designed to create abstinence. “Taxing goods which are price inelastic, especially those which are addictive, is far more likely to impoverish consumers than it is to turn them into abstainers.”
Sin taxes – Paul Walker,  A N T I    D I S M A L

Just in case you didn’t realise: “Sin taxes” on cigarettes and alcohol are not designed to improve public health; they are designed to boost revenue.
The Wages of Sin Taxes: The True Cost of Taxing Alcohol, Tobacco and Other "Vices" 
-  P I N   F A C T O R Y    B L O G

I hear folk screaming about the undue influence of Murdoch et al on politics. “What I am suggesting though is that those screaming about how awful it is that a private sector company should try to suck up to those with political power is, well, what the fuck did you expect? Your permission to run a newspaper business is dependent upon those politicians. Your spectrum allocation is dependent upon those politicians. How much domestic shite you’ve got to pump out over that spectrum is dependent upon those politicians. Which sporting events you’re even allowed to bid for is determined by those politicians. Whether you’re allowed to buy out the other shareholders in a company you already have management control of is determined by those politicians.”
When legislators decide what can be bought and sold…. – T I M  W O R S T A L L

In the USA we don't have a dictator controlling thought; we have a
culture of conformity that gets people to censor themselves.
        - William Greeley

“The nature of the regime created by Hamas in Gaza, and its strength and durability, has received insufficient attention in the West… An Islamist one-party quasi-state has been built in Gaza over the last half-decade. The prospects for this enclave and its importance in the period ahead have been immeasurably strengthened by the advances made by Hamas' fellow Muslim Brotherhood branches in Egypt and elsewhere in the region.”
A Bracing Look at the Reality of Hamas -  Jeffrey Goldberg, T H E   A T L A N T I C

The use of private prisons continues to increase. No wonder. Private prisons have a very simple blueprint for success: more lobbying, less security.
Private prisons' blueprint for success: more lobbying, less security – D E N V E R    W E S T W O R L D

Why is Louisiana the “prison capital of the world”? Simple: A majority of Louisiana inmates are housed in for-profit facilities, which must be supplied with a constant influx of human beings or a $182 million industry will go bankrupt.
Incentives matter: prison file – Paul Walker, A N T I   D I S M A L

A plea from a European supply-sider:  Couldn’t every economy be more like Germany's - by embracing radical supply side reforms?
The importance of the supply-side – Ryan Bourne, C E N T R E   F O R  P O L I C Y   S T U D I E S

"[T]he present breakdown of America is not the failure of Capitalism,
but the result of men abandoning the principles of Capitalism...."
- Ayn Rand

Statisticians really will do anything to follow the government’s line, won’t they.
U.S. Government Spending Has Shrunk…When You Ignore 44 Percent of Government Spending
-  M E R C A T U S   C E N T E R

“Do reduced banking controls always equate with free market?” A free-marketeer makes a principled case for more regulation in the banking sector.
Does JP Morgan’s massive loss favour the argument for more controls?
– Frank Shostak, C O B D E N C E N T R E

Political leaders are always saying we should follow Sweden. This is what happened in Sweden following the GFC under Premier Anders Borg: “His ‘stimulus’ was a permanent tax cut. To critics, this was fiscal lunacy — the so-called ‘punk tax cutting’ agenda. Borg, on the other hand, thought lunacy meant repeating the economics of the 1970s and expecting a different result…. He continued to cut taxes and cut welfare-spending to pay for it; he even cut property taxes for the rich to lure entrepreneurs back to Sweden. The last bit was the most unpopular, but for Borg, economic recovery starts with entrepreneurs.,,
Three years on, it’s pretty clear who was right.”
The Swedish model – Steven Kates,  C A T A L L A X Y   F I L E S

Want to end financial repression? Then end the rule of the central banks.
Leave Money Production to the Market – Jeffrey Herbener,  M I S E S   D A I L Y
How Central Banks Are Delivering A Financial Repression 
– M O N E Y   M O R N I N G   A U S T R A L I A

Should insider trading be banned?

“Senior politicians must realise that hard work cannot produce prosperity without the right institutions. In addition to Adam Smith’s “peace, easy taxes and a tolerable administration of justice”, hard work must be rewarded with honest money which holds its value, not money which the commercial banks and the [central bank] can produce at the touch of a button.”
Hard work needs honest money – Steve Baker, MP,  C O B D E N    C E N T R E

“The economics and politics of the West are being ruined by the 101%, that brigade of citizens who feel it is their right to consume at least 101% of the value of the taxes they have themselves contributed. And, of course, we are not really talking about a mere 1% above their contributions but vast amounts beyond anything they have contributed themselves.”
The 101% - Steven Kates, C A T A L L A X Y F I L E S

If there is one thing about which to be happy: at least Greece is not Japan.
Japan's WTF Chart – Z E R O   H E D G E

Greece's tragedy should be a lesson in reality evasion - there is no alternative to living within your means.
Greece's tragedy should be lesson to all – L I B E R RT Y   S C O T T

As its “bad bank” becomes worse, Europe’s fourth-largest economy very publicly hits the skids,.
The Pain In Spain Is Mainly, Well, Everywhere -  Z E R O   H E D G E
Rearranging the New World Order - Bill Bonner,  D A I L Y   R E C K O N I N G ,   A U S T R A L I A

If you think this will be the first time there is a break-up in Europe, think again. 

“Serving others, I believe, is the highest calling for a person in our society.” Bollocks. Don’t serve: create.

Obama might yet regret making up his little state-worshipper, Julia.

What would Chicken Littles do if enough resources existed to fuel the world for a thousand years even with our present technology? Better not tell them about methane hydrates then.
The World Is Running Out Of Energy Scares – Stephen Milloy, J U N K   S C I E N C E

Meanwhile … last winter, on several occasions, Germany escaped only just large-scale power outages. Next winter the risk of large blackouts is even greater. The culprit for the looming crisis is the single most important instrument of German energy policy: so-called “Renewable Energy.”
Germany Faces Energy Disaster Next Winter – Stephen Milloy, J U N K S C I E N C E

Disobedience is not an issue if obedience is not the goal.
        - Daron Quinlan

From an interview with a safecracker:
Q: How realistic are movies that show people breaking into vaults?
A: Not very!
Interview With A Safecracker -  G E E K   P R E S S

Life’s too short to read some books. Like this latest piece of excrement by Sam Harris.
Life’s Too Short to Read Some Books -  T H E   P U R P O S E F U L   R E A D E R

Book porn. No, seriously.
B O O K S H E L F   P O R N

You want good food? Do ya?
Where do you get yours? (Food Edition) – Russell Brown,  H A R D   N E W S

Answering the vexed questions of the modern-day world: how to give Power Point presentations on your iPad:
Giving iPad PowerPoint Presentations Just Got a Lot Better -  R E A D   W R I T E   W E B

The Auckland Philharmonia were immense last night playing Dvorak’s New World Symphony. Best I’ve heard them. But the Vienna Philharmonic are no slouches either.

Donna Summer has died. She did one sixteen-minute song every teenage boy loved, whatever his musical persuasion—supposedly containing the sexiest "simulated" orgasms ever found on vinyl.

Your NZ Music for today is “Humanised,” by Sola Rosa (although Tommy Dorsey would recognise the main riff):

[Hat tips and thank yous to Nick Allen, Oren Kessler, Auckland Libraries, Maria Montessori, Oliver Cooper, Eric Crampton, Marijuana, Inc., Steve Baker MP., Daniel Wahl,  Stephen R. C. Hicks]

Cheers, and thanks for reading
Peter Cresswell

NZ Music Month: “What Sound is This?”

Oops. I just remembered that May is NZ Music Month.

And since I’m really enjoying The Verlaines’s new album* ‘Untimely Meditations,’ here’s the album’s closer. Bastard has been stuck in my head for a week.

Maybe I’ll try to post one great piece of NZ music a day to make up for my oversight. Feel free to make suggestions in the comments, (which, of course, I’ll feel perfectly free to ignore).

* Well, new to me ‘cos it’s been sitting around waiting for me to start playing it.

More borrowed music [updated]

It’s NZ Music Month, so … here’s a 1938 American hit “borrowed” by a popular local band for a recent album hit.

Chocolate fish to the first person to give the name of the local band. (Hint: their album was released in February.) I’ll let you know the answer at midday, if someone hasn’t already pinged it by then.

UPDATE: So that went well, didn't it.

The answer, for the two of you interested, is Auckland band Sola Rosa, who "borrowed" it without attribution for the song 'Humanised' on their new album Get it Together. Listen to it here.

NZ Music Month: My Favourites

Last time I told you my top five or so favourite NZ albums I could only post links to the albums – and I sensed you all passed quickly past. Now YouTube has changed all that, so here for your listening and reading pleasure in NZ Music Month are my own top ten all-time favourite NZ albums in, ah, 'autobiographical' order. Now with clips! (Some of them sometimes even related to the albums listed!)

• Hello Sailor: Hello Sailor – thrashed this to album to death when I was about thirteen. And as Jennie could tell you, "my life was saved by rock n’ roll.”
  
• AK79 – and then there was punk
  
• Toy Love: Toy Love
  
• Graham Brazier: Inside Out
  
• Hammond Gamble: Plugged in & Blue
  
• Luke Hurley: Reha – not much decent video of old Luke.  This looks to be about it.
  
• Kiri te Kanawa: Four Last Songs – music to live up to
  
• NZ's opera knight Donald McIntyre singing in Wagner’s Die Walkure
  
• Kiri: Songs of the Auvergne – bonus point if you know in which unforgettable local movie it was used in
  
• Little Bushman: Pendulum (can you spot old Big Nose down the front?)
  

So what are your favourite NZ albums?  Come on, ‘fess up now.